We’ve all heard the slogan, “milk, it does a body good” – but what kind of milk? While some milk is fine for some, many others, especially children are allergic or intolerant from their first drink. An estimated 30 million Americans have some kind of lactose (the milk sugar in all dairy products) intolerance, and more than 100,000 babies are thought to suffer from milk allergies.

There is a difference between lactose intolerance and milk allergies. Children with lactose intolerance are deficient in lactase, an enzyme produced internally to break down lactose. This can result in stomache aches, gas and diarrhea. However children allergic to milk have reactions to some or all of the proteins: casein, whey, and lactalbumin. The adverse effects can cause gastric problems as well as skin issues such as rash, and eczema, and nasal distress such as runny nose and congestion. These reactions can come as soon as babies are breastfed (by mothers ingesting dairy products) or given milk based formulas. Babies are more likely to be born with a milk allergy vs. a lactose intolerance. Read the rest of this entry »

Every time I tell people about the dangers of cow’s milk, they look at me as if I am crazy. Cow’s milk is not for human consumption. The cow has been called humanity’s adoptive mother, even though the milk that it secretes is quite different from that of the human female.

One of the main questions I get when I tell people about the dangers of milk is:

“Don’t we need milk for calcium?”

The straight answer to that question is simply, NO! I then ask them a question back.

“Where does the cow get its calcium from?” Read the rest of this entry »

Lactose

It is the principal and typical carbohydrate of milk, known as milk sugar. Glucose, galactose and other sugars such as oligosaccharides are also present in traces. Lactose exists in true solution in milk. It is a disaccharide, composed of two molecules of monosacharides; glucose, and galactose. Lactose is readily fermented by the lactic acid fermenting bacteria producing lactic acid and has significance in milk and milk products. It exists in two isomeric forms, designated as ? and ? forms of which the ? form is more soluble than the alpha form in water. Lactose content of cow milk is 4.9 percent. The lactose content of milk is inversely proportional to the ash content of the milk. Udder infection promotes an increased level of chloride in the milk and depresses the secretion of lactose. Read the rest of this entry »