I really like Calie’s insights below into why her family uses milk alternatives. While my family does consume only cow’s milk, her information below gives me pause.
I would love to know what you think. Leave your thoughts in a comment below.
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Guest Post By Calie at Broccoli Cupcake
There are so many articles and opinion out there about whether or not we should drink milk or consume dairy. It can be pretty confusing and I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have all the answers and can’t say for sure what anyone should do. But I can tell you what we do and why.
Did you know that about 75% of the world’s population is genetically unable to properly digest milk and other dairy products? That’s very telling for me. If 75% of us can’t or shouldn’t eat something then maybe we weren’t meant to eat it? While our family is not 100% dairy free, we have significantly reduced our dairy consumption and the dairy we do consume is all organic. Here’s why:
According to scientific studies dairy and more specifically milk:
- Does not prevent bone loss and actually may contribute to Osteoporosis.
- Is linked to prostate cancer.
- Aggravates Irritable Bowl Syndrome.
- Is full of saturated fat and linked to heart disease.
In addition, dairy has been linked to increased allergies, sinus problem, ear infections, type 1 diabetes, chronic constipation and even anemia in young children.
If you decide to reduce or eliminate milk from your diet, here are a few healthy options that might make the transition a little easier.
- Almond milk – this is what we use most of the time. It tastes great and works well in most recipes that call for milk. Some brands contain a lot of additives or sweeteners so read the labels or see the recipe below to make your own.
- Hemp milk – cholesterol free, THC-free, full of healthy proteins, vitamins and Omega-3 and 6.
- Rice milk – This isn’t really a nutrition replacement for milk because it’s mainly made up of carbohydrates. But is a good option if you need something to wet your cereal or use in recipes that require milk.
- Goat’s milk – This may not be a viable option for those with allergies, but the protein in goat’s milk seems to be easier for most people to digest. The milk and yogurt are a bit sour in my opinion, but I love the cheese. I use powdered goat’s milk in my homemade bread in place of cow’s milk.
I’ve purposely left soy milk off the list because it’s under nearly as much controversy as cow’s milk. Some say it’s incredibly healthy and can reduce bad-cholesterol, while others claim the estrogen in soy milk can wreak havoc on our hormones. Many brands also contain a lot of sugar.
Tip: Remember, the reason “they” say milk is good for us is because it’s a source of fat, calcium and vitamins, just not the best source of them. You should be eating a diet full of whole foods rich in vitamins, minerals, healthy fat and calcium. All of these can come from healthier sources than milk including green vegetables, grass-fed meats, and eggs.
Recipe: You will need 1 cup of raw almonds, and 7-8 cups of water. (Option: use agave nectar or another natural sweetener to taste.) Fill a large bowl with your almonds and cover with water. Cover with a towel and leave in a cool place for 24-48 hrs. Rinse the almonds once a day and recover with water if it gets low. Pour off the water, rinse the almonds well and place in a blender with the 7-8 cups of water. Blend well. Strain it through a small sieve into your original bowl. (You will have a lot of almond meal that you can save to make bread or flour.) Strain it once more into your final container. You should have about half gallon of almond milk. You should store it in the fridge and use it within one week.
What’s your favorite milk or dairy alternative?
We started exploring milk alternatives when my son was diagnosed w/ food allergies as an infant. We use rice milk for recipes & coconut milk for drinking. It is more expensive but the whole family loves it!
I didn’t realize almond milk is so easy to make…I’ll definitely be trying this!! 🙂
My daughter has allergies, so she drinks goat’s milk. I like to use coconut milk for cooking & it’s delicious in smoothies!
We use a product called Dari-Free by Vance Foods. It comes in powder form, and you can bake and cook with it. It is gluten and casein free. 6 cans cost about $55-60 and lasts us 4-5 months.
My son is severely allergic to milk and we love our milk alternatives and use a variety of them. We use NON-GMO (non-genetically modified) organic soy milk, almond milk and coconut milk. We feel a good variety is beneficial for our family.
Definitely something to consider. We do not have allergies here, but I have always heard that just the hormones alone in the milk were so bad for us. That almond milk recipe does look very easy. Wonder if my 19 month would would like it?
I ended up doing some research on milk consumption when I was diagnosed with lactose intolerance (not to be confused with milk allergies, which can be more dangerous) last year, which is the reason so much of the world’s population does not consume much milk. The intolerance (in general) occurs in teens and adults while those populations may still feed their children milk. Those of European decent usually have more tolerance, which makes more sense as to why cheeses are bigger there rather than other parts of the world.
This knowledge helped me realize that eating more ethnic foods was safer when eating out, to stay away from the lactose. Asian food rarely, if ever, uses cow’s milk for instance. Oddly enough, my body was just going through a 6 month phase (at 28) and I can once again consume lactose products. I will keep this almond milk recipe in case I have another phase (I have always avoided soy in large amounts due to the estrogen.)
Thank you for the recipe!
I have a question about infants or children under 2 that are not on formula any more. What would be the best source of calcium for them. We are doing whole milk at this point. My other daughter is very allergic to milk and soy and rice. She does Almond Milk but we were told my the allergist not to introduce this to my youngest daughter until she was 2. Thanks for your help.
Lord bless,
Crissy
I, too, did some research about milk a while back because it’s always seemed odd to me that we drink the milk from another mammal. Female mammals are given the ability to produce milk for their young. As humans, we ween our children off breast milk and then we continue to have them drink another animal’s milk. No other mammal does that–just us. Once other mammals are weaned, they drink water. After we’re weaned, water is what we should be drinking. The other nutrients that come from milk should be consumed via food, once we’re able to eat whole food. Just an interesting way to think about how other animals use milk. We don’t drink milk, but we do consume organic dairy and I’m trying to reduce the amount we consume too!
I agree alot of people just don’t process dairy well. My 1 year old son has had digestive issues from birth.. and one is from milk (also wheat, corn & soy). We have tried EVERYTHING! He does best on coconut milk – unsweetened (we buy so delicious from whole foods) and almond milk – unsweetened. We add Cod Liver Oil once or twice a day for the fatty acids.. and also raw egg yolks. (Crissy… I’d look to foods for Calcium.. I found some lists on the internet.. ) My 3 yr old daughter gets eczema if she has too much milk.. so she does nonGMO organic soy milk, and some almond milk.. but she also drinks alot of water! I know a great nutristionist who knows all about having a healthy gut (in Nashville area).
This is really interesting. I have recently been considering weaning myself (if not my children too) off of dairy. I just wonder what our pediatrician will say when I bring up the topic with him.
.-= Cate´s last blog ..Seriously! =-.
I have been drinking and baking with Rice Dream original rice milk. Consistancy of skim milk and mild taste. Yum!
My exclusively breastfed son has milk and soy protien intolerance (MSPI). Since I’ve eliminated all dairy and soy from my diet, a lot of it has carried over to the rest of the family. We use coconut milk as coffee creamer, rice milk for baking and in oatmeal, and almond milk for cereal, drinking, and in the ice cream maker. I really like using a variety of milks.