Do You Drink Cows Milk?

Driagnor

The problem with the article linked to is that it comes across as being written as an attempt at fear-mongering and contains a whole lot of unsubstantiated claims with no citations to any sort of scientific studies that back up the claims that are made.

While there may be some truth in the claims that he makes, the overall demonization of milk as inherently bad makes me just discard this article. If I see an unbiased article which can verify some of the information in this article, then fair enough, but there are too many rants about the dangers of every single kind of foodstuff on the planet on the internet to take articles like this at face value.

Have a look at http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html for a great satirical example of how anything can be made to look bad for you.

Monze1

I totally agree with summalovaable!
While I am not a dairy farmer, I live in a rural town in Australia and work on a sheep farm (have for all my life) and have seen many dairies. No farmer in the right state of mind would intentionally mistreat their stock, be that cows or sheep. Mastitis and such illnesses can strike any animal. As for people saying the conditions that the cattle live in is ludicrous. As previously said, no farmer wants to mistreat their stock.
It really bothers me when people think these types of things about farmers. Unless you have lived our lifestyle, or know the true in's and out's of it, they shouldn't judge us in such a manner.

And as for the dangers of milk, I don't really believe it. I love milk! Most things these days are dangerous for us, they're going to kill us in one way or another, apparently.

summertime_girl

And please don't tell me about the wonders of soy and almond milk - it doesn't just magically transform into milk and jump into a carton - it is processed just like pretty much any food available in industrial packaging today.

Soy milk, no. Hexane, a petroleum byproduct, is used to manufacture the milk, which is why you'll never see an organic bottle of soy milk. It's not possible. Almond and coconut milk are in fact organic, natural, and pressed, not processed.

mowu

Soy milk, no. Hexane, a petroleum byproduct, is used to manufacture the milk, which is why you'll never see an organic bottle of soy milk. It's not possible. Almond and coconut milk are in fact organic, natural, and pressed, not processed.

But the store bought almond milk will often have been added Carrageenan to act as emulsifier (EU additive codes: E407 / E407a) which is on the FAO/WHO list of additives to watch as it is suspected to induce inflammation in human intestinal epithelial cells, be an immunogenic and may be lnked to Chrons disease.

This does not subtract from the value of milks from almonds and such, but goes to show that you have to be aware of the same things as when you buy cows milk (and any other product). You have to be aware of what is added.

These discussions tend to go off track because people don't compare like to like, but compare the worst from what you don't like (in this case milk from penicillin pumped cows that have been chained in a little both and abused so they udders are infected in spite of the antibiotics pumped into them and then pumped full of chemicals on a plant which pollutes way too much using oil or charcoal) with the product you want to push (in this case e.g. home made almond milk from almonds grown in the local pesticide free almond-orchard hand picked by virgins - who are receiving way more than minimum wages - and delivered to you by environmentally friendly horse).

This is not a black vs. white discussion, there is no ultimate truth. For some almond milk is probably better and they have the ressources to make the real good stuff themselves - the same goes for cows milk.

For the rest of us we have to go to the store and buy to the best of our conscience......


Edit...and by the way pressing is a form of processing too, whather it be manual, automatic, heated or cooled, aided by additives or unaided. As soon as you do something to the almond you have begun the processing.
Which is another thing that makes no sense at all....the whole concept of unprocessed foods. My rolled oats I eat for breakfast are processed....they were harvested, sorted and rolled. It's a minimal amount of processing, but they were processed. You can't have many things these days that were not processed to some degree.

summertime_girl

I checked my carton of almond milk, no carrageenan (unless it is listed under some other name). Mine is organic though. Honestly, I do my best to eat as clean as possible, but I don't freak if I eat something that doesn't directly come from nature. I don't drink cows' milk, because I don't care for it, not because I worry about what is in it. I will eat things that have been made with milk. I love cheese.

I do my best to buy organic produce and meat, but again, don't panic if I do eat something that isn't organic. I figure that eating that way most of the time is pretty good.

SueGremlin

"You've got to be kidding me. I can't believe you actually swallow that BS from the website of the Dairy Farmers of America. Look up videos of dairy farms and tell me they are not stressed. They most certainly ARE given constant antibiotics and all kinds of other hormones and chemicals."

I've actually been to a dairy farm. Have you? I've been to a beef cattle ranch. Have you?

What antibiotics and chemicals are you talking about? Dairy cows are given antibiotics in the same sense that we are. They are given for medical treatment. And then milk is thrown out during the withdrawal period. That's not a biased opinion, that is a hard fact. What kind of "chemicals" are cows given? I have no earthly idea what you are talking about in this regard.

As for hormones, yes, cows are given rGBH. Not all, but many. There is no way to discern the content of rGBH in the milk of treated vs untreated cows, however, so there's no net affect on the milk itself, other than there being more of it.

SueGremlin

"You've got to be kidding me. I can't believe you actually swallow that BS from the website of the Dairy Farmers of America. Look up videos of dairy farms and tell me they are not stressed. They most certainly ARE given constant antibiotics and all kinds of other hormones and chemicals."

I've actually been to a dairy farm. Have you? I've been to a beef cattle ranch. Have you?

What antibiotics and chemicals are you talking about? Dairy cows are given antibiotics in the same sense that we are. They are given for medical treatment. And then milk is thrown out during the withdrawal period. That's not a biased opinion, that is a hard fact. What kind of "chemicals" are cows given? I have no earthly idea what you are talking about in this regard.

As for hormones, yes, cows are given rGBH. Not all, but many. There is no way to discern the content of rGBH in the milk of treated vs untreated cows, however, so there's no net affect on the milk itself, other than there being more of it.

By the way, yes, I've "been to" a beef and dairy farm. And many others. My field is veterinary medicine, so I am intimately aware of farming practices, I have a degree in agriculture and a Master's in biology, and I think it is you who needs some unbiased education on the matter. You cannot believe everything you see on the internet. I'll leave this discussion at that.

bonkers5975

I milk my own cow. If I did not show up at 7 am and 7 pm every day to where my sweet little Jersey is waiting at the gate, she would be in agony. She produces milk whether I am there to relieve her or not. When she has her calf, she still makes at least 2 times what it is able to drink, so she still needs to be relieved by me to prevent mastitis, which is horribly painful for her. She depends on me give her feed while I milk her out by hand. She relies on me to be clean so as not to introduce any infections. She relies on me to scratch her face and ears when I am done to let her know she's a perfect cow who has done a perfect job like centuries of cows before her. The other 23 hours a day she lives in a lush green pasture with fresh water pumped into a clean tank for her that she doesn't even have to get muddy to get to. When it storms, she has a huge warm stall in which to stay dry.

As for the milk, I chose to invest in a cow because I want raw milk. It is the pastuerization that completely screws up the balance of micro-organisms that benefit you. I was completely lactose intolerant and had not had milk for a decade, and now, I drink all the milk I want, with no problems. Also, the fat in milk contains the enzymes that make it possible to digest and utilize milk. Pigs are fed skimmed milk to fatten them up. Fast. You can grow a 400 pound porker in 6 months on skimmed milk.

That gorgeous plug of cream on the top? That is butter!

I make my own butter, cheese and yogurt. No additives. I drink milk (1 to 2% as I use the cream for other things) every day. I dump milk because my cow makes more than my family can ever hope to use, and in a world where people are dying from hunger and malnutrition, it is a federal offense to offer this nutritionally complete food to my neighbors.

Oh, I also get eggs from chickens, and vegetables from my garden and fruit from the woods. None of it has ever been inspected by the FDA. And I have never in my 35 years of life had a food bourne illness, or even been to the doctor for more than a UTI. Nor have any of my family members.

Oh, and I don't buy into the organic craze. What I put on my family's table is organic as possible, but even the seeds I buy and the feed I give my cow has all come into contact with chemicals at some point. It is the world we live in. Food sold organicly may or may not be, but I know from growing my own gardens, you don't get huge yields without spraying stuff. Luckily I don't need huge yields, as I am not profitting off my gardens! And we don't have a clue half of what goes into what we consume. The govt. doesn't tell us everything!

I just wanted to offer my take on things; I am not saying it's right or possible for everyone, or that everyone should like cow's milk. But it doesn't hurt to have another perspective, right?

veganbaum

The dairy farm conditions in Canada and Australia cannot be compared to those in the U.S. The vast majority of dairy cows are confined and do not go out grazing (hence the distinction when milk is sold from "free range" cows, though that term is not monitored by the USDA). That is not to say there are not still small dairy farmers out there who do graze their cows, that's just not the majority. With the amount of milk that is consumed in the States, unless people reduced their consumption, there is simply not enough land to graze all the dairy cows. Additionally, the large farms are based on simple economics. Once a company/farm gets large enough, a certain amount of waste (i.e. mistreated/dying animals) are counted as an acceptable loss. A smaller dairy farmer may have more concern for their animals because the loss of one will have greater impact. But if you have thousands of cows, some loss here and there is not going to hurt your business and will be calculated into operating costs.

And people don't need milk to survive - we don't need cow or goat milk, we don't need almond or soy or coconut milk. So it's not like anyone will whither away and perish if they don't consume some type of milk. Nut milks can easily be made at home from without anything added. So there's no need to buy either if you don't want to.

Pangui

The dairy farm conditions in Canada and Australia cannot be compared to those in the U.S. The vast majority of dairy cows are confined and do not go out grazing (hence the distinction when milk is sold from "free range" cows, though that term is not monitored by the USDA). That is not to say there are not still small dairy farmers out there who do graze their cows, that's just not the majority. With the amount of milk that is consumed in the States, unless people reduced their consumption, there is simply not enough land to graze all the dairy cows. Additionally, the large farms are based on simple economics. Once a company/farm gets large enough, a certain amount of waste (i.e. mistreated/dying animals) are counted as an acceptable loss. A smaller dairy farmer may have more concern for their animals because the loss of one will have greater impact. But if you have thousands of cows, some loss here and there is not going to hurt your business and will be calculated into operating costs.

And people don't need milk to survive - we don't need cow or goat milk, we don't need almond or soy or coconut milk. So it's not like anyone will whither away and perish if they don't consume some type of milk. Nut milks can easily be made at home from without anything added. So there's no need to buy either if you don't want to.

The dairies here by my home are all California mega-dairies. I drive by them often. They are on the main roads so you can get an up close and personal view. There are between 7,000-10,000 cows at each dairy. Usually, you just see the cows packed in a corralled pen knee deep in their own waste. They are very dirty. I cannot speak as to how many antibiotics or hormones they are given. This is certainly a far cry from the person who has their own cow for personal milk or the smaller family-owned dairy.

Unfortunately, even if conditions were ideal and the cows were happy, the milk would still be inappropriate for human beings. The protein cassein, which is the protein in cow's milk, is the main culprit that has been shown to promote growth in cancer tumors. Organic or not, the protein is still there. And as for the argument "Well, almost everything causes cancer, so I'll just eat how I want and not worry about it." I guess one could use that argument to justify cigarette smoking or alcoholism. We can choose to educate ourselves, or we can choose to just not think about it. The latter choice is what has led so many Americans on the standard American diet to die early from heart disease, cancer and diabetes unnecessarily. My quality of life is important to me, so I'll continue to do my research and rely upon the most consistent, reputable and documented evidence.

But not all foods do cause cancer. In fact, many foods have been shown to fight it, like leafy green vegetables. Whole foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, grains, and starches are vital and essential parts of a healthy diet. You can get all the protein, fat, fiber and nutrients you need. That claim cannot be made for milk.

kayleeblue

Wow...I only read like 3 lines of that article..and all I can say is BULL****!! I've milked cows on and off for 12 years. I know what goes into them and what the filter looks like when the milk is processed. Yes there are dairies out there that do add a bunch of unhealthy crap to the food and some cows are on medication. But you can't tell me that the coke/pepsi products that people consume are better and healthier then the natural milk that the world has consumed for thousands of years is worse. If you are worried about the unnatural additives in milk then go to a all natural store. Good Grief People find something else to do with your spare time then to make life more difficult for the farms and farmers that have fed and clothed your sorry *kitten* for thousands of years...damn this just pisses me right off. Yes I'm a country girl and have walked barefoot through cow ****...and guess what!!!??? I'm still alive! that didn't kill me either. Oh and all you sad *kitten* city slickers...how about that air you breath??? Might as well go suck on a tail pipe for as clean as it is. I would much rather smell the aroma of fresh spread cow **** then that.. Ok...vent over...for now...gonna go have a huge glass of non homogenized ice cold MILK!!

Michelle_M2002

I do drink cows milk. I drink raw milk from a local dairy that feeds their cow ONLY grass, as nature intended.

I do not drink soy milk or eat soy products, as they interfere with your thyroid, which the interfered with weight loss. Not to mention it's not good for you at all, except fermented soy in small quantities (like low sodium soy sauce).

I don't feel guilty about it... and I eat other dairy products also.

God bless!