Milk, just how good is it for you?

When I was a child going to my first school, we were all given half a pint of milk to drink, it was not that long after the war and the nation’s children needed to be (Built up) what with the lack of fresh fruit and most food supply’s being on ration, milk and eggs were a good source of calcium and protein, in 1944 most people were rationed to one egg a week however children and some invalids were allowed three eggs a week.

Rationing officially ended in 1954, lemons and bananas became effectively unobtainable for most of the war, milk from many animals, particularly cows, provides other food sources such as cheese, yogurt, butter and kefir and is a source of protein, vitamin D and calcium, but cheese production remained drastically affected for years after the war had ended

On the other hand, cow’s milk is also a cause for lactose intolerance, causing significant bowel cramping, bloating or even loose bowels when consuming dairy foodstuffs.

On a list of the most commonly reported food allergies, dairy comes close to the top of the list, even if you don’t have an allergy. Animal milk for many, can cause bloating, constipation and reflux, it is also linked to increased eczema, worsening sinus problems, migraine headaches and joint pain, it is a mucus-producing food and is clinically thought to intensify congestion.

But milk is good for you isn’t it? 250 ml. of 2%-fat cow's milk contains 285 mg of calcium, which represents 22% to 29% of the daily recommended intake of calcium for an adult, a cup of milk contains 8 grams of protein, and other nutrients including.

Biotin
Iodine
Magnesium
Pantothenic acid
Potassium
Riboflavin
Selenium
Thiamine
Vitamin A
Vitamin B12
Vitamins D
Vitamin K
So it can’t be a bad thing, can it? However, most if not all of these nutrients can be found in fruit and vegetables so milk is not the only source, but what about the calcium? I hear you say. Let’s look at the facts.

The amount of calcium from animal milk that is absorbed by the human body is disputed, calcium from dairy products has a lesser bioavailability (absorption) than calcium from certain low-oxalate vegetables such as kale, broccoli, or other vegetables, so the message is, dump the milk and eat up your greens, but that doesn’t mean milk is bad for you, does it?

Hormone treatments are given to dairy cows in some countries, the hormones are used to yield multiple young , the hormones Prostaglandin, Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone, and Progesterone are used for this purpose and sold under the brand names, Lutalyse, Cystorelin, Estrumate, Estroplan,Factrel, Prostamate, Fertagyl, Insynch, and Ovacyst.

In the USA 13% of lactating animals were treated with insecticides including permethrin, pyrethrin, coumaphos, and dichlorvos daily, these insecticides are so dangerous that workers, may be exposed to higher than recommended amounts of these pesticides however the cows are fine, it’s just gets into the milk you drink.

Facts:-
Human milk contains, on average, 1.1% protein. Cow’s milk 3.4%
Human milk 4.2% fat Cow’s milk 3. 4
Human milk 7.0% lactose. Cow’s milk 4.6 giving 72 kcal of energy per 100 grams

Whole milk, eggs and red meat are all rich sources of protein. However, they are also high in saturated fats and cholesterol, which can threaten cardiovascular health
Legumes and nuts are packed with vitamins and nutrients, including protein, while containing little or no saturated fat. For example, one cup of cooked lentils contains 18 g of protein but less than a gram of fat,
A complete protein (or whole protein) is a source of protein that contains an adequate proportion of all nine of the essential amino acids necessary for the dietary needs of humans; Sources of complete protein low saturated fat in combinations include corn and beans, and rice and beans.

Medical, heart-health, and governmental authorities, such as the World Health Organization, the American Dietetic Association, the Dietitians of Canada, the British Dietetic Association, American Heart Association, the British Heart Foundation, the World Heart Federation, the British National Health Service, the United States Food and Drug Administration, and the European Food Safety Authority, all advise that saturated fat is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease

Cow’s milk contains more saturated fat while human milk contains more unsaturated fat. (Nature knows what it's doing)

Do you know how a cow can continuously produce milk? Cows are continuously inseminated the gestation period of a cow is a little less than nine months, they are then inseminated between 60 and 80 days later, most cows give birth to around 23 calves in their lifetime, a cows lifetime is normally around 30 years but most only survive for 15 years, the new born calves are removed from their mothers within three days if its left any longer it can cause extreme stress on the calf.

When the calf is two weeks old it is slaughtered for veal, most herds have about 50-100 cows, in the UK there are 1.81 million dairy cows in the dairy herd, that’s forty-one million six hundred thirty thousand four year old calf’s slaughtered every year to produce your glass of milk, that glass of cow’s milk is STRONGLY linked to childhood diabetes, obesity, bowel disease, osteoporosis, heart disease, cataracts, colic, ear infections, hyperactivity, and cancer.

If you, as a mother drink animal milk but only breast feed your child your child can still be affected through your own breast milk,from the animal milk you drink, so it’s best you don’t drink animal milk as well.

Now don’t get me wrong, milk is a fantastic product, I drink it every day, it supply’s me with most if not all of the vitamins, calcium, nutrients and protein I need each day, I use it to make my porridge in the morning and in my tea during the day, I love to drink a cold glass of milk on a hot day, as it is or as a milkshake.

In the evening milk is the main ingredient in my night time drink, however my choice of milk is from rice, other milk can be made from soya, hemp, almonds and other sources. Cow’s milk is also good, for young calfs, not YOU
Far be it for me to tell YOU what you should or should not drink, it's your choice, all I wanna do is to give you the facts ma'am, just the facts.