Dairy and Obesity

Stomachaches are only the beginning of the problems that your kids may face if you give them dairy products. Studies suggest that milk consumption may contribute to asthma, constipation, recurrent ear infections, iron deficiency, anemia, and even cancer.

Consuming dairy products can also make kids overweight. There is a reason why dairy products are so fattening—they're packed with fat and calories. In fact, calves can gain almost 500 pounds by the time they are weaned from their mothers. The calories from the fat and sugar in cow's milk will add to your child's waistline and detract from his or her health.

On the other hand, many plant foods contain calcium but don't have all the cholesterol or come with the adverse health effects that are associated with dairy products. Plus, despite what the powerful dairy industry lobby might claim, independent scientists have found that the calcium in plant-based sources is more easily absorbed by human bodies than is the calcium in cow's milk.

In fact, drinking milk may actually weaken our bones! Ironically, American women have one of the highest rates of dairy consumption in the world, yet they also suffer from the highest rates of osteoporosis.

A study funded by the National Dairy Council found that women who drank three glasses of milk a day for two years actually lost bone mass at twice the rate of women who did not drink milk. Furthermore, the Harvard Nurses' Health Study confirmed that women who received the majority of their calcium from dairy foods also suffered more broken bones than women who did not drink milk. Research has clearly shown that children should avoid milk and should fill up on calcium-rich plant foods to build strong bones.

Numerous studies have also shown a link between milk consumption and the development of various types of cancer. For example, a major study of nearly 5,000 children found that a high intake of dairy products was associated with nearly triple the colon cancer rate of children with a low intake of dairy products.