Milk Good or Bad?

Dairy free, wheat free, gluten free, it sometimes seems like a lot of people are intolerant of a lot of different things these days. Milk and dairy produce is one food group that comes in for a lot of flak. This is what I think.

My initial thoughts on milk are as follows, we are mammals and indeed when we are young we feed on mother’s milk but as we grow we are weaned and hopefully go on to live happy healthy lives enjoying all the natural bounty available to us on this great planet of ours. However I think we have developed some strange habits and the consumption of another mammal’s baby milk is one of them. 

Let’s look at what cow’s milk is designed to do. Well, cows reach physical maturity a lot quick than we do growing from some 70 – 80 lbs (34 kgs) to an adult weight of 1000 lbs (454 kgs) typically weaning from milk at 200 days at a bodyweight of 450 lbs (204 kgs).

Pretty impressive stats aren’t they? But can you see how a product that takes an animal with four stomachs from a birth weight of 75 lbs to 450 lbs (a total weight gain of 375 lbs) in 200 days might be a little too much for us…

Milk protein is called “casein” though a calf is designed to assimilate and benefit from it casein is not found in human milk but it is an increasingly popular ingredient in the glue industry. Now does that sound like something you want in your cup of tea! In short I think its best to stick to your own species for a multitude of reasons, each species’ milk differs to suit the requirement but it shares one common fact. It’s only to suckle the new born, after suckling the youngster is always moved onto the natural diet, grass if you happen to be a cow, fruits, vegetables and the natural abundance of goodness if you are a human.

Milk is often sold to us on the calcium content, milk is white, your bones are white, so it makes sense, right? Nope, brittle bones or osteoporosis is continually linked to excessive animal protein and poor intake of green vegetables. The strongest bones are continually sported by the vegetarian community. Why? Well calcium is a mineral, it is present in the soil and is absorbed and presented to us in format that can be digested by, yes, you’ve guessed it, vegetables and some fruits.

I think there are different types of people, some thrive on protein, other become overwhelmed by it and suffer. I myself need a good supply of protein but I look to get this from the plant world. Did you know that wheatgrass powder is higher in protein than fillet steak!

I hope this information is interesting and leads you to investigate the world of health and nutrition. I am a keen juicer and blender fan, turbo charging my nutritional intake with lots of raw juices and smoothies.