Nature’s most perfect
Cow’s Milk
food ... for calves
“I no longer
recommend
dairy products
after the age
of two years...
Of course,
there was a
time when
cow’s milk was considered
very desirable. But research,
along with clinical experience, has forced doctors and
nutritionists to rethink this
recommendation.”
– Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child
Care, 1998 edition. P 331. Spock
cites dairy's high fat content and
lack of iron, complex
carbohydrates and fibre.
“There is no human
requirement for
milk from a cow.”
– Suzanne Havala, R.D.
“The African Bantu woman
provides an excellent example
of good health. Her diet is free
of milk and still provides 250–
400 mg of calcium from plant
sources, which is half the
amount consumed by Western
women. Bantu women commonly have 10 babies during
their life and breast feed each
of them for about ten months.
But even with this huge
calcium drain and relatively
low calcium intake, osteoporosis is relatively unknown
among these women.”
– John McDougall, M.D.
Trends
Canada has one of the highest
rates of dairy consumption in the
world (with sales of $11 billion in
2003), but maybe not for long.
Between 1980 and 2003, annual
milk consumption slipped from 103
to 85.3 litres per person. While
consumption of butter has fallen to
3.16 kilograms a year from a high of
eight, 40 years ago.
Source:
Canadian Dairy Information Centre - Centre canadien d'information laitière
Human beings are the only species (other than
house cats) to consume milk past childhood.
We are also the only species to consume the
milk of another species. Yet, at about the age of four,
most people around the world begin to lose the ability
to digest lactose, the carbohydrate found in milk. This
results in a condition known as lactose intolerance
that causes unpleasant abdominal symptoms, including
stomach cramps, flatulence and diarrhea.
Lactose intolerance is a reality for 75% of the world
population. In Canada, while many adult Caucasians
have the ability to digest lactose, a large number of
First Nations People, Asians, Africans and people of
Jewish ancestry are lactose deficient.1
Even though consuming dairy is unnatural and
problematic for many people, Canada’s Food Guide
recommends 2–4 servings per day (a serving is 1 cup
of milk, 2 slices of cheese or 3/4 cup of yogurt).
Milk fat
Whole cow’s milk is a high-fat fluid, designed by nature to turn a 60–70 lb (27–30 kg) calf into a 300–600
lb (135–275 kg) cow in one year.
High-fat dairy products such as cheese, butter and
cream contain saturated fat. Saturated fat is the most
important dietary factor involved in raising blood cholesterol levels. The consumption of high-fat dairy
products has also been found to cause atherosclerosis, heart disease and stroke. Finland which has a death
rate from heart disease that is among the highest in
the world, also has one of the highest rates of dairy
product consumption.2
Low-fat milk and cheese products are still significantly high in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol.
For example, 2% milk has become much more popular than homogenized milk, yet it still derives one third
of its total calories from fat. Skim milk mozzarella
with approximately 15% milk-fat is considered a low-
fat cheese, yet a 1-ounce slice contains 5 grams of fat,
totaling 56% calories from fat! So don’t be fooled by
the “skim milk” label.
The wide range of skimmed milk products available in grocery stores reflects health concerns over
high-fat dairy products. But for many people, low-fat
dairy products are still an unacceptable alternative.
Low-fat dairy products linked to
hightened allergic responses
The high protein content of low-fat dairy products is
actually more allergenic than dairy products with a
high-fat content.3 Dairy products are one of the leading
causes of food allergies and food sensitivities causing
allergic responses in people of all ages, especially
infants and young children. It is estimated that 1–7%
of infants are allergic to cow’s milk protein. Infants
who react to milk also have a greater likelihood of
developing allergies to other foods.4
Many studies have shown allergies to dairy
products to cause irritability, restlessness, hyperactivity, muscle pain, mental depression, abdominal pain,
cramps or bloating, gas, diarrhea, bad breath, headaches, lack of energy, constipation, poor appetite,
malabsorption of nutrients, nasal stuffiness, runny nose
sinusitis, asthma, shortness of breath, rashes, eczema,
and hives.5
Osteoporosis & the milk connection
North America has one of the highest consumptions
of dairy products, and also the highest incidence of
osteoporosis – a disease of brittle bones formed
through the loss of calcium. We are bombarded with
messages from the dairy bureau that we must consume
copious quantities of dairy products to ward off this
dreaded disease later in life. But that’s not the whole
story. Regardless of how much calcium you take in,
the amount your body can actually absorb and retain
matters more.
The high animal protein intake typical of North
American diets can make it difficult to retain calcium.
Digesting animal protein creates an acidic
environment in the body. To neutralize the acid, the
body may rob calcium from the bones. Years of this
pattern can contribute in osteoporosis later in life.6
A study published in 2001, found that “elderly
women with a high dietary ratio of animal to vegetable
protein intake have more rapid neck bone loss and a
greater risk of hip fracture than do those with a low
ratio. This suggests that an increase in vegetable
protein intake and a decrease in animal protein intake
may decrease bone loss...” Several studies have found
that “in comparison with animal protein, soy protein
decreases calcium excretion, a result of the lower
sulfur amino acid content of soy protein.”7
To prevent osteoporosis it is also important to get
enough Vitamin D, avoid smoking and limit coffee
and alcohol. Weight-bearing exercise such as running,
dancing and walking is especially helpful.
Women & dairy
According to gynecologist, Christiane Northrum,
“Stopping dairy food often improves menstrual
cramps, endometriosis pain, allergies, sinusitis and
even recurrent vaginitis.” Other problems associated
with dairy food may include: benign breast conditions, chronic vaginal discharge, acne, fibroids, and
chronic intestinal upset. “I can’t help but think that
there might be some correlation between over-
stimulation of the cow’s mammary glands and
subsequent overstimulation of our own, resulting in
Milk is not a natural!
benign
breast
conditions.”8
Human beings are the only species (other than house
cats) to drink the milk of another species, and the
only species to drink milk beyond infancy
Isn’t yogurt a health food?
Yogurt has been hailed as a ‘health food’ because of
its live bacterial enzyme cultures.
Whatever benefit humans may derive from yogurt
cultures, consumers should be aware that these live
bacterial enzymes are not available from frozen
yogurts. A research study analyzing samples from
leading frozen yogurt producers reports that the live
count of the desirable bacterial cultures in these products is virtually nil. Many commercial frozen yogurts
are high in fat, some as high in fat as ice cream. And
low-fat versions are usually high in sugar. An average
non-fat serving of frozen yogurt contains approximately seven teaspoons of sugar.
Even plain yogurt with no sugar added has the high
protein content and related problems mentioned above.
Iron deficiency in infants
According to Frank Oski, the late Chairman of
Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Medical School,
“Drinking large quantities of cow’s milk has long been
recognized to produce iron-deficiency anemia in
infants... Cow’s milk contains less than 1 mg of iron
per quart. Very little of this iron is absorbed from the
intestinal tract because other constituents of the milk
bind with the iron... Many infants
are left with very little appetite for
tends to satisfy their hunger and they
drink 1-2 quarts of milk per day. This
the necessary iron-containing
foods.”9 Breast milk is the best
source of iron for infants.
Milk & ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is more common in Northern Europe
than in Asian populations and the consumption of milk
products may be the reason. Studies have found that
there is a higher risk of ovarian cancer in women who
consume lactose (sugar in milk). This was the
conclusion of a study published in 2004, that tracked
80,326 participants in the Nurses’ Health Study.10
Cow’s milk & diabetes in children
Several studies have linked cow’s milk to diabetes in
children. Something in milk (possibly bovine serum
albumin) may cause an immune reaction in diabetic
children leading to the destruction of the body’s
insulin-producing cells. Breast-fed infants who are
not fed cow’s milk seem to have a measure of
protection against diabetes. Avoiding cow’s milk may
delay or prevent diabetes in susceptible individuals.
A 2003 study of 4,701 ten to sixteen year-old
adolescents from 11 European countries found that
cow’s milk and animal product consumption were
associated with higher rates of type 1 diabetes when
Icelandic data was excluded.11
What are the benefits or disadvantages of milk? 
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