7 Reasons To Stop Eating Dairy
shivani k 
Image: Shutterstock
We’ve all grown up hearing that dairy is the perfect food of nature, but according to us, it applies only if you’re born as a calf. Wait, are you shocked because we just said that? But, it’s true peeps. Turns out all the lactose food that we indulge in because we think it is the healthiest kind of indulgence, isn’t as healthy for our bodies. Milk and dairy products aren’t really the health foods that they are perceived to be. So, we created a list of reasons that justify the above statement. Read on to be more aware before your next glass of milk.
1. Cow’s Milk? There Are Better Alternatives To This
Do you realize that we’re probably the only species that continue to drink milk even after our infancy? And that too, we’re drinking the milk of other species like the cow, buffalo, goat, etc. How do we know that milk from other animals can provide us with the right nutrients? Who knows if their milk is healthy enough for us? What we are trying to say is if you are really used to the habit of drinking milk every day and can’t function without it, then look for other non-dairy alternatives like soy milk, almond milk, rice milk etc. These are cultivated by us and made by us, therefore, we are aware of their hygiene quotient as well.
2. Affects Our Hormonal Balance
We all know how complicated our hormones are. A small change in our lifestyle or a teeny-weeny bit of an increase in our stress levels affects our hormonal balance and we end up being bombarded with pimples. Did you know that cow’s hormones are much stronger than us humans? Yes, it’s true (1). Apart from this, we all are aware of the fact that cows are given steroids so that they can them produce more milk. All of this can negatively affect the delicate balance of hormones in our bodies.
3. It Causes Cancer
Ovarian, prostate, and breast cancers are all linked to excessive consumption of dairy products (2). It’s mainly due to casein, a milk protein that has been successfully proven to have links with cancer. If your childhood diets had been majorly enriched with dairy products, then, chances are that you can contract the above forms of cancers later on in your adulthood. This reason should be enough for you to make sure you don’t give your children an overdose of dairy-rich products.
4. Homogenization Of Milk Denatures Its Proteins
Homogenized milk doesn’t contain enough nutrients. It even becomes harder for the human body to digest it. This is exactly why we are seeing a rise in the number of people suffering from lactose intolerance. It is a condition wherein the body reacts to the dairy proteins as though they were some foreign invaders in our body. In fact, studies have spoken have also shown that consumption of homogenized milk causes heart diseases (3).
5. The Cows Are Fed Inappropriate Food
If you thought that cows only feed on grass, then you’re wrong! Cows grown for commercial purposes are fed genetically modified soy and corn, animal products, and grass which is treated with pesticides, etc. And all these chemicals find their way to the milk that the cow produces, making the milk highly toxic in nature. The pesticides are also sprayed in the fields where the cows are left to graze, so don’t you think the chemicals also trickle down to the milk produced by the cow?
6. Metabolized Dairy Products Are Acid Forming
Our human body strives life-long to maintain the peace in our pH balance which is supposed to be 7.635. When we eat metabolized dairy products that are acidic in nature, it disturbs our pH balance by increasing the acidity in our bodies. It’s the alkaline calcium which is found stored in the bones of our body that combats this excessive acidity. The more the calcium makes its way out of bone for this work, the more fragile our bones become.
7. Consumption Of Dairy Products Can Lead To Osteoporosis
It has been found that a lot of countries whose citizens consume these dairy products in abundance suffer from osteoporosis. Therefore, the notion that milk gives calcium to our body and strengthens our bones can be considered as nothing but a myth. Yes, milk does have calcium, but our body often finds it difficult to extract the calcium from the dairy products.
Remember that a cow’s milk is intended to provide the essential nutrients only to its calf. What’s right for a calf cannot be good enough for us humans. And don’t forget the unhygienic conditions in which the cows are bred and reared. We hope now you know why many around us have been on a spree to become vegan and avoid any dairy intake. Are there any other reasons that you would want to add to this? Drop them in the comments below.
Community Experiences
Join the conversation and become a part of our vibrant community! Share your stories, experiences, and insights to connect with like-minded individuals. Let our readers get your unique perspectives and do better together! Read our Comment Policy to know about the guidelines.
