Does Your Body Really Need Milk?

Does milk cause phlegm? In these chilly days, when the main sounds we hear on buses, at work, and at home are sneezes and blowing noses, the issue becomes even more relevant. Why is it an issue? Because among health and nutrition professionals, there is a heated debate: Is cow's milk suitable for humans?

Humans, as you know, belong to the class of mammals and are considered the most developed among them. So developed that they have created food industries to tell us consumers that the food we need is exactly what they produce... Is it true that your body deserves milk? Is it true that without milk, there's no calcium? Is it true that a glass of milk is a healthy way to start the day? Is it true that children need milk to grow?

No, it's not true. But that's what milk producers' advertisers would like you to think.

Like other mammals, human babies nurse from their mothers. Milk is a perfect food that provides the baby with everything they need. A baby up to six months old should, naturally, live and develop on mother's milk alone. During these six months, they double in size and undergo accelerated development of all body systems, including the brain. Additionally, as their nutritional needs change, so does the composition of the milk. Whoever created humans provided them with miraculous food meant to offer a foundation for good and healthy life. The protein in mother's milk is food that a baby's digestive system recognizes and digests without difficulty.

Cow's milk is the perfect food for calves. Unlike human milk, it contains 2-3 times more protein, calcium, and phosphorus, allowing a calf to quickly grow a large body and bones that can bear its heavy weight. One unique characteristic of mother's milk is the abundance of fatty acids essential for the development of the human brain. Cow's milk, on the other hand, has very few fatty acids. This is because a calf, unlike a human, needs fewer substances to help develop mental faculties.

From here, one can understand that trying to give one mammal the milk of another is a deviation from nature and a missed instructional guide. A human baby fed on cow's milk, cheeses, dairy desserts, etc., inevitably does not receive what they need and certainly gets an overload of unnecessary substances, some foreign to the system, undigested, and triggering allergic reactions. The result is a variety of known symptoms like phlegm, runny noses, asthma, skin rashes, recurring ear infections, recurring bronchitis, digestive disturbances, and a basis for chronic diseases in the future. So, when delights like Dany, Ghadim, and Katkat are marketed as "the perfect food for your child," don't be surprised when the child gets sick. A casual visit to a kindergarten will remind you of the scenario where the teacher runs after the children with tissues, in an endless battle against snot, and at the same time takes dairy desserts out of the fridge.

For adults, the picture is even gloomier. From the age of one to two, the digestive enzymes that break down milk proteins and lactose decrease. In nature, the calf nurses milk, but the adult eats grass; the wolf cub drinks milk, but the adult wolf eats meat. Humans are the only mammals that continue consuming milk into adulthood, but like other mammals, the reduced amount of enzymes in their bodies indicates this wasn't the intention.

Dr. Aryeh Avni condenses hundreds of scientific articles in his book "Milk Fools," clearly and fluently describing the array of medical troubles milk causes for those over two years old. Here is a partial list to tease the eye: heart and vascular diseases, gastrointestinal bleeding, cataracts, juvenile diabetes, various cancers, osteoporosis, and more.

Yes, that's not a mistake. Dairy products, often recommended by many doctors to prevent osteoporosis, actually worsen the condition! Cow's milk has a lot of phosphorus that competes with calcium in the body and accelerates its excretion through urine. Also, milk is deficient in magnesium, a mineral essential for the absorption of calcium into bones.

We can sum up the subject of cow's milk in one sentence I loved from the above-mentioned book: "Let the cow say moo, but in its dairy products do not indulge."

I remember a cute 3-year-old girl who came to me for treatment with shortness of breath and recurring bronchitis. The parents were instructed to replace all cow's milk products with goat's milk products.

Since the girl eats not only at home but also at kindergarten, with grandmother, etc., her cooperation was needed in ensuring the milk source. Thus, the slogan was invented: "Moo Moo – No, Meh Meh – Yes." This way, the child could remember to refuse offers of ice cream and dairy desserts. The result was that the shortness of breath disappeared, and the respiratory system's condition improved dramatically.

Why goat's milk? Because it is more similar to human milk. Most babies and children can break it down and digest it and, generally, it doesn't cause allergy problems.

For adults – the lack of digestive enzymes in the system can be problematic even with goat's milk digestion. Therefore, adults would do well to choose yogurt, kefir, and cheese made from goat's milk, which are easier to digest than goat's milk itself, and certainly more so than cow's milk.

In various cultures, goat's milk serves as a strengthening and healing food for people in weakness, malnutrition, anemia, nervous exhaustion, stomach ulcers, and recovery from prolonged illnesses. Let's emphasize that this refers to organic milk that is taken straight from the udder before it has a chance to cool. So, those who wish to enjoy healing goat's milk will likely need to keep one in the yard, or if necessary, go to someone who has one... However, although organic is superior, it doesn't always need to be consumed, and organic sheep's milk products available at natural food stores will suffice. Retail chains offer an increasing selection of sheep's milk cheeses from small, quality dairies. There are even special delicatessens specializing in cheeses that have earned the name 'fine cheeses.'

Goat's milk cheeses: Bulgarian, Bosheron, Tomme de Provence, Labneh, Sol Saur Chevre, St. Marcellin, St. Maure, St. Paulin, Feta, Pyramid, Fromage, Premier, Goat Cheddar, Cortin de Chevignol, Camembert, Chevre (fresh goat cheese), Chabichou, Tomme.

Sheep's milk cheeses: Bulgarian, Halloumi, Labneh, Feta, Pecorino, Kashkaval, Roquefort, Ricotta.

Maya Stern contributed to the section with tips on preparing homemade yogurt and labneh, refreshing yogurt drinks for the summer, and chocolate milk substitutes for children.

Heat a liter of goat's milk to a temperature where you can insert your finger and count to ten.

Remove from heat.

Stir a tablespoon of goat yogurt that you like into the milk. Choosing the yogurt will give the new yogurt its style and taste.

Mix well.

Cover the pot and let the culture incubate in a warm temperature for about ten hours. It's recommended to place it in the sun.

After eight hours, yogurt starts to form. The longer it incubates, the sourer it becomes. You can check and taste until the desired sourness level is achieved.

Refrigerate.

If the yogurt turns out well, it's worthwhile saving some for starting the next batches...

Mix four cups of goat yogurt with a little salt and place them in a cheesecloth or a loosely woven kitchen towel. Tie the ends.

You can hang the package over the sink, but remember that the whey will drip onto the dishes in the sink. A cleaner option is to place the package in a strainer set over a bowl.

Allow the package to drip for an entire day. The longer it drips, the denser the resulting cheese will be.

If you squeeze the remaining liquid by hand, the cheese comes out hard. You can adjust the duration according to your preference for hard or soft cheese.

Blend in a blender: a cup of yogurt, a tablespoon of honey, a drop of orange blossom essence (mazhar), or a few drops of rose water, and 2-3 ice cubes.

Another option: a cup of yogurt, a handful of washed mint, a little salt, and 2-3 ice cubes.

If understood, you can take the basic idea of goat yogurt and ice cubes and combine it with pieces of any type of fruit.

A cup of goat's milk, a tablespoon of brown sugar, and a heaped teaspoon of carob powder. Shake everything in a shaker or blender.