Nov 26, 20226 min read

Everything You Need to Know About Milk

Milk is supposed to be a part of our balanced diet, isn't it?

At least that is what we have been taught in school and by our elders. The question is - Does it still hold?

With so many controversies surrounding milk, let's dive deeper to understand milk and all you need to know about it.

I will break it down into three parts -

What are the two sides of the milk?
What are the types of milk available in India?
What could be the best form of milk?

Let's get started.

1. What are the two sides of the milk?

In general, there are two main arguments against dairy -

Humans are supposedly the only animals that drink the milk of another animal.
Milk supposedly has an acidic effect (as opposed to an alkaline effect) on the body.

Research has proved that both of these arguments are untrue.

You would be surprised to know that 65-75% of people are lactose intolerant. However, this depends on your ancestry. You will have to access your individual response by doing an elimination diet. This means just avoiding drinking milk for a few days and keeping everything else the same. If you see an improvement, it indicates you should not include milk in your diet. If there is no change, you can have some amount of milk.

Science states no direct link between milk and all-cause mortality that includes factors like CVD, CHD etc.

As per research, the majority of cancers have a positive (improvement seen) or neutral effect with milk (apart from potential prostate cancer). It can be considered a nutritional beverage with a good amount of protein and minerals like calcium, potassium, vitamin B12 etc.

One negative effect of having milk is when you consider acne. It is also an individual response to milk. Again, you can consider doing an elimination diet to understand your personal tolerance.

But wait, there's more!

Let's deep dive into the dairy industry, starting with the history of dairy.

Between 1991 and 2004, the number of U.S. dairies decreased by half, and those with an excess of 100 cows increased by 94%. Big business tends to do anything to increase profits, leading to changes impacting both our health and our sense of what is morally acceptable.

Also, between 1950 and 2000, the number of dairy cows decreased by half. However, the average milk yield more than tripled.

What this means for dairy:

Antibiotics: Dairy cows live in some tough conditions and consume a diet that is high in protein and low in fibre, opposite of their natural diet of grass, which is high in fibre and low in nutritional density. They are fed this way to increase production, however, it makes cows sick.

To keep cows healthy enough to produce milk, they are fed antibiotics. These antibiotics are passed on to us when we consume dairy products. This could lead to antibiotic resistance, and it is not fully understood what health problems this could pose.

Hormones: Milk contains natural hormones and growth factors - think about it - milk is produced in mammals to create the nutrition and resources for a small mammal to grow to be large. These hormones are meant to bring an 85 lb calf to a full-grown 1,500 lbs. In addition to these naturally occurring hormones, synthetic growth hormones are frequently used to increase the production of milk. These hormones are readily available in the dairy we drink and may affect our normal hormonal function.

One hormone added to cow’s milk, insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), has been implicated in increased breast and prostate cancer risk. In a study of nearly 22,000 participants for 28 years published by the Journal of Nutrition in 2013, it was found that those who consumed greater than 2.5 servings of dairy products daily had an increased risk of prostate cancer compared to those who consumed less than one half of a serving per day.

Aren’t there other nutrients that you need from milk?

Every nutrient that you can obtain from milk, such as calcium, potassium, protein and fats can all be obtained from whole plant foods, such as vegetables, legumes, nuts and fruits.

It is important to reduce the causes of chronic inflammation in our diets, and the hormones in milk, whether organic, raw milk or regular milk with even more hormones added in, can lead to inflammation.

Cut dairy out of your diet for 30 days and see how you feel. If you find better digestion, increased energy and improved health, you are likely one of the majority who has an inflammatory response to dairy. Again, it is about elimination!

If you do decide to continue eating dairy, do so in small quantities and be sure to consume organic, raw dairy.

Given that milk has both for and against arguments, the quality and source of milk are vital to an understanding before considering adding it to your diet.

2. What are the types of milk available in India?

Milk is an integral part of the large population of India and around the world. Ayurvedic scriptures have glorified milk as a unique food which alone has all the nutrients required to nourish your whole body. But how true is that for the commercial milk that we drink today? To know the answer, I have researched and broken down all the milk available in the Indian market into four major categories.

Category 1 (Homogenized milk) - The milk in this category is generally the choice of people who have this habit of stacking food for weeks and months. Personally, I would not recommend you drink this milk.
Category 2 (Mixed milk of Cow and Buffalo) - The milk in this category is most popular and most commonly used by Indians. Adulteration in this milk has become a major concern for most people.
Category 3 (A2 Desi Cow milk) - This milk is definitely much better than the milk discussed in the previous categories. Even the west has begun to appreciate this milk. Thankfully, the Indian government has taken steps to make this milk available to the general public.
Category 4 (A2 Desi Cow milk from local farms) - The milk in this category is the best available in India. We must understand that yielding milk from an animal is not just another manufacturing process. It is all about how natural the environment is for the cow, and what is it being fed? Is there any artificial insemination going on or not? It all affects the quality of her milk. That is where the milk in this category stands out.
SPECIAL MENTIONS - These include milk powders, vegan milk, buffalo milk and some of the less available but highly nutritious Camel and Goat milk. Camel and Goat milk are great options, and others can be safely avoided.

3. What could be the best form of milk?

I personally believe that raw milk can be considered the best form of milk.

Breast milk is one of the best things for an infant's health. So, why is animal milk so unhealthy?

Pasteurized milk has been heated to kill beneficial enzymes and microbes. However, raw milk contains unique proteins, friendly microbes, fatty acids, and lactase-producing bacteria.

Lactase is an enzyme that helps break down lactose. People who have difficulties digesting milk can typically drink raw milk without any problems.

Raw milk gives you a better absorption of calcium and fat-soluble vitamins. It also has proteins that can help support your immune system. Raw milk even has an anti-stiffness factor that may benefit people with arthritis and inflammation.

It's also important to get your milk from A2 cows. There are a lot of problems associated with A1 milk, so it’s best to buy dairy products that contain A2 milk.

Other benefits of raw milk include potentially helping with conditions such as: