I grew up drinking cow's milk, or, as most people say, milk. I would have strawberry and chocolate milk every morning as a kid to make sure that my bones were healthy and I grew up big and strong. The older I got, the more I felt weird about drinking milk, since we are the only species that drinks milk from another species. Countries such as China do not drink milk, for they see it the same way as I do. I would also question how healthy milk actually is for you. I have a friend with Crohn's disease, and she is not allowed to drink milk, because it is a trigger. I have heard that if one is diagnosed with cancer, then eliminating milk will slow down the growth of the cancer cells. After hearing all of these issues, I figured if milk was such a trigger, maybe it was not a good idea to drink after all.
Milk can be good for you because of the vitamins and minerals in it. However, soy milk is recommended by nutritionists as a milk substitute. As long as one drinks soy milk, they run a low risk of developing vitamin deficiencies.
Milk can be bad for you in numerous ways, some of them being:
1. High dairy intake is linked to an increased risk of prostate and ovarian cancer
2. The protein in the milk can trigger type 1 diabetes
3. The primary protein in milk is considered a carcinogen
4. Milk is pro-inflammatory
5. Milk is linked to acne
Not to mention that it is extremely hard to find milk in the grocery store that is not injected with tons of hormones that can cause health problems in the long run. The only way to find truly "healthy" cow's milk is to go to a small farm. Large farms that produce milk in high quantities are likely to be found injecting their cows to produce extra milk.
The point of cow's milk is for the mother to feed her calf, just as all other animals produce milk for the same purpose. I do not understand why we feel the need to use it upon ourselves. There are plenty of other substitutes to getting our daily need of Calcium, Vitamin D, and other nutrients. Soy milk is the best suggestion. Almond milk and coconut milk are tasty alternatives, but they do not contain as many nutrients. My suggestion is to mix the soy milk with the almond or coconut milk to be sure your body does not become malnourished.
It is important to pay attention to what you are putting in your body. Although humans have been drinking cow's milk for years, it really is not the correct way to obtain the nutrients we need. I beg you to consider switching to soy milk, and your body will thank you.
