Q. What alternatives do you suggest to doctor-recommended whole milk for kids? -Sarah A.

What alternatives do you suggest to the doctor recommendations of whole milk for children ages 1-2 and 2% or skim thereafter? I have a 6 month old with milk protein allergy and a 3 year old and I would like to rethink our entire household milk consumption.-Sarah A.

Hi Sarah,

The answer is quite simple. Milk is not a healthy beverage for anyone to consume at any time.

Humans have no business drinking milk, but milk is big business.  Our government subsidizes the milk industry with more than a billion dollars a year. It is what we grew up on and we see milk mustaches that make us feel all warm and fuzzy about milk but the bottom line is that milk is not a healthy beverage to consume. 

The majority of the world does not drink cows milk. America is the largest consumer of milk on the planet and we are the sickest people on the planet and we have the most osteoporosis of any people on the planet. In countries where they don’t drink milk they have fewer problems with bone issues, less allergy issues, less asthma and far less cancer. 

Now to the point of your doctors recommendations. Where did your doctor get his/her recommendation? I don’t know for certain but I would guess s/he got those ideas from the same place you did, your TV and the milk ads paid for by the dairy council. 

You see, doctors don’t receive any nutritional education in medical school so unless they read studies on their own then they are very poor sources for good dietary information in general. 

If your doctor was referring to the medical literature then s/he would have seen all of the studies linking milk to asthma, ear infections , throat infections, allergies, snoring, cancer and other health problems and made the only logical recommendation that your children aren’t cows and should not drink cow’s milk. 

The protein in cow’s milk is one of the hardest proteins for us to digest.  Casein found is cow’s milk is not the same as that is sheep and goat milk.  Cheeses made form sheep and goat milk are less problematic and might serve to sooth your need for a cheese fix.

Please see the numerous other articles on this site (go to the search box and type in “milk”)  regarding milk and if you like to read studies then go to an obviously biased but no less factual website called “milk sucks .com”. 

This is just the reality that most people go their whole lives never never realizing. Now your “in the know” and can turn to soy milk, almond milk, rice milk or other suitable alternatives and safeguard your children’s health. 

There are coconut milk based ice creams that easily found in most grocery stores. 

Moving away form cow’s dairy is easier than you think.

Good luck,
Dr. Gary Huber

Comments

1. linda says:

   September 30, 2011 at 4:30 pm

   my daughters doctor just recommended that she does not start her 1yr old son on milk but rather crystal light maybe. how abuot goats milk or almond milk for a baby

   Reply
2. Dr. Gary Huber says:

   October 2, 2011 at 4:41 pm

   Hi Linda,
   I hope I read your question wrong. I hope that I did NOT read that a physician recommended “Crystal Light” as a suitable liquid for a 1 year old. I am assuming that that was en error in transmission because here is the label from a container of Crystal Light:
   Maltodextrin, Citric and Malic Acids, Raspberry Juice Solids, Aspartame (Phenylketonurics: contains Phenylalanine), Red 40 Lake (CI 16035), Contains Less Than 2% of Natural & Artificial Flavor, Calcium Phosphate (Calcarea Phosphorica), Acesulfame Potassium, Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090)

   There are two ingredients listed there that have been linked to cancer in medical studies: aspartame and acesulfame potassium. So certainly this would never be recommended for a young neurologic system that is still developing.

   Goats milk is quite different from cows milk in it’s structure and content. For one thing, it does not separate into cream and milk like cow’s milk does. The proteins are also somewhat different and so may not be as allergenic. It has not been studied as extensively as cows milk so we know less about it. If it is acquired from organically raised goats then I assume it might be a suitable beverage. I am not a big fan of milk on any level but to be honest I have not explored goat’s milk to the same degree as cow’s milk.

   Almond, or rice or coconut milk would all serve as good options. Be sure to get them as an organic option. And please don’t forget about plain old water. Long before there was manufacturers making artificial beverages mothers gave their kids water. It is still a fantastic option but unlike the mothers of years ago we now have to filter ours. With a new baby in the house it seems like a great opportunity to treat the whole family to a good water filtration system.

   Have fun with that new grandchild of yours,
   Dr. Gary Huber

   Reply