Milk – It Does A Body Good… Or Does It???

Dairy farming has been around for centuries and has picked up a lot of momentum in the last century, with an even bigger surge in the 1980s and 1990s, when robotic milking systems were designed and implemented.  We have seen the commercials and heard the government tell us over and over again that milk is good for us – essential in a well-balanced diet. Why is it then that humans are the only mammals that continue to drink milk after weaning? And why do some cultures throughout the world also give up dairy when they leave their mother’s milk behind? Does milk really do a body good, or are we making ourselves sicker by the glass? We will examine cow milk and milk products in this article as cows are the primary source of milk products available on the market today.

 

The Organic Trap

There was a time when products labeled organic could only be found in health food stores, but these days organic products are popping up everywhere and more and more people are opting for organic because it is “healthier”. While it’s true that organic products don’t use man-made pesticides and herbicides, the term “organic” can also be slightly misleading. In fact, one “organic” pesticide, Rotenone, causes symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease in rats and is deadly to sea-dwelling creatures when it gets into waterways through the soil. Also, it is only required that a product be from 95% organic ingredients in order to get USDA approval – so where does the other 5% come from? Food manufacturers are not required to disclose that information and it is not they’re common practice to do so. Ultimately, government and the food industry have learned to use the consumer’s desire for healthier options to create the “organic” label which is not only misleading, but also potentially harmful rather than helpful.

 

Hormones and Antibiotics

We might like to think that the milk we purchase in the store comes from a dairy farm where well-cared for cows are milked by hand by a caring farmer, but this couldn’t be further from reality. Most commercial dairy farms can be found feeding their cows a diet rich in hay, grains, and… cardboard? That’s right, commercial feeds have plenty of ingredients that cannot be digested properly by cows including the seemingly harmless – corn. This results in different illnesses in the cows which are treated by pumping them full of antibiotics. The antibiotics – as well as hormones used to get the cows to produce milk even when not feeding their young – are all passed right into the milk we drink as a finished product.

It's common for a hole to be cut in the side of cows so that farmers can reach into the stomach and remove undigested food. Commonly found are corn and cardboard. Occasionally, items such as nails can even be found.

As people are becoming more and more aware of their health and the way they get their food, more attention has been given to treatment of cows and many dairies now offer “hormone free” milk products. On the surface, this is clearly a better choice, but what we’re not being told is that even if the cows are not pumped with hormones, the milk they produce will still be full of naturally occurring hormones – namely IGF-1 which is a growth hormone that is found in both human and bovine milk. The difference is that when humans ingest cow milk, the IGF-1 hormone in the cow milk – due to its different structure – causes cells to grow out of control. This out of control cell growth is known by us today as cancer. The hormone IGF-1 is associated with breast, prostate, and colon cancer. In fact, there is a direct correlation between dairy consumption and development of breast cancer. Countries with the largest per capita rates of dairy consumption like Norway and Finland, also have some of the highest per capita rates of cancer. So, while your dairy might not have any added hormones, that doesn’t mean it’s hormone free – or healthy.

Fats, Proteins, and Calcium

When people think of calcium sources, milk is often one of the first products that come to mind. We have been programmed to believe that milk is the best source of calcium available to us. In fact, it is only the National Dairy Council that considers milk as the best calcium source. It’s actually the leafy green sources of calcium that are best for health as they deliver high levels of calcium with minimal calories. Arugula tops the list with 1300mg of calcium per 100 calories while milk delivers a mere 190. Due to the intense lobbying of the dairy industry, many are convinced that milk is necessary to prevent bone deterioration. The reality? Countries with the highest intakes of dairy also have the highest incidences of osteoporosis.

In the last decade, milk has lost its lure as consumers began to pay more attention to the fat content. With this added attention, the dairy industry stepped up to the challenge and provided alternatives with less fat and even no fat to try to bring back the health-conscious consumer. Many felt that the danger posed by milk was in the saturated fat content. The truth is that many of the illnesses that are linked to milk are not a consequence of the fat content, but the highly touted protein content. We have been told again and again how important protein is in our diet and that milk and other animal products are the best source of protein. Actually, the protein found in cow milk has been linked to a plethora of diseases from diabetes to leukemia and lymphoma. If you’re looking for a good protein fix, try reaching for a much less threatening avocado or even some nutrient-rich beans and nuts.

The Bottom Line

With all of the research available on dairy and the consequences of its consumption, why aren’t more people going non-dairy? It begins in the school system where the National Dairy Council provides most of the literature on nutrition including the infamous pyramid which recommends 3-4 servings of dairy per day (which has increased in my lifetime from 1-2). From childhood we are trained to believe that we can’t possibly be healthy if we don’t consume dairy. Add to that the more active role schools are taking in the diets of students and it becomes more understandable.

In fact, many teachers are required to meet with parents or send notes home if they feel the student is not getting a “balanced” diet at home or for lunch at school. I recently read about a mother who received a note from the school because she and her family had made the choice to stop consuming dairy. The note informed her that her child would be required to eat school lunch which she would be required to pay for so that her child received a balanced diet. In addition, the lunch she packed for her child was thrown out.

Another issue is lack of awareness. I was astounded in doing research for this article to see how many people consider lactose intolerance to be an “illness” or “disorder”. The primary reason is lack of knowledge. In fact it has been shown that 75% of the world population is lactose intolerant. That means that only 25% are even able to digest milk without allergic reactions that include gas, diarrhea, bloating, nausea, abdominal pain, and worse.

Non-Dairy Alternatives

Once people become aware of the health problems associated with dairy consumption, often the only thing stopping them from eliminating it from their diet is not having an alternative. There are plenty of non-dairy alternatives available on the market from almond milk to rice milk to flax milk. The important things to look for are added sweeteners and other ingredients such as xanthan gum which can cause symptoms similar to lactose intolerance. My recommendation? Only buy the products that have ingredients which are easy to pronounce and ones that the average person might have in their kitchen. An even better and healthier idea is to make your own almond milk at home which is extremely easy and inexpensive. Make sure you subscribe to the blog by using the link on the right side of the home page so you can get the recipe in the next article.