Whilst milk may be a good source of calcium and protein – many people are choosing to reduce their intake due to various health concerns. But there are other issues at stake and we will cover a few of them here.
Environmental Reasons to stop using dairy products
1. The environmental impact of cows.
It is a simple fact of life that cows produce a lot of waste. In fact, your average dairy cow produces 120 pounds of waste every day, roughly equal to the waste production of a dozen people in fact. The sheer number of cattle required to meet demand is in excess of what our planet can healthily support. Brian Merchant, as part of his report to the UN stated “cows are leading contributors to climate change … Accounting for putting out 18% of the world’s carbon dioxide, cows emit more greenhouse gases than cars, planes, and all other forms of transportation combined.” Not to mention the desforestation which generally occurs in order to support the constantly increasing number of cattle required for both meat and dairy production.
2. The unwanted ingredients in milk
In your everyday glass of milk you can also expect to find a generous amount of bio-engineered hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides.
Health Reasons for stopping using dairy products
1. Cow´s milk is for cows.
The make-up of cow´s milk is perfectly balanced for cows – not humans. To be fair humans are the only mammal who insists on drinking copious amounts of milk after weaning. Not only do we continue to drink something intended for the young but also that intended for a completely different species.
Cow´s milk contains three times more protein and seven times more mineral content than human milk.
2. Calcium can be obtained far more easily from plants
Once weaned humans are fully capable of getting all their calcuim from plants – a bit like cows in that respect.
Factor in the myth of a dairy rich diet helping to prevent osteoporosis. Not true, most recent studies actually indicate a diet overly rich in dairy products makes the blood acidic causing the blood to leech calcium from the bones to increase alkalinity. Great for your pH blood balance but not so great for your poor old bones!
John Robbins, “The only research that even begins to suggest that the consumption of dairy products might be helpful [in preventing osteoporosis] has been paid for by the National Dairy Council itself.”
3. Obesity
Harvard School of Public Health had this to say on the consumption of dairy products: “Three glasses of low-fat milk add more than 300 calories a day”
Going Dairy Free
With the advent of so many alternatives to milk it is now far easier to go dairy free in your diet. But, if you are particularly fond of your dairy products, even the smallest cut back can have both health and environmental benefits.
admin
mizmoe