As promised, here is the information on dairy. I know it is lengthy, but there is a lot of good stuff here that you need to know. Please take the time to read through this at least once. I don't generally write long posts, unless I feel compelled to share something very important with others. =)
Common Sense
Why do mammal mothers produce milk? For the sole purpose of nurturing their babies. Horses produce milk for their babies, sheep produce milk for their babies, cows produce milk for their babies, humans produce milk for their babies, etc.
Can you name an animal that continues to take its mother's milk after it is grown? Can you name an animal that drinks the milk of a different species? No, you can't, because it doesn't happen.
What about Calcium?
Why do humans think that it is necessary to drink the milk from cows after we are weaned from our mothers? One of the biggest reasons is because we are taught from a young age that we need to "drink our milk" for strong teeth and bones. Who tells us that? The dairy industry!
If mammals needed to drink mammal milk for strong teeth and bones, then how do cows, and elephants and other animals get enough calcium for their big bones? They don't continue to drink their mother's milk or the milk from other mammals to ensure their strong teeth and bones. They receive the calcium they need from the plants they eat. The plants have large amounts of magnesium necessary for the body to absorb and use the calcium. Equal parts of calcium and magnesium have to be present in order for proper absorption to take place. The USDA says that a 1 cup serving of milk has 291.336 mg of calcium and 32.794 mg of magnesium, so all that calcium is not doing you one bit of good since only 11% of it could possibly be absorbed.
When the thought of cutting dairy from one's diet comes up, most people immediately fill with the fear of osteoporosis, and that is exactly what the dairy industry wants you to do. The belief that osteoporosis is caused by calcium deficiency is one of the biggest myths around. Mark Hegsted, a retired Harvard professor of nutrition, has said, "To assume that osteoporosis is due to calcium deficiency is like assuming that infection is due to penicillin deficiency." Bone loss and deteriorating bone tissue that take place in osteoporosis are due not to calcium deficiency but rather to its resorption. It's not that our bodies don't get enough calcium, but that they excrete too much of what they already have.
What causes that, you ask? A diet high in protein causes your body to become acidic and will cause your blood stream to leach alkaline substances (like the calcium from our bones) in order to balance the body's PH. (Incidentally, here is a list of acidic and alkaline foods to help you know how to balance your diet.) One solution is not necessarily to increase your calcium intake but to decrease the amount of protein consumed. Americans are among the biggest consumers of dairy in the world, and yet we still have the highest rate of osteoporosis in the world. In this view, it seems that dairy products do indeed cause, rather than prevent, osteoporosis.
Illnesses Caused by Dairy Consumption
Cows milk is intended to nurture a 70-100 pound calf that will reach 140-200 pounds in a month and a half! Is it any wonder that Americans struggle with obesity? Cows also have 2 stomachs that aid in the digestion of their mother's milk which contains curd that is tough and dense making it difficult for humans to digest. Dairy products can easily be considered a health hazard due to the fact that they contain no fiber or complex carbohydrates and are filled with saturated fat and cholesterol.
The following italicized paragraphs are taken from an article discussing how cow's milk is not healthy for humans. (Click here to read the entire article.)
People who have been taught that cow's milk is the "perfect food" may be shocked to hear many prominent medical doctors are now saying dairy consumption is a contributing factor in nearly two dozen diseases of children and adults.
Doctors say cow's milk can lead to iron deficiency anemia, allergies, diarrhea, heart disease, colic, cramps, gastrointestinal bleeding, sinusitis, skin rashes, acne, increased frequency of colds and flus, arthritis, diabetes, ear infections, osteoporosis, asthma, autoimmune diseases, and more, possibly even lung cancer, multiple sclerosis and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma...
...Dr. Michael Taylor states, "It is a dietary error to cross species to get milk from another animal." He notes there is a tremendous difference between human babies and baby calves, and a corresponding difference between the milk that is intended to nourish human babies and baby calves. In an interview, Dr. Taylor notes that human infants take about 180 days to double their birth weight, and that human milk is 5 to 7 percent protein. Calves require only 45 days to double their birth weight and cow's milk is 15 percent protein. In addition to the difference in the amount of protein in these two different types of milk, there are also major differences in the composition of this protein. The primary type of protein in cow's milk is casein. Cow's milk has 20 times as much casein as human milk, which makes the protein from cow's milk difficult or impossible for humans to assimilate, according to Dr. John R. Christopher, N.D., M.H. Protein composes 15 percent of the human body and when this protein cannot be properly broken down, it weakens the immune system, causing allergies and many other problems. Allergies caused by cow's milk are extremely common. In fact, Dr. Taylor states that when a single food can be isolated as the cause of an allergy, 60 percent of the time, that food is cow's milk. Dr. Ellis notes that symptoms of this allergic reaction to cow's milk in infants can include asthma, nasal congestion, skin rash, chest infections, irritability and fatigue. Dr. Oski's book cites evidence from Dr. Joyce Gryboski, director of the Pediatric Gastrointestinal Clinic at Yale University School of Medicine, who states "they see at least one child a week who is referred for evaluation of chronic diarrhea and proves to have nothing more than an allergy to cow milk."
Another reason many people suffer various symptoms of disease from drinking milk is that, according to Dr. Oski, the majority of the world's adult population is "lactose intolerant," meaning they cannot digest lactose, the sugar in milk (cow's milk and human milk). An enzyme known as lactase is required to digest lactose, and Dr. Oski states that "between the age of one and a half and four years most individuals gradually lose the lactase activity in their small intestine. This appears to be a normal process that accompanies maturation.... Most people do it. All animals do it. It reflects the fact that nature never intended lactose-containing foods, such as milk, to be consumed after the normal weaning period."...
...Another serious problem caused by consumption of cow's milk is iron-deficiency anemia. Dr. Oski notes that 15 to 20 percent of children under age 2 in the U.S. suffer from iron-deficiency anemia. Cow's milk contributes to this condition in two ways. First, he notes that cow's milk is extremely low in iron, containing less than 1 milligram of iron per quart. Because of this, he writes that it is estimated that a 1-year-old would need to drink 24 quarts of cow's milk a day to meet his iron requirements, which would be impossible. He states many infants may drink from one to two quarts of cow's milk a day, which satisfies their hunger to the point that they do no have the appetite to consume enough of other foods that do have a high iron content. The second way that cow's milk leads to iron-deficiency anemia in many infants is a form of gastrointestinal bleeding caused by increased mucus and diarrhea associated with dairy consumption. "It is estimated that half the iron-deficiency in infants in the United States is primarily the result of this form of cow milk induced gastrointestinal bleeding," Dr. Oski writes. "Mucus is frequent and some stools contain obvious traces of bright red blood... The diarrhea impairs the infant's ability to retain nutrients from his feedings. In addition, the changes produced in the gastrointestinal tract by the allergic reaction result in seepage of the child's own blood into the gut. This loss of plasma and red cells leads to a lowering of the infant's blood protein level and to the development of anemia."
The mucus created by dairy products causes other problems as well. It is well-known that dairy products cause excessive mucus in the lungs, sinuses and intestines. Dr. Ellis notes this excess mucus in the breathing passages contributes to many respiratory problems and that mucus hardens to form a coating on the inner wall of the intestines that leads to poor absorption of nutrients, which can cause chronic fatigue. This mucus also causes constipation, which can lead to many other problems. Two very common problems with infants are colic and ear infections, both of which can be caused by cow's milk. Medical studies have found cow's milk can contribute to these problems either directly, when the infant drinks cow's milk, or indirectly, when the infant breast feeds from a mother who has been consuming dairy products. Colic, suffered by one out of every five infants in the U.S., is characterized by severe stomach cramps. The July/August 1994 issue of Natural Health reports, "When a mother eats dairy products, milk proteins pass into her breast milk and end up in the baby's blood; some studies have found that cow's milk proteins (from milk drunk by the mother) might trigger colick-like symptoms in infants fed only human milk and no cow's milk." Concerning ear infections, Dr. Northrup states, "You just don't see this painful condition among infants and children who aren't getting cow's milk into their systems." The Natural Health article also notes, "Removing dairy from the diet has been shown to shrink enlarged tonsils and adenoids, indicating relief for the immune system. Similarly, doctors experimenting with dairy-free diets often report a marked reduction in colds, flus, sinusitis and ear infections."
Interesting (and Disgusting) Facts about Dairy
Milk's Basic Contents:
*ALL cow's milk (regular and 'organic') has 59 active hormones, scores of allergens, fat and cholesterol. Most cow's milk has measurable quantities of herbicides, pesticides, dioxins (up to 200 times the safe levels), up to 52 powerful antibiotics (perhaps 53, with LS-50), blood, pus, feces, bacteria and viruses.
*80% of the protein in milk is casein. Casein is a powerful binder, a polymer used to make plastics and a glue that is better used to make sturdy furniture or hold bottle labels in place. It can be found in thousands of processed foods as a binder named "something" caseinate.
Cancer Fuel:
*Of those 59 hormones, one is a powerful GROWTH hormone called Insulin- like Growth Factor ONE (IGF-1). By a freak of nature it is identical in cows and humans. Consider this hormone to be a "fuel cell" for any cancer... (the medical world says IGF-1 is a key factor in the rapid growth and proliferation of breast, prostate and colon cancers, and we suspect that most likely it will be found to promote ALL cancers). IGF-1 is a normal part of ALL milk... the newborn is SUPPOSED to grow quickly! What makes the 50% of obese American consumers think they need MORE growth?
Quantity:
*Each bite of hard cheese has TEN TIMES whatever was in that sip of milk, because it takes ten pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese. Each bite of ice cream has 12 times, and every swipe of butter 21 times whatever is contained in the fat molecules in a sip of milk.
Cholesterol:
*The cholesterol content of three glasses of milk (the recommended daily "dose") is equal to what one would get from 53 slices of bacon. Do you know of any doctor who recommends that much bacon per day?
Mad Cow Disease:
*There may also be prions (pronounced PREons) in the milk and meat. This is crystalline substance that acts like a virus... with an "incubation" period of 5 to 30 years. The end result is MAD COW DISEASE!
Homogenization:
*Large fat molecules cannot get through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream. The cream no longer rises... because homogenization breaks up those large molecules into small ones that DO get into the bloodstream! This becomes an expressway for any fat-borne toxins (lead, dioxins, etc.) into your (otherwise) most protected organs.
Bacteria:
*Cow's milk is allowed to have feces in it. This is a major source for bacteria. Milk is typically pasteurized more than once before it gets to your table - each time for only 15 seconds at 162 degrees Fahrenheit. To sanitize water one is told to boil it (212 degrees F) for several minutes. That's a real comfort, isn't it? Keep in mind that at room temperature the number of bacteria in milk DOUBLE around every 20 minutes. No wonder milk turns rotten very quickly.
*ONE cubic centimeter (cc) of commercial cow's milk is allowed to have up to 750,000 somatic cells (common name is "PUS") and 20,000 live bacteria before it is kept off the market. That amounts to a whopping 20 million live squiggly bacteria and up to 750 MILLION pus cells per liter (a little more than 1/4 gallon).
1 cup = 236.5882cc 177,441,150 pus cells ~ 4,731,600 bacteria
24 oz (3 glasses) = 532,323,450 pus cells ~ 14,220,000 bacteria
(the "recommended" daily intake)
Mistreatment of Cows:
*With genetic manipulation and intensive production technologies, it is common for modern dairy cows to produce 100 pounds of milk a day— 10 times more than they would produce in nature. To keep milk production as high as possible, farmers artificially inseminate cows every year. Growth hormones and unnatural milking schedules cause dairy cows' udders to become painful and so heavy that they sometimes drag on the ground, resulting in frequent infections and overuse of antibiotics.
Quote:
*"It's not natural for humans to drink cow's milk. Human's milk is for humans. Cow's milk is for calves. You have no more need of cow's milk than you do rat's milk, horse's milk or elephant's milk. Cow's milk is a high fat fluid exquisitely designed to turn a 65 lb. baby calf into a 400 lb. cow. That's what cow's milk is for!" --Dr Michael Klaper MD
Alternatives to Dairy
In our opinion, soy milk is an excellent substitution for cow's milk when used with cereal or even in cooking and baking. I know that there has to be some of you who inwardly cringe at the thought of even trying soy milk, let alone consuming it on a regular basis, but let me tell you, soy milk is good! My mother and I are living proof that even the pickiest most discerning person will enjoy having soy milk. My mom, who (like me) is very sensitive to trying strange, new things, recently started using soy milk in her cereal. She conveyed to me that when she sat down with her first bowl, she gagged a little at the thought, but once she took her first bite, she thought, "Wow! What a treat!" Now, she completely looks forward to it. So far, she has only tried the vanilla-flavored Silk soy milk. I find that kind to be a little too sweet for my liking (especially with a sweeter cereal), so we use the regular soy milk. We are not brand-loyal yet. We just look for the best price, so when Silk is on sale, we get that. When it's not, I use my $1 off coupon on Organic Valley soy milk.
Another good substitution is coconut milk. Remember the strawberry coconut milk ice cream? That stuff is good! Coconut milk is thicker than cow's milk, so it makes for a rich, creamy ice cream. This recipe was originally for chocolate coconut milk ice cream, but we just changed it to strawberry for Larissa's birthday party. The chocolate ice cream was good, but you have to be sure to really mix in the cocoa powder completely. There were a few little "balls" of cocoa powder towards the bottom of the ice cream churn container, but for the most part it was fine. The recipe is the same, but instead of the strawberries, use 2/3 cup of cocoa powder in the single recipe. Oh, and in case you are wondering, coconut milk does not have a strong coconut flavor. In fact, I don't think it really tastes like coconut at all, especially after you've added the strawberry or chocolate to it.
As far as cheese goes, we haven't found a really good substitution. There are soy cheeses, but I haven't been too impressed with them. Jason and the girls thought it was fine, but I'm a little pickier than they are, I guess. =) If you decide to try a cheese substitute, make sure you look at the ingredient list. We found a rice cheese a couple of months ago, and since we used to get rice milk years ago, we thought the rice cheese would also be dairy free. After we tried it, we thought, "Wow! That was great!" Come to find out, they put casein in the mix. So, we haven't had it since.
Right now, we have some soy cream cheese in the refrigerator that we plan on using in one of our favorite cheesecake recipes. We're desperately trying to come up with some good holiday substitutions BEFORE the holidays get here, and since that is basically 4 months away, we are in a time crunch! When I come across good recipes, I'll post them for you to try.
If you have any questions or comments about this post, let me know. I hope that this has been helpful and informative. =)
