When talking about food, one of the most powerful myths in American society is that milk is good for you. We’ve been drinking it in increasing amounts and our waistlines are expanding every year. Even committed vegetarians hold on to milk as a sacred food because they believe they need it for calcium, protein, or vitamin D. Calcium and protein are both found in plentiful supply in fresh vegetables, and Vitamin D is easy to get from the sun! Your body creates all the vitamin D you need in a short time spent outdoors. A smattering of posts on cow’s milk from Dr. Fuhrman’s blog Disease Proof.
9 reasons why milk is bad for you
- Studies show milk is a hurtful food, and drinkers are more likely to have Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, and ovarian cancer.
- “Low fat” or 2% milk actually contains 35% fat, much of it saturated!
- Low fat or non-fat milk may be linked with prostate cancer.
- Milk is bad for your bones. Countries with the highest rate of milk consumption have the greatest number of hip fractures.
- Studies link diseases to cow’s milk including: allergies, anal fissures,
childhood-onset (Type 1) diabetes, chronic constipation, Crohn’s disease, ear infections, heart attacks, multiple sclerosis, and prostate cancer. - Milk contains hormones believed to cause reproductive harm and cancer.
- Cows milk linked to diabetes by a recent Finish study.
- Milk has low calcium absorption rate and induces calcium excretion in the urine.
- Milk may even increase acne problems.
Photo by Judy Baxter
Related:
- The Skim Milk Lie
- Calcium Deficiency and the Diseases of Milk
- Who says Organic Milk is Safe?
- Casein The Milk Protein
- Recycling Soy Milk Containers
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Comments About Is Milk Bad for You?
// 4 comments so far.
Livingstone // April 26th 2010
If milk is bad for you, what kind of milk is good to drink?
Greg // April 27th 2010
I suspect you already know this answer. For those who don’t, the best “milk” for you to drink is water. Everything you need, and nothing you don’t. If you need something creamy for a whipped nut toping, nut milks work great and are far less toxic on your body. We also buy soy milk. We have to take special care that the “milks” we buy don’t contain surgar, grease, or weird chemicals. A milk should be nothing more than beans and water, or nuts and water.
Josh // November 11th 2010
I wonder if any of those studies were done with raw milk. Raw milk is said to be a healthful food even (especially) by those who condemn what gets passed off as milk in the stores. But I think we can all agree that industrial milk is basically poison.
Greg // November 11th 2010
Josh,
Thanks for the comment. Your argument is a common argument made by dairy farmers who want to sell raw milk. Unfortunately, food poisoning isn’t something anyone should take lightly. Milk has been studied a lot for the past 50 years. To claim that the studies aren’t valid because the milk was pasteurized is wishful thinking at best.
Now that dairy producers are pushing raw milk you’ll start seeing more studies done on raw milk. By and large most food scientists on all sides of this argument, vegan and non agree that raw milk is dangerous. It’s fair to say, we have some compelling evidence that raw milk is just as bad for you, as pasteurized milk. While the nutrition science will always be a gray area, we are certain that milk production is a cruel, horrible process, and that’s enough for me to steer clear of milk products, raw or not.
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