Health/Nutrition: Does Everybody Need Milk?

Q. I love milk and dairy products but I am coughing up large amounts of mucous in the morning. I switched to soy milk but I don't like it in coffee. Would evaporated goats milk (or any goats milk) be a reasonable choice? Does goat milk produce mucous the way cow's milk does?

Thank you, Claire

Q. I have read that soy milk can cause digestive problems in some people. Have you read anything about rice milk or almond milk causing the same problems?

Thanks, Nancy

A. Most of us were raised as children with a glass of milk as our constant companion with each meal. Dairy products are considered a “staple” food in Western countries, especially in our country. But teachers of natural medicine and healthy dietary options have been alerting us for many decades now about the potential effects of including meat and dairy in high amounts in our daily diets, and more and more people all the time are truly opening their minds to the reality that what we have been consuming daily for many years is really not all it is promised to be. Once thought to be a true “comfort food,” dairy products can now be seen to be not so comforting after all.

Many years ago, as I began my journey into a healthier diet, I read a book which changed my way of looking at food choices. Diet for a New America by John Robbins opened my eyes to many of the realities of food production in our country, namely meat and dairy products. This book unveils many unhealthy and unethical treatments of animals used for food sources, and Robbins made a lot of people upset, to put it mildly, with his work. Since this book, there have been others (see Reading List below) who have continued to carry on the work of educating the public about their power to choose a more healthy diet, whether for ethical reasons or for health reasons. I will not take time here to discuss the ethics of the meat and dairy industries (or the seeming lack thereof), but instead we'll look at some of the understandings that Naturopathic practitioners and others involved in the healing arts have about dairy and its link with disease and illness.

Here are some facts:

About forty percent of all antibiotics created in this country are fed to animals, with the purpose of battling bacteria. It is believed that a large percentage of these antibiotic residues can be passed on in meat and dairy to consumers. Not only can this create “super strains” of drug-resistant bacteria, but dairy is also considered to be a potential “collecting pool” of these antibiotic residues. We know that repeated, long-term antibiotics can lead to a destruction of all types of bacteria, healthy ones included. If these antibiotic residues are indeed passed on to humans who drink the milk, eat ice cream or cheese, then aren't we getting an on-going antiobiotic treatment? Perhaps the rise in Candida problems in recent decades could be linked with this.

Growth hormones are fed to cattle to increase their size for greater profit. It is known that excess female growth hormones may be a contributing factor in premature development and early menses in young girls, painful menses, breast lumps, more severe menopausal symptoms and hot flashes in women. In men, it may contribute to impotence and early aging.

Milk is known to have a high fat content and a comparatively low calcium content. The fat in milk contains toxins which stick there, like glue. Toxins may include disease residues even from cancers that the animals themselves have, which may be passed on in the milk.

Milk sugars are extremely hard to digest in a large majority of the population. The enzyme lactase which is used to digest lactose, or milk sugar, is present in a greater amount in our digestive system when we are young, but decreases naturally in life. Perhaps the idea that Mother Nature had was to give us what we needed for the first years of life while we were still nursing and then after weaning it should no longer be necessary. We truly are the only beings on earth which continue to consume milk well into our adult years. “Lactose intolerance” may be a very natural part of who we are genetically, which would mean we are not intended to drink cow's milk and eat cheese and ice cream with the frenzy that we choose to. Some “soured” dairy products such as yogurt and some cheeses will have less lactose milk sugar and therefore may be somewhat easier to digest. The inability to properly digest milk sugars is also thought to be linked with the rise of reproductive-related cancers, especially ovarian, uterine, and prostate. The problem is not just the fat content, but the milk sugar. So, using low-fat milk is not the solution.

Cultures which consume larger amounts of dairy have more of the following illnesses: acne, indigestion, constipation/diarrhea, reproductive problems and hormone imbalances, allergies (this is a biggie), sinus problems and runny nose, recurring respiratory infections, headaches, high cholesterol, heart problems, hives, obesity, scaly skin, colic, hyperactivity, and especially excess mucous production.

Cow's milk is considered an acid-producing food. All foods and beverages have a certain pH range of acidity or alkalinity. In general, many acid producing foods are attributed to generate more of a tendency for disease and most alkaline producing foods contribute to health. Acid = disease, Alkaline = health.

If some of these concerns have made an impression on you, you may want to research some of this information for yourself. For me, in my early days of exploring and learning about healthy options, it was a mind-opener...it really changed the way I thought about a lot of the foods which had always been a normal part of my life. And when I personally started eliminating dairy from my diet, some of my chronic health problems began to subside. Try an experiment for yourself, if you still consume dairy: try one month without any dairy products and see how you feel. Many of the health concerns which people ask me about each day and write-in to this column may be greatly improved by trying this. Your body will tell you during the first month if dairy is a culprit in your life.

So, what are some options?

Soy milk – this is a common alternative, and works well for many people. It is generally agreed that it is less mucous-forming than cow's milk, but some teachers of natural health will say that it is the most mucous-forming out of the alternative milks available. And soy can become an allergic problem for some, since its proteans are harder to digest. If you choose to use soy milk or any soy products, make sure to get non-GMO (non-genetically modified). Soy cheese, soy yogurt, soy cream cheese, tofu, and tempeh are some other soy options.

Rice milk – this is less mucous forming than soy milk and will contain less protein and usually more natural sugars and carbs. Another very good alternative and easy to digest for most people.

Almond milk – this milk is very gentle, easy to digest, a great alternative for people with a lot of allergies and is not mucous forming.

Oat milk – this one is also very good for more sensitive people/digestive systems, less mucous forming and is quite soothing.

Goat's milk – this is considered to be one of the closest milks to actual mother's milk, much easier to digest that cow's milk and healthier. Most natural practitioners will agree that whole, fresh goat's milk is the best way to get this one, but the concentrate is another fine choice. It will usually not cause as much mucous as cow's milk, but the taste is unusual and takes a little getting used to.

Calcium? Remember that cow's milk is not the only way to get calcium in your diet, contrary to what we have always been told. Eat more dark green leafy vegetables; this will give you lots of wonderful dietary calcium, plus other minerals, along with all the other benefits of green vegetables.

Reading List: Diet for a New America by John Robbins Food for Life by Neal Barnard, M.D. Food and Healing by Annemarie Colbin Better Health Through Natural Healing by Dr. Ross Tattler May All Be Fed, Diet for a New World by John Robbins Nutrition: The Cancer Answer by Maureen Salaman The Cancer Battle Plan by Anne Frahm Acid and Alkaline by Herman Aihara The Food Revolution by John Robbins Radical Healing by Rudolf Ballantine, M.D.

©Copyright 2002 by AlternativeApproaches.com

Susie Cooper, ND earned her Doctor of Naturopathy degree at the Southern College of Naturopathic Medicine, and is Board Licensed and Certified. She has continued most of her study in Classical Homeopathy with the New England School of Homeopathy. Dr. Susie has taught workshops in homeopathy, herbal medicine and nutrition in North Carolina for many years. She now teaches all her workshops in her shop, Blue Mountain Herbs & Supplements, in beautiful Pilot Mountain, NC, where she also takes private appointments for herbal, nutritional and homeopathic assessments. (336) 368-5955.

Important note: The information contained in this column is not meant to diagnose or prescribe for specific ailments, but is intended for educational support only. Please seek the advise of a licensed health practitioner for specific illnesses and emergency situations.