Myths and Truths about MILK

Myths and Truths about MILK

 

Does this look right?

I was discussing the topic of cow milk vs. almond milk with a friend recently.  She is already a convert to almond milk, but was wondering how she can still get enough calcium to help keep her bones strong.  I decided to do a little research, and found an excellent excerpt from the book “Never Be Sick Again”.  The information was delivered so well in this book, that I copied it here for you to read, and it is well worth the read!

Upon hearing that they should not drink milk, people invariably ask, “How will I be able to get enough calcium if I don’t drink milk?” My response is, “Where does a cow, a horse, or an elephant get its calcium?” They get it from plants, which are rich in all kinds of minerals – including calcium.  Dark green vegetables such as broccoli, chard and kale are rich sources of absorbable calcium.

 


Kale and Spinach

Cow milk is also rich in calcium, containing about 1200 mg of calcium per quart while human milk contains about 300 mg.  However, an infant absorbs far more calcium from a quart of human milk than from a quart of cow milk, even though human milk contains less calcium.  Cow milk contains a lot of phosphorous, which prevents calcium absorption.  Also, cow milk is low in magnesium, which humans need in order to utilize calcium.  In short, your body is not able to use the large amount of calcium present in cow milk.  You do not use the calcium, so instead it can build up and form kidney stones, bone spurs, gout and atherosclerotic plaque. 
 
Milk robs calcium from bones.  The protein in cow milk metabolizes to strong acids, which can be harmful, so instead the body used the calcium to neutralize those acids – thereby robbing your bones and other tissues in the process.  The U.S., with only 4 percent of the world’s population, consumes more dairy foods than the other 96 percent combined.  If milk is really good for our bones, then we should have the strongest bones in the world.  Instead, we have one of the highest osteoporosis rates in the world.  We are not alone; all other countries with high diary consumption also have high levels of osteoporosis.
 
A large percentage of the population is allergic to milk and dairy products, regardless of whether they realize it.  Allergic reactions tax the immune system and lower resistance to infections and diseases.  Milk allergies are the primary cause of ear infections in children.  Given that constant allergic responses shorten your life (and constant use of allergy medications will too); the answer is to avoid things you are allergic to in the first place.  For most people, this means avoiding milk products.  According to Dr. Oski, “At least 50% of all children are allergic to dairy.”

 

Weird, right?

Milk is harmful to young children for another reason:  It may trigger childhood diabetes in genetically susceptible children.  Milk has been linked to multiple sclerosis as well.  Milk also causes localized inflammations in an infant’s intestines and can result in low-level bleeding and iron deficiency anemia.
 
Our hunter-gatherer ancestors nursed their young for an average of three years, as compared to modern Americans, who nurse for an average of only three months.  Introduction of infant feeding formulas has had a negative effect on children’s health.  Breast-fed infants are less likely to develop inflammatory bowel disease when they become adults than bottle-fed infants.  Adults who were breast-fed as infants develop fewer allergies throughout life (even among people whose parents had a history of allergies).

"Never Be Sick Again"

Raymond Francis, M.Sc.