Thrivekin
Sometimes the truth is hard. Some people only want to hear information that supports their habits or their pocketbooks.
Sometimes it’s impossible to hold information back even though it may be unpopular with mainstream. If I don’t share what I know, then what good am I?
This post was particularly difficult as a breastfeeding mother. Researching this topic made me sad and angry. I hope that it sheds some light on this topic and that you will reconsider feeding dairy products to you and your family.
Here we go….
Facts on Commercial Milk produces by large dairy farms
-Cow’s milk is simply mammary secretions from a cow that just had a baby calf.
-The purpose of cow’s milk is to turn a 65lb calf into a 400lb cow as rapidly as possible. All of the hormones, lipids, protein, fat, and iGF are meant to rapidly grow a calf into a cow.
-Most female cows are artificially inseminated about once a year (1). They live 3/4 of their lives pregnant. The way in which this is done is so inhumane in my opinion. I’ll spare you the gruesome details.
-Once a calf is born, they are separated within hours from their mother even though research shows that “calves gain weight at more than three times the rate of those separated early” (2) This is done to halt bonding via nursing thus saving more milk for human consumption.
-Male calves are mostly sent to slaughter houses to make veal. Female calves are sent to a separate area where they are mainly fed powdered milk until they are old enough to be artificially inseminated (around 25.2 months old). (3)
-Over time, milk production slows down and they are sent to slaughter typically less than 5 years of age. The average lifespan of a cow is 20 years. Their meat is sold as low grade ground beef. (4)
Ok, so obviously dairy farming is horribly bad for cows, but isn’t milk essential for human health?
I encourage you to keep reading…
-“Any lactating mammal excretes toxins through her milk. This includes antibiotics, pesticides, chemicals and hormones. … the USDA allows milk to contain from one to one and a half million white blood cells per millilitre. … another way to describe white cells where they don’t belong would be to call them pus cells.” — Robert M. Kradjian, MD, Breast Surgery Chief Division of General Surgery, Seton Medical Centre
-There is no such thing as hormone free cow’s milk just like there is no such thing as hormone free human breast milk. Cow’s milk contains sex steroid hormones, such as estrogen. They are also milked throughout their pregnancies when their reproductive hormones are particularly high. (5)
-Even organic milk contains natural hormones which may play a role in the various associations between milk/dairy products and hormone related conditions such as:
Acne (6)
Sexual dysfunction in males (7)
Premature puberty (8)
Certain cancers such as prostate cancer (9)
Isn’t milk essential for bone growth and prevention of osteoporosis?
-Research shows no significant protection between hip fractures and milk intake (10)(11)
-One recent set of studies even suggests that milk intake may INCREASE bone and hip fracture rates (12)
-Overall, about 75 percent of the world’s population, including 25 percent of those in the U.S., lose their lactase enzymes after weaning. This means that the majority of us cannot properly digest milk. (13)
-Many green vegetables have absorption rates of more than 50 percent, compared with about 32 percent for milk. In 1994, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported calcium absorption to be 52.6 percent for broccoli, 63.8 percent for Brussels sprouts, 57.8 percent for mustard greens, and 51.6 percent for turnip greens.(14)
I could go on and on about the health concerns associated with consuming dairy, but instead, I will leave you with a list of high calcium foods.
-Broccoli (1 cup boiled) 94mg
-Brussel Sprouts (8 total) 56mg
-Butternut Squash (1 cup boiled) 88mg
-Chickpeas (1 cup canned) 80mg
-Collards (1 cup boiled) 358mg!!
-Figs (10 total) 269mg
-Kale (1 cup boiled) 94mg
-Navel Orange (1 medium) 56mg
-Spinach (1 cup boiled) 244mg
-Sweet Potato (1 cup boiled) 70mg
-White beans (1 cup boiled) 161mg
Along with the health concerns associated with dairy farming, there are also huge environmental concerns, which I will share in “Milk: Doesn’t Do a Body Good (Part II)
Sources:
1. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/…/Dairy07_is_ReprodPrac.pdf
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/11179551/
3. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/…/Dairy07_is_ReprodPrac.pdf
4. http://www.humanesociety.org/…/hsus-the-welfare-of-cows…
5. Maruyama K, Oshima T, Ohyama K. Exposure to exogenous estrogen through intake of commercial milk produced from pregnant cows. Pediatr Int. 2010;52(1):33-8
6. Danby FW. Acne and milk, the diet myth, and beyond. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2005;52(2):360-2.
7. Afeiche M, Williams PL, Mendiola J, et al. Dairy food intake in relation to semen quality and reproductive hormone levels among physically active young men. Hum Reprod. 2013;28(8):2265-75
8. Maruyama K, Oshima T, Ohyama K.
Exposure to exogenous estrogen through intake of commercial milk produced from pregnant cows. Pediatr Int. 2010;52(1):33-8
9. Qin LQ, Xu JY, Wang PY, Tong J, Hoshi K, Sato A. Milk consumption is a risk factor for prostate cancer: meta-analysis of case control studies. Mutt Cancer. 2004;48(1):22-7
10. Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Dawson-Hughes B, Baron JA, et al. Milk intake and risk of hip fracture in men and women: a met-analysis of prospective cohort studies. J Bone Miner Res. 2011;26(4):833-9
11. Feskanich D, Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Frazier AL, Willett WC. Milk consumption during teenage years and risk of hip fractures in older adults. JAMA Pediatr. 2014;168(1):54-60
12. Michaelsson K, Wolk A, Langenskiold S, et al. Milk intake and risk of mortality and fractures in women and men: cohort studies. BMJ. 2014;349:g6015.
13. Hertzler SR, Huynh BCL, Savaiano DA. How much lactose is low lactose? J Am Dietetic Asso. 1996;96:243-246.
14. Weaver CM, Plawecki KL. Dietary calcium: adequacy of a vegetarian diet. Am J Clin Nutr.
Questions? Just ask!
Want to work with me 1:1 to create the perfect diet for you and/or your family? Contact me today at dana@thrivekin.com.