All your life you’ve heard praise for milk and its bone-strengthening calcium. Despite what you’ve heard, milk and other dairy products actually have many negative effects on humans, not to mention the cows these products come from. Here are five things you probably didn’t know that may make you rethink that glass of milk.
1. High dairy intake (as well as other animal products) has been linked with certain cancers such as prostate, breast, and ovarian.
Gif courtesy of giphy.com
Cow’s milk has been shown to contain 35 different hormones and 11 growth factors. High levels of these have been linked to several types of cancer. Check out this article, or watch this speech by Dr. Greger on YouTube for more info.
2. Milk does not necessarily strengthen bones. It may actually be harming them.
Gif courtesy of giphy.com
Countries that consume the least amount of dairy actually have the lowest rates of osteoporosis. Also, according to the Nurse’s Health Study, dairy may increase your risk of bone fractures by 50 percent.
In fact, animal products acidify the body’s pH while calcium neutralizes. After drinking milk, your body actually takes the calcium out of your bones to balance your body’s pH.
3. Milk intolerance is the most common allergy among humans.
Gif courtesy of giphy.com
If you’re intolerant to dairy, then you probably already avoid it. And studies show about 75 percent of the world population is. Increased dairy intake over the past 100 years coupled with increased intolerance show that milk may be causing more harm than its helping. Listen to your bodies, people.
4. The dairy industry is just as inhumane as the meat industry.
Gif courtesy of giphy.com
Even if you’re a vegetarian, you may still be contributing to the suffering and butchering of millions of cows. In order to produce milk, cows must be artificially impregnated. Their calves are taken away immediately and slaughtered for veal. Sadly, the natural lifespan for a cow is 20-25 years, but dairy cows often only live 4-5 years.
5. Dairy isn’t the best source of calcium.
Gif courtesy of giphy.com
Worried about getting your calcium? Calcium is actually a mineral that comes from the earth, so plant-based sources are even better sources of calcium than milk without the negative effects of dairy.
The following foods are great sources of calcium: kale, spinach, bok choy, almonds, broccoli, avocado, squash, celery, pumpkin seeds, onions, and green beans. And check out this interesting source of calcium, too.
Not convinced? Take a look at these other milk-related articles: