MILK - Does the body good or does it?

 

I am sure the heading has you intrigued, but you are probably also wondering what kind of advice I am giving you.  It probably goes against everything you have evern heard or read.  By milk, I am referring to cow's milk. 

 

We have not drank cow's milk in our house for many, many years.  Both my boys had trouble with it as babies and I was having some health concerns as well and my doctor was the first to suggest I stop drinking cow milk.  My sons pediatrician also suggested I stop giving him cow milk.  This is something I believe quite strongly in and am going to share with you the reasons for that and what my research has taught me. 

Doesn't it seem strange to you that humans are the only species that drink milk from another species? Or the fact that cow's milk is meant to take a 90 pound calf and nourish it to nearly a tonne within 10 months!  Milk of each animal is structured precisly to meet the needs of its young and not the young of other species.  In many other parts of the world, most particularly in East Asia, Africa and South America, people regard cow milk as unfit for consumption by human beings. 

What is lactose intolerance and what is the relationship to cow milk?  Lactose is the sugar in milk.  Lactase is the enzyme that breaks down the lactose in milk and milk products. Sometime between the age of 1 1/2 and 4 years of age most individuals gradually lose the lactase activity in their small intestine.  Far more people are unable to digest lactose than are able to digest it.  It is natural to lose the lactase activity.  It is a part of growing up.  It reflects the fact that nature never intended lactose-containing foods, such as milk, to be consumed after the normal weaning period.

Cow's milk seems to be even less tolerated today than ever before.  The milk our ancestors drank was straight from the cow - raw, full of enzymes.  Later, with the start of large dairies, pasteurization and homogenization came on the scene, milk became a processed food.  Processing strips the milk of most its essential enzymes, placing huge demands on the digestive system.  Dairy is not the best soure of calcium.  When it's pasteurized it actually loses some of its calcium.  Low fat or skim milk prohibits calcium absorption even more because it's missing the fat which is essential for the transportation and absorption of calcium.  Skim milk is worse because it's higher in protein.  If you cannot digest it, you certainly cannot absorb its calcium.  Plus, not to mention the fact that it's often contaminated with antibiotic and hormone residues.

 

The fact is" drinking cow's milk has been linked to iron-deficiency anemia in infants and children; it has been the cause of cramps and diarrhea in much of the world's population and the cause of many allergies.  Milk consumption does produce gastrointestinal complaints.  The majority of people over the age of 4 are "lactose intolerant".  The consumption of cow milk by infants produces iron deficiency in two ways - it provides very little dietary iron and at the same time produces iron loss by inducing gastrointestinal bleeding.  The result of iron deficiency anemia makes the child irritable and inattentive. 

Symptoms seen most often in babies who are allergic to cow milk include: diarrhea, repeated vomiting, eczema, recurrent nasal congestion and bronchitis.   

You are wondering...what about osteoporosis?  Interestingly, North America has a high percentage of osteoporosis in spite of its high rate of dairy consumption.  All countries where the intake of animal protein is very high.  Compared with China where the intake is half of what we digest.  They obtain their calcium from vegetable sources.  Loss of bone mass is typically caused by excesive calcium loss, rather than inadequate calcium intake.  For example, in Singapore the average calcium intake is less than half of the recommended daily allowance, the fracture rate in Singapore is 5 times lower than that of the U.S. where the intake is much higher.

Cow Milk and Fat - There are about 35 grams of fat in a quart of milk.  About 60% of the fat of milk is in the saturated form.  The consumption of cow milk from an early age may have life-long consequences.  Atherosclerosis have been observed in the coronary vessels of infants and children.

As you can see there are several reasons to consider other options when it comes to drinking cow's milk.  It is one of the highest allergy foods and there is really no benefit to it at all and is the cause of many health issues.  If you are looking for other sources of calcium please refer to my post in August "Bone Boosters - also known as Calcium".

Yours in health,

Kristy Kurtz
Certified Holistic Nutritionist