Is drinking milk and eating dairy products a mistake?

Is it important I drink milk during menopause so I don’t get osteoporosis?

The answer can be confusing. You’ll be better able to decide for yourself when you have accurate information, so let’s see if we can get clear on some Milk Matters!

Here are some points to consider:

1. When looking around the globe for countries that drink high quantities of milk, look no further than the United States. Americans drink the most milk.

They also top another list by having the highest rate of osteoporosis.

One thing that contributes to the high rate of osteoporosis is that pasteurization makes much of the calcium found in milk unusable by your body. Remember that pasteurization (heating milk to high temperatures) is supposed to kill off all sorts of harmful things like bacteria and molds, but it also changes the natural health benefits of milk products as well.

2. Do you suffer from lactose intolerance? If not, you likely know someone who does. Milk comes with its own digestive enzymes that will allow you to properly digest it. However, when milk is pasteurized those enzymes are destroyed, making it difficult to digest. This is what leads to lactose intolerance.

The benefits from milk come from consuming it in its most natural state (unpasteurized). Some states in the United States do allow milk to be sold as raw milk. California is one such state.

Milk is BEST left in its natural state. If you’ve never tasted raw milk, it really is a different product altogether from what we think of as “milk.”

It’s also important to remember that in order for cows to produce the quantities of milk the farmers need, the cows are given excess amounts of growth hormones.

While the topic of dairy farming is too big a topic to cover in this article, it’s not hard to imagine that all these excess hormones, as well as any antibiotics given to the cows when they get sick, end up in their bloodstream.

And guess what?

The hormones and antibiotics also end up in the milk that comes from these cows. Not a pleasant thought, is it?

Many people are still caught up in the idea that to get enough calcium they NEED to drink milk.

If you are one of them then here’s what you need to know.

1. First, remember that much of the calcium is not absorbed by your body when it comes from milk that’s been treated by pasteurization.

2. It’s better to get your calcium from foods such as green leafy vegetables, broccoli, sardines and salmon. Cows eat grass and that’s where their calcium comes from, so eating your leafy greens will give you your calcium too!

Afraid of getting osteoporosis?

Exercise will do you MUCH more good than drinking milk. Make it weight bearing exercise because putting stress on your skeletal system helps it stay strong and healthy.

So here are some actionable steps to take:

1. Strength train regularly.

2. If and when you consume dairy use raw milk products. If you can’t find raw ones then purchase ones that are certified organic so that they are free of hormones and antibiotics.

3. Get your calcium from food sources like leafy greens and fish.

If you plan to consume milk and dairy products, use these guidelines and make the wisest choices possible!

shelli

In 2009 a book was published that is not only very compelling but worthy of your time and attention.

It’s called the Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith.

It’s part memoir, part nutritional primer and part political manifesto. It will challenge you to think more deeply about your relationship to food and to our planet as the provider of our sustenance.

I first met Lierre in 1980 and our paths have crossed a few times over the course of these past 30 years. So you can trust me when I say this book was written from the heart and life experience of a woman who cares deeply about people, health and politics.

It is crucial for us all to understand more about nutrition, where our food comes from and how what we eat affects us (body and mind).

Eating in a way that helps us, rather than harms us is important. In other words, anyone who eats will benefit from this book!

Lierre, a vegan for 20 years, makes compelling arguments for eating meat and counters challenges that shunning meat is healthier, more humane, or better for the planet.

Keith nearly destroyed her health while clinging fiercely to her vegan lifestyle. Now she assists others who are making the transition from vegan and vegetarian to omnivore.

The book will strongly resonate with you if you are interested in making healthy, traditional and sustainable food choices. For her book Lierre researched issues of diet and nutrition, agriculture, our food system, and the destruction of the ecosystem.

I asked Lierre for her top 3 picks of books to read and here’s what she suggested:

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
The Mood Cure by Julia Ross
Any of the Protein Power series by Drs. Mary Dan and Michael Eades

I’ve included a link to an interview with Lierre. I encourage you to listen to it. Lierre is eloquent and at ease explaining nutritional principles and science while weaving in her own experiences. It’s almost an hour long so here are a few tips.

1. You can skip the first few minutes. It’s a commercial for the interviewers.

2. The first 35 minutes or so are a good general primer of who she is and how she came to write the book, as well as some great simple tips on making healthier food choices.

3. Her discussion of soy based products begins at minute 36 and is one of the best and easy to grasp explanations of the detriment of soy based foods I’ve heard in a long time. DON’T MISS this part.

Both Lierre and I feel that nutrition is so central to our lives. And I agree with what she says towards the end of the interview:

“Everyone must visit the choices they make. You must combine your personal values with your diet. Stay open to engaging with ideas as they come along so that you challenge yourself to eat a healthy diet.”

http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/08/onl050-in-defense-of-omnivores/