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Do We need Milk?
I have an issue with Cow’s milk…. an intolerance that is.
Deutsch: Ein Glas Milch English: A glass of milk Français : Un verre de lait (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Did you know that it is estimated that up to 75% of the world’s population shows an intolerance to lactose.
I honestly didn’t know that I was lactose intolerance until I started getting treatment from a naturopath.
We are born with the right digestive enzymes (lactase) to breakdown lactose from breastmilk. As we grow older, our body knows that we shouldn’t be drinking breastmilk anymore and stops making the enzymes to break down lactose.
We are the only mammal who continues to drink milk beyond infancy… and who drinks pasteurized milk. I think that if you actually saw where conventional milk came from, you would gag at the thought of drinking it –
Dr. Mercola of mercola.com states, “Pasteurization is a destructive process that changes the physical structure of the fragile proteins in milk (especially casein) and converts them into proteins your body was never designed to handle – and that can actually harm you. Additionally, the pasteurization process virtually eliminates the good bacteria normally present in the milk and radically reduces the micronutrient and vitamin content of this healthy food.
So why are we told to drink so much milk? Milk does have calcium in it, which is a mineral our body needs – but it may not be as good of a source as we’ve been told. Where did those cow’s get the calcium in the first place? By eating grass!
I feel like as American’s we have been told over and over again that milk is the “best” source of calcium and we need 3 glasses a day. I have come to learn that the government’s recommendations for health may not be the best. There is too much corruption and people being motivated by money that could influence what is being marketed. I believe in personal responsibility when it comes to health. People should be informed and be able to make decisions on their own. Now raw milk… that’s another story!
We have primarily switched to using almond and coconut milk for baking and cooking.
There are plenty of other sources for calcium that are non dairy. One cup of milk has about 290 mg. From Spark People:
| Food | Serving Size | Calcium |
| Collard greens | 1 cup, boiled | 357 mg |
| Sardines canned in oil | 3 oz | 325 mg |
| Black-eyed peas | 1 cup, boiled | 211 mg |
| Broccoli | 1/2 cup | 21 mg |
| Calcium-fortified orange juice | 6 oz | 200 mg |
| Blackstrap molasses | 1 Tbsp | 172 mg |
| Baked beans | 1 cup, canned | 154 mg |
| Kale | 1 cup, cooked | 94 mg |
| Chinese cabbage | 1 cup, raw | 74 mg |
| Oranges | 1 cup | 72 mg |
| Almonds | 1 oz | 70 mg |
So, yes, our bodies do need calcium, but maybe we should put down the glass of milk and pick up a fork with broccoli stir-fried in coconut oil with slivered almonds and Chinese cabbage instead – Yum!
What do you think about drinking regular pasteurized milk?
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Micah and I drink goat milk because we are allergic to dairy. Brandon is lactose intolerant, so he can’t drink any kind of mammal milk. I wish we could get it raw. Maybe one day when I’m not raising babies, I can raise goats . . .
Yes, a lot of people are able to tolerate goat’s milk over cow’s milk.
I just bought some almond milk the other day for my little guy who used to be allergic to milk. I was hoping he’d like it better, too. And he did! So hopefully his aversion to milk will be cured with just trying something else!
Almond milk & coconut milk are both options I have used. Both shouldn’t cause a reaction, so that is good.
That’s awesome!
Also, what are your thoughts on Kefir as a source of calcium????
Kefir is better than pasteurized milk because it is fermented, meaning it would have good bacteria for your gut. If you can find raw milk kefir that would be even better. If you don’t notice any symptoms of an allergy, you can try it. More people react to cow’s dairy over any other like goat’s.
The money required to start a dairy these days is ridiculous. Government regulation is so strict. If your thinking of raising dairy goats be sure to look into it thoroughly. Goats can be alot of trouble to raise.
I’m sure you are right! I can just imagine.