Got Milk? Almost every celebrity, athlete, politician, musician, and public figure has displayed the ‘white mustache’. After all, drinking milk only makes you healthy and strong, right?
10 reasons why you’ve been deceived!
1) Most milk goes through some type of processing or alteration such as homogenization or pasteurization. These processes compromise the milk’s quality and interfere with calcium absorption.
2) When homogenized, milk becomes very powerful and efficient at bypassing normal digestive processes and delivering steroid and protein hormones to the human body (both your hormones and the cow’s natural hormones and the ones they may have been injected with to produce more milk). Check out this link to learn more!
3) Humans are the only species to frequently continue drinking milk after infancy.
4) 60% of adults can’t digest milk. The enzyme lactase which breaks down the main sugar in milk, lactose, usually stops being produced between the ages of two and five. This leaves the undigested sugars to ferment in the colon creating very unpleasant symptoms such as gas, cramping, bloating, nausea, constipation and/or diarrhea.
5) Countries with the highest milk consumption are the countries with the highest levels of osteoporosis.
6) There are plenty of plant-based foods—including green leafy vegetables (like broccoli, kale and collards) and beans—that are excellent sources of calcium which the body is much better equipped to absorb.
7) Chronic constipation in children is related to milk consumption.
8) The most popular form of calcium found in milk, calcium carbonate, which is not even absorbed well. Calcium citrate is the best absorbed supplemental form of calcium.
9) I lived in Hong Kong for 3 years and Taiwan for 1.5 years. Milk consumption is NOT part of those countries regular diet. Since Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore rank higher than the United States on being the healthiest countries and also have a higher life expectancy, I think it’s safe to say maybe Americans should follow some of their food and lifestyle choices.
10) The bottom line is that today’s milk may contain assorted drugs and antibiotics, pesticides from treated grains, bacteria from infected animals, and genetically engineered growth hormones, in addition to being chemically altered into something that is incompatible with our bodies.
Great options for substituting milk
1) Almond Milk comes in plain, vanilla, and chocolate flavors. It has 50% more calcium than milk and is also a good source of protein and fiber. It’s naturally sweet and great for baking, drinking alone, or having with cereal.
2) Coconut Milk also has the options of plain, vanilla, or chocolate flavors. In addition to also having 50% more calcium than milk, coconut milk contains lots of ‘good’ fats. It’s packed with Medium Chain Fatty Acids which can reduce abdominal obesity and diminishing fat storage. It’s creamy texture is great for baking and cooking. It’s not my favorite to drink alone, BUT I do love adding it to oatmeal and soups.
3) Hemp Milk is rich, smooth, and creamy coming in a variety of options and flavors. It’s a great source of calcium and protein. Similar to coconut milk, it’s great for baking and cooking.
4) Rice Milk also comes with a variety of flavors. It’s not as nutrition packed as the previous options, BUT it’s still a great source of calcium. Along with almond milk, I do enjoy drinking this alone or having it with cereal.
5) Flaxmilk has about the same amount of calcium as regular milk. It is packed with Omega 3s and also tastes great.
6) Soy Milk is usually my last resort for milk substitution. Soy milk MUST be non-GMO verified and organic in order to receive all the potential health benefits. Also, some people have allergies or sensitivities to soy. With that all said, it is a great creamy substitute for baking, drinking alone, and having with cereal.
What are your thoughts on the issue? Does or doesn’t milk do your body good?
This is a really interesting article and a complete eye opener. In Brazil, they have milk that is capable of sitting on the shelf for 6 months. If it isn’t sold by then the company will collect it, take it back to the factory, sterilize it, seal it back up and ship it out to sit on the shelf some more. Pretty gross.
Thanks for your comment, Jonathan!
I know there is lots of conflicting health information, so I’m grateful for comments and messages challenging my viewpoint! We’re here to learn together, and I’m open to your thoughts and opinions. Keep them coming!
A good friend sent me some articles regarding the potential health benefits of raw milk. In Feb. 2013, the CDC posted this article on raw milk clarifying that raw milk is not a good option.
It doesn’t matter whether milk is pure, natural, raw, or organic. It’s how our body interprets, digests, and reacts to milk enzymes. Majority of people have an intolerance, sensitivity, or allergy to milk/dairy products causing symptoms such as headaches/migraines, fatigue, joint pain and inflammation, GI issues (bloating, gas, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, etc.), and cold, sweaty feet and hands. My health has improved by eliminating milk and dairy products.
The real question is why choose to drink or bake with milk when the potential risks are greater than the benefits? Eliminate milk and see if your health doesn’t improve!
I’ve heard both arguments and it’s so incredibly easy to point out a few articles somewhere online because today everyone is a scholar. There are aspects of the dairy industry that I don’t like and also aspects of the anti-dairy movement that I don’t like. With so much evidence on both sides it’s hard to find the truth.
I don’t think the government should subsidize the dairy industry but it has for years. One thing that tells me that dairy may not be as evil as we believe is that the LDS church currently has its own dairy and produces milk and cheese. I don’t know if these products are for children or adults but I do know the church wouldn’t knowingly affect the health of people.
I could be wrong about all of this but again there’s evidence on both sides. I do drink milk because I grew up hearing that it was good and kind of like vaccines, there are arguments on both sides.
Thanks, Jeremy, for sharing your opinion! I agree. There is lots of contradicting information. My challenge for everyone is try eliminating or minimizing your milk/dairy intake and see if your health improves.
In one of my previous comments, I clarified my stance on milk. It doesn’t matter whether milk is pure, natural, raw, or organic. It’s how our body interprets, digests, and reacts to milk enzymes. Majority of people have an intolerance, sensitivity, or allergy to milk/dairy products causing symptoms such as headaches/migraines, fatigue, joint pain and inflammation, GI issues (bloating, gas, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, etc.), and cold, sweaty feet and hands. My health has improved by eliminating milk and dairy products.
The real question is why choose to drink or bake with milk when the potential risks are greater than the benefits? Eliminate milk and see if your health doesn’t improve!
Thank you again for your comment. Keep your opinion and comments coming!
Wow, this is great information. Definitely makes you stop and think. Thanks for this post. My husband suffers from a lot of these issues you’ve stated. I know most of his family all are lactose intolerant and use milk alternatives, but he doesn’t think here has that problem. I think we will try eliminating more of our dairy consumption and see if it helps. Thanks Kami!
Thanks, Victoria, for sharing! Many people don’t realize that dairy and milk consumption are contributing to their health issues. I’ve personally experienced the benefits and have talked with several people who have successfully improved their health when eliminating milk. Give it a shot and let me know how it goes!
Agree that most are probably intolerant to milk espescially our heavily processed milk.
Agree that there are plenty of other better calcium sources and that vitamin D deficiency is probably a bigger issue then calcium deficiency.
Osteoporosis may be related to the fact that developed countries tend to be in more temperate “darker climates” and therefore vitamin d deficiency as well as more indoor jobs, so possibly a correlation, not a cause.
I do feel dairy tends to be a large cause of childhood and adult obesity (cheese).
But I ask you Kami, what am I suppose to put on my cereal, and don’t tell me soy milk, it just isn’t the same. 🙂
Thanks for the laugh, Adam! I actually really like vanilla almond milk, vanilla coconut milk, or rice milk on cereal. They all have different textures and tastes than regular milk, but I actually really like them. Give a couple a try, find one you like, and then you can be my best-milk-substitute-on-cereal expert!