For many years people have been taught to drink several glasses of milk a day and eat cheese, cottage cheese and yogurt, because these foods have lots of bone building calcium and protein for strong muscles. As a result the Dairy industry is a Multi-billion dollar industry. But just because a lot of people use dairy, it does not mean that it is good for you. Let's examine the facts. Although Americans use a tremendous amount of dairy products, they still suffer from bone loss or osteoporosis. So obviously the dairy is not helping. What many forget is that cow's milk is ready to feed the baby cows, or calves, which grow to be 1,200 pounds or more. Because such growth the milk is loaded with high amounts of calcium, phosphorus, protein, one of which is casein and fats. On the other hand, a human baby grows to be only 100 to 200 pounds - small in comparison to a cow. Human mother's milk contains small amounts of calcium, proteins and fats and is high in carbohydrates. When cow's milk, an unbalanced food for humans, is consumed, it upsets the natural balance of the body causing health problems. Some of those problems are:

THIRTEEN GOOD REASONS TO STOP USING DAIRY PRODUCTS.

1) PESTICIDE RESIDUES Dairy products have 6 times higher Pesticide Residues than the average non-animal food products. (See graph on page 317 of Diet for New American, by John Robbins)

2) ANTIBIOTICS are routinely added to the feed of cows. This comes through in the milk and meat. This can upset the natural balance of intestinal flora in the body and maybe related to Candida albicans problems so widespread today.

3) DES and other FEMALE SEX HORMONES are routinely administered to cows. Residues are transmitted to people. Possible consequences of this are cancer, earlier sexual maturation of girls and boys, behavior disorders connected to uncertain and confused sexual identities, an expanding assortment of sexual aberrations indicating that human hormonal systems are being affected and imbalanced.

4) CONGESTION Dairy products are mucous producing and involved in many instances of allergies, sinus congestion, post-nasal drip, bronchial - and lung congestion.

5) PROSTATE CANCER Milk and cheese are specifically identified (along with milk and eggs) as risk factors for fatal prostate cancer (American Journal of Epidemiology, August 1984). Prostate problems are very widespread in men over 40 years of age, increasing in probability with age.

6) UTERINE FIBROIDS The consumption of dairy products is strongly linked to various disorders of the female reproductive system, including ovarian tumors/cysts, vaginal infections/discharges and uterine fibroids. (See "Food as Healing", by Annmarie Colbin)

7) MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS Dairy products are implicated as a causative factor in Multiple Sclerosis. (See pages 279-282 of "Diet for New America" by John Robbins)

8) OSTEOPOROSIS The high concentration of protein causes urinary excretion of calcium. This calcium loss actually promotes osteoporosis, a disease of thinning bones very commonly found in older people. (See McDougall's Medicine by John McDougall)

9) LACTOSE INTOLERANCE is a condition of lacking the digestive enzyme "lactase" which digests the carbohydrate portion of dairy products known as lactose or milk sugar. This commonly causes headaches, gas, abdominal pain and cramps. This affects 5 - 10% of Caucasian adults, 70% of Black adults, both in America and Africa and many Oriental adults. (See "Incidence of Lactase Deficiency in Ulcerative Colitis", Gastroenterology, 53:890, 1967)

10 ) SATURATED FAT The fat content of dairy products is Saturated Fat. This contributes to heart disease, which kills 40% of Americans and strokes, which kill 10% of Americans. Saturated animal fat consumption is also strongly linked to many forms of cancer.

11 ) NO FIBER Dairy products also contain No Fiber, potentially contributing to constipation, hemorrhoids and colon cancer.

12 ) COLIC in babies is caused by antibodies in cows milk. This can happen even if the baby is breast-fed and the mother consumes dairy products. (Pediatrics. April 1991)

13 ) CRUELTY Purchase of dairy products supports the cruel VEAL INDUSTRY. Cows must be regularly artificially inseminated to continue milk production. The female offspring become more milk producers. The male calves will not produce milk, so they are raised in tiny crates to become anaemic "tender veal".

As the list demonstrates, it is far wiser to eliminate milk and milk based foods. As a substitute, many people have switched to nondairy drinks such as soy milk and rice milk.