Who says you never get over your need for milk?
Health hazards
In my practice as a San Diego chiropractor, I take the general health of my patients very seriously. Keeping them informed about health hazards is one of the ways I can guide them toward more optimal health. One of the top health hazards on that list is milk found in the dairy section of the grocery store.
Drinking milk and consuming large amounts of dairy products is almost a national pastime for most Americans. After all, what is more American than an ice cream cone? Or a cheeseburger. Or a grilled cheese sandwich. And of course, we are all familiar with the famous “Do you have milk?” advertisements.
There’s a Need?
For decades we have been inundated with advertisements from the American Dairy Association in an attempt to make the point that “we never get over our need for milk.” When, in fact, there was never a “need” in the first place.
As with most areas that relate to our diet, the end result is not health or nutrition, but money, plain and simple. In the past, their main goal was for dairy products to provide the calcium needed to build strong bones. More recently, their ad campaigns are focusing more on weight loss, if you can believe it. Losing weight by consuming dairy products is a pipe dream. However, the National Dairy Council has spent more than $ 200 million promoting that concept since 2003.
The entire U.S. dairy industry, including cultured produce, cheese, ice cream, and frozen desserts, is worth $ 70 billion a year. Add to that the fact that subsidies for our dairy farmers are estimated at nearly $ 15 billion or equivalent to more than 40% of production costs. You don’t have to be very smart to see that money is the determining factor in convincing the public that dairy is safe and good for you. The truth is that dairy products are neither safe nor good for you.
What’s in there
Most cow’s milk has measurable amounts of herbicides, pesticides, dioxins (up to 200 times safe levels), up to 52 potent antibiotics, blood, pus, feces, bacteria, and viruses. Because the determining factor here is money, various hormones are administered to dairy cows to increase their production.
The hormone rBST (Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin) is injected into approximately 20% of US dairy cows to increase milk production. Due to lack of space in this article, it is impossible to cover all problems with this practice. Suffice it to say that rBST milk is overloaded with high levels of natural growth factor (IGF-1), which is easily absorbed through the intestine. Excessive levels of IGF-1 have been cited in well-documented scientific publications as causes of breast, colon, and prostate cancers. Additionally, IGF-1 blocks natural defense mechanisms against early submicroscopic cancers.
This means that rBST milk not only opens the door to potential cancer, it actually prevents the body’s defense system from preventing early cancerous growths. It is a nightmare in the making. T Colin Campbell, the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, said that “cow’s milk protein may be the most important chemical carcinogen to which humans are exposed.” Now add to this the list of other diseases that can be traced back to high dairy consumption, such as heart disease, diabetes, and anemia.
But what about the claim that dairy products supply the body’s need for calcium? This is wrong reasoning due to the fact that calcium must combine with equal amounts of magnesium to be absorbed. The problem is that most Americans are notoriously low in their magnesium intake. This means that even if dairy products were beneficial in providing calcium, without magnesium the body will absorb very little. However, that same body has no trouble absorbing all the harmful ingredients that come with a tall glass of cold milk.
Looking for alternatives
What are the alternatives to dairy? As with any change in diet, my advice is to always take it easy. Never try to eliminate all dairy products from your life at once. And always try replace instead of completely eliminating.
In Europe, people trying to improve their health are turning to soy milk in record amounts. This trend is also taking hold in the US Other alternatives include oat milk, rice milk, pea milk, nut milk, quinoa milk, and even hemp milk. In any health food store, you will also find a wide variety of ice creams and alternative frozen desserts made with soy and rice. Choosing organic cow’s milk is another alternative to consider.
Health or illness: it’s an option
While some may complain that these alternatives are too expensive, my only comment is, “Have you considered the price of the disease?” No matter how chemotherapy is given, it comes at an exorbitant price. How about heart surgery? Or blood pressure medications? Or any recipe for that matter. Medical bills have been known to ruin many families.
Compared to illness, the price of wellness is a bargain. Especially when you factor in the stress, loss of productivity, and compromised quality of life that illness brings.
I encourage all my patients to invest in good health. And eliminating most or all dairy products from your diet is a great way to start.