Is Dairy Bad For You?

Growing up, I was always told to drink my milk in order to have strong bones. Dairy is a regular part of my diet. I have yogurt or cereal nearly every morning, and avidly eat cheese and ice cream. I never thought anything of this until my friend told me the theory of how dairy is unnatural. Humans are the only species to consume milk from other animals. It’s quite weird honestly, why are we drinking something that is intended to make calves grow? Back in the olden days, humans only drank milk from their mother’s breast as infants. This is because they, without choice, thrived on a paleo diet. This diet consists of meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits nuts, etc. A paleo diet avoids processed foods, sugar, dairy products, etc. This proves an argument that dairy products, such as milk, are not needed for health reasons. 

About 11,000 years ago, milk was essentially toxic. When we’re infants our bodies produce an enzyme called lactase which allows us to break down our mother’s milk. But as we grow older and do not rely on our mother’s milk, we often lose this enzyme. Cattle herders leaned how to reduce lactose in dairy products to tolerable levels. Thousands of years ago, it is believed that humans adapted to accommodate dairy products in their diet. But as we know there are still many people who are lactose intolerant. Accord to AuthorityNutrition.com, about 75% (3/4) of the world’s population is unable to break down lactose. 

There is definitely proven evidence that dairy can be quite nutritious. We should not exclude dairy from our diet completely, but it is important to minimize our intake levels. The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health released a new food pyramid. They believe rely too much on refined grains, red meat and dairy. An Article on The Harvard School of Public Health stated, “There is little, if any, evidence that eating dairy prevents osteoporosis or fractures, and there is considerable evidence that high dairy product consumption is associated with increased risk of fatal prostate and maybe ovarian cancers.”

Health and dietary problems are very important to consider. You should be aware of all the benefits and consequences of the food you are putting into your body. It is best to lean towards low-fat dairy products in order to keep your metabolism on track.

3 thoughts on “Is Dairy Bad For You?

  1. Emma Kilyk

    This was a good topic to cover since dairy is a large part of many peoples’ diets and thus it is beneficial to know the health effects of dairy products so we know how what we eat effects us. This study outlines all of the ways in which dairy products affect human health in positive ways. The results show that fermented dairy products can decrease the absorption of cholesterol, regulate appetite and obesity-related metabolic disorders, reduce blood pressure, and sometimes even have antimicrobial functions. It is the minerals, calcium, proteins, lipids, and bacteria contained in these products that can be greatly beneficial to our health! Thus, the results of this study supports the conclusion that the health benefits of dairy outweigh the negative components and so we should keep dairy in our diets, in reasonable amounts.

  2. Elizabeth Sweitzer

    I enjoyed reading this article because I was thought to be lactose intolerant when I was younger. I am also an avid dairy eater whether it be ice cream, cheese, or yogurt. I was told to dramatically minimize my daily dairy intake, and it was a very hard thing to do. I always knew that there were health benefits of cutting your dairy intake, but it is great to have it confirmed.

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