For years, our homes have been pumped full of misleading information regarding our “need” for milk and dairy by the dairy industry, their lobbyists, the federal government, and the food pyramid. “Milk, it does the body good” is what they’ve told us – but does it really?
The human race is the only species on this planet that drinks milk from a mother other than its own, and it is the only species that consumes milk after infancy – yet, we’re the only species that has allergies and disease at epidemic rates. So unless you’re a baby cow, you should not be consuming any dairy products.
We have all heard the so-called benefits of dairy, such as fulfilling calcium needs for strong bones, benefits for post-workout recovery, anti-acid like effects for indigestion, and so on. These are all complete mistruths. Let’s discuss.
Doctors will tell you that you need the calcium from milk for strong bones and to prevent osteoporosis. Ask yourself this question: from where do cows get their calcium? Not from milk. Cows get their calcium from grass. The fact is, we will get as much calcium from 4 oz. of kale or collards as we will in 8 oz. of milk, and the body will fully absorb the calcium from those veggies.
The ironic thing about dairy is that even though it contains calcium, it will deplete more calcium from the body than it will replenish. By now, we all probably know that dairy causes congestion. The human body secretes mucous when it’s under attack, like when it detects an abundance of acid. When we consume dairy (yes, cheese and yogurt, too), the lactose (milk sugar) is fermented and turned into lactic acid. The body then produces mucus to bind to the lactic acid to remove it from the body. If it weren’t for the mucus, the acid could burn holes in your cells, tissues, and organs.
If we’re in a constant state of acidity, too much mucus is created, and combined with the acid, it becomes sticky and causes lung and nasal congestion, as well as poor digestion. Poor digestion is linked to inability to absorb nutrients.
In addition to the build-up of mucus, the body attempts to neutralize the acidity by drawing alkalizing minerals and salts from its stores, such as calcium from bones and magnesium from muscles, which further contributes to mineral deficiencies and may actually lead to osteoporosis and other bone degenerative diseases.
As for dairy’s anti-acid effects, the aforementioned completely destroys that theory.
Because of milk’s high protein and sugar content, it’s deemed to be a great post-workout recovery solution. Again, in theory, it sounds great – but not in reality. Milk is an immunosuppressant (suppresses the immune system). During intense training, and for hours following, the immune system is suppressed. The last thing we want to do post-workout is to further suppress the immune system. Why, then, would consuming dairy be beneficial? It’s not. It will actually prevent recovery and tissue regeneration and lead to post-training illnesses.
In addition to everything we’ve already mentioned, commercial dairy cows are fed genetically modified corn and other grains – not organic grass. Corn contains very little calcium, and the genetically modified varieties have absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever. Even if they do contain nutrients, the body cannot absorb them because all the vitamins and minerals have been chelated in order for the plant to withstand pesticide and herbicide spraying. In addition to the toxic sprayed chemical pesticide residues the cows contain, which is passed onto the consumer through its flesh and milk, most cows are pumped full of hormones and antibiotics, which further add to health issues. And we wonder why people are lactose intolerant. It’s because we don’t produce lactase, which is required to digest lactose. Hence, we develop digestive disorders and allergies.
What about organic milk, or skim milk? Same answer: no good.
Federal law in this country requires pasteurization of all dairy products. The intense heat generated through pasteurization completely destroys anything that might be considered beneficial in the dairy product, including organic enzymes. They say pasteurization is in place for our protection. The fact is, pasteurized milk is dead and lifeless nutrition, and if left out, will rot and turn rancid, whereas raw milk will curdle naturally, but will still be edible.
Non-fat milk undergoes additional processing, drying, which further alters its composition, making it even less desirable.
To add more fuel to the fire, dairy feeds yeast and candida, which release extremely toxic compounds into the bloodstream and cells, and can lead to chronic and fatal symptoms if not kept in check.
Again, milk is designed for baby cows, whose nutritional requirements are completely different from those of humans. Cow’s milk is full of components that are of little use to us. In order for the human body to use any of those components, we must first convert them into usable sources. However, this creates stress in the process or is eliminates itself as toxins, so there truly is no benefit to continue consuming dairy products.
Do you drink milk, or have you eliminated it from your diet?
Author: Damian D. Dubé, FDN, NASM CES; BS, Exercise Physiology and Fitness Management is a Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, former NPC Bodybuilding Competitor & Contributing Expert Magazine Writer with 24 years experience, and Co-Founder of the e3 Energy Evolved™ System.
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Comments 9
What an awesome article! Thank you! I cut out most dairy about a year ago
Thanks Elena, we’re glad you liked it!
what about the studies showing that dairy consumption is linked to lower body weight?what about all the European countries where dairy is a staple food and population there have low levels of obesity and most certainly are not calcium depleted?
Unfortunately, we can never look at any research studies as a generalization, because all studies are based on correlations, so it would be inaccurate to assume those things without considering for example – what are the other areas of macronutrient consumptions, their sources, and activity levels, lifestyle & MANY other co-factors of all the research study participants, what were the study controls for these other factors that effect weight loss that are not being talked about, as well as who paid for the study & has a vested interest in people believing it. The beef and dairy associations in the US are big business & money talks. You’re not going to change the human body fact that dairy has negative outcomes on the lymphatic system and causes build up of mucus, and that mucus is disease producing in the human body either, and that’s just one example. There are many other proteins that have no negatives, people should be choosing to consume over dairy – and ultimately dairy is a fat, that’s marketed to people inaccurately as a protein source in a US culture that too often consumes complete protein deficient diets. Two wrongs don’t make a right in the human body nutritionally. Also, it’d be impossible to address your second question on a small blog thread, but there are many variances in food production, farming, and lifestyles globally that create differences in nutrient quality & overall health. European countries have a completely different lifestyle also mentally, emotionally, physically, socially, etc. than the US that has a much more positive overall effect on their health, well-being & weight. One example, their overall stress levels are significantly lower. No study can assume Europeans health & weight is a result of the fact that they drink milk, because it’s surely not. We have many friends & clients from the US who have traveled to European countries & consumed NO MILK during their stay, but lost weight simply eating the food & relaxing there with minimal exercise, and without even trying. There are many factors that play into this too long to explain here. Finally, nutrition is an individualized art form, ultimately, therefore all answers for what nutrition “prescription” is optimal for all of us lie within ourselves & are uncovered through lab-work. At different states of our wellness, dairy may be more or less acceptable – it entirely depends on the individual, Julia. This is coming from someone who used to work professionally in the US grocer & agriculture industry marketing nutrition for US & international produce co’s, so I definitely understand how research studies can and often are confusing to consumers, and sometimes sadly intentionally used to confuse consumers when it comes to human body nutrition for the purpose of profit. Thanks for reading & bringing up important human body nutrition points of discussion that so often confuse consumers, Julia!
What about raw milk kefir? Wouldn’t this be a higher-quality product than the typical pasteurized dairy found in grocery stores? How are the health effects similar/different?
Author
Great question, Tara. Organic, raw milk kefir may be a better alternative to milk. The fermentation process does remove most of the lactose, which makes it a bit easier to digest. However, during that process, it’s my understanding that a bi-product is ethanol, which is not preferable to ingest either, though the concentrations can be very low depending on the fermentation process. My other concern would be, one has yeast/candida overgrowth, then the yeast used in the fermentation process could further feed the systemic yeast one might have in their intestines, which could cause further detriment.
With that being said, generally speaking, it’s without a doubt a better option than conventional milk.
I am really confused as what we can and cannot not eat anymore..ok no dairy anymore I have adrenal fatigue and thyroid problems .. and to figure out what to do is really terrible
Hi Michelle – I understand, it can be very confusing! But, the answer of “what to eat” truly all depends on YOUR body, the first piece of wisdom from great success at producing natural healing & human body change in thyroid, autoimmune and metabolic function is, that there is an error above in your statement about human body nutrition where you state “what WE can eat”…there is no “we”.. there is only what YOU can eat. Your nutrition should be individualized to YOU, no one else. And, when you ask your body using science in an effective manner reviewing various systems of the body, it will tell you what you should & shouldn’t be eating. In the interim, the only option to improve our health prior to doing that working under the direction of a professional who employs labs as our company does in order to determine your bio-individual nutrient profile, is to eliminate disruptive foods such as dairy that have negative functional & metabolic effects on various systems of the body. Yes, no dairy if you have adrenal fatigue, however, eliminating it will only help alleviate some symptoms related to adrenal fatigue, it will not uncover your root causes for why you have adrenal fatigue in the first place & give you a nutrition program that will naturally reverse your adrenal fatigue so you can resolve it completely and avoid it occuring again. That is the difference in the outcomes you can expect from taking general approaches to human body nutrition vs. bio-individualized nutrition. Hope that makes sense & is clearer now! If you have more questions shoot our team an email at hello@e3EnergyEvolved.com. – Heather, e3ee
Glad to see a milk debate article mention “raw milk”, but you could have dug in deeper. Raw milk is the only way milk should be consumed unless it’s cultured. Pasteurization destroys the probiotics and enzymes while denaturing proteins and minerals resulting in an undigestable, sugary gut destroyer. It should be avoided always.
Raw milk on the other hand is the full package and the way milk is intended to be consumed fresh. Be sure to check your state milk laws to see if it’s legal to purchase where you live. It’s sad but Uncle Sam doesn’t trust you can make the right decision about what you consume.
It’s hard to have a fair debate if both sides of the argument aren’t represented. If I asked “are apples good for you?” And only cited studies from ppl who ate plastic, ornamental apples from my grandma’s counter top, then I’m not being fair
And as far as the argument that Human’s are the only mamals to get milk from other mamals, we are also the only mamals to domesticate other mamals as well as plants while creating advanced civilization, space craft, and iPhones. Basically were pretty unique for this planet
Another silly argument is cows milk is made for a baby cow and unless you are one, you shouldn’t drink milk. That’s like saying antelope are made to feed cheetahs so unless your a cheetah you shouldn’t eat antelope lol or wild lettuce is made for rabbits to eat so you shouldn’t eat wild lettuce
Again thank you for at least mentioning the word “raw”