Where do the COWS get calcium? Yes... from plants! The calcium they consume from plants has a large amount of magnesium... necessary for the body to absorb and USE the calcium.The calcium in cow's milk is basically useless because it has insufficient magnesium content (those nations with the highest amount of milk/dairy consumption also have the highest rates of osteoporosis.) That is because the proteins in milk leach Calcium from the body.
- ~ Perhaps the biggest health problem with cow's milk arises from the proteins in it: Cow's milk protein damages the human immune system. Amino acids, the units that make up proteins, are building blocks for all living cells. When protein in our food is properly broken down by the digestive system into amino acids, it does no harm to the immune system. Some food proteins, however, are absorbed into the blood fully undigested, provoking an immune response. Repeated exposure to these proteins disrupts normal immune function and may eventually lead to disease.
~ 70% of people don't have the enzyme to digest it.
~All of us produce an antibody against it.
~It is highly acidic
~ It's the top allergy provoking food, linked to asthma, ear, sinus and throat infections.
~ The largest ever UK health and diet survey involving over 37,000 people, found the more milk a person drinks the worse their overall health, their digestion and immunity.
~ A protein in milk, BSA, that dramatically increases the risk of child-onset diabetes, is an infant is given milk before the age of 4 months. 100% of newly diagnosed IDD children have antibodies to BSA, compared to 2 per cent in normal children.
~ It is linked with autism, ADHD and possibly cot deaths.
~ at least 5% of milk on shop shelves is reportedly contaminated with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), a bacterium linked to Crohn's disease.
~ The higher a country's milk intake, the higher its incidence of cardiovascular disease.
~ Milk consumption is strongly linked with breast and prostate cancer. For example, the chances of women in China dying from breast cancer are 1 in 10,000, as opposed to close to 1 in 10 for the UK. For prostate cancer the difference is even greater. In rural China the incidence is 0.5 in 100,000, yet it is estimated that, by 2015, 1 in 4 men in the UK will have a diagnosis of prostate cancer at some point in their lives. It is obviously not genetics since Chinese men emigrating to Europe soon end up with similar risk. The likely major candidate is milk. Why?
~Milk contains Insulin Growth Factor (IGF). IGF-1 is very rich in milk. It's doubly rich in modern milk, partly because cows have been selectively reared to produce milk during pregnancy. This milk is especially rich in oestrogen. On top of that, in the US cows are treated with bovine growth hormone (BGH), which is a growth hormone capable of further increasing milk yield by about 12 per cent. All this means a cow's daily milk production has gone from 3 to 30 litres. Not surprisingly, this milk has two to five times the amount of IGF-1, while the beef from a BST treated animals has about double the IGF. Casein, the protein in milk, helps to carry the IGF into us. The more milk you drink the higher your blood level of IGF-1.
Whole milk 49% of the calories are from fat.
"2%" milk 35% of the calories are from fat.
Cheddar cheese 74% of the calories are from fat.
Butter 100% of the calories are from fat.
- Despite all this negative evidence, the Government still tell us to drink it every day. Most people believe it's essential during pregnancy, breastfeeding and for infants. It isn't. The most of humanity's history we haven't drunk milk. Our ancestors weren't milking buffaloes. Sure, you need protein, you need calcium and vitamin D, but there are many other foods that provide these better than milk. Who exactly does need milk?
Our body needs calcium......soooooo here are some of the best Non-milk sources for calcium-rich foods to try: Green leafy vegetables, bok choy, collard greens, kale, , broccoli, parsley, oranges, sesame seeds, broccoli, almonds figs and carrots. You want to consume 500 to 700 mg of Calcium/day. A cup of broccoli yields 178mg of Calcium. Salt and caffeine reduces Calcium absorption.
What is a healthier alternative to cow's milk? Goat's milk!!! I give this to my kids because it is the closest to mother's milk than any other food. It has superior digestibility. It is a medium chain fatty acid and has less fat. It is a complete protein (amino acid). It is rich in Vit A and 30% of the daily Calcium requirement.
Resources:
NotMilk.com
Patrick Holford, Nutritionist
