Here's a fun infographic from
LearnStuff.com that tells us why we seriously don't need to drink cow's milk. When I first moved to Austin at the age of 21, I went to see a dermatologist and was appalled when she told me humans shouldn't drink milk. What was she talking about?! Now, after going plant-based and learning how dairy can affect your cancer risk, I set the glass of milk down in a heartbeat. In only 42 years, cows are now producing nearly double what they used to, thanks to growth hormones and other factors! There's no better time to stop drinking milk than now.
Before I went plant-based, we were probably buying a gallon of milk every 10 days. I have no idea why we were consuming that much (cereal and mac n' cheese, I'm guessing!), but I've now switched completely to almond milk. If I had know all of this before, believe me, I would have put a stop to bringing this in my house a long time ago!
Dr. Neal Barnard, founder of the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (
PCRM), has discussed the link between milk consumption and an increased risk of
prostate cancer.
During a broadcast of Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell on April 15, 2011, Dr. Barnard
discussed the consumption of milk by children during a program about milk as part of school lunches:
"It`s hurting our kids. And the problems are that kids today are in the worst shape of any generation we`ve ever had. The risk of diabetes, the risk of obesity, the risk of high cholesterol and the heart disease it leads to, they are higher than it has ever been. And a big part of the reason is that schools, sometimes they are forced to — they are feeding junk to kids. It`s as simple as that.
And it`s not just the sugar that`s in the milk. It`s the milk itself, the main nutrient in skim milk, believe it or not, even before you add anything to it, is sugar, lactose sugar. There is fat in it, as well. The proteins, a lot of kids don`t react to it. Kids just don`t need it."
That's definitely not how I remember my childhood! I drank my share of chocolate milk in school dutifully and finished it faster than the rest of the children, thank you very much. I now enjoy a little almond milk in recipes or to top off a bowl of oats and fruit. I'll never buy cow's milk again, and I am surprised when information such as this is taken so lightly and is so quickly dismissed. From the health angle, ditch it. From the moral and ethical angle, it's pretty horrific. I'll pass on the next glass that's offered to me. No thanks!
