Cows milk is for calves

Interestingly, humans are the only mammals that continue to drink the milk of other species. Cows milk for example is designed for the building of a calf, so it makes me wonder what the health benefits are for us considering we’re humans not calves.

I reduced my dairy intake a while ago in an attempt to control my hay fever symptoms. Dairy is mucus-forming so the more dairy I drink the more mucus I get and therefore the more hay fever. I find if I have as much dairy as I want then I’ll get a sniffly nose and sneezing most mornings. When I cut my dairy intake down the problem is gone.

What’s so bad about dairy?

There are actually heaps of disadvantages to drinking cows milk, including:

• The obvious, dairy is high in fat.
• Pasteurisation and homogenisation (check the milk carton, most commercially sold milk go through these processes) alter the protein structure of milk and kill nutrients.
• Dairy is highly mucus forming, this one I notice a lot.
• Cows milk can increase allergies such as asthma, sinusitis, dermatitis, eczema and hay fever.
• Contributes to conditions such as candidiasis, fibroids, PMS, reproductive system problems, headaches, migraines and bowel disorders.
• Can cause bloating, stomach cramps, flatulence, respiratory problems and worsen arthritic conditions.
• Just like any non-organic foods, residues of hormones, steroids and antibiotics given to cows are found in the milk.

Cows milk is also difficult to digest

There’s an enzyme in the human stomach called ‘rennin’ which helps digest the milk. This enzyme decreases in most children by age eight which makes it hard for the human stomach to digest the milk. In addition, the enzyme lactase which is needed to break down the milk is deficient in most adults. This is where ‘lactose intolerant’ comes from. Surprisingly, 70% of people can’t tolerate cow’s milk.

It’s also important to consider that raw milk is far richer in vitamins and minerals than processed milk. Unfortunately Australia is one of the few countries that don’t allow the production of certified raw cow’s milk, cheese and yoghurt.

What are the dairy alternatives?

There are a few options if you want to replace your dairy with something else or at least reduce it. With nutrition, keep in mind the principle of everything in moderation, it’s not good practice to eat a heap of one particular food. Mix it up!

Soy milk

Soy milk seems to be one of the hottest nutrition fashions at the moment. A really popular drink in Byron Bay is the LSD (Latte, Soy, Dandelion). Yes, I’ve tried it and it lived up to its reputation. Unfortunately I have an intolerance to soy milk as well, it gives me a sore throat. Just adding soy milk to a cup of tea is enough to give me a sore throat for around 24 hours.

Those of you who don’t have an intolerance there are a lot of advantages. Here are just a select few:

• No animal product so good for vegetarians and vegans and no lactose so good for those with lactose intolerance.
• Soy contains the phytochemical phytoeostrogens which have a hormone-balancing effect. This means the phytoeostrogens in soy can actually regulate the eostrogen levels in the body, lifting them when they’re low (during menopause for women) and dropping them when they’re too high.
• Soy milk is high in protein.
• Rich in omega 3.
• Soy milk is also full of vitamins and minerals.
• Contains fibre which is good for regulating your guts and preventing gallstones.
• Can improve bone mineral density, lower breast and prostate cancer and regulate blood sugar.

But it’s not all good, you need to be mindful of the disadvantages of soy milk as well. Consider the fact that the Chinese from the very beginning, from the discovery of soy beans, did not eat the beans unfermented because they contain large quantities of natural toxins. I’ve provided a summary of the dangers of soy by a great website called the ‘Soy Online Service’ which is a group of people with a mission to spread the facts about soy products. If you’ve got the time it’s definitely worth a look.

Soy Online Service
http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/

Soy dangers:

• High levels of phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Phytic acid in soy is not neutralized by ordinary preparation methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow cooking. High phytate diets have caused growth problems in children.
• Trypsin inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and may cause pancreatic orders. In test animals soy containing trypsin inhibitors caused stunted growth.
• Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women.
• Soy phytoestrogens are potent antithyroid agents that cause hypothyroidism and may cause thyroid cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.
• Vitamin B12 analogs in soy are not absorbed and actually increase the body’s requirement for B12.
• Soy foods increase the body’s requirement for vitamin D.
• Fragile proteins are denatured during high temperature processing to make soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein.
• Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.
• Free glutamic acid or MSG, a potent neurotoxin, is formed during soy food processing and added to many soy foods.
• Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum which is toxic to the nervous system and the kidneys.

Source: Soy Online Service. Soy Dangers Summarised. Available: http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/03summary.htm. [Last accessed 13 June 2007].

Goats milk

Interestingly, goats milk is the closest milk to mother’s milk (as in human mothers!). There’s also a lot of advantages to drinking this milk which is why it’s no surprise that 60% of the worlds population drink goats milk as their primary source of dairy. Advantages include:

• High in minerals (good brain food).
• Easier to digest than cow’s milk (20 minutes compared to cow’s milk which takes 2-3 hours).
• When upasturised it’s alkaline forming in the body.
• It’s the closest milk to mothers milk.
• Good for teeth.
• Decreases arthritis.
• Assists calcium absorption.
• The only animal milk that’s non-mucus forming.

Unfortunately goats milk has a very unique taste which I’m yet to warm to. Other disadvantages include:

• It’s not an option for vegans.
• Low in iron and folic acid.

Rice milk

Rice milk is currently my milk of choice. It has a taste similar to cow’s milk and I can buy organic and non genetically modified. It’s also made from brown rice which is super healthy! Advantages include:

• No animal product so good for vegans and vegetarians and no lactose so good for those with lactose intolerance.
• Non mucus-forming.
• You can buy protein or calcium enriched rice milk. The protein enriched is especially good for guys wanting to bulk up. Just add to protein shakes instead of water or cows milk.
• Cholesterol free.
• Gluten free.
• Low in fat.

You need to be really careful about what rice milk you choose as some are full of additives and sugars. Make sure to read the ingredients label before you buy. Mine contains no added sugars.

Almond and oat milk

I don’t know much about these two milk alternatives but apparently if you have a heap of almonds, some spring water, dates and a blender then you can make almond milk yourself. Something I might try. I’ve been told almond milk has a creamy, nutty taste (obviously) and is good for fruit smoothies and desserts. I’ve just bought some oat milk from the supermarket (organic and no added sugar of course). The only problem I can see with the oat milk is it says ‘organic oats’ but not ‘organic sunflower oil’. I assumed buying a product called ‘organic oat milk’ contained only organic ingredients, perhaps I was wrong. A lot of pesticides are used when growing sunflowers so it’s really important to look for organic sunflower oils over non-organic. Regardless, I’m looking forward to trying it on my cornflakes tomorrow morning. Advantages for both are very similar to rice milk.

There are so many options out there when it comes to cutting down or even completely replacing your dairy intake. Replacing cheese, ice-cream and yoghurt are a bit harder but at least you can consider an alternative to what to put on your cereal or when you’re cooking. I love the taste of rice milk and its health benefits. I also love the fact that I’m not taking a product from a poor cow whose whole existence is to serve humans by producing as much milk as it possibly can. That and no more sniffly nose and sneezing in the morning, I’m going to stick with rice milk for now.

Frances Kerr

Fran Kerr is the founding editor of High on Health. To cure your acne, sign up to Fran's FREE acne cure mini-course or download her latest how to guide, Eat Away Your Acne.

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