Dairy: It’s not as beneficial as you think it is

Have you ever wondered why we drink milk? I did, which is why I decided to do a little research on it. Like all mammals we drink our mother’s breast milk, and to calves, cow’s milk is their breast milk. However, after a calf becomes a grown cow, that calf does not drink milk anymore; it goes on to eat grass and other plants. No adult cows even drink milk, and neither should adult humans! So how come our species decided that we would drink cow’s milk?

And you must be thinking, “I’ve heard dairy is good for you, it has lots of calcium. Milk helps build strong bones.”  Yes of course you’ve heard that. However, the dairy and meat industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that has influenced the American dietary guidelines, which is why there’s a lot of money put into making sure that certain health declarations are supported by society, forcing us to provide and teach about the health “benefits” of dairy products.

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Since we decided to rebel against nature’s law, the consequences greatly backfire on us. The difference between cows milk and human milk is the chemical composition, and our bodies are not made to break down the composition of cow’s milk. There is an enzyme called lactase that is needed to help digest the sugar in milk called lactose, and we usually stop producing lactase at the age of two to three since nature did not mean for us to be consuming mothers’ milk after that. Therefore, we technically are not able to digest this substance because it creates irritability in the stomach as well as many other health issues.

The main component of dairy is casein, a very dangerous protein. It makes up 87% of cow’s milk protein, and compared to human breast milk, cow’s milk has 300% more of it. Casein is one of the reasons why cows develop such big bones, however it is such a harsh protein and binder that it has been utilized as an ingredient in wood glue. Imagine how much work it takes for our digestive systems to break it down as it solidifies in our stomachs. Instead of making it easy on our intestines, dairy puts a stop to our natural flow of enzymes. This then creates unhealthy skin resulting in breakouts, problems with going to the bathroom, and even cancer. The China Study, funded by the top organizations for health and cancer, found that there was a strong relationship between casein and cancer cell growth.

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The last thing I mean to do is scare you, but dairy is threatening to our bodies and needs to be taken seriously. I’m sure many of you like to get your calcium from your milk as well; yes milk has calcium, however it has more protein then calcium and our body does not store it properly.

A continuing study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition discovered that if a lot of protein is consumed throughout the day, then more calcium will be excreted in the urine instead of absorbed into the body. As I said before, milk has an insane amount of (bad) protein and this should demonstrate to you how dairy even has an affect on your bones!

Because it may be difficult to give up dairy for multiple reasons, here are a few alternatives that you can try.

Plant sources of calcium:

Bok choy, broccoli, cucumber, collard greens, cauliflower, kale, spinach, sesame seeds, and romaine lettuce

Milk alternative:

Almond milk, hemp milk, rice milk, coconut milk

How many times did you consume dairy today?