The Dangers Of Dairy

The media will have you believe that you must drink milk because it will make your muscles nice and strong from apparently the calcium in it. The problem is that dairy is really not the health food that you’ve been led to believe.

But, when you look at it, a lot of these studies have been funded by the milk industry and the dairy industry in general. So, when they tell you to eat cheese and drink milk, they are coming from the standpoint that it is a business to them and therefore, they want to sell you more and more dairy.

SO, WHAT NOW?

Well, I want to show you the science. Does the science back up the recommendations?

1. DAIRY IS NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE

Milk in general has now been drank for a few thousand years but it was very different then. The milk from animals was consumed typically at room temperature so it was drank in the same day, with the healthy bacteria (probiotics), and the enzymes in it. It came from cows, sheep or goats on a farm where the animals were able to graze naturally on Omega 3-based sources and not Omega 6-based sources such as corn and soy.

Unfortunately, nowadays, animals are now fed foods high in Omega 6 such as corn and soy and this is not natural for them so they have to then be given loads of antibiotics.

The last time I checked, more than half of antibiotics in the United States is actually put in animal feed. This is really scary because it means we are consuming something that is coming from an animal that was fed all of these antibiotics. This can also be dangerous in terms of future outbreak as we become resistant to antibiotics. The other thing is that they are also pumped full of growth hormones and estrogen-based hormones so that they can grow at an enormous rate. This allows them to double their weight in just 1 year so they can be sold right away. 

Even if you buy organic, it doesn’t mean that the cow was grass-fed and grass-finished. It can still be fed organic soy, corn, seeds, etc. That part alone is disturbing but let’s look beyond that…

2. CASEIN HAS BEEN LINKED TO SEVERAL DISEASES

When you’re taking in milk, you’re taking one of the main proteins called Casein. Many studies show that this protein increases cardiovascular, blood pressure, and cancer risk (specifically colon-based cancer).

The reason for this is because casein is very difficult to break down and it causes a lot of digestive issues. The protein is resistant to being broken down so it begins to ferment in the gut and as it ferments it can create cancer-like metabolites. These metabolites are called carcinogenic compounds.

There is also an opioid that is released from milk called casomorphin which suppresses the immune system and it can the long-term lead to autoimmune diseases. This is why I’m a big advocate of staying away from milk, most dairy products and especially casein-based protein.

Milk itself will also increase your levels of growth hormone and that can be great for a lot of body builders, but the other issue is that when growth hormones is high in your body, that will also increase the size of tumours.

THE CALCIUM MYTH

Since dairy itself can be quite acidic (pasteurised dairy) your body needs to create buffers and a lot of the time more calcium and minerals form your body can be pulled out from bones and tissues to then add some alkaline-based buffers to your blood. This doesn’t make sense now because if we’re pulling calcium from our bones, and we’re just taking calcium in, it seems like there is a net zero effect or even a worsening effect.

You can drink almond milk and you will actually get more calcium than regular milk!

THE MOST COMMON FOOD SENSITIVITY

Dairy is the number one food sensitivity in the world (not gluten!). When you see any dairy-based product (cow’s yoghurt, milk, cheese, etc) you are most likely sensitive to that food. Majority of people are.

Don’t confuse this with lactose. Lactose based-sensitivity just means that you cannot handle the sugar in dairy because you don’t have enough lactase (the enzyme that breaks down lactose).

The protein-based reaction is different, and it typically causes a reaction 1, 2 or even 3 days later. So, for example, if you have dairy on a Wednesday, you can get the bloating, rash, headaches, brain fog or fatigue on Saturday. It is a delayed food sensitivity reaction. It’s an IgG response.

THE PROBLEM WITH THE PROTEIN MOLECULE

Should a child or a new-born or infant consume their owns mother milk? Absolutely. They are getting the immunity form their mother, the sugar and fat from breast milk.

The reason it is completely different is that the calf of a cow is born at around 120 lbs or so, a baby is only born around 8 lbs. Look at the difference! You’re taking in the milk from an animal that starts a life at 120 lbs. The protein molecules in that milk are much larger and harder to break down for humans.

Now let’s say that you have to give milk to your child, a goat milk would be a much better alternative because goats are born somewhere around 40 lbs and so the protein molecules are much smaller and less reactive.

BOTTOM LINE

These are things to take into consideration. I’m here to present you that information and what you do with it is your choice.

My recommendation is that if you’re not going to eliminate completely, at least cut back in your dairy consumption and you’ll find yourself less bloated, with less water retention, skin issues, headaches and allergies.