Real truth behind milk
Darryl D'Souza in the Jan'16 edition of the 'Eat Treat' magazine on Health & Fitness writes on the real truth behind milk and milk products and their effects on our overall health.The summary is as below.
“ Humanbeings have been consuming milk for generations and there is a huge, worldwide industry that advertises the consumption of milk on a daily basis. We take it for granted. Nevertheless, there is a rising opposition to the consumption of milk;
Human beings are the only mammals on the planet who drink milk after the age of 3 years. M0thers try every conceivable way to get children to drink milk - hot milk with an artillery of Bournvita, Complan, Horlicks or cold milk with coffee, and flavoured milks.
Let,s ask ourselves a fundamental question Why do mammals produce milk? Milk is a basic and highly nutritious liquid food produced for the nutritional needs of mammals when they are at a primary stage of growth. That is, when their teeth, digestive system, and digestive juices have not yet developed adequately to eat other forms of solid food. It does take a bit of time for a baby mammal to develop its natural senses of taste and smell as well its coordination of biting and chewing. So, milk is meant for this interim period only. During this period, the nutritional composition and taste of breast milk in humans changes as per the nutritional requirements of the growing baby. As per this natural cycle, a mother also stops lactating once this period of 2-3 years is over, unless she has another baby during this period which will extend her period of lactation by another 2 years. In tune with this, a baby beyond 2-3 years of age also naturally stops craving for milk. The baby instead, starts craving other natural foods of the world because its teeth and digestive system are developed and ready for them.
As humans, we have drifted so far away from our natural instincts that we simply refuse to acknowledge such truths. What is worse is that we steal the milk of other animals that have different properties than human milk and force it down our children’s throats. This imbalance does have serious consequences in the long run..
Children beyond the age of 3 years stop producing two very important digestive enzymes, namely rennin and lactase that are necessary for the complete digestion of milk. Why? Because their bodies are designed to start digesting new solid foods. After 4 years of age, most children begin to develop a mild lactose intolerance, (inability to digest the protein and sugar in milk), because they lack the digestive enzyme lactase. Studies show that around 75 % of the world’s population is lactose intolerant.
Cow milk contains 3 times as much protein as human milk, about 50 % more fat, and the molecular weight of casein (basic protein) present in cow milk is a whopping 233K in comparison to the main protein in human milk, lactalbumin, which has a molecular weight of 14K. In fact, because casein is so durable and sticky, it is used as a binder in paint and as glue that holds plywood together and sticks labels to bottles. This is perfect for building a calf’s tissues but causes incalculable harm to humans.
Casein is an immense and unwieldy protein, difficult for a human child (or adult for that matter) to properly break down, creating a lot of acidic residue when metabolized. In the case of young children, it causes many serious digestion problems. The excess mucus (casein) caused by milk can harden to form a coating on the inner wall of the intestines, hindering the absorption of nutrients from our other foods. By drinking such high protein milk, we are subjecting the human body to 3 times the concentration of the protein it requires. When this high concentration of protein is metabolized and absorbed as amino acids, it results in acid formation in the body.
This is the very same low-lying level of acid in the human body that is responsible for the leaching of calcium from our bones and magnesium from our muscles. That is why the highest number of osteoporosis sufferers are found in the western world, where dairy consumption is the highest. Very few dairy products are consumed in eastern countries such as China and Japan, which also happen to have the world’s lowest rates of osteoporosis.
Cow milk actually curdles in the human intestine, forming a filmy coating, which prevents the digestive system from absorbing other vital vitamins. It also increases mucus formation, leading to catarrh, chronic coughs, colds, and sinus blockage. Cow milk also causes colic pains and disturbed sleep in babies, acne, pimples, cysts, fibroids, mumps, anemia, atherosclerosis, heart disease, high bp, pneumonia, gallstones, kidney stones, tumors, cataract, allergies, dental problems, and gastrointestinal problems such as acidity, constipation, bloating, stomach cramps, dysentery and wind. The list is endless.
Adults who drink pure milk have seriously conditioned minds as a result of their local or religious tradition and quite often a great fear that they will become nutritionally deficient of calcium and protein, because they are simply unaware of the hundreds of other sources of calcium and protein."
.Mmilk contributes to diabetes, milk, is the single largest contributor to hormonal imbalance, and foods that have higher calcium and protein than milk .
This article is based on f D'Souza's book 'Become Healthy or Extinct' ..