One of the things I hear a lot from other vegans is “cow’s milk is for baby cows.” No matter what your ethical feelings about dairy might be, this does make sense, right? Just as human breast milk is made to help a baby double in size in its first year, cow’s milk is meant to help baby cows grow up fast by providing the nutrients that a calf needs to quickly put on weight and grow. So, how healthy is milk for humans? It’s questionable.
There are lots of reasons to cut out – or at the very least limit – the amount of dairy in your diet, and this infographic from LearnStuff does a great job of illustrating some of the problems with cow’s milk as a major part of a human diet.
I know that cutting out any food is a touchy subject, and I’m sure that some of you have already written this off as “vegan propaganda,” but there are some solid facts here, and I hope you’ll take a look with an open mind. Vegans do eschew all dairy products, but that doesn’t mean you have to. Even cutting back the amount of dairy you consume can help you avoid some of the issues associated with milk consumption.
Image Credits: Milk and Health photo via Shutterstock, Infographic via LearnStuff
Chris @ The Keenan Cookbook
I don’t drink much milk these days as it does sit funny in my stomach, though I’m not lactose intolerant (yet?). But I will be the first to admit I have a cheese problem. I have at least 5 pounds of various cheese sitting in my fridge; cheddar, mozzarella, provolone. It’s an addiction! I swear they put something in it to make it so.
Becky Striepe
I hear ya! Quitting cheese was the hardest part of going vegan for me. It was harder than giving up cigarettes. We have an Eating Vegan article about that, if you want to look at some cheese-weaning ideas:
http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2010/01/14/eating-vegan-the-cheese-problem/