Week 3 Dairy- Milk- Butter & Cheese

[Anne-Marie McCormack]

History

We were told as children-drink milk if you wanted to grow up to be strong and healthy. Milk and other dairy products are the lead source of calcium, needed for the development and strength of bones and teeth. The mineral also works to prevent the onset of osteoporosis, a disease where bones lose their density and become prone to fractures. Dairy is also an excellent source of protein and vitamins A (essential for eye health), B 12 (for the production of healthy red blood cells), and D (necessary for bone and tooth formation).

Research & Health Issues
We are the only species to drink milk after infancy - and from another species at that -many question our dependence on dairy. Recent research suggests that consumers should seek calcium and other nutrients elsewhere, as dairy's disadvantages may outweigh its benefits.

Allergies & Behavorial Diffculities
Milk allergies are very common in children and cause sinus problems, diarrhea, constipation and fatigue. They are a leading cause of the chronic ear infections that plague up to 40% of all children under the age of six. Milk allergies are also linked to behavior problems in children and to the disturbing rise of childhood asthma. (Milk allergies are equally common in adults and produce similar symptoms.) Even so august an authority on children as the late Dr. Benjamin Spock changed his recommendations in his later years and discouraged giving children milk.

Casein, the protein component in milk, is a very thick and coarse substance and is used to make one of the strongest glues known to man. There is 300% more casein in cow's milk than in human's milk. The casein in cow's milk can clog and irritate the body's entire respiratory system. Dairy products are implicated in almost all respiratory problems. Hay fever, asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, colds, runny noses and ear infections can all be caused by the consumption of dairy products. Dairy products are also the leading cause of allergies.

MS
One book that presents a most convincing and thorough indictment of dairy products is 'Don't Drink the Milk' by Oski and Bell. Included in the host of diseases and maladies which the authors attribute at least in part to dairy products are Lou Gehrig's disease and multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is most frequently found in areas of the world where children are raised on dairy products, rather than breast milk. Many doctors and alternative practitioners are now helping MS victims by putting them onto a low-fat vegetarian diet, with some amazing results.

Part of this problem might be the way that they farm the animals these days. The fact that the milk is pasturized and they way they do that process, takes away it organic qualities and renders the milk and it's nutrients hard to digest. Either way there is no doubt about it, you should think about cutting down on dairy products if you have allergies or sinus problems.

What to do about it?
Yoghurt, cheese and milk are digested more easily due to the emzymes that are created in the process of turning milk into butter, yohurt and cheese. As long as you use they in moderation they are fine. Avoid processed cheese slices like the plague. So, when you're dropping into your local fast food restaurant for a burger and they ask you do you want cheese on your sandwich...start saying NO.

Low fat spreads and margarine type products are full of saturated fat and chemicals so they are not a healthy choice. ( Read the label- in you can't pronounce it-don't eat it, as you probabaly won't be able to digest it).

If you drink milk or give it to your children - try "SILK" soy milk..It's come along way over the past few years. I tried rice milk and soy milk a few years back and just couldn't get used to it. I have always liked almond milk.

Silk soy milk- it's got calcium and is good for you. It's also tastes good. I use it in Tea, over breakfast cereal and in baking. No one in my home gets cows milk anymore. We stopped buying it a while back.

Butter- we still use butter on sandwiches and in baking etc. But at times we use other spreads on snacks. Almond butter is made by grinding the nuts until it turns into a smooth, creamy paste. It's similar to peanut butter. it's rich in protein, fiber, and essential fatty acids. It can be used like a spread, mixed into sauces and dressings, eaten plain, or used in the manufacture of desserts. The flavor is actually quite similar to peanut butter, with a faint hint of almonds. You could try honey or preserves on toast.

Occasionally we have cheese, we save it for favorites like pizza and lasangna. I find if i eat a veggie lassangna, I'm fine. If I eat lassangna that also has meat in it, I don't feel at all well. I usually take a digestive enzymes whenever I eat anything with dairy to help my body digest it properly.

These nondairy foods can be good choices to get your calcium:
Almonds
Salmon
Tofu
Rhubarb
Sardines
Collard greens
Spinach
Turnip greens
Okra
White beans
Baked beans
Broccoli
Peas
Brussel sprouts
Sesame seeds
Bok choy

Calcium-fortified breakfast cereal, including General Mills Whole Grain Total, Total Raisin Bran, Total Cranberry Crunch, and Total Honey Clusters, all of which have 100% DV of calcium per serving!
Calcium-fortified orange juice
Calcium-fortified soy milk
Oatmeal
Calcium-fortified bread or English muffins

So there is a lot of to choose from to ensure you get your daily supply of calcium. Plus you can alway take a Natural muliti-mineral-vitamin suppliment.