( February 9, 2011 ) — Milk. It’s the first word we associate with strong bones, athletic prowess and feelings of health and vitality — and the last one we associate, if at all, with diseases like cancer or diabetes. And we’re not to blame. During the beginning years of commercial milk, the National Dairy Council made it a priority to turn the milk-calcium-bone density myth into unshakable fact. But the sad truth is that we shouldn’t be drinking milk in the first place. Humans stop giving their babies milk once they can walk and cows stop giving calves milk once they grow up too. So why do we insist on drinking milk for sustenance that we no longer need? Cow’s milk wasn’t made for us; it was made for baby calves. It’s chock full of nutrients that address a baby cow’s needs, needs which are leagues away from our own. Cows have THREE stomachs, for crying out loud! And that’s not all. Drinking cow’s milk can have dire consequences for humans too. Cow’s milk contains an amino acid peptide chain which the body sees as an invading pathogen. In response, your immune system produces antibodies to fight the “invading pathogens.” It’s a natural reaction that happens in your body anytime something foreign gets in. The only downside is that that this also triggers your immune system to send the produced antibodies to the pancreas to permanently destroy the insulin-producing beta cells there. And that’s not the only reason whole cow’s milk is bad for you. The gallons of milk in supermarket refrigerators are also loaded with saturated fat, one of the hardest for your body to digest. Nutrition facts deceive when they say there’s only 3.5 grams of fat in milk, because it’s actually measured by WEIGHT! Each gram of fat packs 9 calories each, so an 8 ounce serving of milk with 160 calories has more than 50 percent (80 out of 160 calories) of its calories coming from fat. Not only does this fat contribute to heart disease, but it increases cancer risks too. Both the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and the British Journal of Cancer agree that the high fat content of whole milk leads to an increased incidence of ovarian and other cancers. Studies in the Advances for Cancer Research also show that nations with the highest fat consumption from dairy also have the highest rates of prostate and breast cancer. The International Journal of Cancer found that lung cancer patients who drank milk three or more times daily increased their lung cancer risk by two fold compared to those who never consumed milk. Since low fat and skim milk have a lesser amount of saturated fat, they may seem like a better alternative to whole milk; however, they still have the same amount of casein and lactose, the colloids that contribute to heart disease. Research published in the Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition has shown that adults who drank large amounts of milk daily (more than 200 ml- a large glass), tend to have elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides and higher low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL or “bad” cholesterol) levels than those who drank less than 60 ml per day. What’s more, when you drink milk, you don’t know anything about the cow that produced it. You don’t know what the cow was fed, how it was treated, and the conditions that it lived in. I’ve seen footage from the documentary Food, Inc. of cows made to eat corn because of how cheap it is, even though it provides absolutely no nutritional value for them. And that presents a problem in itself. Cows were engineered to consume only grass, not corn. Studies have shown that corn-fed cattle produces marbilzed meat, which has more fat in it than grass-fed cows. This factors back into the heart disease risk mentioned earlier. But what about calcium? Contrary to popular belief, milk actually contributes more to calcium loss than to its absorption. Cow’s milk has a lot of protein- more than 8 grams to be exact- which according to the Journal of Nutrition, may cause a person to lose up to 4% of his or her bone mass each year. And in actuality, several other foods have more calcium than milk and are more easily absorbed by the body as well. According to the Nutrition Almanac , a cup of milk has only 291 mg of calcium compared to the 369 mg in a cup of roasted almonds or the 366 mg in soy products. So, what are you supposed to drink with the cereal, Oreos, PB&J sandwiches and all the other food you normally eat with milk? Some studies suggest that soy milk is the better alternative to cow’s milk, but more recent studies say that soy milk is almost as bad as cow’s milk. For one, soy milk is loaded with sugar with 4 to 16 grams per 8 ounce serving. Soy milk is also full of anti-nutrients and excessive amounts of heavy metals like manganese, fluoride and aluminum. Soy milk has also been linked to numerous types of cancer as well as other maladies like early Alzheimer’s, infertility, thyroid problems and other diseases. Also, many soy milk brands use carrageenan, a thickening agent that can damage stomach and intestine lining and cause some forms of cancer. A better alternative is almond milk, derived from one of the healthier nuts rich in magnesium, potassium, copper and the antioxidants vitamin E, selenium and calcium. The only problem is that the amount of almonds in almond milk is relatively small. Researchers say you’re better off eating the actual almond than grinding it in water and adding a sweetener to make a milk substitute.