Milk is one of the most popular beverages in the United States. Our doctors tell us to drink it, our schools tell us to drink it, and our parents tell us to drink it, but, is it really good for us? Think again.

Scientific studies have found that, against popular belief, drinking milk may do more harm to our bodies than good. Milk has proven to contribute to obesity, calcium definiency, allergies, heart disease, cancer and other health ailments. It’s also been proven that in the U.S., over 51% of individuals with non-European ancestry are lactose intolerant. So why do we drink it? Because we think its good for us. Unfortunately, dairy products can cause many health problems. They can impair a child’s ability to absorb iron and can even cause subtle blood loss from the digestive tract. Several studies have been published also showing a positive correlation between milk consumption and rates of death a few years later from Coronary Heart Disease. Not only that, milk consumption may lead to cancer risk because of an insulin-like growth factor that stimulates cancer cells.

We’ve all heard that “milk builds strong bones”, but this, too, is false. Several studies of teenagers have found that their adult bone health is related to their physical activity level earlier in life, not to the amount of milk or calcium they consumed. Clinical research shows that there is no benefit to our bones from milk, and that one taco has more calcium in it than one cup of low-fat milk.

Milk is for babies, and it’s not natural for adult humans to drink it. The naturally occurring sugar in cow’s milk is lactose, a type of sugar that is not well-digested by many children after the age of four. Not only that, by serving flavored cow’s milk at school lunches, the school’s are adding a significant amount of fat and cholesterol in children’s diets. People around the world have grown up being taught milk is good, when really, it’s not! People consume milk of cows, goats, buffalo, llamas, horse, sheep, and yaks, when really, it’s not natural! Calves thrive on cow milk, not humans. Let’s leave the cow milk for baby cows.