Many will tell you that exercise helps to reduce general pain and to improve mood, but did you ever think that cheese could do the same? If you consider the addictive quality of cheese, you might realize the connection between the two.
Exercise stimulates the release of endorphins by the brain, spinal chord, and other parts of the body. These hormones bind to opiate receptors in the brain to reduce pain and to improve mood.
Endorphins are similar to morphine. So similar, in fact, that the more proper name for endorphin is endogenous morphine. Endorphines latch on to the same receptors that morphine and some pain medications do and can bring about the same result -- to a lesser extent.
Cheese acts like morphine. One of the two chief proteins in cheese is casein. When casein is broken down by the body during digestion, a whole array of opiates are released into the bloodstream, compounds known as casomorphins. One of these powerful compounds has about one-tenth the pain-killing power of morphine.
Why is cheese so bad? If we were talking about broccoli or lima beans, there wouldn't be a big problem. Nearly 70% of the calories in cheese come from milkfat, and pound for pound, cheese has more cholesterol than steak. The milk protein, casein, is also directly correlated with the incidence of cancer.
What about calcium? Sure, cheese contains calcium, but calcium from plant foods is better absorbedby the body than calcium from animal foods. You don't need dairy products to provide calcium.
Source: Neal Barnard, M.D., Breaking the Food Seduction
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