www.mindfulnutrition.

net
by Ana Goldseker for Mindful Nutrition

Dairy
Throughout our chapters, we will be discussing food and food choices. We strongly
believe that there are foods on the market that weaken or are downright harmful to
the human body. Over the next few weeks, we ask that you consider limiting or
eliminating three major foods. These foods are dairy, sugar and wheat.
Lets first discuss the topic of dairy.
If you were going by commercials, it would be easy to assume that milk is pure,
natural and could cure all the ills of the world, cause it does a body good! We are
led to believe that dairy is a great source of calcium and other nutrients. The
advertisements, lead us to believe that dairy is the key element to a healthy diet.
In reality, the human body has a difficult time with dairy and for most people drinking
milk; it is actually quite un healthy.
If you look at nature, you will see a few reasons why. We are the only species that
drinks the milk of another species. The milk on our shelves is for baby cows. It is to
make a little 100-pound animal into an 1800-pound large beast. The sugars and
protein proportions are off. Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for
Responsible Medicine said that, Sugar in the form of lactose contributes about
55 percent of skim milks calories, giving it ounce for ounce the same calorie load as
soda. Milk naturally contains hormones and growth factors meant for the baby cow
to grow. The sugar and proteins (lactose and casein) in cow milk are very difficult for
us to breakdown leading to many disruptions in health.
In reality, if we were to drink the milk from another animal, it should be an animal
close to us in structure, correct? That would be an ape. Drinking the milk of an ape
is distasteful to most humans. Why is drinking the milk of a cow any different?
Consider this - We are the only species that drinks milk past the point of weaning.
You will never see an 18-year-old ape drink the milk of its mother or another female

ape. The bodies of nursing children produce enzymes that break down galactose the
sugar in milk. As the human body ages, we lose much of that capacity. This is why
we might see dairy allergies develop as children get older.
No matter what pastoral setting is on the front of the carton, these cows are not in
pleasant surroundings. Nature didnt intend cows to make the amount of milk they
are now producing. Some cows are treated with synthetic hormonessuch as
recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) to make sure their milk keeps flowing,
which can lead to mastitis, or inflammation of the mammary glands in the cows. To
make matters worse, rGBH is linked to certain cancers in humans.
Most milking cows have their tender udders hooked up to mechanical milkers most
of the day. Their flesh gets torn and cut by the constant sucking and pulling.
Therefore, to fend off infection or disease, most of them have to take antibiotics.
These antibiotics leak into the milk supply along with any puss or residue from the
udders.
Think milk is a pure, whole food? Think again. Among the hormones and
antibiotics, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and dioxins are examples
of the other contaminants often found in milk. Not pure at all. These toxins, which
have also been linked to cancer, are especially hard for the body to release so they
tend to build up and reach harmful levels. They can affect the immune, central
nervous and reproductive systems in humans.
A significant portion of the population cannot tolerate the sugar (lactose), and the
protein (casein) found in dairy even if they dont have stomach pains.
You would be amazed how much better my clients feel after letting go of dairy.
Some are resistant at first, claiming that they dont have a dairy intolerance. Once off
all forms of dairy, clients report feeling quite different. It has been my experience
that the relieved symptoms include bloated belly, PMS, congested throat, swollen
sinuses, lethargy, depression, cravings, gastrointestinal distress, diarrhea, and
flatulence.
If you are amongst the people who are drink dairy for calcium, consider the following.
Milk on the grocery shelf has been pasteurized and homogenized, any calcium that
is left, has been denatured and destroyed.
There was an analysis looking at food (and specifically dairy), called The China
Study, by Dr. T Colin Campbell. What he found was that dairy was correlated with a
higher rate of osteoporosis and fractures. Dr. Campbell was able to show that dairy
increased the acidity rate in humans, and therefore leached minerals from the bones
and left people susceptible to bone breaks. How does that glass of milk look now?
Milk is hurting our children. A 2005 review published in Pediatrics showed that milk
consumption does not improve bone integrity in children. Not only is it not a benefit,
it is a detriment to their health.
Dr. David Paige of Johns Hopkins proved the harmful effects of dairy to children in
the 70s. Florida researcher, Robert Cade, M.D., has identified a milk protein,

casomorphin, as the probable cause of attention deficit disorder. Dr. Cade found
Beta-casomorphin-7 in high concentrations in the blood and urine of patients with
either schizophrenia or autism.
Need more reasons to stop dairy?
Women are told to drink milk to ward off osteoporosis. But the Harvard Nurses
Health Study, 2 that followed more than 72,000 women for 18 years, showed no
protective effect of increased milk consumption on fracture risk. Not only does it fail
to increase bone density but also dairy is linked to breast cancer, diabetes, iron
deficiency and obesity. All common diseases in women could it be we are just
ingesting too much milk?
Ovarian cancer may also be related to dairy consumption. Milk contains a sugar
called lactose, which when broken down in the body, turns into galactose. There
have been studies done, particularly one in Sweden that showed galactose might be
toxic to ovarian cells and linked to ovarian cancer. In the Iowa Womens Health
Study, it was found that women, who consumed more than one glass of milk per
day, had a 73 percent greater chance of ovarian cancer than women who drank less
than one glass per day. There are high amounts of cholesterol and fat in dairy that
can increase the risk of heart disease the number one killer of women.
Certain cancers such as prostate cancers have been linked to dairy consumption
also. This is thought to be because IGF-I, which is an insulin-like growth factor,
found in cows milk. One study showed that men who had the highest levels of IGF-I
had more than four times the risk of prostate cancer compared with those who had
the lowest levels.
Yet, we as humans are still drinking milk and feeding it to our kidsmore then ever.
Why? Why are we pulled towards milk? Why arent these factsand studies in the
mainstream?
Why hasnt milk production slowed since we first started studying its effects in the
70s?
There are many reasons for this. One of the main reasons is that milk has ahuge
industry behind it. Milk has a great and sexy public image. With gorgeous women
like Salma Hayek doing its advertising, milk has risen its profile to a hip and cool
product. Celebrity milk mustaches are in just about every publication you pick up.
Who would argue with a thin, muscular athlete about milk doing a body good? But,
blaming this solely on industry would be a cop out.
Another reason is that humans might be addicted to dairy. Human mothers milk
contains opiates to calm a baby, soothe it and keep the baby suckling. Cows milk
has similar opiates. Even organic cow milk naturally contains a powerful opiate in
the morphine family called casomorphin. To make matters worse, the concentrated
dairy products such as ice cream, whipped cream and cheese have concentrated
levels of these narcotics. These are very addictive! So, there are reasons you are

drawn to it. You arent crazy.

What can be done?
If you want to eliminate dairy, there are two ways to go. One way is cold turkey, and
the other is a step down approach. Decide which approach si for you and go for it.
Try a milk substitute like rice, hemp or coconut milk. There are so many to choose
from, you are bound to like one. If you are stepping down, fill your milk carton with
one of these vegan milks as the cow milk goes down. For some, this is an easy
switch, for others, this might take time to get used to.
There are amazing nut and grain cheeses that substitute for cow milk cheese. Some
of them melt better and taste better then others. Go to your local market and see
what is there.
If it is calcium you are looking for, consider eating foods rich in calcium. If it is from a
grown food source, the calcium in it is bioavailable, meaning that the body can
actually absorb and use that calcium. Those foods include collard greens, kale,
broccoli, bok choy, brussel sprouts, figs, tahini and beans. Not only do these have
calcium, but they also have the necessary magnesium that helps the body absorb
the calcium.
The perfect mealtime beverage is water. Yes, its true. Nothing better. No dairy,
superfood, green powdered, electrolyte, liquid vitamin can top it. It is my opinion that
if a tall glass of water doesnt do it for you that what you are eating is unbalanced.
Consider that your taste buds maybe overstimulated. Water is thebest liquid for
human bodies and if it doesnt appeal to you, please investigate why that is. Do
water instead of milk.
The answer here is plenty of fruits, vegetables, water, and exercise. Thats it.
Simple. Easy peezy lemon squeezy.
Regardless of how you do it, do it. Start by taking a few baby steps. Dont just take
my word for it. Go off of dairy for a few weeks and see how you feel. You will be
grateful you tried.
Enjoy, explore and make the decision to feel good.