Do you know the truth about dairy?
Just like humans, cows produce milk for one and only one reason – to feed their babies. Cows on dairy farms, however, never get to nourish their young with their precious milk. Instead the calves are torn away from them shortly after birth so that humans may drink their milk. The mother and baby call for each other incessantly trying to reunite. The baby is just a by product and sold to a veal factory as soon as possible. The mother continues to cry long after the baby is gone. This sad cycle will repeat itself over and over until the cow does not produce enough milk to be considered profitable.
Although cows naturally produce 16 lbs of milk a day for their young, they have been genetically modified and pumped full of hormones to produce 50 lbs a day. Cows are nothing but units to a dairy farmer for means of monetary gain. They are hooked to electronic milking machines that are painful and cause the cows to be shocked, injured and infected. They were bred to have unnaturally large udders and suffer from hip problems so bad that they can no longer walk. Instead of the cow being put out of her misery, one of her legs is chained and she is dragged onto a truck to be shipped to slaughter to be used as food, leather and by-products. She must be taken alive to be worth any amount of money. (Animal rights groups have fought to change the law to not allow downed cows to make it into the food system but farmers are still getting away with it and they can still be used for by-products.)
Cows typically live 25 years or more and can produce milk for up to 9 years. Due to stress and disease, by the time she is 4 or 5 years old, she is not producing enough milk to be profitable to the dairy industry. She will then be sent to auction, prodded, poked and left to wait as her udders painfully become engorged from not being milked. Sometimes she is even pregnant. She is then slaughtered and if she is pregnant, her fetus is used for by- products like pet food, enzymes and gelatin. Over 1/3 of ground beef comes from dairy cows. Fast food chains, like McDonald’s, prefer this cheap meat.
Cows milk is for baby cows and not humans. It was designed to turn a calf into a 1500 lb cow quickly and contains high amounts of protein and sugar for that purpose. Dairy products are also high in cholesterol and have been linked to health problems like heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. Yes, that’s right, the very disease that it is promised to prevent is actually increased in women who consume the most milk. Casein, a cow milk protein, causes the overproduction of mucus. Many children suffer from ear and sinus infections because the mucus can not drain quickly enough. Taking them off of cows milk quickly cures the infections without antibiotics and painful ear surgeries. Professional singers know this and do not consume dairy before a concert. In clinical studies, casein has also been shown to increase the risks for cancer. For more information please read the China Study.
The dairy industry has had a strong influence on the USDA since it’s inception and that is why cows milk has been pushed on the public as a nutritional food when in fact it is not. By the way, the USDA was created as a group to support agricultural businesses and never the consumer. It is up to you to learn the truth about the food you eat. Do not trust the big agriculture companies to educate you.
There are plenty of plant sources of calcium and with a more reasonable protein intake calcium loss is reduced. Leafy greens, broccoli, nuts, beans, fortified non dairy milks and tofu are just a few good sources of calcium. There are some delicious non dairy milks and cheeses on the market, too. Try a variety of non dairy milks like hemp, almond, coconut and soy. Daiya cheese is amazing for making macaroni and cheese, pizza, lasagna and any other recipe that calls for melted cheese. For sandwiches, Follow Your Heart makes blocks of cheese. Tofutti has really good slices but they have hydrogenated oils so they may not be the best choice. For nachos, look for Nacho Mama or make your own. It’s pretty simple with nutritional yeast, non dairy milk and flour. Just google it!
Recommended Reading and Websites
The China Study
Food Revolution
Portrait of a Burger
Fast Food Nation
Becoming Vegan
www.DrMcDougall.com
www.pcrm.org
www.mercyforanimals.org
www.vegsource.com
