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Cow’s milk appears to be considered one of   man’s greatest dietary errors. The more we discover what it does too our bodies the less we will be pleased about. For a great number of years, cow’s milk has continued to be sold as the “perfect food” for all of us and especially for our kids. Is this common sense?

The milk from all species of mammal is unique and particularly tailored to the needs of that animal. Cow’s milk is designed by nature to encourage the development of a rumen in the young cow’s digestive system. The rumen is similar too a fermenting vat with a grand population of bacteria that is imperative to breakdown huge amounts of fiber in the cow’s diet. Cow’s milk has several factors intended too stimulate bacterial growth in the intestines.  People, on the other hand, have a nearly sterile small intestine. Human milk, specifically intended for humans, includes substances that hinder intestinal bacterial growth.

People are subjected to milk in infancy and the long-term damage from consuming cow’s milk begins then. Consuming milk, during infancy, contributes to lack of tolerance, extreme sensitivity and hinderance with assimilation. The human infant is not able to convert cow’s milk into an absorbable form and this causes damage to the bowel mucosa. Young children that consume cow’s milk have small but significant bloodletting from their digestive tracts.  This bloodletting contributes to iron deficiency and anemia.  Health issues such as childhood diabetes, obesity, bowel disease, colic and ear infections are all linked too the consumption of milk in infancy.

One out of every five babies feels the pain of colic. Pediatricians have known for years that the consumption of cow’s milk was in many cases the problem. We now know that nursing mothers can also have a colicky baby if the mother consumes cow’s milk.

Cow’s milk is not only harmful to young children but it is also detrimental to adults.  The proteins in the cow’s milk causes matters of digestion, intolerance, impaired absorption of other nutrients and autoimmune responses. Many adults are lactose intolerant.  This is due to the fact that once we are weaned off breast milk our body ceases production of lactase, the enzyme that helps us to digest lactose.

Dairy products add a lot of cholesterol and fat to a person’s diet. A high cholesterol and high fat diet is linked with heart disease and other health concerns. Ovarian cancer is also linked to milk consumption. The sugar in milk called lactose is broken down to another sugar called galactose. This sugar influences a woman’s ovaries and expands her risk of developing ovarian cancer.

Humans are the only animals that drink another animal’s milk and to make matters even more unfavorable we consume it into adulthood.  Female mammals produce milk to supply as food and provide nourishment for their offspring. Once the infant is able to digest solid foods and the baby is taken off the mother’s milk it no longer consumes milk.

Much healthier options for human consumption are the fluids obtained from different kinds of plants and processed into milk.  These may be from nuts, grains, seeds or fruits. Many of these milks have been around for thousands of years in different parts of the world.  Best recognized are soy, rice, almond and coconut milk.

Milk Article by Fernanda B.Sc.Pharm, M.H., courtesy of HealthTopics.ca