Milk
Who Needs It?
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Milk is the perfect food—for babies. But make no mistake: breast is best for each of the 4,300 species of mammals on earth, because each mammal’s milk is precisely designed and balanced for its own young. That’s why cow’s milk is best—but only for baby calves.
Not for humans?
That’s right! Not for human babies! The American College of Pediatrics strongly urges that cow’s milk should not be given to children until they are at least one year of age. There are many good reasons for this. A few examples:
• Allergies and asthma have reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Infants not exposed to cow’s milk develop far fewer allergies; they also experience much less colic, eczema, and nasal and bronchial congestion.
• Babies need the antibodies (immunities) found in breast milk to protect them from infectious diseases. Scientists have discovered more than 90 elements in mother’s milk, with concentrations changing over time to accommodate the needs of the developing child.
• Breast milk is sterile, unlike cow’s milk, which is regularly contaminated.
• The protein in cow’s milk is suspected of being able to trigger diabetes in infants.
• Despite antibiotics, infants who have been fed formula or cow’s milk are 70 percent more likely to develop diarrhea and ear infections when compared to babies exclusively breast-fed.
A year later, milk is healthy?
Not really. For years we’ve been led to believe that milk is indispensable for sound health. The average Westerner, however, eats too much fat, too much cholesterol, too much protein, and not enough fiber. Whole milk, when calculated in % of total calories, is just about 50% fat (much of it saturated) and 20% protein. It contains cholesterol and has no dietary fiber. In many ways it resembles the composition of meat. Drinking milk puts added burdens on an already-overloaded metabolic system.
And low-fat milk?
Low-fat milk is an improvement over whole milk, but not as great as it seems. For one reason, it does not solve the lactose intolerance/lactose deficiency problem.
For another, it still has too much fat. The 2%t fat in low-fat milk is calculated from the weight of the milk, not from its calories. By weight, this milk is 87% water and 2% fat. By calories, however, it is a 30% fat food.
Nonfat milk (skim milk) is the best choice for those who can tolerate or wish to drink milk. Nonfat milk has no fat, and is virtually cholesterol-free, yet keeps its other nutrients.
But by removing the fat, it increases the amount of protein, and with that it increases the amount of casein, a prominent milk protein. This protein has been implicated with significantly promoting the growth of tumors in animal experiments. Increasing or decreasing the amount of casein in the rat chow will either turn on or off the tumor growth.
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