I vividly remember the day, over 25 years ago, when I learned that milk products might not be the health food they are touted to be. This information brought disbelief, skepticism, and sadness to my cheese-loving heart!

I was given a book with a picture of a woman suckling a cow on the front cover. The title was “You Are Not A Baby Cow!”

I admit the photo repulsed me a bit, but my curiosity as a young, health-minded mother led me to look more closely to see what it was about.

We are the only species that takes breast milk from another mammal for our own consumption; think about that!

Why Cow’s Milk Isn’t Meant for Humans

When a baby cow nurses from its mother, it turns a 50-lb calf into a 500-lb cow within six months.

Since dairy consumption leads to such rapid weight gain in a calf, could it be a factor in our obesity epidemic today? And what about the potential health issues associated with that? These are questions we need to consider.

From childhood, we've been ingrained with the belief that 'Milk does the body good ' or' You need cow’s milk for healthy bones,’ but have we ever truly questioned these statements or examined the underlying facts?

Like human mothers and all other mammals, cows only lactate after giving birth, so milk is rich in pregnancy hormones. No, thank you!

It's important to remember that cows produce milk to nourish their babies. Drinking milk from a cow for nutrition is no more necessary than drinking breast milk from a dog, pig, sea lion, cat, etc. Such a strange concept when you really stop and think about it!

The human body is impressive in that it can often adapt and use the fuel we put in it, but does that mean it is healthy for us?

Top Health Risks of Drinking Milk and Eating Dairy

Heart Disease Risk from Dairy —Diets high in fat, particularly the saturated fat found in dairy products such as cheese, milk, ice cream, yogurt, and butter, can significantly increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, and other serious health problems. This is a crucial point to consider when evaluating the health benefits of dairy consumption.
Cancer Risks Linked to Milk and Dairy—Scientific studies have established a link between dairy consumption and a higher risk for hormonal cancers, such as breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer. This is most likely due to increased IGF-1, or insulin-like growth factor. Being aware of these findings is crucial, as they can significantly influence our health decisions, particularly those related to diet.
Poor Bone Health and Why Dairy May Not Strengthen Bones- Research shows dairy products have little bone benefit. Countries that consume the least dairy, such as Japan, have almost no cases of osteoporosis. Americans consume more cow’s milk than most populations in the world, and American women aged 50 and older have one of the highest rates of hip fractures. Unlike plant protein, animal protein increases the acid load in the body. The body does not like an acidic environment and begins to fight it using the most readily available resource: calcium. Calcium is pulled from the bones to help neutralize the acid. This causes bone weakening and increases their risk of fractures. This is not the message we receive from the dairy industry!
Asthma and Other Respiratory Problems-Studies dating back to the 50s suggest that excluding dairy products from the diet could improve asthma symptoms. However, the development of asthma medications halted those studies. Hmmm, that is an interesting tidbit of info. There are numerous studies showing the benefits of dairy; however, if you investigate, you will see that the dairy industry funds them. I will share my story about asthma and dairy later in the blog.
Migraines and Milk: How Dairy Can Trigger Headaches- Some people are sensitive to the proteins in milk. Casein, the main protein in cow’s milk, can trigger inflammation or immune responses, which can lead to headaches. A study linking migraines to lactose intolerance found that 72% of the study group had incomplete lactose absorption. Food additives, sleep changes, alcohol, caffeine, and stress were also noted as triggers.
Skin Health: How Milk Can Affect Your Skin-Dairy can contribute to acne and skin breakouts. Research shows that dairy, especially cow’s milk, can trigger or worsen acne. Milk contains hormones like IGF-1 and estrogens, which can stimulate oil production and increase inflammation. This excess oil and inflammation can clog pores, leading to pimples, blackheads, and cystic acne. Try giving it up for 2-4 weeks and see if you find improvements in your skin!

The Dairy Industry is a very lucrative business, with a global net worth of about 900 billion, even though over 65% of the world’s population is lactose intolerant!

It would be fair to say that the dairy industry has a vested interest in making the world believe their product is valuable and necessary for human health, even though that couldn’t be further from the truth.

**Bloating, gas, diarrhea, nausea, indigestion, stomach grumbling, stomach pain, low energy, frequent colds, and skin rash can all be signs of lactose intolerance.**

Calcium Without Dairy: Best Plant-Based Sources

We have been led to believe that dairy is the best source of calcium in our diets, but research has not shown this. The following is a list of plant-based sources that many consider superior to animal-based calcium sources.

Leafy greens
Fortified plant milks
Tofu and Tempeh
Nuts and Seeds
Legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans)
Certain fruits

These are considered to be superior sources because they are lower in saturated fat and cholesterol, which contributes to better heart health; they are alkaline-forming, which can help maintain the body's pH balance, which can reduce calcium loss from bones; and lastly, plant-based sources come with additional nutrients such as fiber, antioxidants, and various other vitamins which animal sources do not provide.

Asian-inspired tofu bowl with greens and vegan honey mustard dressing. Calcium rich and delicious!

How Dairy Affected My Asthma: My Personal Story

My struggles with asthma started in early childhood, with me needing to carry my inhaler at all times and many emergency room visits, including overnight stays. Very scary for a 7-year-old!

It did get better as an adult, but it was always there. I often felt like I couldn’t take a deep breath, which affected how I exercised. Bronchitis was a yearly occurrence for me, leading to weeks of coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Nothing would touch the coughing, which made sleeping through the night impossible. It was exhausting and extremely frustrating, affecting every aspect of my daily life.

In 2018, I experienced a health scare that had me very concerned. After extensive research, I upgraded my already healthy anti-inflammatory diet to a 100% plant-exclusive one, removing all dairy. I had been vegetarian for 30 years, but I decided to eliminate all animal products because I’d heard that eating this way could heal so many scary things!

Within two weeks, I noticed that taking a deep breath was easier, and I just felt much better overall. Cold and flu season came and went without me getting a single symptom. A whole year passed, and not a single incidence of coughing, shortness of breath, bronchitis, or illness. This was the first time in my entire life that I was not afflicted with asthma-related symptoms or a cold or flu. To say I was elated would be an understatement! Oh, and my health scare resolved itself within 6 months and has not returned! Hallelujah! And praise Jesus!

Dairy And Asthma: What the Research Shows

Asthma is an inflammatory condition, and dairy has an inflammatory effect on the body. As stated above, studies dating back to the 1950s suggest that excluding dairy improves asthma, but the development of medications to treat asthma halted those studies. Hmmmm….so very interesting!

Removing dairy from my already healthy diet was the catalyst to being the healthiest I have ever been. Mainstream medicine does not believe that asthma is a “curable” condition, so I will not claim that, but I will say that it has been 100% nonexistent in my life for the past 6 years! My quality of life has improved exponentially, and my only wish is that my parents and I had discovered this correlation when I was a child. My mission now is to pass along information that I found life-changing, hoping it might improve your life or your child’s!

Please don’t take my word for this; do your own research! A word to the wise, though: when doing research, ensure that the dairy industry does not sponsor the articles you read!

Dairy is Scary… Discover the Benefits of Going Dairy-Free