Let’s found out about James Hardy’s 3nd week on my challenge:
Journal entry date: September 28th, 2014
I am more than three weeks into no dairy and no eggs. There have been some battles over the last week. My wife’s family had a pre-holiday get together and the foods I love the most I had to avoid. It was tough but I fought through it.
Since my last post I have noticed some more changes I have noticed. For as long as I can remember I have had issues with plaque buildup on my teeth. I brush twice daily and floss trying to prevent it. On day 18 I did not have any plaque buildup. I kept to my ritual but I haven’t had any plaque buildup on my teeth since then.
The next thing I noticed was my bacne has gotten better. I do a lot of weight lifting and no matter what I do, it doesn’t go away. On the three week mark I noticed that my bacne was noticeably better. My wife has also commented on how much it is clearing up. I was told by a doctor when I was in high school that if I avoided milk it would clear up but I didn’t listen.
Week three was very rough for me because I was sick as well. I was starting to feel a cold coming up but my mucus never thickened or changed colors. My body still hurt and I suffered many of the symptoms but my nasal passages moved very well and my mucus stayed thin. I am fully recovered and feeling great.
This diet change as not just been tough on me, but it has been a challenge for my wife as well. One of a go to quick meals has been hamburger helper, which requires milk and has cheese in it. Since I am avoiding dairy we have had to get creative on quick meals so we came up with our own version. We brown hamburger meat like you would for hamburger helper and then we add half a can of tomato paste, 1 cup of almond milk, handful of daiya cheese, and then we sprinkle in some of our favorite seasonings. It taste much better than hamburger helper and it is much healthier.
In what turned out to be a major coincidence, two weeks ago I happened to mountain bike a few miles up to Whole Foods during my lunch break and treat myself to a Buchi brand Kombucha. I happened to turn the bottle around to see that Buchi is made in Asheville, NC.
The reason that is important is because just a few days later, we would be going to Asheville anyway, on our fall road trip from Nashville to Asheville, as we reviewed the 4G capabilities of the 2015 Buick LaCrosse.
So I sent a quick email to Buchi requesting a tour while we were in town and they said yes.
Therefore, today with great honor, I share our visit of Buchi, as well as, the Avonlea Learning Community with you.
In case you’re unfamiliar with Kombucha, I refer to it as “vegan soda.” It’s extremely healthy for you and full of probiotics, but contains no added junk or chemicals like soda does; nor is it an actual alcoholic beverage, despite the appearance.
Without a doubt, Buchi is a very fascinating company. Why else would our family make an effort to visit their headquarters while on our fall mini-vacation?
For starters, Fast Company recently featured them in their magazine.
The next thing I find fascinating about them is how humble the workers are. I met with Mike Numinous, the Vision Caster and Kombucha Ambassador of Buchi.
He sincerely hugs anyone he meets. It’s that mentality that gets bottled up with the Kombucha itself.
I am amazed at how “uncorporate” the Buchi company is, not just in word, but in action.
For the type of national distribution they have, I assumed they must have a huge warehouse.
Nope.
I’m so impressed how far this company has gotten without a major corporate affiliation. Talk about the underdog! Buchi’s staff is very hard-working, yet full of heart.
The Buchi headquarters, which is up in the mountains, about a 25 minute drive from downtown Asheville, is simply part of the communal property which also hosts the homes of many of Buchi’s staff as well as their Montessori-based private school: Avonlea Learning Community.
They have mixed age classrooms, art and physical education daily, and an emphasis on nature exploration. They focus on critical thinking, teach chicken farming and gardening, and are located on 180 acres of organic farm and woodland; all with affordable tuition! Man, if only we lived in Asheville…
Another coincidence in this whole story is that the flavor of Buchi I happened to be drinking in the picture at the top, before we ever made our visit, was the Avonlea flavor; which was named in honor on their school. Avonlea, along with Fire, happen to be my favorites!
We really enjoyed seeing the school. I mean this in a good way; it was like seeing the Dharma Initiative in 1977; at least the way it was intended to be. (That’s a reference to once my favorite shows, Lost.)
In the backyard of the school is a chicken coop; the children sell the eggs to the community. There is also a trampoline and plenty of room to run around.
Man, what a cool school!
Our fall trip to Asheville was a blast the whole time, but I think our visit to the Buchi headquarters was my favorite part!
Below is some bonus footage, featuring some interviews I did with Mike Numinous, the Vision Caster and Kombucha Ambassador of Buchi:
Hi, I am Nick Shell, the creator of Dairy And Egg Free Testimonials, and this is the update to my story.
By now, you’ve probably read some testimonials of my converts: both Ben Wilder (6 months) and James Hardy (1 month).
But of course, I myself took the “48 Hour Dairy And Egg Free Challenge” a year and half ago… and I’m obviously still committed.
Like the other guys who I have featured here on Family Friendly Daddy Blog, I decided to take the challenge to find out if it were true that by eliminating dairy and eggs for just 48 hours, my sinus and allergies would noticeably improve.
Well, here I am, a year and a half into the 48 hour challenge with no dairy and eggs. I haven’t been sick once since then, nor have I suffered from sinus pressure, nor have I produced sinus congestion. Period.
It’s not a coincidence, considering before the switch I suffered from 22 years of ongoing sinusitis, sinus pressure, and allergies to pets. Obviously, all those problems went away and have stayed away for the past 18 months.
But I also want to address another issue. For more than a year before I went “dairy and egg free” back in April 2013, I had already been a vegetarian.
What I am telling you is that for nearly 3 years, I have not eaten any meat, including fish. And for the past year and a half, no dairy or eggs.
I just want to serve as physical evidence that if a person focuses on the right nutritious food groups (veggies, fruit, grains, beans, nuts, seeds), they don’t have to rely on animal products to be healthy.
At age 27 in 2008, the year I got married, I maxed out at around 178 pounds, which took its toll on me, being 5’9”. That extra “beefiness” also came with “medically incurable” eczema (specifically called “dyshodrosis, which covered both my hands; plus acne, and again, constant allergy and sinus issues.
It wasn’t until in hindsight that I could actually see the change in the mirror and in pictures of myself. I just assumed it was a “bad camera angle” that I looked heavier.
In desperation, I prayed to God to just show me what I needed to do and I would do it; that I would gladly serve as a spokesman to help others if I could just be cured on my haunting eczema (dyshodrosis).
That prayer led to a journey a few years long, in which I was gradually shown that becoming a vegan would be that cure I was so desperate for.
I didn’t do it “cold turkey” (bad pun)… it was a gradual process.
On Thanksgiving Day 2008, I went kosher- meaning I stopped eating pork and shellfish. By December 2011, I had sort of accidentally become a vegetarian. Then of course in April 2013, I became vegan. (Not to mention, 6 months later in September 2013 I permanently gave up caffeine.)
Now at age 33, I am consistently around 142 pounds and have been since I went dairy and egg free 18 months ago.
I went from a size large shirt to a medium; from a size 34 waist to a very comfortable 31. But it’s not about the weight I’ve lost, it’s about the medical issues I lost when I lost that weight.
Yes, I do exercise too- but I don’t work out in a gym. I take at least two 10 minute walks each other, mountain bike during my lunch break, and try to run 2 miles at least once a week.
And I’m healthy. I’m not sick. I’m not hungry. I’m not weak. I don’t feel light-headed.
I have more energy than I did before all these changes. And I get plenty of protein and nutrition from veggies, fruit, grains, beans, nuts, seeds.
Being fully vegan means you consume no cholesterol. Yes, there is a microscopic amount in the fats found in plants, like nuts and seeds, for example.
But it’s not even enough to register as even 1% of your daily intake. Compare that to the daily percentage in just one medium chicken egg; around 62%.
Again, that’s 62% for just one egg!
I’m happy. Why would I ever go back now?
Becoming a vegan, or simply cutting out dairy and eggs, isn’t for everyone. But for anyone who is curious about heading in that direction, please feel free to let me know if I can help answer any questions.
Just leave me a comment or send me an email. I’m here to help… or at least, entertain.
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A week ago, I introduced a new series of mine called Dairy And Egg Free Testimonials, in which I am collecting stories from those who have accepted my personal challenge to go dairy and egg free for just 48 hours.
That means today I get to share with you his newest testimonial, looking back on the past 6 months:
The biggest challenge was a week-long family reunion in Florida 3 months into my altered diet. Grilled fish. Coke floats. Pancakes. Pizza. Burgers. Food I would’ve indulged in had I not jumped in with both feet on a challenge from my arch nemesis Nick Shell late March 2014. But avoiding those meals wasn’t difficult at all. No, it was explaining why I felt the need to bring bags and a cooler full of my own food for the week. It wasn’t just about being competitive (Nick challenged me to a dairy-free weekend). It was about making a positive change in my diet. What I didn’t know at the time was that it’s also changing my life.
My dad’s dad had a heart attack in his 60s. My dad had a heart attack in his 50s. I suspect my brother and I will, too, at some point. I can’t believe I sat on that information for so long without thinking what I put in my body can, at the very least, maybe help me avoid the same fate. Thankfully, they both survived, but I don’t want to survive a heart attack. I want to avoid it at all costs. Did I think this way 7 months ago? Not so much. But 6 months ago the wheels started turning, thanks to that challenge from Nick I mentioned. Since I suffer from allergies, Nick proposed that eliminating dairy might reduce the symptoms of these attacks. I thought, “I’m on board with that!” My unofficial motto became, “I hate allergies more than I love ____.” Fill in the blank with cheese, milk, ice cream, whatever.
Long story short, I took it a step further by adopting a “vegan plus” diet for at least a month. It’s been that way for over 6 months now. The “plus” is because I eat honey, and I don’t think vegans smile upon that. Whatever. I like local Tennessee honey. For me, it’s not about saying I’m a vegan, it’s about having a healthy body. But the craziest thing happened… this diet didn’t just change my meals, it’s changing my life. I’m almost ashamed of what I used to eat. I even have recurring dreams where I eat a burger, or most recently, a Gigi’s cupcake. Even in the dreams, I feel remorseful after. Waking up is a feeling of relief! And that’s exactly what this has done for me. I had to wake up. Funny that it wasn’t my dad’s or granddad’s heart attack, but it was a friendly dairy challenge that woke me up. Whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian, just want to shed some weight, or you’re curious how food can affect your overall health, there’s basically an alternative for everything you currently enjoy. But you have to want it. You have to love your goal more than you love the food your giving up. I’m also beginning to see how what I eat relates to sleeping better, playing sports better, being stronger, being a better Christian, and with hope, avoiding any sort of heart failure later in life. Not to mention, I haven’t taken an allergy pill since day 1 of this challenge and only recently have dealt with sinusitis (which I believe is unrelated to allergies, although it has similar symptoms).
Half of this journey is about adding in healthy food, but the other half is about cutting out unhealthy food… things like boxed dinners, pop tarts, soda, frozen pizzas, high fructose corn syrup, any sort of dye, etc. I recently stumbled upon some information that I can’tnot share. I’ve been editing a documentary about Autism produced by a friend of mine (click here for the trailer), and have been enlightened on the disorder in many areas. One of which is diet. It seems that food plays a major part on the behavior of kids and adults who have the diagnosis. And what’s even more startling, the very disorder itself might be caused by the diet of the parents before conception! There’s a lot of talk about dyes in food, artificial food coloring, heavy metals in food, sugar, gluten, casein, and more, that play a direct role in the behavior of people with autism. That stuff has got to affect the behavior of every person, don’t you think?
This all started with a dairy-free weekend challenge but it’s become so much more. Whether it’s learning about my own diet through an autism video, discovering that I don’t crave the food I once did, or loving God more through treating my own body well, 2014 is about getting roots. Digging into a healthier way of living that will change the rest of my life, and possibly generations to come. That’s enough motivation to keep on keepin’ on.
Please feel free to share your testimonial as well! Leave a comment sharing your “100% dairy/egg free testimonial.” I may even be interested in featuring you in an upcoming “Dairy & Egg Free Testimonials”. I am looking for people who are as passionate as I am about showing the link between eggs/dairy and mucus/sinus/allergies.
My email is nickshell1983@hotmail.com.
I want to make it public knowledge that “cheese makes you sneeze.” In other words, consuming dairy and eggs is the reason why people have mucus that is any other color than clear.
My goal is to create a legitimate online community where people can share and learn about how going “dairy and egg free” can be very beneficial. Let’s just see what happens…
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Today I want to introduce another one of my “human science experiments,” named James Hardy (pictured below).
What I am trying to accomplish with him particularly is to show that even if you’re not full vegan like I am, there are still so many benefits of cutting out dairy and eggs alone.
James has agreed to send me regular updates to share with everyone. Here is the 1st of several of them.
Journal entry date: September 13th, 2014
My name is James Hardy and I am making a huge change in my diet to better my health. I have had asthma and allergies my entire life and I was told something as simple as a diet change could help me finally be rid of the curse of asthma and allergies.
I was told all I had to do was cut dairy, eggs, and soda for me to finally have the upper hand on my asthma and allergies. This diet change will also be a benefit of my natural body building and power lifting hobby.
The spark that ignited this change was when I had to pay for my inhalers, which are over $400 with insurance. I’d rather pay a bit more on groceries a month than $400 any day.
This was also inspired my friend and colleague Nick Shell who noticed improvements in his health when he became a vegan. I will never go vegan but I will try this diet and see how my health changes.
Diet changes are never easy but after looking at the science behind these changes I can see why these changes are the key. I first cut soda out of my diet. Many people with asthma suffer from acid reflux as well. I was told by my asthma and allergy doctor that asthma and acid reflux almost always go hand and hand. After cutting out soda my acid reflux does still act up but it is almost unnoticeable now.
The next step I did was cut out eggs. This actually isn’t that hard. Eggs are a mucus membrane substance and can cause an increase and thickening of mucus in the human body. By removing eggs from my diet I can thin out the mucus that clogs my bronchial tubes and cause me asthma issues. This will also lower some of the sinus reactions I get from allergies.
The last and by far the hardest diet change is cutting out dairy. So many things I eat have dairy. Desserts, cheese, butter, milk and all protein supplements are based on milk and eggs. Milk has been proven to thicken mucus.
Studies show it has no effects on creating more but the thickening is the issue that hurts my asthma and allergies. The fat in milk is not a mucus, but the stuff that comes out with the milk is. There are far more worse things in milk other than mucus you need to be worried about.
I will track my health, weightlifting performance, asthma and allergies as I make this change and see how they change with it.
We’ll check back with James soon. As you can see, his journal entry was from a few weeks ago, meaning I can publish his 2nd and 3rd entry dates sooner than a week from now.
Please feel free to share your testimonial as well! Leave a comment sharing your “100% dairy/egg free testimonial.” I may even be interested in featuring you in an upcoming “Dairy & Egg Free Testimonials”. I am looking for people who are as passionate as I am about showing the link between eggs/dairy and mucus/sinus/allergies.
My email is nickshell1983@hotmail.com.
I want to make it public knowledge that “cheese makes you sneeze.” In other words, consuming dairy and eggs is the reason why people have mucus that is any other color than clear.
Were you interested in what you just read? Was this post a strangely pleasant distraction to other things popping up on your Facebook or Twitter feed? Ya know… you could always like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, or even subscribe to Family Friendly Daddy Blog by clicking on the appropriate icon on the left side of this page. No pressure though…
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