MOOOOO

What milk is your favorite? A nut milk like cashew or almond? Maybe a seed like soy, hemp, or peas? A grain like rice or oats? A fruit like coconut? Or maybe the mainstream like cow or goat?

Whichever one you choose for a variety of options, I am glad we have so many options. There could be as many as 24 different types of milk!

But how do I choose which milk is the best option? Well there are a few different questions to ask:

1. Do I PREFER dairy or plant based?

2. Which is the most nutritious for MY needs? OR do I prefer taste?

3. Is sustainability a focus for me?

Dairy:

• Cow

• Buffalo

• Goat

• Filtered/unfiltered

• Whole

• 2% (reduced fat)

• 1%

• Low-Fat

• Organic

• Skim (fat-free)

• Raw

• Full cream

• Buttermilk

• Ultra-filtered

• Evaporated

• Sweetened Condensed

• Channel Island

• Ultra-heat Temperature Milk (UHT)

• Lactose-free

• Milk Powder (whole and skim)

Plant:

• Soy

• Almond

• Rice

• Oat

• Cashew

• Coconut

• Hazelnut

• Hemp

• Pea

That is an impressive list. Who knew we could "milk" so much? Depending on who I talk to and what type of background they have, there are a variety of opinions on which option is the healthiest and what they just to consume. There are so many factors. In America we tend to use antibiotics and hormones in many of our dairy animals. There are also many preservatives and pesticides in our plant based options. Glyphosate poisoning is a new conversation for many people who begin switching to a plant based diet.

Let's break it down a bit more.

Dairy:

Pros:

• Nutrients: typically a good ratio to carb/fat/protein

• Minerals: copper, manganese, magnesium, zinc, iron, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and calcium

• Vitamins: folate, choline, ascorbic acid, pantothenic acid, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, B6, and A

Cons

• Hormone use: An engineered hormone, rBGH, is often used to help increase milk production. One of the side effects to using this hormone is mastitis, an infection of the mammary gland, which requires antibiotic use.

• Antibiotic use: 8 in 10 uses of antibiotics used each year is for our livestock. Not only is this a problem for the animal itself but also because of the unintended consequence of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotics resistance is one of the largest dangers to humans today. One day we may not have the ability to eradicate infections because our antibiotics will no longer work. But because many animals live in a large population in crowded conditions, CAFOs, they are experiencing high levels of stress and BAD hygiene. As a result, the perfect atmosphere for bacteria to grow and the animals to fall prey to. Many begin experiencing infections due to their living conditions where the animal does need antibiotics to help fix, however, this only masks the problem. The real issue is the unnatural environment. Once the medicine is the animals, it will do it needs to help heal the animal but what happens afterwards? Well…. Poop. The antibiotics are excreted from the animals but their manure is often used as a fertilizer. The antibiotics can then find their way into waterways and into our fruit/vegetables. If these products are not washed property, we could be ingesting the AR (antibiotic resistant) bacteria. In dairy products, milk is supposed to not be used for human use if there is antibiotics present, however, the milk is then usually fed to calves who are often turned into veal and then consumed by humans. It is the job of the FSIS to manage the contamination levels of antibiotics in animals. Even if there is a contaminated batch of milk and it cannot be used for humans, it is then dumped. A waste of time, energy, risk, and sometimes life for mama cow. In other countries, the infected milk is not dumped.

• Lactose intolerant/dairy free: In dairy, lactose is a sugar that sometimes will sometimes interfere with the enzyme, lactase, in humans. Lactase helps us digest the sugar easily. Sometimes in lactose-free products the lactose is filtered out or broken down into simple sugars. Lactose-free is NOT the same as dairy-free. Products that do not contain lactose at all are considered dairy-free. Some people are able to experience goat's milk but not cows. Some people's bodies simply cannot tolerate American dairy.

• Sustainability/Farm use: Cows are often fed a diet consisting of processed grains, corn, and wheat. Not the natural diet from generations of grazing and regenerative farming techniques. The production of these products also have their own environmental toll. Greenhouses gases are produced from CO2, CO4, and N2O from large factory farms. There are different models on how much of an impact this compares with human machinery. Water is another unfortunate side effect from factory farms. The runoff containing "untreated manure" ends up in many local waterways, contaminating it with antibiotics, bacteria, and other harmful material. Ever seen a completely green lake or waterway? This is often due to fertilizer run off used in the surrounding vegetation. When algae covers the service, oxygen is restricted creating an environment where water animals cannot survive. Meaning, everyone is dead under that green.

• Animal ethics: Ethics for animals may be different based on your background on how to treat animals, but many of us like to at least see humane treatment for our non-human friends. Poor diets and animal abuse is often common in factory produced dairy.

Plants:

Pros:

• Lower greenhouse gases

• Less animal abuse (large amounts of forests and land is still cleared out to grow many plant based products such as soy, destroying homes and sometimes killing in the process of farming).

Cons:

• Pesticides: Recent data has emerged about the harmful effects of, glyphosate, a herbicide used on a variety of crops. Some studies mentioning the product to be a carcinogen, cancer risk, and an endocrine disruptor. This material is used on many soy, oats, maize, cotton, and wheat farms. Other harmful effects include the environmental impacts of using this spray. Glyphosate stays in soil, sometimes for a few weeks but in other places glyphosate was still noticeable after 2 years! The herbicide can also seep into the groundwater and to nearby ponds, damaging aqua life. The FDA has limits for the acceptable amount of glyphosate in foods, however, many products slip through the cracks, like the Gerber case. Not to mention the impacts on insect life (BEES).

• Preservatives: Some people experience gastral issues or other symptoms when consuming some preservatives that are often found in plant based milks.

• Added ingredients: Dairy milk substitutes often need a sugar/sweetener added to their product to combine flavors. Unsweetened options are usually the better route. Many stabilizers and vitamins are also added.

• Less nutrients: Dairy still has a higher protein contact with the complete amino acids. Calcium levels between the two are usually equal, but, more nutrients and vitamins are usually added to plant based milks.

• Farmland/sustainability: There are conflicting results for if dairy or plant milks have a harsher consequence in the environment. Often depending on the source but check a few of these out to learn more: FoodPrint, OurWorldData, Milk Pick.

All in all, when choosing the best milk option for you, refer to a few questions that I find myself thinking about:

1. Do I PREFER dairy or plant based?

2. Which is the most nutritious for MY needs? OR do I prefer taste?

3. Is sustainability a focus for me?

Thank you for reading!

"Destiny is Mine"

*Reminder* I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice. Please refer to your medical practitioner for details pertaining to your specific health.