Debunking The Milk Myth

Personal Health Solutions Health Coach, Collin, sent us this great article from saveourbones.com titled, "Debunking The Milk Myth: Why Milk Is Bad For You And Your Bones."  The key points of this article are as follows:

• Milk depletes the calcium from your bones: "Like all animal protein, milk acidifies the body pH which in turn triggers a biological correction. You see, calcium is an excellent acid neutralizer and the biggest storage of calcium in the body is – you guessed it… in the bones. So the very same calcium that our bones need to stay strong is utilized to neutralize the acidifying effect of milk. Once calcium is pulled out of the bones, it leaves the body via the urine, so that the surprising net result after this is an actual calcium deficit."
• Cow’s milk is custom-designed for calves: "each mammalian species has its own “designer” milk, and cow’s milk is no exception. For example, cow’s milk contains on average three times the amount of protein than human milk which creates metabolic disturbances in humans that have detrimental bone health consequences."
• Scientific studies show that milk increases fracture risk: "the 12 year long Harvard Nurses’ Health Study found that those who consumed the most calcium from dairy foods broke more bones than those who rarely drank milk. This is a broad study based on 77,761 women aged 34 through 59 years of age."
• Shocking statistics ignored by mainstream medicine: "The countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis are the ones where people drink the most milk and have the most calcium in their diets. The connection between calcium consumption and bone health is actually very weak, and the connection between dairy consumption and bone health is almost nonexistent."
• Milk is an acidifying animal protein: "The body is designed for survival, so it sacrifices bone density to protect the kidneys and urinary tract because the latter are essential to survival. And the most readily available source of acid neutralizer is in the bones. So even though milk contains calcium, it ends up sapping your bones of that crucial mineral."
• Today’s milk is a processed food: "Nowadays, milking cows are given antibiotics and most are also injected with a genetically engineered form of bovine growth hormone (rBGH). A man-made or synthetic hormone used to artificially increase milk production, rBGH also increases blood levels of the insulin-growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in those who drink it. And higher levels of IGF-1 are linked to several cancers."
• Avoid drinking cow’s milk: "contrary to mainstream recommendations, drinking milk and eating lots of dairy products are not the answer to reversing osteoporosis"
• The best milk substitutes:"My favorite milk substitute is unsweetened almond milk, not only because it is alkalizing (as almonds are), but also because it’s delicious and tastes very similar to milk. I even cook with it! If almond milk is hard to get, you can also try rice or coconut milk." 

Almond milk is a great substitute.  Contrary to what most pediatricians will tell you, your children do not need cow's milk to grow big and strong.  You can see a great comparison of cows milk to almond milk in this article from Total Mommy Fitness. Don't just take our word for it though.  Do your own research and decide then what's best for you.