In her 20s, Dotsie Bausch was a successful fashion model in New York City. While recovering from a life-threatening eating disorder, her doctor advised her to pick up a healthy physical activity. So she started riding a bike; and liked it. A lot. Over time, Bausch went on to win eight national championships, set a world record, and become the oldest person at 39.5 to ever to medal in Olympic track cycling. She's convinced going vegan gave her the winning edge and narrowed the age gap. After hearing countless stories of fellow athletes and others feeling better and even healing illnesses after dropping dairy, she knew what her next challenge had to be. Three years ago, she founded the nonprofit Switch4Good—the world's only athlete-driven organization dedicated to helping people ditch dairy.
When Bausch quit dairy at 37, many in her circle said it was a bad idea—believing it would jeopardize her Olympic dreams. The opposite happened. Her athletic recovery and performance went through the roof and propelled her forward to victory in the 2012 London Olympic Games.
"It was pretty mind blowing; without animal foods, my recovery time sped up and my output increased," Bausch shares. "I had more energy and was able to gain more strength and in the end, was able to leg press 585 pounds x 60 reps x 5 sets without animals on my plate. The guys in the gym just scratched their heads watching me."
Explaining what drives her to reach and educate others, Bausch explains, "I want folks to be better informed and experience the secret to overall health and performance, be more disease resistant, and be aware of the lies the dairy industry perpetuates to us—which are motivated entirely by profit, not the betterment of our health or our planet."
In addition to all the outreach work and resources she provides through Switch4Good, Bausch tries reaching people any way she can including: starring in James Cameron's The Game Changers (one of the most-watched documentary on Netflix), giving this Olympic Level Compassion TED talk, co-hosting her popular Switch4Good podcast (.5M downloads, listeners in 90 countries, 130+ episodes), testifying before Congress to help change U.S. dietary guidelines, and numerous other initiatives.
Going vegan is actually quite popular. A recent Ipsos survey revealed a 300% increase in Americans becoming vegan from 2004 to 2019. A vegetarian eats no meat, vegans also don't consume dairy or other animal products.
"What I've learned about dairy – the industry itself, and consuming it – would simply shock 95% of the population," Bausch explained. "It's as eye opening as it is upsetting."
The "Seven Sins of Dairy" or "Dairy Is Scary" facts Bausch wants to world to know are:
Dairy makes most people sick. Nearly 70% of the global population (and 70-95% of minorities) are lactose intolerant. Basically, the majority of people get sick if they consume any dairy at all. A National Institutes of Health report stated that approximately 65 percent of the human population has a reduced ability to digest lactose after infancy. Symptoms of lactose intolerance include abdominal cramping, bloating, and diarrhea. Eliminating the dairy helps people have more comfortable gut health.
Prostate & breast cancer. It is continually linked to increased risk for breast and prostate cancer. According to a study published in the International Journal of Cancer. Men who consumed three or more servings of dairy products a day had a 141% higher risk for death due to prostate cancer compared to those who consumed less than one serving. Women who consume just three glasses of milk a day may increase their breast cancer risk by 80%.
Dairy can lead to brittle bones. A 100,000-person study found women who drank three+ glasses of milk a day increased their risk of hip fracture by 60%.
Dairy is bad for the planet. It takes 1,000+ gallons of water to produce just one gallon of cow’s milk, and cows produce a ton of waste and methane.
Taxpayer bailouts keep dairy in business. The U.S. govt. greatly subsidizes big dairy. In 2017, the industry received $36.3 billion in subsidies. In 2018, 42 percent of revenue for US dairy producers came from some kind of government support.
More breast cancer. A research study published in February 2020 in the International Journal of Epidemiology compared soy product intake to dairy product intake in regard to there being an association with breast cancer incident rates. They found no association between soy products and breast cancer, but dairy milk was associated with hazard ratios. They conclude that higher intakes of dairy milk are associated with a greater risk of breast cancer.
Asthma. Millions of people suffer from asthma, a condition in which airways become inflamed and produce excessive mucus, making it difficult to breathe. A research study published in the May 2020 issue of the journal Nutrition Reviews looked at the impact that diet has on asthma. They concluded that dairy consumption is associated with an increased risk of asthma, as well as making the symptoms worse. They also report that a vegan diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes may reduce the risk of asthma development and exacerbation.
