When Milk Is Not A Healthy Food

(exert from The Advantages of Being A Vegetarian – Wings of Success)

Milk is often praised as a perfect food which contains all the protein, fats and minerals that are needed for a healthy life. It is often recommended that we drink a pint of milk a day.

Milk is, after all, the only food for the young of mammals. It seems natural that we should rely on it and other dairy produce manufactured from milk as a source of nutrition.

But matters are not so straightforward. Cows’ milk is not a natural food for human beings. For human infants it can be harmful unless modified as it is infant formula.

Older children can often tolerate milk, but many adults lose the stomach enzyme that allows them to digest milk. In northern latitudes many adults retain that enzyme and they can digest milk. But in other parts of the world adults seldom have the ability to do so. As societies become more diverse it is not uncommon to encounter individuals who cannot tolerate milk in their diet.

Even those of us who can drink milk need to be aware of health concerns that are linked to a high consumption of milk and dairy produce. Full cream milk can help to raise the body’s level of cholesterol because it contains animal fat. This is even more true of cheese, butter and cream, which contain a higher proportion of fat.

Skimmed milk may be answer to this problem but a high consumption of dairy foods has been associated with various forms of cancer. Breast cancer, ovarian cancer and prostate cancer have all been linked to dairy foods. A Harvard study showed that if too much dairy produce is consumed the body’s enzymes may not be able to break down the lactose that milk contains. This can build up in the blood stream and contribute to cancer formation in the body’s organs.

Milk produced under modern factory farming conditions is a long way from the milk that used to be available. Cows do not necessarily graze on grass. They may be kept indoors and fed on concentrates. This has several consequences for their milk. Milk from grass fed cattle is typically high in vitamin D. But milk from cattle reared indoors is not.

Vitamin D is essential if we are to utilize calcium in bone growth and repair. We may be drinking milk in the belief that it helps us avoid osteoporosis when in fact it does not. Milk is not a reliable source of either vitamin D or calcium.

Milk can also contain high levels of hormones such as IGF-I. This substance has been linked to a number of cancers.

It is possible to avoid milk and still obtain sufficient nutrients from a variety of other sources. Leafy green vegetables and whole grains are a good source of calcium. Vegetables such as carrots are a good source of vitamin D. Soya products contain no animal fat and are often fortified with both vitamin D and calcium.

Here’s to your good health!

Cheers!

Carla