Did you know that in Medieval England parents would tie rabbits’ feet around their babies’ necks to ward off illness? Doctors would also spit on wounds because saliva was believed to have healing properties.
Indeed, history is replete with unfounded health beliefs, and to everyone’s detriment, the milk myth is among the most tenacious.
Milk is much more than just a drink; it’s a cultural phenomenon that can be traced back thousands of years. And still today, the milk myth resonates loud and clear: in 2001, the average American child consumed 104 quarts of cow’s milk.
Milk depletes the calcium from your bones
The milk myth has spread around the world based on the flawed belief that this protein and calcium-rich drink is essential to support good overall health and bone health in particular at any age. It is easy to understand that the confusion about milk’s imaginary benefits stems from the fact that it contains calcium – around 300 mg per cup.
But many scientific studies have shown an assortment of detrimental health effects directly linked to milk consumption. And the most surprising link is that not only do we barely absorb the calcium in cow’s milk (especially if pasteurized), but to make matters worse, it actually increases calcium loss from the bones. What an irony this is!
Here’s how it happens. Like all animal protein, milk acidifies the body pH which in turn triggers a biological correction. You see, calcium is an excellent acid neutralizer and the biggest storage of calcium in the body is – you guessed it… in the bones. So the very same calcium that our bones need to stay strong is utilized to neutralize the acidifying effect of milk. Once calcium is pulled out of the bones, it leaves the body via the urine, so that the surprising net result after this is an actual calcium deficit.
Knowing this, you’ll understand why statistics show that countries with the lowest consumption of dairy products also have the lowest fracture incidence in their population (there’s more on this later).
But the sad truth is that most mainstream health practitioners ignore these proven facts. I know it firsthand because when I was diagnosed with osteoporosis, my doctor recommended that I drink lots of milk in addition to taking Fosamax.
Fortunately, I did neither, because I knew that…
Cow’s milk is custom-designed for calves
Thanks to our creative ingenuity and perhaps related to our ancient survival needs, we adopted the dubious habit of drinking another species’ milk. Nobody can dispute that cow’s milk is an excellent food source for calves. Weighing around 100 pounds at birth, a calf typically gains approximately eight times its weight by the time it is weaned. But unlike humans, once calves are weaned, they never drink milk again. And the same applies to every mammalian species on this planet.
Also, each mammalian species has its own “designer” milk, and cow’s milk is no exception. For example, cow’s milk contains on average three times the amount of protein than human milk which creates metabolic disturbances in humans that have detrimental bone health consequences.
It’s important to bear in mind that mother’s milk is excellent nourishment for human babies, but its composition is very different from cow’s milk.
Scientific studies show that milk increases fracture risk
Many scientific studies contradict the conventional wisdom that milk and dairy consumption help reduce osteoporotic fractures. Surprisingly, studies demonstrating that milk and dairy products actually fail to protect bones from fractures outnumber studies that prove otherwise. Even drinking milk from a young age does not protect against future fracture risk but actually increases it. Shattering the “savings account” calcium theory, Cumming and Klineberg report their study findings as follows:
“Consumption of dairy products, particularly at age 20 years, was associated with an increased risk of hip fracture in old age. (“Case-Control Study of Risk Factors for Hip Fractures in the Elderly”. American Journal of Epidemiology. Vol. 139, No. 5, 1994).1
And the 12 year long Harvard Nurses’ Health Study found that those who consumed the most calcium from dairy foods broke more bones than those who rarely drank milk. This is a broad study based on 77,761 women aged 34 through 59 years of age.
In the authors’ own words:
“These data do not support the hypothesis that higher consumption of milk or other food sources of calcium by adult women protects against hip or forearm fractures.” (Source: Feskanich D, Willett WC, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA. Milk, dietary calcium, and bone fractures in women: a 12-year prospective study. American Journal of Public Health. 1997).2
Shocking statistics ignored by mainstream medicine
In the Osteoporosis Reversal Program one of the topics I discuss is the complete disregard of scientific evidence that discredits milk and dairy products as the best source of calcium.
One exception is Amy Lanou Ph.D., nutrition director for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington, D.C., who states that:
“The countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis are the ones where people drink the most milk and have the most calcium in their diets. The connection between calcium consumption and bone health is actually very weak, and the connection between dairy consumption and bone health is almost nonexistent.”
Surprised? You shouldn’t be, because as I mentioned earlier in this article…
Milk is an acidifying animal protein
Like any other animal derived protein-rich food, milk has a positive potential renal acid load (PRAL) which triggers a protective biological reaction to neutralize all the damaging acidic protein before it reaches the kidneys.
The body is designed for survival, so it sacrifices bone density to protect the kidneys and urinary tract because the latter are essential to survival. And the most readily available source of acid neutralizer is in the bones. So even though milk contains calcium, it ends up sapping your bones of that crucial mineral. But that’s not all because…
Today’s milk is a processed food
Until the end of the 19th century in Europe and the beginning of the 20th century in the US, milk was consumed unpasteurized or raw. Later on, homogenization became the industry’s standard. These processes further alter milk’s chemistry and actually increase its detrimental acidifying effects.
Raw milk advocates claim that if cow’s milk is left “as is” it is a healthy and wholesome drink. It is true that raw milk is less acidifying than processed milk and that pasteurization and homogenization may cause a long list of digestive and other health problems, but I still don’t recommend drinking any kind of cow’s milk.
Nowadays, milking cows are given antibiotics and most are also injected with a genetically engineered form of bovine growth hormone (rBGH). A man-made or synthetic hormone used to artificially increase milk production, rBGH also increases blood levels of the insulin-growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in those who drink it. And higher levels of IGF-1 are linked to several cancers.
This should not be ignored, especially in view of recent information by Samuel Epstein, MD, Professor of Environmental Medicine at the University of Illinois School of Public Health, and Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition. In a press release titled “Monsanto’s Hormonal Milk Poses Serious Risks of Breast Cancer, Besides Other Cancers” (June 21, 1998) Dr. Epstein concludes that:
“Drinking rBGH milk would thus be expected to significantly increase IGF-1 blood levels and consequently to increase risks of developing breast cancer and promoting its invasiveness.”
Even though organic milk is from cows that are not given antibiotics or rBHG, if you truly care about your bone health and your overall health, you should…
Avoid drinking cow’s milk
As I explain in the Osteoporosis Reversal Program and contrary to mainstream recommendations, drinking milk and eating lots of dairy products are not the answer to reversing osteoporosis. And while in the Osteoporosis Reversal Program no food is completely off limits, I strongly recommend that you explore the different milk substitute options that I will list for you here.
But first, I’d like to clarify that unsweetened fermented or cultured dairy products such as yogurt, kefir, and sour cream are acid neutral. Yogurt in particular is chock-full of beneficial qualities. As is the case with milk, organic yogurt does not have rBGH, but even several of the most well-known yogurt brands have stopped using the bovine growth hormone (rBGH). You should call your favorite yogurt company to confirm. One more clarification: when I say unsweetened I mean without sugar or any artificial sweetener. However, you can add honey or stevia, a zero calorie plant-derived sweetener that is delicious and alkalizing as well. I like to carry around stevia packets in my purse so that I’m always able to sweeten food or drinks when I’m on the go.
The best milk substitutes
My favorite milk substitute is unsweetened almond milk, not only because it is alkalizing (as almonds are), but also because it’s delicious and tastes very similar to milk. I even cook with it!
If almond milk is hard to get, you can also try rice or soy milk. I strongly suggest consuming only organic soy milk to insure it’s not made with genetically modified soy. There is also some controversy about unfermented soy products, so try to use it in moderation.
What Else Haven’t They Told You?
What else have you been told about bone health by your doctor or other “experts” that is flat out wrong? What other “facts” (like drinking milk does a body good) are keeping you from optimal health?
Myths like these are a big reason I created the Osteoporosis Reversal Program. To give you the straight scoop on how to deal with osteoporosis the natural way.
I can help you take control of your future.
Learn more about the Osteoporosis Reversal Program here →
And remember, if you ever hear someone ask “Got milk?” smile and think to yourself “No, because I know better!”
And as always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Share them with me and the rest of our community by leaving a comment below.
References
1 Cumming RG, Klineberg RJ. “Case-Control Study of Risk Factors for Hip Fractures in the Elderly”. American Journal of Epidemiology. Vol. 139, No. 5, 1994
2 Feskanich D, Willett WC, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA. Milk, dietary calcium, and bone fractures in women: a 12-year prospective study. American Journal of Public Health. 1997
I have never liked milk but was made to drink it as a child, since adulthood I have stopped drinking milk. Good to hear I was right when I said we don’t need milk THANK YOU!!
Dear Vivian,
How about goat’s or camel’s milk are they as acidic as cow’s milk. What about anchovies as an alternative source of calcium?
Me parece fantástico haberte encontrado ¡¡¡ son muchas mis consultas y aportes ,primero quiero saber si este es el canal correctos para hacerlas …bendiciones estudio nutrición ortomolecular,un abrazo ingrid
Dear Vivian,
Thank you for sending me the article. I came across your website bec. I was looking for alternative ways to improved my osteopenia I had my dexa scan and my md said it has worsen .I don’t want to take my fosamax bec. I am scared of all the side effects and also the article that I read in the newspaper.I am going to buy your book and follow the regimen. I am glad I stumble on your website
Thanks again. Eva
great article! I just found out that milk was bad for you after reading ch 1 of natalia rose’s book “The Raw Food Detox Diet.” This article supplements what she meant. There are still some articles online that say otherwise and still promote benefits of milk. However, I have become convinced by you and other articles, and I’m staying away from milk (cow’s specifically).
Thank you!
I am especially thankful for this acticle about milk! I have believed for about ten years that milk was not what it was said to be. Of course, no one would believe me and I got laughed at, looked at as if I were crazy! The truth is that I was not sure exactly why it wasn’t good for you but now I do know because of your fantastic message. Now I have ammunition to prove my believes. I have a friend who was just diagnosed with osteopenia. The first thing they told her was about the drugs and of course to drink lots of milk and take 1200mg of vitamin D daily. I was diagnosed with osteoporosis four years ago and was told by my doctor at that time that I should immediately take the drugs, drink four glasses of milk a day, and take 1000mg of calcium. It turned out that I did not absorb any of the calcium but instead it went to my joints and caused a kidney stone. I was devastated! However, I did not take the drugs because I looked up the side effects (that they neglected to tell me about) and was horrified to see what they were. I also learned how these drugs work. By the Grace of God I chose not to take them. I was on my own and scared. I got the osteoporosis from due to a malfunctioning thyroid which my doctor ignored. I kept asking for a test and he kept denying me. There for my hormones and body functions got all messed up and acid reflex disease and osteoporosis was two of the results. My symptoms were making my life difficult to say the least. My husband heard about a mobile unit that gave full body scans. The thyroid was included. It showed two large tumors, one on each side of my thyroid. I took these results to a specialist and his biopsy showed it was the kind of tumor the incapsulated cancer cells and as it grew the cells grew and at 3cm it would burst and spead the cancer. They were 2.7cm when this diagnosis was determined. Naturally the tumors had to be removed along with my thyroid. The doctor got them and my thyroid out in time and I was and am cancer free. However, not treating this for about seven years, damage was done. I have controlled the acid reflex with natural treatments and diet changes. But the osteoporosis is still a big problem for me. However, your article and booklet has given me great hope. Also,I plan on buying your book but can’t afford it for another two months. In the mean time your online free booklet will help me off to a good start. Thank you so much for sharing your story and giving me a change to not have to worry about breaking my hip and being unable to do the things I want to do. I am now 67 years old and have 10 grandchildren and on great grandson. I am very active and excise regularly. Again thank you for all that you are doing to help me and so many women who were without hope! God bless you.
Sincerely and gratefully yours,
Patricia Payne
How the FDA supports your argumentation? Why If milk is so pernicious to our health or at leas to our bones, the FDA hasn’t ruled on this? Where can I get scientific or medical literature to read and learn more, and I mean serious source research not magazinearticles or dietitians books?
Alberto Alvarez from Puerto Rico
Hi Alberto, you could start with the names and studies referenced in the article. Why the FDA hasn’t ruled it out? Because they have an economic interest. Many members of the FDA are affiliated with companies (like Monsanto). When you read an article like this you have to do some of your own research, but be aware of who is giving out the info (ask what a person could gain or lose by providing or holding back certain types of info) and make your own decision.
If you are going to talk about being wary of the information being read, then I suggest being wary of this article. You might think the FDA has their economic interest, but you have yours as well: Lead people astray, sell your expensive organic product substitutes. Do not solely blame Milk; your diet was probably horrid to begin with. Milk is not for everyone, but do not remove it from your diet. It’s the best thing for children; but if you think you need to remove it from your child’s diet, then expect slow growth. Doing this is like doing the no-carb diet, the most stupid thing ever heard of. You need to list more research then this, where is the counter-argument? As stated in previous comments, “anything in excess is bad for you.” That’s just common sense. I see a bunch of idiots who will change their diet whenever a new study is done, and shows that whichever food/drink is bad. Be a pussy, drink milk. https://i.imgur.com/yQNGE.jpg
Actually i recently discovered that I am allergic to all Cow products and shame on you for the ignorance displayed. I grew up on a farm and ate ultra healthy since day 1..but all my foreign doctors tell me milk is bad. My western dr says it’s “OK” I quit cow milk and drink hemp milk, which naturally has more nutrients and is much easier to digest.(leading me to believe Milk is NOT the best thing for children)I work with Native American’s and discovered that their stomachs are not accustomed to consuming dairy. What should we do for their children? Have you taken a break from Milk? Stop bashing the health conscious and actually try changing your diet, it may save your life, or at least extend it. Zulu ruler of generalizations. Try debunking the microbiology involved in the article instead of looking at the monetary workings involved with the milk industry, FDA and author to justify your idiotic opinion. geeez
or use your common sense and drink water!
Do you people ever read the news? The FDA themselves finally admitted that they know there is arsenic in Apple juice and chicken although they denied it for years. And these are the people that everyone is trusting to protect their health? It is no secret and study after study has shown that the health and well being of the people in the U.S. is the worst in the civilized world yet when someone “blows the whistle” so that people can make informed decisions almost everyone condemns them? People it is not hard, if you don’t believe it do your own research and find out for yourselves!
I have been eating and exercising to improve my osteoporosis for the last two years but have received a poor result on a repeat DEXA scan, just 3.5% improvement. I did all the things you talk about. What more can I do? I did weights and gardening, ate to keep the body alkaline, took high quality bone supplements, krill oil. I did not regularly take CoQ10. I am dairy and gluten intolerant so I avoided those foods. I ate lots of almonda and tahini, etc. What hope is there for me to improve my osteoporosis which is 2.6 and 3.1?
Ask some one else! like uhmm….. A real doctor
a doctor who learned from Rand or McNally? Go outside the US for a real Doctor, trust me, I accomplished much more in 2 days in Asia than 26 years of dealing with western medicine.
Vera Kay, you sound disappointed that you showed “just a 3.5% improvement” in your repeat DEXA bone density scan, after employing a diet, supplement and exercise program designed to improve the health of your bones. Sounds like you, a slightly osteoporotic person who actually gained bone density under the program, are on the right track and should continue what you are doing. If your bone density continues to improve, you’ll progress out of the osteoporotic range.
After just recently having my Doctor prescribe Fosomax for me, I did some research–found your web site, and am VERY thankful..I have just started your plan and am determined to stay with it. The bad side effects I have witnessed already in my older sister and do not want to have the painful life that she has now. Thank you for your research and advice.
I don’t know, I’m skeptical about the claimed causes for this when there’s a much simpler answer: Vitamin A. Our milk is fortified with A. Read this from Wikipedia:
Chronic intake of 1500 RAE of preformed vitamin A may be associated with osteoporosis and hip fractures. This may be due to the fact that an excess of vitamin A can block the expression of certain proteins dependent on vitamin K to reduce the efficacy of vitamin D, but has not yet been proven.[39] High vitamin A intake has been associated with spontaneous bone fractures in animals. Cell culture studies have linked increased bone resorption and decreased bone formation with high intakes. This interaction may occur because vitamins A and D may compete for the same receptor and then interact with parathyroid hormone, which regulates calcium.[35] Indeed, a study by Forsmo et al. shows a correlation between low bone mineral density and too high intake of vitamin A.
Are you serious? Wikipedia? Did you finished at least highschool? Too lazy to read formal information or this is just low IQ…….
alberto, if YOU weren’t so lazy you’d go to Wikipedia to see the many sources provided on every topic, including the one provided above. Wikipedia is a publicly monitored source of information. While it is possible for anyone to post false information, there are literally tens of thousands, if not more, people who are standing by to make corrections and provide facts with sources, unlike this page. Funny that you accuse the previous poster of stupidity when your own grammar and spelling is very poor.
I think Alberto is doing mighty fine considering English is probably not his first language. I’d love to see you post in a second language.
Alberto, Wikipedia is a great source of all kinds of info…
People who say Wikipedia is a bad source listen too much to their English teachers (representative of sheepishly following this article, too). Wikipedia consistently supports claims with easy to find, credible and correctly sited sources (a lacking quality in this article), of which you can find the supported information just the same as on Wikipedia. I’d like to challenge anybody to find a false claim on Wikipedia. It IS monitored and false information is removed if posted.
On another note, those calling Angelo “lazy” for using Wikipedia should realize life isn’t necessarily about working hard, it’s about working intelligently. What’s unintelligent about going to a source you know has the broadest amount of information in one area with credible sources to back it up?
i also read that here https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/calcium-and-milk/
I am curious how raw goat milk ranks in this calcium research? Is it acidic also or less so than cows milk?
Hi PearlforGod – I talked about goat milk in Question #9 at this link: https://saveourbones.com/vivian-answers-day-10/
Dear Vivian,
Thank you ever so much for all your communications.
The trouble is that we can share such only with English-speaking relatives or friends, here in France.
Did you never imagine to have a proper translation into French on line? Electronic translation is not satisfactory.
Could it be considered?
I know some candidates, if you intend to do so. Let me know the conditions, please.
I believe it would be worthwhile.
Best regards,
Pierre RHEIN
All of the research given, and other than the governmental kick backs that the schools are surely receiving, why do the schools FORCE milk on childern? You have to pay extra for it at my USD so I opted to not pay that and just sent her the very awesome singles that Silk has come out with for the almond milk. I was informed today by the Cafeteria Manager that this was not exceptable and that she would have to drink milk! NO KIDDING!!! The only way around this is to pack her a lunch everyday, which I will do. I just don’t think that it is right to TELL my child what is right and wrong. Give her an option of water or milk at least!
Is there ANY site that I can go to get help with this? I am very frustrated with the USD!
It’s great that you want to make a name for yourself, and your information is entirely valid! But since we only live once, I doubt it’s going to affect many people who are already stressful in their lives in this great nation of America. Consider that we are a consumer nation, a country of eaters that may or may not stuff garbage into our mouths by the shovel full. But what we’re looking at here is altering people who have spent their entire lives drinking milk from a cow and telling them it has all been a lie. Now, how do people feel when they are in their twenties and they learn they’re adopted? Bah, that’s not even a good example, Wallamazoo, you might be thinking. Of course it isn’t, but what it is to these people is a complete life change. From now on they have to look at every food item ingredient and see if this product contains lactose, dairy products, and what’s next? Gluten? Carbohydrates? What is this you tell people?
“Consumption of dairy products, particularly at age 20 years, was associated with an increased risk of hip fracture in old age.”
Oh my, that’s terrible. But old age does indeed come at a cost. But tell me, where is the information of when the “old age” starts? I can’t go without being slapped by any woman over the age of twenty-eight if I ask “How old are you?” So then, if people who drink milk at age 20 are at risk of “old age damage,” ask yourself this: how many years from the age twenty do I have before I am at risk of a hip fracture? Take that into account. But readers, see the full article of the (Case-Control Study of Risk Factors for Hip Fractures in the Elderly”. American Journal of Epidemiology. Vol. 139, No. 5, 1994)
“Abstract: The objective of this population-based case-control study was to identify risk factors for hip fracture among elderly women and men, particularly factors during young and middle adult life. The study base comprised people aged 65 years and over living in a defined region in Sydney, Australia, during 1990–1991. Cases were recruited from 12 hospitals, and controls were selected using an area probability sampling method, with additional sampling from nursing homes. There were 416 subjects (209 cases and 207 controls); proxy respondents were needed for 27 percent of the subjects. Smoking, underweight in old age, overweight at age 20 years, and weight loss were associated with an increased risk of hip fracture. Consumption of dairy products, particularly at age 20 years, was associated with an increased risk of hip fracture in old age. Multivariate adjusted odds ratios for quintiles of dairy product consumption at age 20 years were 1.0 (lowest quintile), 0.8, 1.8, 3.4, 2.9 (highest quintile). Caffeine and alcohol intake were not associated with hip fracture risk. Some of the results of this study were unanticipated and may be due to chance or bias. If confirmed by other studies, these results would challenge some current approaches to hip fracture prevention.”
Here you can see that there were many other probable causes of hip fractures, including smoking. However the ratios of milk related hip fractures varied from person to person which does imply that individuals have the physical bias whether or not milk has an adverse affect on their system. This of course can be attributed to the volume of milk they consumed, what other edibles they consumed with milk, and so on.
Furthermore, what I feel is being used in this article is a means of attacking its readers by instilling fear of something that will be a concern for them when they are older. A very common tactic, which essentially boils down to “disagree with my learnings, and you will die.” I’m sorry to reveal to everyone, but, everybody has a 100% chance of perishing.
Alas, I do appreciate the work that Vivian Goldschmidt MA has done here. But since my mind is stuck in the Medieval age of bartering and custodial pillaging, I’ll keep my bottle of milk close by.
Moral of the Article: You’re a savage if you don’t modernize. Save the cows. Continue the journey to immortality.
Jesus, thank you.
I concur with the thank you. Truth is, give any scientist enough money and time and they will come up with whatever results that will net them more reasearch money and time. I can pull up several valid studies that are in direct conflict with this one. People just have to make their choices based on what they believe, not what others tell them to believe. In another 10 years, this study will probably be obsolete and people will be telling us to suckle puppies or some nonsense!
i didn’t get that from this article! lol
I find this thread confusing if not misleading. How do you reconcile the “Milk is bad for you” theory with the evidence from rresearch such as shown by Dr Mercola, and the research of Dr Weston Price, and the other voluminous articles about the value of raw unpasteurized milk?
i am confused about the stevia recommendation at the end of this article….are you saying we should take this for healing, or use it instead of sugar? clarification would be great! thanks
The three great Nutritionists on the Internet as far as I know and have made a change in the way I eat are Vivian Goldsmith (this because i have osteopenia), also Coach Josh and Isabel de los Rios. As Isabel say sugar is bad as the Joker in Batman. Change completely to Stevia. Also Coach Josh eat Truvia which is made of the tasty part of the stevia plant. One co-worker of mine told me and I don’t know if this is true or not , that her Vegetarian Mother eat the Stevia Plant as a colon cleanser. And I want to tell you that I appreciate what Vivian is doing for us, which is giving us her talent for the good of the people. Thank you Vivian and keep up the good work!
I have listened and read the digital download and cannot wait to get my plan that I ordered last evening. thank you for all your research.
Mary
I have change from Lactose Free 2% Milk to Almond Milk as your instructions.
Now after reading some website I’am confused because they are telling that almond milk is bad for your thyroid I drink about two 10oz glasses of almon milk a day. See below the article and also they are telling about an additive names carrageenan to make almond milk thick that can cause gstric ulcerations and cancer: Please Vivian I would need your feedback.
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100411205625AAVXpRN
Almond milk is great on cereal but you can’t eat it on a regular basis without damaging your thyroid. Even in milk form,almonds are still nuts and require substantial input from your thyroid to process. Eventually, your thyroid can’t keep up. That’s when you get heart palpitations. If you keep it up, they get worse until you are finally diagnosed with a thyroid condition.
There’s cons to anything that is over-consumed. Moderation goes a long way. Almond milk is probably good . . . so is cow’s milk . . . and probably soy. But I’ve heard bad things about all three. What are people doing, drinking it by the boat-load? And there is always going to be people allergic to such and such. I don’t know . . . nutrition these days is an open field for anyone wanting to claim this or that . . . And pull studies out of their rearends to “prove” their stance.
Really, heart palpitations, Thyroid problems?
I stopped drinking milk for about 6 weeks now and now drink and use almond milk in my cereal. I have been having an unusually large amount of heart palpitations lately and have been trying to figure out what has been the cause. I have also been having tension headaches for he same amount of time. I am very fit. I am an Ironman and marathon runner, so the heart and headache issue probably is not from a lack of exercise. My BMI is very good. My resting heart rate is 41 bpm. I think I am going back to using milk to see if it changes anything. I realize Almond milk is good tasting, but it is not really a natural drink, it is man made. Too much of a good thing is not necessarily a good thing. I will let you know if the heart palpitations and headaches subside.
Do your thoughts on milk also apply to yogurt and kefir. Kefir in particular I thought would be such a good source because it has loads of calcium and K and other good nutrients. This is a big part of my calcium intake right now so important to know if this is as bad as depending on milk.
Fermented dairy products such as kefir and yogurt are acid-neutral and just fine.
Wrong, they are more acidic than milk by far, having a ph of about 4.6, way more acidic than milk, yet you say it is okay to eat it? You are contradicting yourself over and over, and I cannot believe people believe this ridiculousness you written.
Not everyone can take the soy milk,so individuals should custom there diet to their needs. Quit taking Actonel after 5 years and all is fine, do not plan to take any drugs in future,off 4 years and little increase in density.Get our vitamins from food and have blood work to truly show deficiencies.Common sense too will help as decisions are made for each persons best choice of dealing with age as it is something we all have in common.
I enjoyed the article about milk. I’ve always had a suspicion that it isn’t good for us. I knew that pasteurization was bad for us at least. I think I will try the almond milk. I’m 63 and have had one broken bone from slipping in a puddle at my local grocery store. I’ve just had a dex a scan and am waiting for results. I do know I will NOT take fosamax. I will follow the natural way. Thank ykou so much for the information. Sincerely Kathi
My mother often said “cow milk is for baby cows”. I became a vegetarian 27 years ago and began drinking soy milk. I am 49 and my doctor cannot believe how healthy I am. I have no diseases, take no daily medications, and I am not overweight.
Americans have been sold the (false) idea of a food pyramid with animal protein at the top. This model was constructed by the ranching and dairy industry. We have been manipulated to believe that we must consume animal products in order to be healthy. The millions of healthy vegetarians & vegans in the world prove that is a myth.
Soy products are not healthy for you. Please research.
~Paks.
Are you trying to tell me that your doctor specifically said that you were so healthy (at this age) because you stopped having dairy products 29 years ago??…I mean, that would be like me saying (to someone like you), I stopped using herbal products 29 years ago and only eat dairy product, and my doctor says I’m soooo healthy – completely disease-free. I mean, I’m happy for you that you’re healthy, that’s awesome, but to make it look like the ONLY reason that is is because you don’t drink milk etc is a little silly ehh…
Love you article, your site and your books. I have incorporated many of your ideas in my daily life. I stopped drinking milk because I have a food sensitivity to it. I have found that making my own almond milk is an economical way to go, plus I get all the fiber. I use about 1 cup of filtered water and about 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of almonds (depending on how much fiber I want). I set them in a container for about 2 hours or overnight. Then I blend them and use them instead of milk. I have a great recipe from Meta Given’s cookbook for biscuits and pancakes. I use the exact same recipe except I use one part almond milk and one part orange juice. So if the recipe calls for 1 cup of milk, I use 1/2 cup of each. The biscuits have more fiber, than the regular recipe. You can also substitute the gluten flour for Red Mills baking flour or pancake mix for a gluten free, milk free biscuit. They are so good. I have made them my regular bread product as I can not eat yeast or milk because of food sensitivities (allergies). I have built bone and lost weight by eliminating yeast and milk from my diet. By the way you need to eliminiate milk chocolate as well – and watch out for dark chocolate that is really dark milk chocolate. I love the Lindt 70% dark chocolate – it is my favorite.
i read a lot of your comments with some amusement, biblicly cows milk never came into the equation ,also could not a lot of the problems associated with cows milk, unless of course you drink raw milk, be caused by the processing and additives used ? if you care to even look at the label of contents in cows milk you will find that it is not even true milk just an amalgamation of constituent parts ,processed to look like milk and be highly palatable.raw milk goes off quite quickly ,processed milk lasts quite a time longer.YOU DO NOT NEED TO DRINK MILK.
I have been prescribed Fosamax pills, but after reading your letters, I believe that I should quit. Should I take one every other week until my prescription is used up, or quit “cold turkey”?
Also I was advised to take Calcium + D pills. Should I quit these, also? I’m almost 75 years old and have been on Fosamax for 10-15 years probably. I lead a pretty active life style — walking and mowing the yard.
Morning! I have been drinking soy milk for a few months now. I have tried fosamax and boniva but I felt worse from both. Now I am taking calcium w/D and still feel the same. I am afraid of the Bone meds as I have actually had my jaw lock up for an entire year and am afraid of “crumbling jaw” As of present I am just trying to incorporate a little walking for exercise. What happened to the “golden” years”? I am only 61!
Mildred, please do not incorporate “a little” walking for exercise. Step it up! At least 30-45 min a day with your heart rate elevated. Your bones will never recover if you don’t bear weight. You need to sit a lot less. Walk with ankle or wrist weights. You’ll be surprised that after a few weeks walking will feel like nothing – and your bones will be stronger! Then you will want to add weight lifting. Go Mildred!
Never read so much nonsense….MILK can and does SUSTAIN life…what other food can do that….none
My bones are just fine thank you and I am 76 years old
water…water sustains life! If you were meant to drink milk your mother would produce it her whole life!
Your parents can not be around forever and in many species, parents are actually competitors. You must eventually become your own person/animal and hence, relying on milk would be implausible…but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t good for you. There are many healthy foods that we weren’t “meant” to eat. Nothing was put here just for us. We are, however, the only animal that is capable of farming (and thus the only animals with reasonable access to) milk as adults and so the fact that other species don’t do it is not very relevant, either. They CAN’T do it.
I would call this a logical fallacy. Your argument is like for me to support smoking because “I’m 90 years old and have smoked all my life and don’t have lung cancer and am basically fine.” The overall good or bad of any particular item (particularly foods)is not judged by the effect it has on any one given person. There are people that smoke their entire lives and don’t end up with lung cancer and deadly ailments due their smoking and yet no one would argue that cigarette smoking is safe or even neutral. Things are judged on their overall effect and the result the produce in a population of people, even genetics can play a role in whether or not you are as likely to become ill from one thing as opposed to another. When an article like this talks of milk being bad, it refers to the majority, or at least a large population of people not just the individual.
WOW!!! thank you for this info.. I really don’t like milk but was told to always have at leasta cup a day because I have RSD. Thanks again.
Is 1% Lowfat Milk safe?
Humans are omnivores with tendency towrds herbivous. Proof:only herbivores sweat!We cannot synthesise our own Vitamn C as all carnivores can.Milk is not healthy and never was.Milk consumption is higher than ever and still people have weaker bones than ever.The fact is that calcium lactate in milk is poorly absorbed while calcium citrate is much better absorbed so eat oranges and greens like collards and broccoli.Plus,vitamn D is vital to absorb calcium so get out into the sun without sun block,just not too lang.It’s simple really!Add to that the fact that milk production is cruel:to keep the cow lactating she has to give birth to a calv every year and those calves are just by-products and are torn from their mothers and either killed right away or stuck into veal crates.The fact is also that in societies where people don’t consume milk they don’t have osteoporosis.Yes,people in the netherlands are tall but they are not healthy and have a high amount of osteoporosis as have people in Scandinavia who also consume a lot of milk.
Thank you. I have been trying to tell my friends that milk is bad for you for months. I sent this to them over E-Mail and hopefully they believe me now. Take that Society!!!!
I hope they do too, Burt!
It is absolutely disheartening to hear others say “Do your research” do you know what Dioxin is…LOOK IT UP!! Do YOUR research!!
You can’t….should not believe all that you read or hear…use a little common sense…think
I have been purchasing lactose-free cow’s milk, which refers to having enzymes like Lactase & Lipase to help with the digestion of lactose & fat. Is this type of milk still acidifying and should be avoided for a proper calcium absorption? Also, if I drink the milk with a Multi-Enzyme capsule, will this improved the calcium absorption?
Hi Erasmo,
Lactose-free milk is still acidifying. And dairy milk is not an efficent way to get calcium. But if you still wish to drink it, you can – in the right proportions. No food is forbidden in the program. If you do choose to drink milk, organic is preferred.
Vivian,
I just bought Silk PureAlmond all natural almondmilk, vanilla, with added vitamins & minerals.
Is this acceptable, or should I have bought organic unsweetened almondmilk?
Thanks in advance,
Tammye
I quickly scanned my neighbor’s copy of your book, then ran out to buy rice, soy, coconut, and almond milks. They all contain “evaporated cane syrup.” That sounds like “sugar” to me. I will drink them anyway, then buy the unsweetened version next time.
My neighbor’s book, that I mentioned, is paperback. You ordering department had no knowlege of a paperback version. I am confused.
If there is a paperback version, how can I get one?
I believe that you are partly correct. Every person is different, everyone has a distinct biology. There are some broad categories, that some people can be grouped into, however anyone that claims a one size fits all diet is oversimplifying the issue. I believe that people need to take the time to ascertain what type of diet they are most atuned to. I would argue that evolution and natural selection have tailored people to specific regional diets. Dairy is more suitable to some, but not to others.
Thank you Fred for thinking and adding to common sense
Common sense is not to drink the milk of another mammal!!!
Not to eat the meat of another mammal would be common sense too.
However, putting that aside, Fred and Amanda are correct in that one size does not fit all. Those who decend from a line of people who have mutated to accomodate the cow’s milk enzyme, sometimes actually do better with some milk in their diet. -And that’s just the way it is, not that it can’t be changed back after a couple of generations of avoiding milk.
Distinct Biology??? The simple fact is that ALL human beings’ blood is slightly alkaline. 7.35. it doesn’t vary or you die. Milk is very acidifying. There is no debate on this…
I agree with his comment on distinct biologies. We are evolutionary beings, and there are regional differences, which have allowed some to digest certain foods better than others. I don’t believe this comment warrants harsh criticism.
Confused about whether to take drugs for osteo? My mother was on Fosamax for years. She broke her femur (doctors are starting to sound the alarm about the rising incidence of these fractures in women on osteo drugs). Two weeks later, she broke her hip, and spent the rest of her life in a wheelchair. My mother-in-law has been on osteo drugs for years, and has had 6 fractures in the last year (including knee, arm, foot, vertebra — all very painful and debilitating). If these drugs aren’t preventing fractures, I ask what is the point in taking them and suffering all the side effects? I stopped taking them after they made my joints so sore I had difficulty going upstairs. I started on Vivian’s program, and six months later my bone density (and digestion)had improved.
Tried the unsweetened almond milk. Could not drink it, tasted horrible. Like a bad medicine!!
what you should do is get actual almonds, leave them in hot water for the night, in the morning put just the almonds in a blender, and then filtrate it. put honey and cinnamon in the milk and drink it. it is DELICIOUS.
If you can’t find almond milk, just use ground almonds.
A couple of tablespoons will make a creamy porridge and you can do the same with soups. In fact, I don’t like the taste of almond (or any of the other milk substitutes) but adding ground almonds (in a similar way to adding dried cows milk ) is delicious and works extremely well. And ground almonds have a longer shelf life than milks!
This article makes sense to me. As I see in our country there are lot of poor people who can not afford drinking milk and they do more hard labor than us but they don’t get bone fracture or any related disease. We drink milk for the whole life and get these problems. When my son was several months old he would regularly have urticaria, a kind of allergy. The doctor told me to stop giving him cow milk immediately, I did and he never got this problem again.
Hello Vivian,
I believe what you said about cow milk. I am 60 years old now. I used to consume lots of powdered cow milk. Within the last six months I felt bad each time I consumed milk, both in my knee and waist. Recently, I had to avoid it and just added honey to my tea. The situation has greatly improved. I have no intention of going back to it. Thanks for the confirmation.
Anselm.
Sorry, I don’t believe you. I’ve been a huge milk drinker all my life (68 years) and still drink it every day. I have fell directly onto my knees and didn’t even have a bruise the next day. As for taking Fosamax, I rather drink poison.
AMEN
it is ok. already told by the people of sidha samadhi yoga. as it is suitable for infants upto 3 years age and for sick people for emergency particularly older aged as they can not swallow solid food.so credit should go to SSY ORGANISATION from BANGALORE by RISHI PRABHAKAR.IT IS LISTED ONE OF THE FIVE WHITE POISONS LIKE SALT SUGAR WHITE COULERED RICE i.e excess grinded losing B-VITAMIN AND THE LAST ONE IS MAIDA.in telugu.
What a bunch of nonsense, when will these new agers get a grip??
I think we should tie her up and make her drink 5 glasses of raw milk a day and see what its real affects are LOL!!
Milk is awesome God made it you are a foolish woman now go away!
I bet you advocate vaccines and all that nonsesne.
Nuff Said.
you are a very angry person and should seek help for your theory of how to properly prove a point/disprove someone else’s point. Milk is proven to have a high acidic nature to it. everything shes said is not false or anything about what the milk has in it or what it CAN do to someone. As someone else said no one person is the same as another, some people may have higher tolerances to chemicals that others don’t. if drinking Milk hasnt effected you so what, it can still have a negative impact on other people, i myself drink Chocolate milk as if its the nectar of life, im 21 and have never had any damage to my bones whatsoever (knock on wood) doesnt change the fact that what she says still has scientific fact of whats IN the milk we drink, what effect it has on people varies from person to person. apparently for your sake it makes you tie people up and force them to drink milk for a week and for my sake i hope it doesn’t have the same effect on me or its hello looney bin. NUFF SAID
Edit:
P.S Cow milk is made for Cows, Human Breast milk is made for humans,if you want to include God into any factor, you should prepare youself with an education higher then that of a 1st grader.
The contents of a chicken egg are meant for unhatched, baby chickens, so therefor it must be bad for adult humans.
In this same line of thought, God made everything. Doesn’t mean you should injest everything you lay eyes on. Plus, I’m fairly certain God made cow milk with baby cows in mind.
AMEN
silly reply…the topic is milk…which babies of all species thrive on…as well as some adults
woah! GET A GRIP FRED,, WHY BRING GOD INTO THE CONVERSATION; JUST SHOWS ANYTHING YOU SAY IS TOTALLY BOLLOX
WOW. Yes by the power of God aresenic, poison ivy, hemlock etc etc. also exist. I wouldn’t recommend that anyone ever consume any of these nor follow the logic you offer because they could end up seriously harming themselves.
If you really believe you’re right, why not offer some actual counter EVIDENCE, rather than just attack on a personal level which in this case bears no fruit in favor of your opinion that milk is good (ad hominem – look it up, so you don’t make the same mistake again Sir).
Dear Vivian,
Thankyou so much for your continued research to help us to be knowleageable of our own destiny with bone health. Many woman today are becoming more informed about their own bone health issues. I just had one of our librarians Hold the “Bone Health Program” for me as I am anxious to learn more. I can’t wait to read it. Again, thankyou for helping all of us with bone health issues. You have made such a difference in so many lives.
Kristine M. Varzal
Sorry Mike. This is based on solid science. It’s not “tosh” just because you don’t want to believe it.
look up the studies it lists. It IS “tosh”
Heck, here’s a couple of the abstracts:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9224182
The first one is a Case-control study, which is basically a survey, asking what people consumed DECADES ago. It’s a type of study that leads the way for POSSIBLE studies in the future. These aren’t even taken by the scientific community as solid evidence.
And the second one, well just read it. Milk didn’t reduce the chances that people broke their bones. wow. really?
It would be more believable if there weren’t adverts on the page for awareness products designed by the authors of this rubbish.
“evidence” is always going to be swayed towards the group of people who are “funding” the research. If it was funded by the government, they are going to get you to believe whatever makes more money…MILK is not suitable for humans.
Regardless of weather or not Milk is good for you, I think everybody can agree that it’s animal cruelty. And we’re Omnivores.. we have an entire planet to eat off of. Milk just isn’t necessary.
Rue, perhaps you’d like to demonstrate how we are “omnivores”. Here’s the proof that we’re herbivores https://redtail.net.au/comparative-anatomy.pdf When you do the comparison of Carnivores, Herbivores, Omnivores and Humans we are in every respect a herbivore.
According to that link we aren’t omnivores because we don’t resemble bears. It conveniently doesn’t include any other examples of omnivores like pigs(which for a long time were used to aid in learning human anatomy because of the similarities), chimpanzees, or baboons.
Also, as an evolutionary trait, carnivores, and a good number of omnivores, have their eyes mounted on the front of the head for better depth perception when catching prey. Most herbivores have their eyes mounted on the sides of their head for a better field of view.
You forgot to mention the part about our human teeth being specifically designed to tear and chew flesh.
Getting milk from a cow is NOT dangerous for a cow. I have farmed a majority of my life and it doesn’t harm the cow whatsoever. The milk is merely a byproduct of what they eat and yu do not have to stab a hole in a cow to get it. You are wrong.
this is more so to Erika. Hun, our FRONT teeth are designed for carnivore reasons, the rest are designed for herbivore reasons. humans need nutrition from all aspects of the world, if you wish to substitute how you get those nutritions(aka vegitarians getting vitamins meat would give through pills or substitute it with other food products that are not of the meat nature) thats fine. but to argue that humans are carnivore or herbavore is going to get people no where fast because the body gets nutrition from both sides of the spectrum, and the teeth in a humans mouth are also designed for both. they are built to be omni, but they do not NEED to be omni to survive.
Went in for a DEX exam ..I am almost in the red! I also refuse to take Fosamax which is what the doctor prescribed…
I am very relieved to have found this web site because all my family is upset at me for not taking the Drs advice.. I bought a natural bone builder fromm a company named
New Chapter , Bone Strength…cost me $54.00…
And I ask myself every day “Am I doing the right thing?’
Please take your doctor’s advice. He knows what he’s talking about. You’re not “doing the right thing” if you take some tabloid-esque article’s advice over that of a trained professional.
I don’t doubt there are doctors that have sincere good intentions, I’m not even debating the effectiveness of the fosamax medication but is it wrong for people to be wary of taking Fosamax seeing as how these big pharmaceuticals back the supporting research and have touted benefits only to be in “error” at the public cost ie see Vioxx recall by Merck and now Fosamax made by Merck? You have to admit the conflict of interest. Corporations don’t blink an eye at the human cost if it means a dime towards their bottom line doubly so if there’s comparatively downside if they’re wrong. Lastly, these trained professionals are recommending (and in some cases pressuring) their patients to take Fosamax based solely on the research provided and backed by those pharmaceutical comnpanies aren’t they?
I’m taking Pro Bono, supplements to build bone. I have seen studies on the internet where it has increased bone density. I just started it and hope it works for me. I too am afraid to take perscription meds.
Dear Vivian,
It is alright for me to drink skim milk and cottage cheese if I am also taking a multi vitamin which supplies calcium and getting calcium from other dietary sources?
Sorry, meant is it alright? lol
Even if you are getting calcium from other sources, the dairy you ingest will still make you more acidic and also causes inflammation in the body. Most people cannot digest dairy and cannot see/fee the side affects unless they take it out of their diet for a period of time and then reintroduce it. Dairy, on top of what was mentioned in the article, also causes acne, is often a cerbral allergen, causes congestion, ear infections in young children..the list goes on. If you are going to have any dairy, have certified organic to avoid the hormones and antibiotics, and not skim, the less fat in it means the more processed it is and the less enzymes left in it to be digested properly. It is a hard switch, I struggle with cutting dairy out myself even though I am lactose intolerant.
What about butter? One alternative medicine doctor, Bruce West, claims that it contains lots of vitamin K and is good for you. I would think that butter is just like milk and would be just as acid and would draw the calcium out of your body the same as milk. So should one avoid real butter as well?
Mike isn’t a doctor, so don’t listen to him – especially since he is likely to be a dairy industry sock puppet doing what he is paid to do – trawl around the net, obfuscate and deny. All dairy is bad news.
and that makes you what? more trustworthy?
they just want your money.
Excellent information on milk. I have been a milk drinker, including cottage cheese, sour cream, etc. all of my life. I just had a hip replacement at age 64, and found out I have osteoarthritis in my other hip and lower back. My doc put me on a good multi vitamin and additional vitamin D (calcium in the multi)as my bone scan wasn’t good. After two years, the next bone scan showed bone growth – or less loss than the previous bone scan. She is upping my calcium a little. These two in combination with the other minerals, etc. in the multi vitamins (women’s Centrum) seem to be reversing my bone loss!
they just want your money
I would just like to add to Joe’s comment that they just want your money.