the devil in a white dress

I feel like I am doing this post a little prematurely because there are so many little side issues on this topic that I was hoping to discuss prior so it would be less confusing, but I feel like its extremely important and effects way too many people, so bear with me. 

Statistically, 75% of percent of people have an issue digesting milk. In my life, I think I know only about 4 people who love milk and have no problems consuming it. It is more common for adults to have a dairy intolerance, however I often hear a lot from parents about their kids suffering from milk issues. Maybe because milk is such a staple in a child's diet and as adults we often don't drink too much of it, unless its accompanied by a cookie :) Do kids really need milk? Oddly enough, its a personal question. Parents feel very strongly about whether or not their kids drink milk. One, its a comfort thing; they drank milk as babies and still have that connection to it. Two, the nutritional value. Here's where it gets a little blurry. Yes, raw milk contains a lot of nutrients like vitamins and calcium. When a child drinks a glass of milk they consume all of those nutrients in one glass. Raw milk is a whole food. That's a good thing, except for the fact that after consuming milk, your body does not feel the need to consume anything else. Which is why more than likely, your child would be perfectly happy living on pasta and milk. Kind of explains those fights about broccoli right? Along with all those nutrients milk contains, there are some bad things in there as well. 

Ready, set, go. 

Commonly, people with dairy intolerances have issues that are fairly simple. You drink a glass of milk or eat a five cheese panini (just guessing I would "never" do that :) and within minutes to an hour, your running to bathroom to you know what. I like to refer to it as "SMP" (-blank- my pants) or my other favorite "DA" (diarrhea attack). Hope that gave you all a little giggle :) 

Other issues with milk are not so simple. Milk has been linked to heart disease, Type 1 diabetes, autism and schizophrenia. Some also think the high fat content in milk is linked to childhood obesity. 

Milk consists of three things: fat/cream, whey, and milk solids. The issue is in the milk solids. The solids consists of proteins, lactase, and sugars. One of the proteins is called casein. There are many different types, but the culprit is beta casein. 

Here's the doozy. What you may not know is that there are two types of cows; A1 and A2. At one time, all cows were the same type, A2, until 5,000 years ago when a mutation occurred in the proline amino acid converting it to histidine. The cows with this mutation, are called A1 type cows and are cows commonly used in The United States, like Holstein cows. 

More science talk. ready? The side chain of the amino acid is called BCM 7. This can be a powerful opiate and have some bad effects on animals and humans. The proline has a strong bong to this chain and it cannot be traced in A2 cows. But in A1 cows, the bond is very weak and can enter your GI tract when your body breaks it down. It can also be traced in the blood and urine in A1 cows. 

BCM 7 is what causes the neurological impairment in animals and humans; i.e., autism and schizophrenic changes. And because the GI tract is connected to your immune system, hence why it causes auto immune disorders like heart disease, diabetes, autism, and schizophrenia. It also binds to mucus s and stimulates secretion.  

I feel like these issues are more present in The United States than in other countries and this kind of fuels my fire. Think about it...American cheese, good? Eh kinda, but good good, no definitely not. When you think of good cheese you think of brie, gouda, gruyere, etc. Well thats because European countries refused to use A1 cows to make cheese because it just didn't work as well. Bad cows leads to bad milk leads to bad cheese. And more importantly, leads to bad issues in people.

So what should you do? Again, that's a personal issue. But there are so many milk alternatives out there for a reason. Soy, almond, coconut, goats, and sheep's milk. I've heard parents say they don't want their children drinking the almond or coconut milk because of the sugar, but have you ever looked at the sugar content in regular milk? There's kind of a lot in there. Other milk products offer no sugar added and flavored/non flavored varieties. The choice is up to you and what works best for your family. 

If you want to read more about this, look for the book titled 

"The Devil In Milk" by Keith Woodford

moo.

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