If you’re like most people, you probably grew up with images of healthy athletes and models advertising the famous milk mustache. Whether displayed at school, on TV or at a sporting event, we all have been heavily marketed to for the past few decades. When it comes to milk, I think a lot of us inherently believe we must drink milk to ensure good health. I want to share with you three reasons why I believe the exact opposite is the real truth.
About ten years ago, I attended a lecture given by an ND and he explained that children and teens were developing much quicker than ever before. He shared a case where one of his patients, a six year old girl, had pubic hair! This may be shocking, but the reality is menstruation is now beginning earlier, children are developing quicker and getting larger.
Today, cow’s milk can contain up to 59 hormones. Even crazier, cheese is ten times more dense than milk. Think about it this way – we are the only species on earth that drinks another animal’s milk. Seems a bit odd to me. Just like gluten, I’d never heard of lactose intolerance growing up. When I got into nutrition in 2001, I couldn’t believe all the problems milk was causing. Stomach cramps, bloating, gas, diarrhea, nausea are the most common. It’s explained that these people don’t produce enough lactate, an enzyme that breaks down lactose. I propose that we aren’t designed to drink milk beyond breastfeeding. Research has shown we may stop making the enzyme to break down milk by age five, so this undigested milk sugar ferments in the colon and causes digestive issues.
Inflammation
Although it’s a bit of a buzz word, chronic inflammation promotes disease and we want to do everything we can to avoid that. Acute inflammation, such as redness near a bug bite, is a healthy and necessary reaction. However, when our body is constantly on guard and thinks that it’s being attacked, that’s when we have issues. A protein in milk, A1 casein, is a trigger for Type I diabetes, coronary artery disease, autoimmune disease, autism, schizophrenia, weight gain, acne, eczema, upper respiratory infections and allergies. That does not sound health promoting to me!
Cancer
This probably upsets me the most, because we think we’re doing something good for ourselves and it turns out that a terrible hormone in milk is linked to cancer! It’s called Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF – 1) and it is referred to as a “fuel cell” for any cancer in the medical world. Rapid growth and proliferation of breast, prostate and colon cancers have been discovered (I’m sure it will be eventually linked to all.)
Osteoporosis
Just a quick point on this – milk is marketed to build a strong body, but it actually doesn’t. For example, it is touted as being an essential source of calcium. At about 300 mg/cup, this seems logical. However, it is very hard for us to absorb this, especially when pasteurized. In fact, since milk is acidic, our body actually pulls calcium from our bones to neutralize the damage and bring our blood back into balance. Look at the U.S.’s rates of osteoporosis and countries that do not drink cow’s milk. No comparison.
Overall, I obviously am not a fan of cow’s milk for these reasons and many more. If you’d like to try non-dairy for 7 to 14 days to see how you feel, try almond (the dark chocolate one is decadent!), rice or coconut milk. The feedback I get is that people notice their skin clears up, they have less respiratory issues and pounds are shed. That sounds like that does a body good!
*The information on this site is designed for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. You should not use this information to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any health problems or illnesses without consulting your pediatrician or family doctor. Thank you!
~by Kimberly Olson
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