“If you’re inflamed, you’re not at your best, and until you ditch dairy, you don’t know your true limit.” The Best Vegan Boxed Mac and Cheeses “Dairy is an inflammatory food, and athletes are constantly fighting inflammation to repair broken-down muscles and get back to training,” Dotsie Bausch, Olympic medalist in cycling and executive director of Switch4Good, said, adding that once she abandoned dairy, her recovery time dramatically shortened, so she was able to train at the same high-intensity level more often. However, consuming dairy is linked to increased inflammation, making it harder to breathe, delaying recovery times, and causing joint and muscle pains.

The dairy industry often encourages consumers to keep eating cheese and milk products, claiming milk is necessary for good athletic performance. Loma Linda researchers found that drinking milk increases the risk of prostate cancer by 60 percent. Another study found that milk consumption is even more dangerous for men.

Those who drink a quarter cup of milk per day show a 17 percent higher risk of breast cancer. One study published in BMC Medicine found that dairy is associated with a significantly higher risk of breast cancers. Traditional boxed mac and cheese is prepared with powdered dairy cheese mixes and dairy milk, making your typical box of macaroni damaging to your health. Milk is the top source of saturated fat in the traditional American diet, according to Lee Crosby, R.D., nutrition education program manager at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

Best boxed vegan mac and cheese