The big draw for milk drinkers is calcium and the multi billion dollar companies that push this idea constantly through media sources to convince you that you need to drink milk! It is easy to understand that the confusion about milk’s imaginary benefits stems from the fact that it contains calcium – around 300 mg per cup.
But many scientific studies have shown an assortment of detrimental health
effects directly linked to milk consumption. And the most surprising link is that not only do we barely absorb the calcium in cow’s milk (especially if pasteurized), but to make matters worse, it actually increases calcium loss from the bones. (Vivian Goldschmidt, MA)
Cow's milk is excellent for calves, just as a mother's milk is excellent for babies. The composition is completely different. So, I pose the questions...why do so many insist on drinking cow's milk? The ironic thing, is that cow's milk can acutally increase the risk of bone fractures and osteporosis. A scientific study posted this:
“The countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis are the ones where people drink the most milk and have the most calcium in their diets. The connection between calcium consumption and bone health is actually very weak, and the connection between dairy consumption and bone health is almost nonexistent.”
Lately, milk companies have been pushing the idea that the best post workout drink is chocolate milk. Nothing could be more far from the truth. Yes, it may be better than drinking a pepsi... but with a whopping 24g of sugar per glass makes it not ideal post workout or ever. A protein shake, made with sugar free almond milk, bananas, and fresh fruit is a much better choice.
Now you may be asking the question "what do I drink then?" and the best substitute is Unsweetened Almond Milk, I prefer "Almond Breeze". If you are concerned about calcium, you can get a sufficient amount from okra, almonds, soy beans, brocolli, spinach and many other healthy foods.
So the next time you hear a media source pushing you to drink milk by rattling off meaningless statistics, think again!