Growing up, I drank my milk, 2-3 glasses every night, like a good little girl. This was during the 70s, way before "lactose-intolerant-this," "nondairy that," let alone "hormone-free milk" and Whole Foods. I also grew…big. I was healthy, but developed rather quickly and was "cursed" with the curse before the age of 12. Since then, my periods have always been bad -- heavy, irregular, and crampy. I've been on and off the pill, on a first-name-basis with Advil, and tried a variety of supplements, exercise, and yoga, which have met with mild improvement. Laparoscopy has been suggested as an option, but surgery is something I've filed away in a "if I'm really desperate" drawer, with lackluster resignation.

    Two months before my 30-never-you-mind birthday, and after a particularly decadent weekend, I decided to detox, which included an experiment with veganism. It was surprisingly easy for me, living in a major metropolitan area （New York）, laden with farmers' markets during the summer and 24-hour produce stands year-round. I made a made a conscious effort to get my nutrients from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, soy, and seitan. Of course, proximity to great vegan restaurants was a bonus.

    After the first month, I gradually started adding back fish, then meat. I continued, however, to abstain from dairy. So far, my diet had resulted in increased energy and decreased weight, and an unexpected benefit. My period, which operated on its own calendar, anywhere from 32-36 days, arrived promptly on day 28, with little fanfare, sparing me the assorted pain and other fun.

    This first instance, it was difficult to pinpoint the cause, or rather alleviation, of my suffering, as I had cut back on a variety of possible triggers other than dairy -- processed food, red meat, alcohol, and caffeine. But by the second month and cycle, while most foods had been re-introduced to my diet with the exception of dairy, my period was also lighter and I had fewer cramps. Thus, I began to notice a pattern.

    I'm sure an overall decrease in the amount of chemical-laden, bio-engineered foods in general played a role, but there is research suggesting a link between dairy and increased cramping. Prostaglandins, hormone-like chemicals that produce muscle contractions and cramping, are created from arachidonic acid, a fatty acid found in dairy products such as milk, cheese, and ice cream. Excess dairy can also promote high levels of estrogen, which are implicated in fibroids, a secondary cause of painful periods.

    If reducing or eliminating dairy, women must be especially mindful to obtain the daily requirements of calcium, which -- in addition to being essential for bone growth and retention -- can also minimize symptoms of PMS and menstruation. Calcium can be obtained from sources such as kale, spinach, soy, nuts and beans. Calcium and vitamin D, whatever the source, have a host of benefits, bone mass just being one of them. Many people can tolerate and digest dairy…as for myself, the jury is still out. Two months is not long enough to recognize the effects of food elimination…I'm gonna try at least 6 without dairy…barring a few moments here and there of manchego weakness.

    我是個喝牛奶長大的70后，每天晚上都要喝2-3杯牛奶。那時候可不像現在，壓根沒有什么乳糖不耐受，無奶食品，更何況"無激素奶"或者什么全天然食品。不過這對我不影響，我還是長的很大個。我身體健康，發育很好，在12歲之前？？？.但由此開始我就一直遭受月經的折磨，周期不規則，月經量過多，經期腹痛。因此隨后我一直斷斷續續有服用Advil（一種主要成分為布洛芬的止痛藥）,或是有時改用點其他的藥物，或者參加運動，做瑜伽，使痛經有所改善。也有人推薦我做腹腔鏡檢查，不過我一直把手術當成是沒有辦法的辦法，等沒退路時候再用。

    在30歲生日到來的前2個月，我過了一個相當頹廢的周末，隨后，我打算開始吃素。對于住在紐約的人來說，吃素食是相當方便的，夏天的時候，到處都有賣農產品；全年365天都有全天候的食品供應。我小心翼翼的從水果、蔬菜，全麥食品，豆莢，黃豆，麥麩攝取營養；有時去一家好的素食餐館大吃一頓犒勞自己。

    吃素一個月之后，我逐步把其他食物添加進去，先是魚，隨后是肉，不過我還是將奶制品拒之門外。現在看來，這種飲食在增加能量供給的同時還能減輕體重，這是我事先沒有預料到的。我以前月經不太規律，32或36天來一次，但現在都是28天來一次，不但準時，而且不怎么痛了。

    除了奶制品外，其他可能誘發痛經的東西也吃的少了，比如加工食品、紅肉、酒，所以在第一個月的時候我還是不能確定痛經或者痛經減輕的原因是什么。但到了第二個月月底，除了奶制品外，大部分的食物都和以前一樣了，痛經明顯減輕。因此，我想我該注意一些東西了。

    總的來說，含有化學添加劑或生物工程的食品都可能與痛經有關，但有研究表明，奶制品會加重痛經。前列腺素是一種引起肌肉收縮、痙攣的激素類物質，其前體就是花生四烯酸，包括牛奶、奶酪或冰激凌等在內的奶制品都含有這種脂肪酸。

    當女人減少奶制品攝入的時候，要注意補充日常需要的鈣。鈣不僅對于維持骨骼生長及結構穩定是必需的，而且能減輕多囊卵巢綜合癥、圍絕經期癥狀。鈣的來源很 多，比如甘藍菜、菠菜、黃豆、堅果或豆類。各種來源的鈣和維生素D都對身體有很多益處，維持骨骼強壯只是其中的一種。很多人都可以吃奶制品，但對我來說， 顯然還沒有定論。要想了解不吃奶制品的作用，兩個月的時間當然還不夠長。我決定將時間延長到6個月。