Milk Alternative

So after tearing up the idea of drinking milk I'm here to give everyone a good alternative. Almond Milk is the best  substitute for milk that I've found. I tried soy milk and the taste didn't agree with me. My wife recommended Almond Milk so I tried it and was hooked instantly. It tastes great, contains no dairy or casein, and is better for you than other milk alternatives. It's also incredibly easy to make right in your own kitchen. Basically the only organic ingredients you need are almonds and a pinch of salt. This link will take you to an instructables (great website for everything diy) post that will run you through the steps of making your own almond milk. Almond milk is also available at almost any grocery store in the health food section.

What about calcium you say? 1 cup of almond milk contains about 30% of our recommended daily calcium intake. You shouldn't be looking to dairy as your source of calcium anyway when there are so many sources that contain just as much if not more calcium. 2 packets of oatmeal has more calcium in it than a cup of whole milk, and without the accompanied unhealthy fat (there are many healthy fats out there). A cup of almonds contains more calcium than a cup of milk, contains unsaturated fats that lower cholesterol and is full of omega 3 fatty acids that are great for your heart. Some other foods that are high in calcium include brazil nuts, pistachio nuts, salmon, oysters, kidney beans, and broccoli to name a few.

So if you're searching for a milk alternative or just looking to supplement your diet with additional calcium there are numerous options. Take the time to do your own research and find the option that best suits you.

Sources

1. http://www.healthyeatingclub.org/info/books-phds/books/foodfacts/html/data/data5c.html
2. http://www.worldwidehealthcenter.net/articles-49.html
3. http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/nutrition/calcium.html
4. http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Milk-an-Almond-fresh-homemade-almond-milk/
5. https://owa.hntb.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=c20a957a544341229dffe89c4c90c0a1&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.3fatchicks.com%2fis-almond-milk-good-for-you%2f

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Why I DON'T drink milk

For those of you that believe milk is an extremely beneficial, wholesome liquid that the vast majority of us should ingest including our children, well you'd be wrong. Studies have linked the drinking of cow's milk to allergies, indigestion, asthma, and gastrointestinal bleeding to name a few ailments that could result from this so-called wholesome, American, super food. Why shouldn’t we think that milk is good for us when millions of dollars are spent every year to persuade us to drink the shit? I’m sure right now my son is sitting down in his Elementary school cafeteria looking up at a poster of some cartoon character drinking a glass of milk with “It does a body good” written in big bold letters underneath it. It’s drilled into us at an early age to believe everything that society accepts as normal and good. People have to educate themselves and take their health into their own hands. Making an effort to research and educate one’s self when it comes to nutrition and fitness is something I will hit on repeatedly in future posts but for now let’s focus and stick to the subject.

I think for some reason people associate milk with mother's milk and it is therefore good for our development. Cow's milk however is extremely different than the milk you get from mom when you’re an infant. Human milk is largely made up of what are called “bioactive components” which are extremely beneficial and not found in cow’s milk. These beneficial components come in the form of digestive enzymes, anti-inflammatory substances, and hormones (not the same as in cow’s milk). The protein makeup of cow’s milk is also extremely different than human milk which is one of the reasons many us have a hard time digesting it. These differences paired with overwhelming research and proof that cow’s milk coming from the vast majority of producers is riddled with hormones and antibiotics puts milk on my list of things not to give myself or my family. The bottom line is human milk was designed for humans, cow milk was designed for cows. You also have to take into account the fact that no one should be drinking any kind of milk past infancy. When babies stop suckling from their mothers the source dries up and stops. Animals are weaned from their mother’s milk and this food source is replaced with other solid nutrients. No other animal on the planet continues drinking milk into adulthood, only humans.

So why are there hormones and antibiotics in cow’s milk? To keep the cows healthy? Healthy yes….well to a certain extent. Conventional farming practices have thousands of head of cattle on feed lots. What’s the problem with this? The cows aren’t able to eat the food they were intended to eat, grass. When you feed a cow a grain based diet, inject it with hormones to increase milk production and pack it in a feed lot where it stands shoulder to shoulder with other cows succumbing to the same damn thing they tend to get sick. So antibiotics are administered to keep the cows healthy. The problem of the increased use of antibiotics can be bypassed considerably however by allowing the cows to graze on their natural food source. See where am I going with this? Cows get sick when they eat something they shouldn’t be eating. What happens to us when we eat or consume something we shouldn’t? We get sick!

Sources

1. http://www.healthytheory.com/milk-does-it-really-do-a-body-good
2. http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/12.07/11-dairy.html
3. http://www.worldwidehealthcenter.net/articles-49.html
4. http://www.health101.org/art_Not_Milk.htm
5. http://www.notmilk.com/
6. http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/facts/is-milk-good-for-you.htm
7. http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/breastfeeding-diff-breast-cow-milk.htm
8. http://unu.edu/unupress/food/8F174e/8F174E04.htm
9. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,835434,00.html