Let's Get Dirty: Part II

Since my Let's Get Dirty post is still my highest viewed page (because you all apparently have dirty minds), I figured we'd branch off of that one for today. Instead of covering the topic of GMOs, let's jump over to the dairy industry. More specifically, let's talk about milk. Milk has been a staple in almost every household for decades. Maybe back then it was different, but times have changed. Milk and milk production are definitely not the same thing they used to be. That being said, let's get dirty.

Photo Credit: PlantPoweredKitchen.com

Inspections, Sanitation & Early Mortality
Let's start of with the FDA, shall we? The Food & Drug Administration inspects dairy factories about once every ten years. A lot can change in ten years. It was only seven years ago that the first iPhone came out; now look at us. Not only this, the process of producing milk is insane. Years ago, when the production of milk wasn't so industrialized, milk was considered a necessity. The main issue now is that it's not the same milk they had back then. Homogenizing changes the chemical balance of milk making it more acidic. Milk isn't just milk anymore. It's a concoction of bioengineered hormones, pesticides, and antibiotics. On top of this, female dairy cows are slaughtered roughly five years into their lives. Once they can no longer produce milk they are deemed "useless" and are sentenced to death.

Dairy & Osteoporosis

Yup. You've been highly misinformed. Those milk commercials that talk about "Calcium to build strong bones" are full of s*it. Instead it plays a main role in calcium loss and bone depletion! It has the opposite effect of how it's been advertised or has little effect at all. I've tried to give milk the benefit of the doubt and have found very little studies proving the advantages of it on bone strength. Click here to learn more. Also, remember the "Got Milk?" campaigns? Well they had a major lawsuit against them for promoting this made up "milk builds strong bones" slogan. Moral of the story: Don't trust everything you hear on television.

Making the Change

With all the alternatives out there, I'm not quite understanding the problem. Most of the responses I've seen have to do with something along the lines of not liking the taste and it being too expensive. Ok, yes, it is a little bit more expensive than regular milk. But you can make homemade nut milks for less than a dollar. You can't make dairy milk... well you can but it might be kind of a challenge. A 32 oz container of Silk Almond Milk is only $1.97 at Walmart. As for the taste... Come on! There are plenty of options. You are bound to like at least one of them. Soy milk, almond milk, hemp milk, coconut milk, rice milk, etc. There are very few negatives with the other non-dairy alternatives. There is the soy controversy, but if you are afraid of that there are countless alternatives. 

Let me just say this:

Milk is used by a mother cow to turn her calf into a giant full-grown cow. Now what exactly possessed humans to think that it was a smart idea to drink something that is intended for that purpose? I don't need to be a giant cow... nor do I want to be one. I just can't wrap my head around this logic.

Always Remember:
Animals are friends, not food.
Sincerely,
Jasmine Millner

More Info & Sources:
http://plantpoweredkitchen.com/reasons-to-stop-eating-dairy/
http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/04/12/5-things-you-dont-know-about-dairy-industry
http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/animals-used-food-factsheets/cows-milk-cruel-unhealthy-product/