We have all seen the advertisement with celebrities with painted moustaches on their upper lips with the above caption “Milk” it does a body good”. I’m sure someone on the board of the Dairy Council dreamed that one up. The advertisement should actually say “Milk” it does a baby cow’s body good” that’s what it’s designed for baby cows not humans. Cow’s milk is designed to take an animal that weighs between 80 – 100 pounds at birth to about 550 pound calf within 6 – 10 months. Newborn human babies should drink their mother’s breast milk which is the best for babies. Once human babies are developed they don’t need milk anymore.  The Dairy companies would like everyone to believe that you need the calcium in cow’s milk and other dairy products. The truth is milk is very bad for you, the same can be said for all other dairy products such as cheese, half and half, yogurt, ice cream, frozen yogurt, frozen custard, sour cream and all forms of milk such as skim, 1%, 2% whole, low-fat. You can get your calcium from other healthier food sources. Such food sources are Salmon, tofu, kiwi, rhubarb, sardines, collard greens, spinach, turnip greens, okra, white beans, broccoli, peas, brussel sprouts, sesame seeds, bok choy, and almonds are just a few of the nutrient-dense foods that can help you meet your calcium needs.

Milk proteins, milk sugar, fat, and saturated fat in dairy products may pose health risks for children and lead to the development of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and formation of atherosclerotic plaques that can lead to heart disease. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants below one year of age should not be given whole cow’s milk, as iron-deficiency is more likely on a dairy-rich diet. Cow’s milk products are very low in iron. If they become a major part of one’s diet, iron deficiency is more likely. Colic is an additional concern with milk consumption. One out of five babies suffers from colic. Pediatricians learned long ago that cows’ milk was often the reason for Colic. We now know that breastfeeding mothers who are consuming cow’s milk can also have a Colic baby. The cow’s antibodies can pass through the mother’s bloodstream into her breast milk and into the baby.  Also, food allergies appear to be a common result of milk consumption, particularly in children. A recent study also linked cow’s milk consumption to chronic constipation in children. Researchers suggest that milk consumption resulted in perianal sores and severe pain on defecation, leading to constipation.

Dairy products are acid-producing to the body. There are tons of studies linking the consumption of dairy products to heart disease, cancer, arthritis, migraines, allergies, congestion in the body, asthma and other respiratory conditions.  All classic examples of illnesses caused or worsened by acid. Dairy products also coat your mucus membranes and result in thick, slow-moving mucus build-up. This is one of the main reasons why so many children walk around with constant stuffy noses and ear infections, their little bodies can't deal with all the mucus and end up with inflammations and infections. If your children catch frequent colds, stuffy nose, congestion, sinus and ear infections one of the first helpful things a parent can do is take their child off of dairy products and you will see a noticeable difference.

Cow's milk also has 300 times more casein than human milk. Casein is a thick, gooey substance that helps form huge cow bones. But inside a human, it's nearly impossible to digest and creates a tremendous amount of acid in the stomach. Yet we are constantly being told through TV commercials and magazines advertisement that “Milk” does a body good”. These advertisements brag how the calcium in milk is essential to grow healthy strong bones. The calcium in cows milk and dairy products is basically useless to a body with acid. When your body is overrun with acid (from acid-forming foods like dairy products and bad food combinations), it depletes minerals, including calcium, from your bones and organs to neutralize the acid.

Many Americans consume large amounts of dairy products. Most Americans are misinformed about dairy products, milk and how it effects the human body. Here are seven reasons to eliminate dairy from your diet.

1. Cancer: Several cancers, such as ovarian cancer, have been linked to the consumption of dairy products. The milk sugar lactose is broken down in the body into another sugar, galactose. In turn, galactose is broken down further by enzymes. According to a study by Daniel Cramer, MD, and his colleagues at Harvard, "when dairy product consumption exceeds the enzymes’ capacity to break down galactose, it can build up in the blood and may affect a woman’s ovaries. Some women have particularly low levels of these enzymes, and when they consume dairy products on a regular basis, their risk of ovarian cancer can be triple that of other women".(1)
2.  Cardiovascular Disease: Dairy products, including cheese, ice cream, milk, butter, and yogurt, contribute significant amounts of cholesterol and fat to the diet. Diets high in fat and saturated fat can increase the risk of several chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease. A low-fat vegetarian diet that eliminates dairy products, in combination with weight-bearing exercise, smoking cessation, and stress management, can not only prevent heart disease, but may also reverse it.
3. Contaminants: Synthetic hormones, such as recombinant bovine growth hormone, are commonly used in dairy cows to increase the production of milk. Because the cows are producing quantities of milk that nature never intended, the end result is mastitis, or inflammation of the mammary glands.(2) The treatment requires the use of antibiotics, and traces of these and hormones have been found in samples of milk and other dairy products. Pesticides and other drugs are also frequent contaminants of dairy products.
4. Diabetes: Insulin-dependent diabetes (Type I or childhood-onset) is linked to consumption of dairy products. Epidemiological studies of various countries show a strong correlation between the use of dairy products and the incidence of insulin-dependent diabetes. Researchers in 1992 found that a specific dairy protein sparks an auto-immune reaction, which is believed to be what destroyed the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas.
5. Lactose Intolerance: Lactose intolerance is common among many populations, affecting approximately 95% of Asian Americans, 74% of Native Americans, 70% of African Americans, 53% of Hispanics, and 15% of Caucasians. Symptoms, which include gastrointestinal distress, diarrhea, and flatulence, occur because these individuals do not have the enzymes that digest the milk sugar lactose. Additionally, along with unwanted symptoms, milk drinkers put themselves at risk for development of other chronic diseases and ailments.
6. Osteoporosis: Milk is touted for preventing osteoporosis, yet clinical research shows otherwise. The Harvard Nurses’ Health Study, which followed more than 75,000 women for 12 years, showed no protective effect of increased milk consumption on fracture risk.(3) In fact, increased intake of calcium from dairy products was associated with a higher fracture risk. An Australian study showed the same results. Additionally, other studies have also found no protective effect of dairy calcium on bone. You can decrease your risk of osteoporosis by reducing sodium and animal protein in the diet, increasing intake of fruits and vegetables, exercising, and ensuring adequate calcium intake from plant foods such as leafy green vegetables and beans, as well as calcium-fortified products such as breakfast cereals and juices.
7. Vitamin D Toxicity: Consumption of milk may not provide a consistent and reliable source of vitamin D in the diet. Samplings of milk have found significant variation in vitamin D content, with some samplings having as much as 500 times the indicated level, while others had little or none at all. Too much vitamin D can be toxic and may result in excess calcium levels in the blood and urine, increased aluminum absorption in the body, and calcium deposits in soft tissue.

Consuming a healthful diet of grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes and fortified foods including cereals and juices can help you meet your calcium, potassium, riboflavin, and vitamin D requirements with ease, and without the health risk.

References: 1. Daniel Cramer MD Harvard study on milk. 2. Harvard study on the contaminants in milk. 3. Harvard study, Harvard nurses health study.