Milk: It Does a Body Bad?

Most Americans still believe guzzling 3 glasses of low fat milk a day will give them the calcium they need without the high-calorie fat consumption we seem so afraid of, despite a number of studies over the last few years destroying the idea that high quality fat is bad for you. Many people assume their bones would be negatively effected if they stopped drinking milk, and so there is a public addiction to low fat milk products that may take another decade to drop off.

And although the USDA has good intentions with recommending reduced-fat milk, it is also inadvertently encouraging the consumption of added sugars, which we’ve know for over a decade or more that sugar is not healthy, at least not the way Americans are consuming it. Replacing fat with sugar is not the answer, especially in children or women TTC (trying to conceive).

Although trans-fats and refined polyunsaturated fats (think corn, soy, sunflower, canola) seem to be harmful, moderate consumption of saturated fat (think whole milk, coconut oil, grass-fed land animals) seems to be actually beneficial to may people.

The Harvard Nurses study that followed nurses trying to conceive tracked food intake and found that he nurses who consumed small amounts of full fat dairy products had higher conception rates than those that were consuming low-fat dairy. Raw, organic, grass-fed animal milks have been gaining ground as having health benefits ranging (pun not intended!) from heart health, diabetes control, vitamin absorption, bowel cancer risk and even weight loss. This means whole milk might actually be better for you than low fat milk, if you are a milk and dairy consumer. Regardless of what beverages you drink, do some research. There are possibly over 20 types of toxins in milk and dairy products, such as painkillers, antibiotics, pesticides, etc. If you are trying to fall pregnant, and you need help weeding through all of the food issues, don’t hesitate to ask your doctor or fertility health care provider – it gets confusing out there, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Ask for help – your gut (and future baby) will be happy you did.