Milk is one of the most beneficial, nutrient filled, natural drinks we will ever find and way healthier than any drink we could ever make!
Milk contains 21 minerals, 13 vitamins, and 13 essential nutrients! So why is it that so many people think it’s not healthy for us? Well, it simply comes down to basic misconceptions and false ideas about what should be in our diets. We are missing out on essential nutrients all because a few studies were interpreted wrong and blown out of proportion.
Take fat for example. Anyone says the word “fat” and everyone immediately goes running. But did you know fat doesn’t actually make you fat? Or that our body needs fat? The studies that have shown fat is correlated with weight gain and other issues, was simply interpreted as fat being the actual cause. There’s also a correlation with shark attacks and ice cream sales, but common sense and causation tell us that ice cream sales aren’t the actual cause of shark attacks. In doing all studies, we must remember that correlation and causation are completely separate and that many different factors go into our health.
The low-fat diets that have been recommended by trusted health sources, food industries, and even the government are wrong and extremely unhealthy. “Your body’s cellular integrity and nutrient exchange depends on fats. Your cells would collapse and starve to death without them.” When we look at our body and what it’s made out of, it makes it a little easier to see what foods we actually need. For example, your brain itself is the fattiest organ in your body, made up of 60% fat! It needs fat! Healthy fats are essential to our diets from our head to our toes, literally! Your body cannot produce healthy fats, so it’s imperative that you make them a part of your balanced diet.
Another ingredient is the lactose, or sugar, that’s contained in milk. But, again, there’s good sugar and bad sugar. Lactose is a natural sugar meaning it’s naturally found in dairy products and not an additive. Natural sugars are high in nutritional value and have a high concentration of healthy compounds. Natural sugars are also processed more slowly, keeping your blood glucose level more stable. Natural sugars will not cause us weight gain. It’s not until those natural sugars are taken and refined that they become unhealthy for us. Added sugars are what hurt our bodies. They spike and drop our glucose levels, and when not used our bodies store it for later. Certain added sugars may sound healthy, but they’re all alike and can contribute to many health issues including weight gain. Added sugars and highly processed foods are what cause weight gain, not fat.
Lactose also gets a bad rap because some people may struggle digesting it. However, lactose intolerance is often misdiagnosed for other stomach and gastrointestinal issues such as IBS. A “milk allergy” is much different than lactose intolerance, and even that is often misdiagnosed for other digestive issues. Many people think that goat milk is healthier because it has less or different lactose, but it’s the same lactose and compared to goat milk, cow milk only has .08% more lactose. Often, digestive issues could even be the simple matter of sensitivity to the actual protein the milk is made from.
In cow milk, we find proteins that are either A1A2 or A2A2. When cattle were first domesticated 10,500 years ago, they all produced A2A2 proteins. About 8,000 years ago, however, Holsteins somehow changed to A1A2. It was then passed on to other breeds, as Holsteins are used in breeding to improve other cattle breeds. In the western world, the A1 protein gene has become dominant, while the A2 remains high in Africa, Asia, and Southern Europe. It’s the A1 protein that many people may actually be sensitive to, and why those people can tolerate goat milk but not conventional cow milk. There are still many breeds of cattle that still produce A2A2, like Jerseys! Remember to always consult with a nutritionist if you have questions about your diet and digestive tract!
Trying to buy the “right” kind of milk can also get confusing! There’s a lot of different gallons of cow milk on the shelf! Raw milk (which we’ll talk more about in a later article), whole milk, 1%, 2%, and skim! What does it all mean? What’s healthier? While we may not have the time to go into great detail in this article, we can help with the basics!
The percentage on your milk label has to do with the fat content in the milk. Skim is nonfat, 1% is 1% fat content, and so on. See how once again we are so focused on fat? Focusing on the fat content of milk makes us feel like milk is nothing but fat. I bet you didn’t know that raw milk is actually 95-97% fat free. Sounds pretty great once we label it that way, doesn’t it? Whole milk, which is “regular” milk that has been pasteurized but hasn’t had any fat removed, could be looked at as 3% milk (or 3.25%, depending on the cow diet). And remember, fat in milk is the healthy fat we need! It’s also loaded with essential vitamins and nutrients like calcium, vitamin B12, selenium, phosphorus, and zinc!
We would do well to limit our intake of bad fat, additives and artificial sweeteners, and highly processed foods while adding more healthy fat through dairy and other animal products (even red meat!). Even if you have sensitivity to milk, it’s been shown that switching to whole milk improves that sensitivity because it helps slow the absorption of lactose even more!
But does that include or exclude chocolate milk? Chocolate milk is actually a better recovery drink than water and most sports drinks! Post work out your body needs plenty of carbohydrates and protein and chocolate milk contains double what you find in sports drinks. All milk is high-water content and helps replace fluids and sweat. We all know milk is an incredible source of calcium, and then with a little sodium and sugar it helps you retain water and regain energy!
Children are becoming more malnourished as we introduce things like “Meatless Monday” and only let fat free and 1% milk in our schools. All of our labels and the literal attack on all animal products that is occurring right now are making children afraid to eat the nutrients they need. So instead of eating a healthy, balanced diet, they are choosing carb-filled, highly processed foods and drinks with additives most of us can’t even pronounce the names for. Childhood obesity rates have tripled since 1975, and mental health issues are on the rise currently at about 20% of children worldwide. 20% of children in America have a mental health illness and that number doubles by the time they reach high school.
None of the processed foods existed 100 years ago, so why are we blaming modern illnesses on foods we’ve been consuming for thousands of years? While people think making alternatives are healthier and better for the environment, we think more and more highly processed foods are healthier than what nature gave us in the beginning and that is false. One of the 4 Rules of Ecology: nature always knows best.
Which leads us to a whole new subject. What’s healthier? Cow milk, almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, soy milk…. the list continues. Let’s get one thing clear that the food industry has forgotten: none of your dairy alternatives are actually milk, which means none of it is naturally made and produced. At the very best, those are juices that we have made and fortified (meaning we have added things) with ingredients to try to mimic what nature perfected. Only a mammal can produce true milk. Only milk from a mammal is all natural. Milk was not meant to sit on the store shelves for long periods of time and the fact that is one of the food industry’s goals with alternative “milks” should be concerning (the topic of food storage for emergencies is, of course, different, but for our conversation we should not be consuming foods that have additives to create a longer shelf-life long term).
Regardless of what ingredients you add into the alternative “milk” (remember our conversation from above), nothing is healthier than cow or goat milk, other than human milk but we don’t expect to see that at the grocery store anytime soon.
One last topic that is crucial to discuss is that of hormones and antibiotics. Let me make this clear: there are no antibiotics or added hormones in your milk and there never will be whether you buy organic or conventional. We’ve written an entire article here that is devoted to explaining the ins and outs of antibiotics and hormones.
As long as you're buying your milk straight from a regulated dairy or the dairy’s milk through the store, there legally will never be any antibiotics or hormones in your milk (or your meat!).
With all the confusing labels and alternative “milks” on the rise, it’s no wonder we have so many issues and confusion with our health. The attack on animal products needs to be snuffed out before we lose our most nutritious and most valuable sources. Rest assured that as you reach for that cold cup of milk you are choosing the best source of vitamins, calcium, protein, and yes, even fat.