Although I’ve discussed giving up dairy in the past, I haven’t really explained why. There are many good reasons to reduce or eliminate dairy from one’s diet. Some people are concerned about the treatment of cows. Others feel that an excessive amount of resources is used in dairy production. I personally find the reasons related to human health most compelling. There is substantial evidence that dairy consumption is unhealthy in a variety of ways. Meanwhile, it is entirely possible to eat a healthy diet without consuming dairy products; cow’s milk is simply unnecessary for humans. So why eat something that you don’t need and that could be really bad for you?
In my research on this topic, I came across a concise list of 16 reasons to avoid dairy products. Rather than re-inventing the wheel by describing them all here, I’ll let you follow the link.
This article summary provides a good basic background of Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s work, along with some information from the Physician’s Committee on Responsible Medicine and plenty of statistics related to dairy consumption and health.
One additional reason that I’ve encountered that is not mentioned in the links above is that Crohn’s Disease may be related to bacteria in milk. (Here’s another article with less information, but from a more reputable-looking source.) My husband has Crohn’s, so this has particular relevance to my family.
Someone who is very curious or has way too much time on their hands might check out http://www.nomilk.com/ or http://www.notmilk.com/. I am hesitant to recommend these sites because I found many broken links on the No Milk page and I didn’t care for some of the writing on the Not Milk page. However, they do have a great many links to possibly interesting and relevant information. Keep in mind that these websites are not exactly objective, so use your critical thinking skills if you browse around them.
Finally, if you’re truly interested, I would recommend reading Dr. Campbell’s book The China Study. This book presents a well-supported argument for a whole foods, plant-based diet and has quite a bit of information on why dairy consumption may not be such a good idea.
Originally posted June 5, 2008 on http://burckeri.wordpress.com
