This is a big topic! More and more people are waking up to the realities of drinking dairy milk – its effect on our health as well as the cruelty of large-scale intensive and factory farms on the cows. With large bodies of evidence of diseases for adults and children linked with dairy, many people are choosing non-dairy plant-based milks such as soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, rice, milk, oat milk, hemp milk as a healthier and more conscious alternative.

“The dairy industry has a powerful hold on the nutrition industry in this country [US]; it pays huge numbers of dietitians, doctors, and researchers to push dairy, spending more than $300 million annually, just at the national level, to retain a market for its products. The dairy industry has infiltrated schools, bought off sports stars, celebrities, and politicians, pushing all the while an agenda based on profit, rather than public health.”
– Bruce Friedrich, Director of Vegan Campaigns at PETA

Since I gave up dairy when I went vegan years ago, I have never felt better. You need to hear this episode to help you make an informed decision about your food and drink choices.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How the farming industry has changed radically over the past 50 years and what this means for our health and the welfare of dairy cows.
• How the dairy industry brainwashes us into thinking that dairy is good for us.
• The dangerous effects of cow’s milk on our children.
• The many studies done linking dairy milk to disease and death.
• Some great milk alternatives to prevent degenerative disease linked with dairy.

Links & resources mentioned:

• Optimum Health Scorecard
• Laura’s Alkaline 5 Diet book
• Evidence-based research study – K Michaelsson, A Wolk, S Langenskiold, S Basu, Warensjo Lemming, H Melhus, L Byberg. Milk intake and risk of mortality and fractures in women and men: cohort studies. BMJ. 2014 Oct 28;349:g6015.
• Evidence-based research study: Risk Factors for Mortality in the Nurses’ Health Study: A Competing Risks Analysis
• Evidence-based research study: Melnik BC. Evidence for acne-promoting effects of milk and other insulinotropic dairy products. Nestle Nutr Workshop Ser Pediatr Program. 2011;67:131-45.
• Evidence-based research study: ‘Case-Control Study of Risk Factors for Hip Fractures in the Elderly’ – American Journal of Epidemiology. Vol. 139, No. 5, 1994
• Evidence-based research study: G. Cheng, A. E. Buyken, L. Shi, N. Karaolis-Danckert, A. Kroke, S. A. Wudy, G. H. Degen, T. Remer. Beyond overweight: Nutrition as an important lifestyle factor influencing timing of puberty. Nutr. Rev. 2012 70(3):133 – 152
• Evidence-based research study – video: Does Bovine Insulin in Milk Trigger Type 1 Diabetes?
• Evidence-based research study: E T Crowley, L T Williams, T K Roberts, R H Dunstan, P D Jones. Does Milk Cause Constipation? A Crossover Dietary Trial. Nutrients 2013, 5(1) 253-266.
• Evidence-based research study: B C Melnik. Excessive Leucine-mTORC1-Signalling of Cow Milk-Based Infant Formula: The Missing Link to Understand Early Childhood Obesity. J Obes. 2012;2012:197653.
• Evidence-based research study: P L Lucassen, W J Assendelft, J W Buggels, J T Van Eikj, W J van Geldrop, A K Neven. Effectiveness of treatments for infantile colic: systematic review. BMJ. 1998 May 23;316(7144):1563-9.
• A great resource from PCRM to help you explore going vegetarian/vegan: Vegetarian starter kit
• PETA ‘gentle’ video on dairy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=25&v=CiFXz2t65oo
• White Lies Report: This report combines the findings of over 400 scientific papers from reputable peer-reviewed journals such as the British Medical Journal and the Lancet. The research is clear – the consumption of cow’s milk and dairy products is linked to the development of teenage acne, allergies, arthritis, some cancers, colic, constipation, coronary heart disease, Crohn’s disease, diabetes, dementia, ear infection, food poisoning, gallstones, kidney disease, migraine, autoimmune conditions, including multiple sclerosis, overweight, obesity and osteoporosis. Read the evidence for yourself here!

Recipe for creamy non-dairy almond milk:

Almond milk is a wonderful dairy-free alternative to cow’s milk and is much healthier for you. By making your own almond milk, you can save a lot of money and you can avoid the unhealthy stabilisers and thickeners like carrageenan which are added to commercially-sold almond milk.

Here’s how to make a quick, creamy, cheap almond milk at home. You’ll notice that there’s only two essential ingredients – almonds and water. You have the option to add lecithin, which acts as an emulsifier – making the milk more creamy. You can also add dates and vanilla, which add sweet flavour.

You’ll need a high speed blender like a Vitamix and a straining cloth:

Ingredients:

– 50g almonds or sliced almonds (it’s best if you’ve soaked them for a few hours beforehand)
– 1 litre filtered water
– 1 tsp sunflower lecithin granules (optional)
– 2 medjool dates with stones removed (optional)
– few drops of vanilla extract (optional) Method: Put all the ingredients in your high speed blender and blend for 1-2 minutes. Pour the milk through a straining cloth and into a container. Store the milk in the fridge – it will keep for up to 3 days. You can use the almond pulp left over in the straining cloth to add into cake or brownie mixes.

Makes 1 litre (350 calories total)
Enjoy!

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Catch you next time on Eternal Health,

Laura