For years mankind has been repeatedly educated to the multitude of nutritious benefits and virtues of dairy products, especially their high calcium content, which enables our bodies to grow big and strong and is essential for healthy bones and teeth. It is not surprising that we consume it in abundance; feeding it to our babies, soaking our breakfast cereals in it, and adding it to our morning cuppa. Therefore it seems confusing and conflicting that nutritionists are now warning us to steer clear of dairy products, claiming we should no longer be consuming them, and people are beginning to banish dairy from their diets. So what is the problem with dairy products all-of-a-sudden?
Well, conventional farming of dairy cows has changed over the years and today’s herds are injected with synthetic growth hormones to increase their size and milk production. In addition to this, the cows are often kept pregnant, resulting in unnaturally high levels of oestrogen, progestins and androgens, as well as dangerous levels of genetically modified hormones, all of which are then passed into the milk. Recent research has revealed that synthetic hormones, such as Bovine in dairy products, have been linked to a whole host of conditions and diseases, including breast and prostate cancer, hypertension, diabetes, gynecomastia, eczema, asthma and weight gain.
I am not going to advise you to ditch dairy completely as for many people this would prove impossible; however, I will offer you a few instrumental guidelines to follow.
1. Always purchase organic, chemical and hormone-free, high-quality dairy products; including milk, cheese, butter, cream, yoghurt, kefir, etc., produced from pasture-raised, grass-fed cows. They really are worth the little extra cost as they do not include the dangerous synthetic growth hormones that conventional dairy products contain.
2. Stop buying low-fat options. Contrary to popular belief, low-fat dairy products are actually the worst choice. Due to the method of processing, many of the nutrients are lost and then replaced with fillers such as sugar. Full-fat dairy, however, has been linked to a reduced risk of obesity and type-2 diabetes.
3. Try non-dairy alternative milk, derived from nuts such as coconuts, almonds and macadamias – they really are delicious and a refreshing change.