CONTROVERSY!!! The Milk Myth

For years, the dairy industry has advertised the benefits of milk for helping reduce the risk of osteoporosis and building stronger bones. However, research shows that milk actually does the complete opposite. Cow’s milk, and dairy in general, has a protein called casein in it which causes increased acidity in the body. As a result, the body tries to neutralize this acid by leaching calcium out of the bones, which then leaves the body through our urine resulting in an overall calcium deficit. This is why the countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis and hip fractures are correlated with those that consume the highest amount of dairy and other animal protein, including the U.S., Finland, and the U.K.

Another important myth about milk is that it is the perfect food for humans. WRONG! Cow’s milk is the perfect food for COWS. Cow’s milk has about 4x the amount of protein of human breast milk and helps a baby calf grow to about a ton in its first year of life. Since cow’s milk is so high in calories and protein, it results in weight gain in humans.

Another reason humans shouldn't consume dairy milk is it often has many unwanted ingredients in it such as bio-engineered hormones, pesticides, antibiotics, and insulin-like growth factor, which can have negative effects on our health.

You can get sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals that cow’s milk supposedly provides, including calcium and magnesium, from eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, including broccoli, leafy greens, soybeans, and almonds. In addition, there are several non-dairy milk options out there including almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, hemp milk, etc. which are lower in fat and cholesterol. Often, these non-dairy milks are also fortified with various micro-nutrients including calcium and Vitamin D.