Less anxiety since cutting out dairy?

[Lillibby]

Has anyone else found their anxiety has got much better since cutting out dairy?

I’ve had awful anxiety for a few years after an assault. Therapy worked so far but I was then just left with a very negative mindset with very limiting beliefs about myself and my life. Anxiety symptoms physically too. I cut dairy our over a week or so ago. I’ve been transitioning slowly as I tried to drop everything and struggled so I’ve been doing meat first, not that I ate much just tuna and rarely chicken. Then dairy, and now I’m weaning off eggs.

Since coming off dairy it just hit me today how much less anxious I’ve felt. My brain feels less jumbled with negative thoughts and things I never thought I’d be able to do again due to anxiety, I’m now feeling hopeful I can. Hard to explain but I feel much lighter in my mind and less anxious.

Is this possibly related to cutting out dairy or after years of suffering with anxiety the universe has just decided to give me a break?

 

[Emma JC]

Anything is possible Lillibby as there are so many possible factors at play.

Years ago I read about the suffering of the animals, that are used for their milk and their flesh, and it posited that their suffering and anxiety can be passed on in the food that is consumed and that anxiety can be taken up by the eater. Dairy or cow's milk is intended for the baby of the mom cow and her anxiety over having that baby taken away from her could be in the milk?

Dairy products are also hard on the body, all the hormones and the other shite, make the body work overtime to accommodate it and the high fat in the cheeses and creams etc accummulate over time. With the body working so hard to deal with it there may be less energy and nutrients for the brain which could lead to anxiety.

Then there is the placebo effect. You know you are doing great things for your body and so your body and mind are choosing to respond in a positive way. Keep up the great work... this is a journey and it doesn't have to be perfect.

Emma JC

 

[Lillibby]

Anything is possible Lillibby as there are so many possible factors at play.

Years ago I read about the suffering of the animals, that are used for their milk and their flesh, and it posited that their suffering and anxiety can be passed on in the food that is consumed and that anxiety can be taken up by the eater. Dairy or cow's milk is intended for the baby of the mom cow and her anxiety over having that baby taken away from her could be in the milk?

Dairy products are also hard on the body, all the hormones and the other shite, make the body work overtime to accommodate it and the high fat in the cheeses and creams etc accummulate over time. With the body working so hard to deal with it there may be less energy and nutrients for the brain which could lead to anxiety.

Then there is the placebo effect. You know you are doing great things for your body and so your body and mind are choosing to respond in a positive way. Keep up the great work... this is a journey and it doesn't have to be perfect.

Emma JC

Thank you so much for your reply.
I also read that once about the meat and dairy having hormones etc in. Not a nice thought is it.

 

[SaraSmith85]

Has anyone else found their anxiety has got much better since cutting out dairy?

I’ve had awful anxiety for a few years after an assault. Therapy worked so far but I was then just left with a very negative mindset with very limiting beliefs about myself and my life. Anxiety symptoms physically too. I cut dairy our over a week or so ago. I’ve been transitioning slowly as I tried to drop everything and struggled so I’ve been doing meat first, not that I ate much just tuna and rarely chicken. Then dairy, and now I’m weaning off eggs.

Since coming off dairy it just hit me today how much less anxious I’ve felt. My brain feels less jumbled with negative thoughts and things I never thought I’d be able to do again due to anxiety, I’m now feeling hopeful I can. Hard to explain but I feel much lighter in my mind and less anxious.

Is this possibly related to cutting out dairy or after years of suffering with anxiety the universe has just decided to give me a break?

Cutting out diary makes me also feeling much happier, AFTER one week.
I dont know why, but I know it works.

 

[Lillibby]

Cutting out diary makes me also feeling much happier, AFTER one week.
I dont know why, but I know it works.

Isn’t it strange. I decided to test this and I ate some dairy last weekend. Not ideal but I’m still transitioning: I had a major panic attack the next day. I’ve felt anxious on and off all week since. Strange and unlike me to feel that bad. I’m keeping an eye on it.

 

[Urban Gardener]

I have tested this too! I've tried all combo's, including being omni but with no dairy and vegan except for a small amount of dairy. (For most of my life, I've been near-vegan, now vegan.)

I have noticed the exact same thing. Dairy seems to give me depression and anxiety. It seems to exacerbate PTSD.

I'm lactose intolerant. Most dairy is impossible for me to digest (immediate gas and diarrhea). I can only eat cheese and baked goods containing dairy, such as cookies, or even pancakes. I can't do much cooked dairy - no cream sauces. And ice cream can be doable in VERY small amounts, but it's not a sure bet.

I thought the anxiety/depression thing could be related to lactose intolerance.

Lactose intolerance is the norm, globally. Most humans lose the ability to digest lactose as they mature, just like most mammals. Lactose tolerance - the ability to digest lactose throughout life - is a mutation people developed in a few areas of the world where dairy became a staple.

If you can't digest dairy, you got those specific genes from ancestors who weren't eating dairy products.

So I have to wonder if there is more to lactose intolerance than the obvious digestive issues. Cheese only contains trace amounts of lactose. But maybe even that tiny amount could trigger a reaction? Or we're reacting to other components of it, not the lactose?

Or maybe it has nothing to do with lactose intolerance. The explanations in this thread sound very reasonable.

 

[KLS52]

I think it’s great if it works for you. I’ve been dairy free for 15 years and my anxiety is through the roof. Of course, I attribute mine to hormonal changes brought on by menopause because while I always had some form of anxiety on and off throughout the years, it really started at age 52 when I started going through the change. By age 62 it really became debilitating. Now that I’m not working anymore I might actually consider medication which I’ve been fighting against for years. I need/want to be able to function semi normally especially as I get older, otherwise I fear my world will be getting smaller and smaller with regard to places I will go and things I will do.
I think it’s great when one finds making changes, especially dietary ones, helps with some kind of problem.

 

[Urban Gardener]

I think it’s great if it works for you. I’ve been dairy free for 15 years and my anxiety is through the roof. Of course, I attribute mine to hormonal changes brought on by menopause because while I always had some form of anxiety on and off throughout the years, it really started at age 52 when I started going through the change. By age 62 it really became debilitating. Now that I’m not working anymore I might actually consider medication which I’ve been fighting against for years. I need/want to be able to function semi normally especially as I get older, otherwise I fear my world will be getting smaller and smaller with regard to places I will go and things I will do.
I think it’s great when one finds making changes, especially dietary ones, helps with some kind of problem.

It could also be caffeine! I've had less anxiety since giving that up.

 

[KLS52]

It could also be caffeine! I've had less anxiety since giving that up.

I talk about coffee a lot but it’s always decaf. Occasionally I’ll add one scoop caffeine to three scoops decaf. I definitely cannot do caffeine. I notice a big difference without it. I finally got my son to reduce his caffeine intake. He has bad anxiety too. Of course he would have to get that from me. Something else to add to the mom guilt, lol.

 

[Ahimsa]

Has anyone else found their anxiety has got much better since cutting out dairy?

I’ve had awful anxiety for a few years after an assault. Therapy worked so far but I was then just left with a very negative mindset with very limiting beliefs about myself and my life. Anxiety symptoms physically too. I cut dairy our over a week or so ago. I’ve been transitioning slowly as I tried to drop everything and struggled so I’ve been doing meat first, not that I ate much just tuna and rarely chicken. Then dairy, and now I’m weaning off eggs.

Since coming off dairy it just hit me today how much less anxious I’ve felt. My brain feels less jumbled with negative thoughts and things I never thought I’d be able to do again due to anxiety, I’m now feeling hopeful I can. Hard to explain but I feel much lighter in my mind and less anxious.

Is this possibly related to cutting out dairy or after years of suffering with anxiety the universe has just decided to give me a break?

Trauma tends to wear off after a while Lillibby so it could just be a coincidence. On the other hand, there could be something in dairy that exacerbates symptoms of anxiety. I used to be a therapist by the way.

 

[Ahimsa]

Trauma tends to wear off after a while Lillibby so it could just be a coincidence. On the other hand, there could be something in dairy that exacerbates symptoms of anxiety. I used to be a therapist by the way.

Casein and lactose are hard to digest Lillibby so this could be the cause of an increase in anxiety.