Cow's milk is bad?

It's not "bad". It's just not as good as it's always been hyped up to be. Every nutrient available in high quantities in milk (which are really only calcium and vitamins A and D) are available in other foods that are better for you. The confounding factor, so to speak, in cow's milk, even if you get the skim (fat free) version, is lactose. Lactose is a sugar - that's all it is. Almost everyone will develop some degree of lactose intolerance as they age, because mammals don't naturally produce enough lactase - the enzyme that converts lactose into glucose - throughout their life, because mammals aren't conditioned to drink milk after infancy. Some people will continue to produce the lactase enzyme longer than others, and some cow's milk now comes with the lactase enzyme already added (this is what "lactose-free milk" is), but either way, lactose is converted into glucose either before or after it enters the body. If you are lactose-intolerant, there will be the byproduct of methane gas, which we all know what that results in.

The best alternative to milk, at least in my opinion, is almond milk. Very high and "complete" (complex) protein, very healthy fats, and, if you get the unsweetened kind, no sugar whatsoever. Soy milk has been the popular alternative for a long time, but the health benefits of soy have also been played up to a ridiculous extent. It is the singularly most mucous-producing food consumed by humans, and the protein it offers is not a complete one. Vitamins A and D are added to cow's milk - not naturally occurring - and there are many other foods that provide these vitamins. The best alternative for calcium to cow's milk is, believe it or not, spinach. Spinach is one of the best "superfoods" out there. You have to eat a lot of it to equal the calcium content in cow's milk, but one thing you can try is blending large quantities of it into a fruit smoothie - it's mild taste renders it almost undetectable when mixed with fruit, and you still get all the health benefits. If you're concerned about nutrient-deficiency, you can always take supplements. But the body can absorb them from foods the best. Make sure to drink plenty of water to help the be absorbed into your bloodstream efficiently.

Well, it's got protein and sugars and fat, which makes it a great exercise recovery drink.

The problem with the calcium in spinach is that it's not really bio-available due to the oxalic acid. Bok choy is a much better alternative.

It's not "bad". It's just not as good as it's always been hyped up to be. Every nutrient available in high quantities in milk (which are really only calcium and vitamins A and D) are available in other foods that are better for you. The confounding factor, so to speak, in cow's milk, even if you get the skim (fat free) version, is lactose. Lactose is a sugar - that's all it is. Almost everyone will develop some degree of lactose intolerance as they age, because mammals don't naturally produce enough lactase - the enzyme that converts lactose into glucose - throughout their life, because mammals aren't conditioned to drink milk after infancy. Some people will continue to produce the lactase enzyme longer than others, and some cow's milk now comes with the lactase enzyme already added (this is what "lactose-free milk" is), but either way, lactose is converted into glucose either before or after it enters the body. If you are lactose-intolerant, there will be the byproduct of methane gas, which we all know what that results in.

that's true about any enzyme as well.... and bile. And even stomach acid for some people. As you age your body doesn't work so well. That doesn't mean young people should stop eating foods. My grandmother has a long list of food intolerances, and my mother (her daughter) is starting to develop some of them... really, I should avoid all the foods that my grandmother can't eat? What's the point in that? I'll eat them for as long as my digestive system can handle them.....

additionally, if you stop eating a particular food, your body will start to produce less of the enzymes needed to digest it. Giving up food for fear of developing an intolerance can then become a self-fulfilling prophecy. (note: this is why vegetarians sometimes get sick if they suddenly eat a lot of meat after years of not eating it)

humans from dairy herding populations have evolved the ability to digest lactose as adults, because of natural selection. This is the exact same process that every other animal has evolved to be able to digest any other food for as long as animals have existed. Because there's no other way for animals to become adapted to any diet except by natural selection. They eat the food available, those that thrive on that food survive and breed, those that don't thrive don't leave so many copies of their genes in the next generation... after several generations of this, you have a population that's adapted to eating the food that's available. Repeat this constantly throughout the entire time that animals have existed... including when dairy farming/herding populations underwent food shortages and those that could digest milk survived the food shortage by drinking milk and those that couldn't starved to death, thus leaving a population where most of the individuals in it can digest lactose as adults...

there is no food that is perfectly adapted to any animal, because other living things don't grow in order to be food for animals. they get eaten because that's how animals survive... they eat what's available for them. Life is dynamic, and nothing is ever perfectly adapted for any ecological niche... because the environment is dynamic and constantly changing. A lot of the food that our ancestors ate is now extinct. Same for any other animal.

the idea that humans who have the lactase persistance gene shouldn't drink milk because other humans don't have this gene or because drinking the milk of other animals is comparatively rare is silly. If you have the lactase persistence gene then you have an evolutionary adaptation for drinking the milk of other animals as an adult, therefore milk is a safe and suitable food for you to drink and there's no reason not to drink it.

When I stopped consuming all dairy, my debilitating migraines went away. I tried consuming dairy again, the migraines came back. I did this several times to be sure. I finally gave up milk permanently, I have not had migraines since. (Full disclosure, I have been a vegetarian for several years, so I guess now that makes me a vegan)
My friend had a disgusting pimply rash all over his chest, he gave up dairy completely, and the rash went away. He also went back on dairy and the rash came back, so then he went off dairy again, and the rash went away.
These are 100% true stories.

I have been weaned from my own mothers breast now for many years, why should I suck on the breast of another species, it just doesn't make sense. I realized I have been brain washed by the dairy industry. Many people in rural China and other countries do not drink milk at all. They seem just fine. We don't "need" cows milk.

Another 100% true story: peaches will kill you. I know this because I ate one one time, and it made my throat swell shut and I almost died.
Yet another 100% true story: humans should also not eat avocados because they make my tongue swell up and go numb.

Edited to say: antecdotes about someone's intolerance to something doesn't mean that an entire species shouldn't consume it.

When I stopped consuming all dairy, my debilitating migraines went away. I tried consuming dairy again, the migraines came back. I did this several times to be sure. I finally gave up milk permanently, I have not had migraines since. (Full disclosure, I have been a vegetarian for several years, so I guess now that makes me a vegan)
My friend had a disgusting pimply rash all over his chest, he gave up dairy completely, and the rash went away. He also went back on dairy and the rash came back, so then he went off dairy again, and the rash went away.
These are 100% true stories.

I have been weaned from my own mothers breast now for many years, why should I suck on the breast of another species, it just doesn't make sense. I realized I have been brain washed by the dairy industry. Many people in rural China and other countries do not drink milk at all. They seem just fine. We don't "need" cows milk.

Another 100% true story: peaches will kill you. I know this because I ate one one time, and it made my throat swell shut and I almost died.
Yet another 100% true story: humans should also not eat avocados because they make my tongue swell up and go numb.

I once tripped over a blueberry bush. Those things are deadly.

Recently I stopped drinking cow's milk, first I ditched full cream because it was too 'heavy' and then just gave it up completely in favour of almond milk. IMHO, milk was designed to make a 100 kg calf into a 1000 kg cow. Not good for us! Also, there's that myth about pus and blood. I know it's not true but it gets me every time... ugh.

I like almond milk in my coffee and sub it out to save calories in some dessert recipes. Milk isn't bad for you though, although that's a popular MFP myth people like to spout on here. In fact I sure your trolling right now with your op. Raw milk has excellent health benefits and most people who are lactose intolerant have no problems drinking raw milk. Most of the benefits of milk are lost in the pasteurization process. That's why calves often don't survive when fed pasteurized milk. I'm sure someone will chime in in how bad it is for you momentarily....

Eh. I fed my kids raw human milk and frozen human milk. Many of the benefits were lost during the freezing process, but I wouldn't say most. However, raw milk is an effective topical antibiotic (anti-viral agent as well)

That's actually true. Human breastmilk is awesome like that, I've used it many times on my own kids for conjunctivitis when they were babies.

Good on minor infections, like cat scratches. Usually they get really irritated and sore for a coupla days when I get them. I rubbed a little of my own breast milk on one once--BAM. Gone the next day.

Good points made about bok choy and raw milk. Thanks

If you're really interested in understanding human's relationship to milk, here is an interesting article about the evolution of dairy consumption.

http://www.nature.com/news/archaeology-the-milk-revolution-1.13471

Things to note - different types of dairy are more digestible than others, only a percentage of the population retains the ability to digest milk after childhood due to a gene mutation, and dairy products have been quite important for human survival during times of famine.

I personally have no difficulty digesting milk so I won't get all up in other people's faces about whether or not it is "right" to consume it. That said, aside from butter, very little dairy makes its way into my cooking. And when I do buy milk, I often choose goat over cow simply because goats have a MUCH smaller carbon footprint.

. I realized I have been brain washed by the dairy industry. Many people in rural China and other countries do not drink milk at all. They seem just fine. We don't "need" cows milk.

BUT THEY EAT A LOT OF WHITE RICE!!!! White rice makes you fat. Everyone says so, and, my friend, he ate a lot of white rice when he was an university, and he... put on weight!!!

But he also drank a little milk now and then.

Maybe white rice only makes you fat when you also drink milk? Because, in rural china, I don't think there are a lot of fat people.......

When I stopped consuming all dairy, my debilitating migraines went away. I tried consuming dairy again, the migraines came back. I did this several times to be sure. I finally gave up milk permanently, I have not had migraines since. (Full disclosure, I have been a vegetarian for several years, so I guess now that makes me a vegan)
My friend had a disgusting pimply rash all over his chest, he gave up dairy completely, and the rash went away. He also went back on dairy and the rash came back, so then he went off dairy again, and the rash went away.
These are 100% true stories.

I have been weaned from my own mothers breast now for many years, why should I suck on the breast of another species, it just doesn't make sense. I realized I have been brain washed by the dairy industry. Many people in rural China and other countries do not drink milk at all. They seem just fine. We don't "need" cows milk.

We don't "need" donuts.

We don't "need" peaches.

We don't "need" peanut butter.

I don't know about other people but I would be devastated if people stopped eating peaches all together.

When I stopped consuming all dairy, my debilitating migraines went away. I tried consuming dairy again, the migraines came back. I did this several times to be sure. I finally gave up milk permanently, I have not had migraines since. (Full disclosure, I have been a vegetarian for several years, so I guess now that makes me a vegan)
My friend had a disgusting pimply rash all over his chest, he gave up dairy completely, and the rash went away. He also went back on dairy and the rash came back, so then he went off dairy again, and the rash went away.
These are 100% true stories.

I have been weaned from my own mothers breast now for many years, why should I suck on the breast of another species, it just doesn't make sense. I realized I have been brain washed by the dairy industry. Many people in rural China and other countries do not drink milk at all. They seem just fine. We don't "need" cows milk.

We don't "need" donuts.

We don't "need" peaches.

We don't "need" peanut butter.

I don't know about other people but I would be devastated if people stopped eating peaches all together.

Is there any food that somebody doesn't have an intolerance for?

"IMHO, milk was designed to make a 100 kg calf into a 1000 kg cow. Not good for us! "

That's 2200+ pounds. Dear God. And a 2200 pound cow most certainly would not still be breastfeeding. If they are, I would hate to see the size of the mothers.

PS cows eat grass.

When I stopped consuming all dairy, my debilitating migraines went away. I tried consuming dairy again, the migraines came back. I did this several times to be sure. I finally gave up milk permanently, I have not had migraines since. (Full disclosure, I have been a vegetarian for several years, so I guess now that makes me a vegan)
My friend had a disgusting pimply rash all over his chest, he gave up dairy completely, and the rash went away. He also went back on dairy and the rash came back, so then he went off dairy again, and the rash went away.
These are 100% true stories.

I have been weaned from my own mothers breast now for many years, why should I suck on the breast of another species, it just doesn't make sense. I realized I have been brain washed by the dairy industry. Many people in rural China and other countries do not drink milk at all. They seem just fine. We don't "need" cows milk.

We don't "need" donuts.

We don't "need" peaches.

We don't "need" peanut butter.

I NEED all of those. My belly says so.

I could never ever go back to drinking a cow's milk. Soy and almond milk is way nicer and is good for both the poor cows and you!

Good, more milk for me.

Ok I'll bite. I'm an adult male lion, where do I get my milk if I want some? Whole Foods or Publix?

From the milk sacs of herbivore victims.