subject: Why Milk Is Not the Best Weight Loss Product [print this page] Pick up almost any book on diet today, and chances are the author will tell you that milk, especially skim milk, is the best weight loss product you can buy at the grocery store. However, a closer look at how dairy products are manufactured and distributed in America may make you think twice.
Once you know the facts, you might even reconsider if you should have dairy in your diet at all. It may require a complete paradigm shift to think that you can make it through life without drinking milk, but it's worthwhile when you consider a few factors:
Statistics Don't Lie
Statistically speaking, Americans drink more cows' milk than any other country in the world, yet our rate of osteoporosis is greater than any other country in the world. If milk is the best source of calcium, and calcium prevents osteoporosis, how can this be?
Most milk in America is pasteurized, a sterilization process that kills off all its necessary digestive enzymes. Pasteurization also makes most of the calcium contained in milk insoluble, meaning that 50% of the calcium milk contains cannot be absorbed by the body.
These factors mean that pasteurized milk is very difficult to digest, which is why so many Americans are lactose-intolerant. It also means that, even when a person is able to digest milk, nearly half of the calcium it contains cannot be absorbed. This is contributing to the high rate of osteoporosis in America today.
What's Wrong with Milk?
As a diet product, milk strikes out as well. Milk contains milk sugar, also known as lactose, which converts into sugar your body uses very quickly. This leads to peaks and valleys in your blood sugar levels, which can lead to feelings of hunger, lack of energy, and fatigue.
Aside from these blood sugar issues, milk poses another, more troubling issue. In America, many dairy farmers rely on using growth hormone to increase their herds' milk production. This can lead to increased instances of illness in a herd, which causes the farmers to rely on antibiotics to keep the cows healthy.
The growth hormone and antibiotics are released into the cattle's bloodstream and then into the milk itself. This means that most of the milk for sale in American grocery stores is laden with unwanted growth hormones and antibiotics that we, in turn, consume.
Alternatives to Dairy Products
Now we've established why milk is not the best weight loss product. However, if drinking milk is important to your diet, then you should seek out raw milk by going to a website like www.realmilk.com or by talking to the vendors at your local farmers market.
If you find the idea of unpasteurized milk too risky, then seek out organic, hormone and chemical-free milk products at your local health food store. Increase your intake of healthy foods like leafy greens, salmon, and sardines (with the bones), and broccoli, all of which contain high levels of easily-absorbed calcium.
Finally, incorporate weight-bearing exercise into your exercise routine, such as strength training or weight lifting. Weight-bearing exercise has been proven highly effective in the battle against osteoporosis. It's good for your overall health and well-being, too!
Why Milk Is Not the Best Weight Loss Product
By: Isabel De Los Rios
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