Every time I tell people about the dangers of cow's milk, they look at me as if I am crazy. Cow's milk is not for human consumption. The cow has been called humanity's adoptive mother, even though the milk that it secretes is quite different from that of the human female.
One of the main questions I get when I tell people about the dangers of milk is:
"Don't we need milk for calcium?"
The straight answer to that question is simply, NO! I then ask them a question back.
"Where does the cow get its calcium from?"
To my surprise, usually everyone gets this answer right. If you said the grass it eats, you are right. If a cow gets the calcium from grass, why can't we get calcium from a plant source? In fact, milk is not the richest source of calcium. The richest source of calcium is sesame, which comes in at a whopping 975 mg, compared to nonfat milk coming in at a lightweight 123 mg. The second leading source of calcium is blackstrap molasses at 860 mg. There you have it, milk and dairy products are not by any means the only source of calcium.
In fact, one glass of milk (200 ml) = 100 g of almonds = 100 g of common dry beans = 500 g of broccoli. All of these foods provide the same amount of calcium as a glass of milk, 240 mg (one third of the RDA: Recommended daily allowance).
Many studies are now linking milk consumption to coronary heart disease. This is due to negative effects that certain milk components have on cholesterol levels and the cardiovascular system. There are many diseases produced or aggravated by milk.
Buttermilk, the fat in milk, is the most saturated fat in the American diet. Cheese is often 70% fat by calories. Even "low fat" 2% milk is actually 24 to 33% lutein 5% nutritional supplement as calories. Milk is a principal contributor to high cholesterol and artery-clogging atherosclerosis. Actually, 2 cups of "low fat" milk has about the same amount of saturated fat and cholesterol as 6 strips of bacon. If you consume just 2 cups (about pound) of "low fat" milk per day, in one year you will have consumed the equivalent amount of cholesterol in 2,190 strips of bacon (about 100 pounds). Imagine how much it would be if you consume 2 pounds of milk products per day like the average American. Nobody would eat that much bacon because they would know that much fat and cholesterol would not be good for their health.
Various studies have also shown that infants that have been fed cow's milk are at greater risk of insulin-dependent diabetes from childhood. This type of diabetes is called type 1. The risk is 50% greater when infants younger than 4 months are fed milk. It is said that milk produces an autoimmune allergic reaction in the beta cells of the pancreas where insulin is secreted.
In some sensitive people, milk acts as an irritant to the digestive system, producing a wide variety of disorders, such as abdominal pain, constipation, gastro duodenal ulcer, and intestinal hemorrhaging. Liberal use of milk may also cause anemia because, since it satisfies the appetite, there is a tendency not to eat enough of other foods rich in iron.
There has also been a link to milk consumption and cataracts. Galactose, one of the simple sugars that make up lactose or milk sugar, can cause the lens of the eye to become opaque.
Cow's milk is also linked to certain types of cancer.
1. Lymphoma. Studies show that those who drank two or more glasses of milk daily had a three to four times greater risk of suffering from lymphoma than those who drank less than a glass a day. This 360% greater risk indicates a strongly positive association between milk use and cancer. The fact that cow's milk can transmit the bovine leukemia virus is one of the possible explanations.
2. Ovarian cancer. Studies show that women that drank more than one glass of whole milk a day have a three times greater risk of ovarian cancer than those who never drink it. Nonfat milk does not seem to promote this type of cancer.
3. Prostate cancer. Men that drink from one to two glasses of milk a day, have a 20% greater risk than men that do not drink milk or that do so only occasionally. For those who drink two or more glasses a day, the risk is multiplied fivefold (500%).
Here are some alternatives to cow's milk:
Soymilk - this milk does not contain vitamin B12, and has less calcium than cow's milk. However, enriched soy beverages are available whose nutritional value is very similar to cow's milk.
Almond milk - this is a very pleasant and refreshing beverage that provides proteins and, unsaturated fats, and sugars that are very easy to assimilate. It contains less calcium than cow's milk.
Oat milk - this milk is very rich in fats and proteins.
The milk of each species is designed to meet the needs of its own young. Humans are the only mammals that have the capacity to consume milk from other species of mammals that is quite different in composition from that of humans.
Human milk is designed for development of the human brain. That is why human milk is richer than any other milk in monounsaturated fatty acids (such as oleic acid) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (such as linoleic acid) similar to those found in nuts and seeds.
Jason Hunter is a natural health advocate. He is owner of a natural health web site called Home Health and Natural Remedies, which he gives tips on reversing and curing some of today's deadliest lifestyle diseases. Visit his web site at Home Health Remedies
