I hope you Don’t have a Milk mustache
“But my momma told me to drink my milk!?”
One of the most controversial events that happens in my office all the time is the reduction or complete elimination of all dairy products from my client’s meal plans (and yes this includes children as well).
Something just like this happened last week but almost started a minor welterweight boxing event in my office. This particular mother could not understand why I was telling her to get her children to stop drinking so much milk when everyone else (including other health professionals) was telling her just the opposite.
So I did what any good nutritionist would do, rolled up my sleeves, put up my dukes (just kidding, I didn’t). I came back with the following statements:
1. Americans drink the most milk of any other country, yet we still have the highest rate of osteoporosis.
2. Pasteurization kills off all the necessary digestive enzymes in the milk (This is why so many people are now suffering from lactose intolerance).
3. Pasteurization also makes the major part of the calcium contained in milk insoluble, in other words making 50% of milk’s calcium unusable by the body (This contributing to the high rate of osteoporosis).
4. Milk sugar (lactose) converts into sugar your body uses very quickly, leading to blood sugar highs and lows and an up and down energy rollercoaster ride for you.
How could this all be true? Isn’t milk supposed to do a body good?
Well, yes it does, but milk was really only intended to be consumed
in its natural state (unpasteurized). Sound scary? Many states in
the US and most organic farmers will ONLY drink milk if it’s
unpasteurized and they are extremely healthy.
My father is a great example. When he came to this country from
Peru, he claimed that the milk tasted funny, so he didn’t drink it.
When we finally located an organic farmer who could provide us with
raw (unpasteurized) milk, he went back to drinking it. (Note: My
dad is 71, is in tip top shape, and has never been on any
medications in his life. Isn’t that incredible?).
Back to milk. The other fact we need to consider is that most cows
are being given an excess of growth hormone just to keep them
producing massive amounts of milk. This, in turn, makes them sick,
at which time they are given antibiotics. The growth hormone and
antibiotics get into their blood stream and then into the milk they
produce. Who drinks this chemical laden milk? We do! (Actually, I
don’t and maybe you’re starting to consider whether you do).
The next big concern is “How will I get enough Calcium?” As
mentioned above, most of the Calcium in milk is not absorbed by the
body. More calcium is absorbed from foods such as green leafy
vegetables, broccoli, sardines (with bones preferably) and salmon.
This makes sense that more calcium come from greens since cows
preferably eat grass and they have a lot of calcium inside their
bodies (Please don’t eat grass. This really only works for cows).
If reducing your risk for Osteoporosis is your goal, do the #1
activity that prevents this debilitating disease: Exercise! Weight
bearing exercise has been shown to be the #1 way to prevent
osteoporosis. Putting small stresses on your bones via strength
training helps to re-build them stronger. No one, and I mean no
one, should be neglecting some exercise into their life.
So what options did I give this particular mother and every parent
and client that comes into my office?
1. If you consume dairy on a regular basis, try to find raw
(unpasteurized) milk. www.realmilk.com is a great resource for this.
2. If the thought of raw milk scares you, purchase the next best
thing: certified organic milk products. They will be free of
antibiotics and hormones.
3. Since most of milk’s calcium is not absorbed by the body, make
sure to get your calcium from these other sources: leafy green
veggies, broccoli, sardines (with bones) and salmon.
4. Commit to a strength training routine on a consistent basis. Not
just for your muscles and for the way you look in the mirror
(although this does help) but for your bone’s sake.
Hmmm…I don’t know about you but this makes me rethink the milk
mustache.
In health and happiness,
Isabel De Los Rios
www.TheDietSolutionProgram.com
Thanks for this info about milk and calcium. Don’t forget to include a bunch of radishes as well. Five (50g) of radishes has a much calcium as 1 litre of milk. Into the bargain, it is the type of calcium that is easily aborbed into the body.
Have a great day.
Marietjie
You know, I’ve been reading this newsletter for awhile, and it really backs up a lot of the claims made earlier by Dr. Mercola (of Mercola.com). A lot of people try to paint him as this quack or fringe doctor, but from what I can tell, more and more “mainstream” doctors and spokespersons are agreeing with him when it comes to vaccines, sugar, chemical sweeteners, pasteurization and other nasty things in this fake-food and pharma-junkie world. I’m reading Mark Hyman’s “The UltraMind Solution” right now, and I was SHOCKED and saddened to learn that historically humans used to consume just 20 TEASPOONS of sugar PER YEAR!! Holy crap, no wonder we’re all getting sick or dying like flies from cancer, diabetes and heart disease, when as individuals we consume upwards of 160 POUNDS of sugar per year! YIKES!!!
As for raw milk, it’s just too bad that it’s illegal in Alberta, where I live. There are some farmers who break the law and sell raw milk anyway (and they drink it themselves), but they do so with the risk that they may go to jail for their “crime”. I don’t understand why we can eat all the sushi and raw meats we can handle, but we have to be “protected” from the risk of salmonella poisoning in raw milk? I’m sure people get food poisoning from salmonella and other bacteria all the time from under-cooked meat and unsanitary restaurant conditions (not to mention diseased vegetables from the supermarket), but most people don’t realize that’s what the “48 Hour Flu” really is—food poisoning!
Anyway, thank you Isabel for helping to wake me up and remind me that convenience foods AIN’T the way to go if I want to lose the 100 lbs I know I need to lose!
P.S. Any tips on overcoming my sugar addiction? I don’t have it as bad as some people (i.e. I couldn’t down a whole bucket of ice cream, and I’d feel ill if I had a whole litre of pop in a day), but it’s bad enough that if I try to eat a healthy lunch, I’m craving a giant cookie by 2:00PM. Or I crave chocolate after dinner. Self talk works wonders, but will power alone isn’t quite enough.
I know I’m only a newsletter subscriber and haven’t bought your book, but if you have any advice or past articles that deal with this, I’d appreciate some tips! Thanks.
Hey Beth,
You can try eating dried fruit with no sugar added. That’s a great way to combat a sweet tooth or try eating exotic fruits. That can work too and they taste delicious.
Hey Beth,
I used to have quite the sweet tooth and absolutely love chocolate. In my family growing up we had a “sugar” dessert after both lunch and supper on a daily basis. I was addicted to sweets. I find that the less sweets I have, the less I crave them. That means I watch my sugar intake during the day. No coffee with sugar anymore. I have switched to drinking green tea instead of coffee now. No diet pop anymore as well. Sometimes I will have raisins with almonds right after supper. Not too many almonds though. I do have the occasional dessert when socializing and it tastes all the better. I don’t worry about this, because I know that I will be right back at it the next day. It works for me and has made a big difference regarding weight loss. I’m 49 and have been active my whole life, but overweight at the same time. It wasn’t until I changed my eating habits in the past 2 years, did I start to really lose weight(40 lbs) and feel like a new person. You are what you eat!!!
Good Luck!!
Hi Isabel,
Originally approximately 25 kilos overweight,for the past 3 months or so I have been using some of your nutrition advice and along with Mike Greary’s exercise tips I have managed to loose 12 kilos.There is not a Gym nearbye so all my exercise is bodyweight or homemade dumbbells/barbells.I live in Turkey where local grown fruit & veg is plentyful & reasonably cheap.I can get freerange eggs,raw milk & some local grass fed meats.Can you tell me if goats milk & meat are OK,also sheep cheese & olives as these are available in the small villages.
Thanks
Mike
Don, sounds like you’re doing great! And thank you for sharing your story with my readers!
I also like to have some herbal tea sweetened with stevia after dinner and that helps any potential sweet cravings.
Hey Mike,
Yes, this is all good. The milk and cheese are fine, as long as they are not pasteurized.
Hi Isabel
I love to read your newsletters and read them without fail. I have found this one particularly interesting. Literally, only a week or so ago, I watched a programme on UK television on milk and the growth hormones which are pumped into the cows to produce more milk – and sometimes when the cow contracts an infection, apparently puss gets through to the milk (how lovely). I didn’t realise beforehand that this was happening and it really has opened my eyes to what we eat and drink.
I think I’ll find another source of calcium and stick to exercise.
Thanks
Sarah, UK
Hello Isabel,
I am about a month into eating right and exercise, I feel great and Iam told that I look great(I am 74 years young) I look forward to my emails from you. I also do my weight training following Mike’s tips. Thnks so much, I love fruits and veggies. Is there a risk eating too much. Awaiting your reply. Keep up the good work.
Yvonne
Hi Isabel,
I mentored home schoolers for 30 years. One of the first things the families learned was to NEVER drink milk before lessons. I’ll not talk about my rants on ice cream!
Not only does milk do-a-body-bad, it affects your brain in some amazing ways. In visual terminology, it makes your brain “thicker”. This causes a measurable drop in thinking ability. This is why warm milk is recommended to help you sleep.
I (almost) required that the families read “Don’t Drink Your Milk” by Frank A. Oski. I live in dairy country so this advice was not always warmly received. I stressed that I have nothing against cows, it’s that their milk is for calves. Ask yourself, “Would I drink hippopotamus milk?”
Since I’m new to your group, I’m sure you have said this all before. I just wanted to let you know that I love your well-researched articles and your sassy sense of humor.
Learning a lot,
Sandee
Isabel
I am 45 and a single mother of 11 year old twin girls. We no longer drink soda or drink water out of plastic bottles. We use steel. I had breast cancer at 37 and we have been through a lot. We also have a sweet tooth mostly at night. What snacks can I use to replace chocolate and what drinks are out there that are lo cal without the chemicals that my girls would like?
Thank you for getting this information out there. I have slowly been going organinc. (it is expensive to switch over) but we are doingit one step at a time.
Thanks