Dairy is Scary!
ANIMAL PRODUCTS
Currently, there are more than 20 billion head of livestock on Earth. Despite the environmental ramifications of having so much livestock, strong growth in meat consumption continues. There is increasing evidence that the consumption of animal products is bad for our health in more than one way. For example, U.S.A factory farms generated 1.4 billion tons of animal waste in 1996 alone. In the U.S.A, all this animal waste pollutes waterways more than all other industrial sources combined. Pollution, especially from animal waste, is not good for our health. Although evidence is mounting against the consumption of animal products, people are still eating meat and consuming dairy. Why should we stop eating animal products? Why should we stop drinking milk, consuming cheese and using butter? Keep on reading to find out more.
MILK CONTAMINATION
When cows are pregnant they lactate and mother cows produce milk for their young to consume. When animals are healthy, milk is nearly sterile. However, freshly drawn milk can be contaminated by udder infections, dirty udders and teats, handlers and equipment. To deal with milk contamination, heat treatment methods such as pasteurization or sterilization processes are performed. However, pasteurization and sterilization don’t always ensure milk safety. Available American epidemiological data from 2000-2008 records people getting sick from drinking pasteurized milk. From March to August 2011 in Pennsylvania, 16 illnesses were caused by Yersinia enterocolitica. The source of contamination was from pasteurized milk and ice cream.
MILK & DISEASE
In one study, incidence and mortality rates of testicular and prostatic cancers in 42 countries were examined. The consumption of animal fats and milk was correlated with the incidence of testicular cancer at ages 20-39. Also, milk consumption significantly contributed to the incidence of prostate cancer. In another study, high dairy fat intake was associated with a greater risk of ischemic heart disease. A study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggested that women who consume high-fat dairy were at a higher risk of mortality after breast cancer diagnosis. Moreover, there is evidence that milk may be a primary dietary trigger for developing type 1 diabetes.
CHEESE CONTAMINATION
Cheese is produced when a starter culture bacteria plus rennin is added to milk. Curds are formed and cooked. Then curds are shrunk, pressed, salted and then ripened. Bacteria or moulds ripen the cheese. The longer cheese is left to ripen; the more bacteria or mould wastes accumulate. Cheese is essentially chunks of fat loaded with bacteria or mould waste. In 2008, a serious Listeria monocytogenes outbreak occurred in Quebec Canada. The source of the outbreak was contaminated pasteurized cheese. Listeria monocytogenes can be found in soil, water, dust and animal feces. The bacteria can grow at cold temperatures and can cause diarrhea, nausea, achy muscles and fever. When the infection spreads to the nervous system, the infection can become life threatening for 20% of people. In 2015, outbreaks of Listeriosis resulted in 130 illnesses in British Columbia, Canada. The source of Listeria was found to be contaminated soft ripened cheese.
CHEESE & CANCER
In one study, incidence and mortality rates of testicular and prostatic cancers in 42 countries were examined. The study found that cheese consumption was most closely correlated with the incidence of testicular cancer at ages 20-39. Another study discovered that breast cancer risk may increase as a result of eating cheese.
BUTTER
Butter is the fatty portion of milk that is often used as a spread and for cooking. Cross-sectional findings from a study conducted on 4903 Italian men and women 20-59 years of age are quite enlightening. The findings suggested that the consumption of butter may detrimentally affect coronary risk factors. This means that people who ate butter were at a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The study also suggested that polyunsaturated and monosaturated fats may be associated with a lower coronary risk profile. These fats are found in plant foods such as olives and coconuts. Animal fats are not good for our body.
ANIMAL WELFARE
Skin lesions are commonly found on dairy cattle. In the Maritime Provinces of Canada, lesions to the hock, knee and neck are common. One of the major issues for the dairy industry is lameness. Results from one study in the Maritime Provinces of Canada showed that the prevalence of lameness was 21% for freestall-housed cattle and 15% for tiestall-housed cattle. Considering those percentages, as much as 1/3rd of all dairy cattle in the Maritime Provinces of Canada could be so severely treated that they become lame. Dairy cattle are suffering from neglect, abuse and poor living environments.
ANIMAL MILK IS FOR ANIMALS
The following table is a list of milks and their protein content as compared to the time required for offspring to double in birth weight. Please note that the following values vary slightly based on the resources used.
| Source of Milk | Mean values for protein content mg/liter | Time required to double birth weight (days) |
| Human | 1.2 | 120 |
| Horse | 2.4 | 60 |
| Cow | 3.3 | 47 |
| Goat | 4.1 | 19 |
| Dog | 7.1 | 8 |
| Cat | 9.5 | 7 |
| Rat | 11.8 | 4.5 |
If we were to make the argument that we drink cow’s milk because of the protein content, then it doesn’t make sense to drink cows milk. Why? Because rat milk has the highest concentration of protein per liter. Based on protein concentrations alone, milk loving individuals should be sucking off of rat teats!
Humans take longer to develop. After human babies are born, babies’ brains and nervous sytems are still developing. Humans are a species where the brain is most important. For cows and other animals, brain development is not so much important. Animals aren’t interested in going to university. They are more interested in walking around and feeding; therefore, they need to develop faster in order to get their own food and escape predators. A mother cow’s milk is formulated to produce musculature growth and not for brain development. Therefore, the only milk that a human should consume is human breast milk during the time they are an infant.
THE CHOICE IS OURS TO MAKE
There is substantial evidence that dairy is indeed scary. Not only is dairy scary, but also the consumption of dairy products is completely unnecessary. We must ask ourselves “is enjoying ice cream, drinking milk and scoffing down cheese-laden pizza more desirable than living a long healthy life?” Going back to the original diet, as described in Genesis, is one of the best things we can do for our health. It is our choice whether or not to adopt a whole foods plant-based diet.
