The Dangers of Cow’s Milk - Should children drink Cows Milk?
Raising a child without cows milk seems risky to most parents. Most of us have been raised drinking it and are conditioned to believe the immense benefits it has to offer. It is believed by many, that cows milk is an absolute must to everyone’s diet, especially a growing child who needs the calcium for healthy bone growth.
Think back to as early as elementary school, do you recall the ever so popular food pyramid hanging in your cafeteria that says you need a whopping 3 servings of dairy per day? What about the “Everybody Needs Milk” ads? And the cute little cartons of milk? What child can pass on the school lunch staple - chocolate milk in a cute little carton with a cute little cow?
Our “nutritional education” starting as early as public school (which by the way is partly funded by the dairy industry), taught us that dairy products are one of the four basic food groups we all need for proper nutrition. Cows milk is promoted to be, without a doubt, the most perfect food for humans, especially for children. Being against milk almost seems wrong, and questioning its benefits is bizarre to most. We are told that milk is good, therefore you must believe it is good. But is this really the truth or part of a dairy industry myth?
The Dairy Industry got this part right - Everyone Needs Milk. That is, during infancy, everyone needs milk. Milk is Mother Nature’s most perfect creation. Not only does it provide a baby with the proper nourishment, it also serves as golden medicine. It swarms with antibodies and white blood cells drawn from the body. By drinking it, a baby shares its mothers immune system and much more. Milk provides just the right balance of fats, proteins, vitamins, hormones, and enzymes for the developing baby. Sounds perfect right? It is.. the only catch is that this wonder food is perfect only for the baby whose mother provides it with. In other words, cows milk is perfect… for the calf.. until it is weaned. Dog milk is perfect too, for the puppy of course, as rat milk is for the rat, etc etc etc. Does it make sense to feed a human baby, or adult, with milk that comes from a different species?
To get a better understanding of why cows milk is not meant for humans, lets analyze the difference between a human baby drinking the milk of its mother versus the milk from a cow. The type of milk an animal produces reflects the nutritional needs of its babies. In other words, the milk of each species appears to have been specifically designed to protect the young of that species. In human babies, the high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) provided in breast milk is responsible for rapidly developing the brain; tripling in size by the age of one. Cow’s milk contains a significantly lower amount of PUFAs and a higher level of body-building saturated fats contributing to the rapid growth in body size, rather then brain development. Human milk is 5 to 7 percent protein and it takes an infant approximately 180 days to double their birth weight, whereas a calf requires only 45 days to double their birth weight since the cows milk is 15 percent protein. See the major difference?
Besides the amount of protein present in the two milks, the composition is completely different. Cows milk contains 20 times more casein, the primary type of protein, then human milk, making it nearly impossible for us to assimilate. Also, a large majority of us are lactose intolerant. What does this mean exactly? Being lactose intolerant means that we cannot digest lactose which is the sugar in milk (cow’s milk and human milk). An enzyme known as lactase is responsible for digesting lactose. It has been learned that we lose the lactase enzyme activity between the ages of one and a half and four years old. This appears to be a normal process of maturation and shows that in nature, we were never intended to consume lactose containing foods after the normal weaning period. Having proteins that are not assimilated by our body leads to a weakened immune system causing a wide array of problems such as allergies, asthma, skin rashes, arthritis, heart disease and more.
You might be wondering, what about calcium? You will be surprised to learn that although cows milk contains a large percentile of calcium, it is very hard for us humans to assimilate it due to a different composition of enzymes. As a matter of fact, those that are daily dairy consumers have less calcium in their blood when compared to those that do not consume any dairy. Green leafy vegetables are a great source of calcium as well as other essential nutrients.
Besides all this, you must know that nearly all cows, unless you have raised it yourself, are full of toxins such as pesticides, antibiotics, hormones and growth favtors. Just like in human milk, toxins pass through the cows milk. You might say, well, pasteurization takes care of that. Yes, Pasteurization kills most, but not all of these toxins. Pasteurizing milk also greatly diminishes its nutrient content. After pasteurizing, cows milk has up to a 66 percent loss of vitamins A, D and E. Vitamin C loss usually exceeds 50 percent and vitamins B6 and B12 are completely destroyed. Pasteurization also destroys beneficial enzymes, antibodies and hormones. Pasteurization destroys lipase, an enzyme that breaks down fat, which impairs fat metabolism and the ability to properly absorb fat soluble vitamins A and D. (The dairy industry is aware of the diminished vitamin D content in commercial milk, so they fortify it with a form of this vitamin.) Basically, we are pretty much left with a nutrient-less, chemical full concoction that is high in fat content that gets stored in our cells and contributes to a wide range of health conditions. Does this sound like the perfect food for our developing children? If however, you still firmly believe that cows milk is a MUST in your diet, please find a reputable farm where you can purchase RAW cow milk products from Grass Fed Cows. Raw Cows Milk still contains all the enzymes that are needed for our body to assimilate the proteins found in milk. Grass Fed Cows are treated humanly, do not get any antibiotic or hormones, and therefore provide a safer dairy option then a store bought Organic milk.
Who would of thought that something so basic to the American diet be so harmful? Do you know that Westerners suffer from many more alignments then Easterners? Is it a coincidence? I believe not, but don’t take my word for it. Think through all of this thoroughly and come to your own conclusion. What makes the most sense? How can the much “needed” food contain so many minuses to it? How can any perfect food cause such an array of health conditions? If cows milk was so necessary by the human body, would it cause colic, ear infections and eczema in infants? What do you think?
Fortunate for us,we can turn to delicious plant based alternatives to get our nutritional requirements such as calcium. Enjoy some Hemp Milk, Almond Milk or Coconut Milk and be assured that no health alignments will arise from them. Indulge in some almonds, spinach, swiss chard, collards, broccoli, sesame seeds, chia seeds, sprouted sunflower seeds and many more, and you will more then meet your nutritional requirement.
Here is a list of conditions Cows Milk has been associated with:
Acne
Allergies,
Asthma
Arthritis
Colic
Eczema
Bloody Stools
Colitis
Respiratory Conditions
Sinusitis
Pulmonary Infiltrates
Osteoporosis (Might be surprising since Milk is supposed to prevent this condition!)
Iron Deficiency Anemia
Mental Depression
Hives
Diabetes
Cancer
..and many more.
Think wisely, don’t follow the herd, make your own decisions and protect your family.
9 Responses to “The Dangers of Cow’s Milk - Should children drink Cows Milk?”
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And this is the reason I have chosen to be vegan, and not to forget the rBGH hormone they inject the cows and multiple antibiotics given to cows that are not FDA approved for human consumption. The fact is that, if children “need milk”, then they need human milk and maybe we should reconsider the weening age in this country. I do believe that most formula brands contain cows milk or some derivative of cows milk in its ingredients. Not cool…..
What do you think about goat milk? My daughter has a severe eczema, I replaced cow’s milk to goat milk, but the result is nothing much…..She likes cheese,jogurt and I found this in goat milk products.What should I do to replace thouse products for daily life, practically, when I pack lunch box for her on whole day. Please help me, and other moms to create menu for thouse children. I want to ask also, about meat. What kind of meat you don’t reccomend for children with eczema?
I love you web-sait, it was very helpful for me. You gave me very clear information. thank you very much.
Dear Lena,
Thank you for reading my article on the Dangers of Cow’s Milk. In modern time, more and more people are being affected by adverse reactions to cows milk. There are many healthy alternatives such as Raw Almond Milk, hemp milk and green smoothies. Many leafy greens provide an outstanding amount of nutrients that are far greater then those found in milk.
To answer your question…
Goat milk could serve as a good substitute only if it is in its RAW state. Once it is pasteurized, all the living and healthy enzymes diminish, leaving it with an unhealthy concoction which is no better then cows milk. Some health stores do carry raw goat milk products but they tend to be very expensive. If you have a local organic farm nearby you might be able to find some there.
I can understand how hard it might be to wean children off the products they are used to and have them adjust to a new diet. This is especially difficult when children are of school age and see their classmates eating things that they are not allowed to eat. It is best to explain to your child the reason for the transition and how it will positively affect their lives.
When our son was 1 we switched him over to raw Almond Milk which was prepared for him daily. He was also on a hypoallergenic diet which consisted of lots of green smoothies, fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen wheatgrass cubes, and gluten free grains. His eczema improved greatly but did not completely disappear for the next few months. It takes several months for the body to expel all the build up from milk, so if you do decide to take your daughter of from goats milk, please be aware that the results would only start to show after several weeks. Also, many parents tend to be unaware of other names milk could be masked under. Here is a good list to learn to be sure you are fully avoiding cow milk products. http://www.godairyfree.org/Food-to-Eat/Food-Label-Info/Dairy-Ingredient-List.html. Also look out for products that say “made in the same facility as milk”. Often times there is a cross-contamination which would affect those who are very sensitive.
You should also consider that wheat - gluten in particular, is often a culprit or contributor to eczema as well. If your child eats gluten products, I would advise switching to hypoallergenic products temporarily while you experiment with what works and what doesn’t. An example of this would be Quinoa, Millet, brown rice, buckwheat, and amaranth. For a better understanding of a Hypoallergenic diet, please browse through this site http://www.hypoallergenicdiet.com/.
Another option to consider which almost always guarantees a recovery from eczema is a Raw Vegan Diet. There have been many success stories of treating different alignments, symptoms and diseases with a raw diet. However, you must be very careful when switching a child to an all raw vegan diet to make sure that all nutritional needs are met. It would be helpful to contact fellow bloggers of those children who have children that are thriving well on an all raw diet.
After hearing a Sunday Weekend Edition (NPR) report on the financial woes of a Colorado dairy farmer, I sent them a reply citing my own allergy/bronchitis problems that prompted my leaving out dairy from my diet 15 years ago. And I checked out what Google listed and found three very good URLs I suggest concerned parents check out. (below)
http://www.notmilk.com/kradjian.html
–best so far, cites lots of research, written by M.D.
http://perdurabo10.tripod.com/id55.html
–blogpage that includes letter from Cornell researcher who grew up on dairy farm
http://www.milksucks.com/index2.as
–lists additional links and articles
Wow, great article. I kinda knew this stuff, but never took the time to read it. What about soy milk as a replacement? Also, what age is recommended to wean. Also what drinks do you children have? I don’t want my son to have anything with added sugar. I myself only drink water (and beer/wine of course
), can children be given just water and then a healthy dose of vitamins in the foods we feed them?
Soy is actually very harmful, here is a great article that talks about the dangers of soy- http://www.quantumbalancing.com/news/soy%20dangers.htm.
When you ask about weaning, are you referring to breast milk or milk in general. It is said that after the age of 3 the human body doesn’t actually require milk, and in a lot of countries once a baby is weaned from breast milk they don’t go on to drink any other forms of milk.
We try to give our kids Hemp Milk, Almond Milk and lots of green smoothies, fresh squeezed juice and water.
Honestly, we don’t give vitamins as I feel like they get an adequate amount from the fresh foods that they consume. If your child does not get a wide selection of vitamins from his food and you opt out for vitamins, please make sure that you purchase WHOLE food vitamins. Regular vitamins contain synthetic additives which should be avoided.
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I have a 3 year old with eczema as well as a 4 month old who is just developing eczema. I’ve taken both my 3 year old and myself off of cows milk to try to ease their problems. My 3 year old does not love greens or anything “new”, what do you suggest as a good calcium suppliment?
Once my 4 month old is ready for weaning, what is the suggested way as far as enough calcium for him? I gave my 3 year old whole milk until she was almost 2 and then switched her to lowfat milk. What do you give a weaned baby?
yummy:P thanks to your hints , i’d adore to comply with your blog as often as i can.use a good day~~