If we used common sense for this topic, it would be easier to grasp. I will do my best to explain what convinced me to steer clear of dairy. We are really the only species that drinks another mammal's milk. You wouldn't dream of going up to a lioness and start sucking her teat for milk. You don't see a kangaroo sucking on a possum. SOOO let's talk about cow's milk (I'll just go with this since it is obviously the most common milk consumed). Cow's milk is designed to help baby cattle grow from 90 lbs at birth to several hundred pounds in less than two years. Humans grow from 6-8 lbs at birth to between 100-200 lbs in 18 YEARS. Dairy is high in cholesterol and fat and contains zero fiber.
How about this..... people in the U.S. consume more dairy products than any other country. Fact. The U.S. has the highest rates of osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and bone fractures. So clearly something doesn't add up. In most other cultures, they rely on FOOD as their calcium source. Look at China: most are vegetarian there. They take in, easily, half the calcium recommended by the USDA, yet their bones are stronger and healthier. In women over the age of 50, the hip fracture rate is one-fifth the rates of Western nations.
If you remember me talking about water and the pH levels in our body (acidic versus alkaline) and how our bodies strive to be neutral.....animal proteins are acidic. Since the body craves neutrality, it will drain calcium out of the bones to ward off acidity. The largest storage depot for calcium is....you guessed it, our BONES. So drinking cow's milk to strengthen bones is much like filling up a pail with a hole at the bottom.
In true American form, calcium SUPPLEMENTS were invented (because heaven forbid we get our nutritional needs from a food source). Our bodies can only absorb about 500 mg of calcium at a time, so that 1200 mg horse pill of calcium you are taking is doing more harm than good (if any good at all). Think about this: a cup of skim milk has about 300 mg of calcium while 1 cup of broccoli has 95 mg of calcium. HOWEVER, the body absorbs over 52% of the calcium in the broccoli while only about 30% of that in the milk. So a great source of calcium is dark leafy vegetable (the highest being bok choy). Keep in mind that skim milk is significantly higher in calories than green leafy vegetables. Seems like a win-win for the veg.
Since I mentioned calcium drain from the body, you may want to know what else drains calcium.
1) tobacco use
2) alcohol
3) caffeine
4) sodas
5) animal foods (meat, dairy)
6) refined salt
7) antacids
8) too much animal protein
9) not enough exercise
10) lack of sunlight
So the dairy industry is yet another perfect example of how misleading information about food can truly be.
A GREAT go-to site that i highly recommend is strongbones.org
Milk, it doesn't do a body good.
How about this..... people in the U.S. consume more dairy products than any other country. Fact. The U.S. has the highest rates of osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and bone fractures. So clearly something doesn't add up. In most other cultures, they rely on FOOD as their calcium source. Look at China: most are vegetarian there. They take in, easily, half the calcium recommended by the USDA, yet their bones are stronger and healthier. In women over the age of 50, the hip fracture rate is one-fifth the rates of Western nations.
If you remember me talking about water and the pH levels in our body (acidic versus alkaline) and how our bodies strive to be neutral.....animal proteins are acidic. Since the body craves neutrality, it will drain calcium out of the bones to ward off acidity. The largest storage depot for calcium is....you guessed it, our BONES. So drinking cow's milk to strengthen bones is much like filling up a pail with a hole at the bottom.
In true American form, calcium SUPPLEMENTS were invented (because heaven forbid we get our nutritional needs from a food source). Our bodies can only absorb about 500 mg of calcium at a time, so that 1200 mg horse pill of calcium you are taking is doing more harm than good (if any good at all). Think about this: a cup of skim milk has about 300 mg of calcium while 1 cup of broccoli has 95 mg of calcium. HOWEVER, the body absorbs over 52% of the calcium in the broccoli while only about 30% of that in the milk. So a great source of calcium is dark leafy vegetable (the highest being bok choy). Keep in mind that skim milk is significantly higher in calories than green leafy vegetables. Seems like a win-win for the veg.
Since I mentioned calcium drain from the body, you may want to know what else drains calcium.
1) tobacco use
2) alcohol
3) caffeine
4) sodas
5) animal foods (meat, dairy)
6) refined salt
7) antacids
8) too much animal protein
9) not enough exercise
10) lack of sunlight
So the dairy industry is yet another perfect example of how misleading information about food can truly be.
A GREAT go-to site that i highly recommend is strongbones.org
Milk, it doesn't do a body good.
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