NO

by Sam Adkins

Milk is a staple of the American diet, even holding its own spot on the food pyramid. However, recent scientific studies have found that although milk contains calcium, protein, and vitamins, it may be harming our bodies. Consumption of dairy products is linked with type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high cholesterol. This, paired with the negative impact dairy production has on cows and the growing number of milk alternatives appearing on grocery shelves, creates a compelling argument against drinking milk. 

Before understanding how milk hurts our bodies, we must understand where it comes from: the breasts of female cows. Mammals have evolved to produce milk as a way of providing a dense amount of nutrients for their offspring during the first few developmental months of their lives.

There are two key phrases to focus on here: one being “their own offspring” and the other being “developmental months.” This means that dairy milk is intended for calves, just as human breast milk is intended for our babies. Continuing to drink milk into our adult years is unnatural, let alone the milk being from a different species. In fact, although the nutrients milk provides us are excellent as children, they can be unhealthy for adults depending on the type of nutrient. 

According to the National Library of Medicine, scientists have a working theory that the lactic acid in cow’s milk may require an immense amount of calcium in order to neutralize the acids, which would thus take away calcium from our body and the milk we consume in the process. The tests have been inconclusive as of now, but they have shown milk likely doesn’t provide nearly as much calcium as once suspected. Other studies also have shown dairy products have a strong correlation with prostate cancer and high cholesterol. Another study by the National Library of Medicine proved milk causes weight gain.

“Children who drank more than three servings a day of milk gained more in BMI than those who drank smaller amounts,” the study concluded.

Even if you ignore the dangerous impact milk has on the human body, the dairy industry also has a profoundly negative impact on our environment. It takes over 1,410,000,000 liters of water a day to sustain the lives of all the dairy cows in the US, not even including the cows used for beef production. Dairy farms also produce toxic air from all the dirt that is kicked up by the animals, causing respiratory issues among the people living near the farms and the animals themselves. Not to mention—the awful treatment of the cows, such as hormones injected into them on farms which is arguably a form of animal abuse.

While this may seem like a lot of bad news for milk lovers, fear not: there is a rising number of dairy alternative forms of the delicious drink, such as oat milk, almond milk, soy milk, and hemp milk, almost all of which provide equal if not more nutritional value. There are also many safer ways to get protein and calcium in our diets such as eggs, nuts, protein bars, and even supplements.

By making the small switch to non-dairy-milks, you are helping your body, the planet, and cows. Also, you don’t need to swear off ice cream or yogurt or cheese; giving up milk alone is a great step on the path to a healthier and natural diet and a healthier planet.