Myth #1: "MILK, it does the body good!", Or does it?

I’m not sure about you but whenever I think of the word “Milk” that famous slogan pops into my head; alongside the image of those popular milk mustache billboards. I remember as a young girl growing up being served one big tall glass of milk each night with my dinner. I was taught that milk is the best source of calcium and women especially need calcium to prevent osteoporosis. As I grew and became a mom myself, I took up that same tradition and wanted to make sure that my own children would be raised the same way. Of course my husband didn’t quite agree. He’s lactose intolerant and had concerns that our children might be as well. So where would I go to get them their much needed calcium??

Did you know that the milk business is an $11 billion dollar industry? Cheese is even greater at $16 billion dollars! The dairy industry has a campaign going right now called “3-Every-Day” which promotes consuming three or more dairy products each day for optimum health. They make some pretty interesting claims concerning it’s medical benefits. In fact, quoting directly off the National Dairy Councils website, “Research shows dairy foods, when consumed as part of a healthy diet, improve overall diet quality and may help to reduce the risk of osteoporosis, hypertension, obesity, colon cancer, and metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that can lead to heart disease and type 2 diabetes.” Can we trust these claims coming from a multi billion dollar industry? Do they really have our greatest concerns at heart? 

In September of 2000, two researchers compiled a review of the 57 studies on dairy products and its impact on bone health. Not surprisingly, most of this research was financed by... (drum roll please)... the dairy industry! Ultimately 71% of the scientifically sound research did not support the bone building benefits of dairy products and some showed actual harm. You can read more about the false promises of the dairy industry here. 

I find it incredibly amazing that we were designed by a Creator who knows exactly what our bodies need in order to grow and be strong in the environment which we live. In fact He even created a simple way for newborn babies to get it’s nutrients - mothers milk. Each species produces the perfect supply of calcium and nutrients meant for it’s own kind; cows milk for baby cows, goats milk for baby goats, human milk for baby humans, etc. The amount of protein in the milk of an animal varies to meet the growth demands of the very young - the faster an animal grows the greater the protein he needs. Could there be adverse effects to our bodies by consuming more protein than necessary because of consuming milk not naturally intended for us?

Long story short; God knew what He was doing when He enabled our bodies to produce milk for our babies.

If calcium and other minerals are what you are searching for; there are much better resources than the milk from a cow. All minerals, including calcium, come originally from the ground. The minerals then become a watery solution which the roots of plants absorb. The animals come along to eat the plants, thereby eating the minerals, which humans later consume when eating the animal or byproducts of that animal. If we want to get the most benefit at it’s purest form then we need to eat it at it’s greatest source. Since no human wants to dish up a bowl of dirt to eat (dirt, anyone?)... the next best source to get the minerals and calcium is to eat the plant itself! In fact, the relationship between people and plants works so well that there has never been a case of dietary calcium deficiency ever reported. 

Contrary to what the National Dairy Council says; heart disease, cancer, type-2 diabetes, arthritis and infectious disease are only a few of the common consequences of drinking milk from other animal species. Dr. Barnard, who is on the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, says: “It’s worth noting that milk and other dairy products are our biggest source of saturated fat, and there are very credible links between dairy consumption and both Type 1 diabetes and the most dangerous form of prostate cancer.”

I’d also like to mention another aspect of the dairy industry that I wasn’t aware of until two months ago. All my life I thought dairy came from dairy cows -- cows whose sole purpose was to produce milk naturally and continually. What I didn’t realize is the cow, just like a human, needs to have a baby in order for the milk supply to become available. Dairy farms are filled with “dairy cows” who are artificially insemminated. Her baby cow is then taken away from her and either turned into veal or raised to follow the footsteps of its mom. The dairy cow then spends her days hooked up to a machine to produce milk for humans instead of her baby calf that it was intended for. It makes me sad to think of how we treat God’s animals (mostly out of ignorance)... especially when we simply don’t NEED it. 

Almond Milk, Soy Milk and Rice Milk (to name a few) are stocked in grocery stores all across America -- and their calcium content is much higher than what you’ll find in animal milk and it’s without the added health risks.

Don’t just take my word for it - I’m just another mom whose only just begun her journey to better health. Take it from a Doctor (or two)! There’s a wealth of information that you can discover right from Dr. McDougall’s website. 

Here’s eight quick FACTS about dairy:

1. All cow’s milk (regular AND organic) has 59 active hormones, scores of allergens, fat and cholesterol
2. Of those 59 hormones one is a powerful GROWTH hormone called Insulin-like Growth Factor One (IGF-1). This hormone is a “fuel cell” for any cancer (the medical world says its a key factor in the rapid growth of breast, prostate and colon cancers).
3. IGF-1 is a normal part of ALL milk, the newborn is meant to grow quickly! The obese American consumer, however, certainly doesn’t need MORE growth (nor do pre-existing cancer cells)
4. Most cow’s milk has measurable quantities of herbicides, pesticides, dioxins, up to 52 powerful antibiotics, blood, pus, feces, bacteria and viruses. 
5. Whole milk 49% of the calories are from fat
6. 2% milk 35% of the calories are from fat
7. Cheddar cheese 74% of the calories are from fat
8. Butter 100% of the calories are from fat

With all this being said... I hereby deem this myth: