Over the past few months, I’ve been puzzled by several symptoms Annalyn has exhibited. Some physical, some behavioral, none of them seemingly too serious – until I realized that they were all happening at the same time. One night I was telling a friend about it and brainstorming possible solutions.
When she said, “Why don’t you just try going off dairy?” my answer was immediate and heartfelt: “Oh. My. Gosh. The thought of that makes me want to cry.”
I wasn’t exaggerating. Thinking about removing dairy from our family’s diet – or even just Annalyn’s diet – makes me incredibly sad. We LOVE dairy at our house. And after a childhood milk allergy that meant I was only allowed milk products on Fridays, I’m not sure I can bring myself to do the same thing to my kiddo.
[Of course if I doctor said it was necessary, we would do it. This conversation was purely me playing armchair doctor with my friend and Dr. Google. We're actually addressing the problems differently for now, based on our [actual] doctor’s advice.]
Despite my struggles with eating healthy, my daughter eats a ton of fruits and veggies, and she knows that sweets are treats and not everyday occurrences. However, she loves dairy as much as I do!
And good news – I’ve just learned from the Midwest Dairy Council that milk is not just a great source of calcium, but it is also nature’s sports drink and a great addition to a fitness plan.
As I’ve been trying to eat fewer carbs, I’ve leaned more on dairy products to fill me up and give me energy. It turns out that can help me every time I dust off my treadmill and get back to exercising, too. Milk helps the body refuel, rehydrate and recover after a workout, and research published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism on young adults showed that chocolate milk is twice as effective as commercial sports drinks to refuel exhausted muscles.
Since I live in a house full of people who love chocolate milk, you can probably understand why I’m happy about this news.
The Midwest Dairy Council wants to power up your fitness routine with a Get Moo-ving Pack. This fitness pack provides you with all the essentials for your favorite outdoor activity, including an iTunes gift card, a Cuisinart hand blender for your post-workout smoothies and Dairy Makes Sense wicking gear.
To enter this giveaway: Leave a comment telling me about your favorite dairy product – or your current fitness routine. For an additional entry, subscribe to Giving Up on Perfect by email and leave a separate comment telling me you did it. (Or, if you already subscribe, leave that separate comment telling me that you do.) This giveaway will be closed on Tuesday, June 5.
I was provided a Get Moo-ving Pack by the Midwest Dairy Council, but all opinions (and dairy love) shared here are my own.
Milkshakes!!! :D I’ll follow that up with I do weight lifting at least once a week now that I’m pregnant along with walking instead of jogging. Normally, I’m a 3x a week weightlifter and jogger-it balances out my milkshake consumption (I hope!)
I also subscribe to you via email and on bloglovin’! :)
My favorite dairy products is an ice cold glass of raw milk.
I have so many favorite dairy products it is hard to choose just one. I love to munch on mozzarella cheese snacks. I think my favorite dairy product of all is yogurt. Banana with sliced bananas is simply the best!
My very favorite dairy product is MILK!!!!! Cold, delicious MILK! My second favorite dairy product is pretty much everything else, yogurt, butter, ice cream, whipping cream, cream, cheese, more cheese, etc….. you get the picture! LOL
I subscribe.
I like Moosetrack Milkshakes! I guessvi should work out first, then treat myself to the milkshake:)
I follow you by email!
I love any kind of cheese or whole milk!
Great giveaway!
Love Milk, also almost any kind of cheese.
I follow you via email, twitter & facebook
Love the nesquick that is already premade you can buy in the dairy section…so yummy!
Vanilla malt….especially after mountain biking (favorite fitness “routine”)
I already subscribe. : )
My son’s track coach tells the kids to go home and drink chocolate milk after each practice. I definitely believe that it is better for our kids than Gatorade.
My favorite dairy is one that I have been trying not to eat too much of: Tillamook chocolatey chip cookie dough. It’s SO delicious. I could eat the whole carton in one sitting and not regret it. But! I wont.
I already subscribe to your blog.
My favorite dairy would have to be yogurt/ice cream. I’m not a big fan of milk unless I’m eating a brownie, oreo or drinking chocolate milk after a workout.
Right now my workout routine is a run/walk program, I’m hoping to be able to run a 5K by September, 3 days a week, a toning program 3 days a week and Zumba two days a week.
Our favorite dairy would be cheese!
I am training for a half marathon and my children are truing for their first 5K.
I am a subscriber!
Um, Ice Cream. Of course.
Subscriber Love.
I looove yogurt! I eat it daily!
I absolutely LOVE cheese!. My fitness routine is pretty non-existent but with summer here I am hoping to get out and exercise more.
ice cream. sweet, glorious, ice cream!
subscriber and fan!
I live in Wisconsin. By law, we love all dairy products. Frozen custard is a nice fun treat!
We often joke that we should just get a chow with the amount of milk we go through…. :)
A COLD glass of milk.