I'm ditching the dairy

Time to ditch the cow's milk? If you are struggling with your weight, have IBS, suffer with angry breakouts on your skin or debillitating headaches?  If so, then this may be a question you should be asking yourself.  If you're feeling especially brave, try ditching the dairy altogether. So what can be used as a milk substitute?   I'm going to try this myself, and give almond milk a go, made from water and finely ground almonds that are strained to remove skins and sediment, producing a milk high in essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin E which is effective in preventing cancer.  It is also lactose free and an ideal drink for veggies as it contains no animal products. As a kid, I was encouraged to drink my milk for strong bones and teeth and can you remember being given a free bottle a school at break time?  I hated this if only for the fact I didn't like the cream on  .the top and would try to tip it somewhere or give it to a friend.  Nowadays, women at risk of osteoporosis are encouraged to drink the white stuff to prevent brittle bones.  Strangely though, western society, which sees countries containing some of the biggest milk consuming nations in the world, have the highest number of fractured his in women over 50!  The cause?  Poor bone density!  So how can this be, if collectively we are drinking so much of calcium rich dairy milk. Basically, animal protein, unlike that derived from plants, increases the acidity of the blood and tissues of the body, which itself prefers a more alkaline environment.  In order to reduce its acidity, the body uses calcium.  Where does this calcium come from? Yep, bones. What does this do?  Reduces the strength of them resulting in an increased risk of.....fractures.  Other conditions thought to be related to the consumption of cow's milk, include Multiple Sclerosis, and arthritis.  Dairy products also produce more mucus in the body, in the lungs, sinuses and throat, so eating dairy when you have a cold will exacerbate the situation. Dairy is also frequently flagged as a cause of many food allergies.  Switching to a skimmed or semi skimmed variant is of no help as these contain concentrated levels of allergens. So I am going to give a non dairy milk a try and see how I get on.  There is of course soya milk as another alternative to dairy.  Let me know if you have made the change from dairy milk, as I'd love to exchange views.