Milk consumers in the USA are waking up to the fact that most regular pasteurized milk comes from cows that have been given synthetic growth hormones. These hormones are known confusingly under three different names: rBGH, rBST and Posilac. All three names refer to exactly the same thing: synthetic growth hormones that are given to dairy cows to make them produce more milk than they otherwise would.

Some studies show that synthetic growth hormones in milk can increase the risk of cancer in human milk consumers. This is why synthetic growth hormones for cows are banned in most countries (although not in the United States where the synthetic growth hormones are manufactured).

When you buy regular pasteurized milk in the United States the label gives no indication that the milk contains synthetic growth hormones, yet more than 95% of all pasteurized milk sold in regular stores and supermarkets contain these harmful hormones.

This is causing concern for many American consumers, and as a result some companies such as Wal-Mart and the coffee-chain Starbucks are switching to milk free of synthetic growth hormones.

What about deceptive labelling?

When milk suppliers provide milk that is said to be free of synthetic growth hormones they are labelling the milk as being “hormone free”. This is totally misleading because no milk is “hormone free”. All kinds of milk without exception contain bovine growth hormones known as IGF-1. These bovine hormones are known to produce cancer in humans as evidenced by exhaustive research over the years.

With regard to milk labelling, organic milk producers are the biggest culprits. A major selling point for U.S. organic milk is that it does not have synthetic growth hormones. Organic milk labels invariably state: “hormone, antibiotics and pesticide-free.” But this is wholly misleading because no kind of dairy milk can be hormone free.

So if milk is labelled “hormone free” it is not only deceptive but factually incorrect. Such labelling implies the milk has no growth hormones, and this is simply not so. Instead of labelling the milk “hormone free”, it could be labelled “rBST free”, “rBGH free”, “free of artificial growth hormones”, or even “free of synthetic growth hormones”.

In summary, all dairy milk without exception contains bovine growth hormones. Additionally, most American milk also contains synthetic growth hormones. It is totally deceptive to label any kind of milk as being “hormone free”.

However, there is one major exception: milk made from plant-based ingredients contains no growth hormones at all. Non-dairy milk made from nuts, seeds, rice, and soybeans is completely free of harmful hormones. Apart from being truly delicious, non-dairy milk is super-nutritious. For a free ebook on how to make great-tasting nut & seed milk please see below.

An American study shows that drinking milk increases the chances for women to have twin babies. A study published in the ‘Journal of Reproductive Medicine’ shows that compared to mothers who avoid milk, the milk consuming mothers have a 13% higher chance of a multiple birth! Vegan women were found to have a 20% less chance of having twins compared to milk-consuming women. (Mechanisms of Twinning: Effect of Diet and Heredity on the Human Twinning Rate, May 2006).

The study shows that this is due to cow hormones known as ‘IGF-1′. These hormones are present is all types of dairy milk. All recent studies show that IGF-1 is responsible for several types of cancer and other diseases in humans who consume milk.

Gary Steinman of the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, USA, who conducted the study, took a sample of more than 1000 women who were consuming only vegetables and observed that these women had five times less chances of bearing twins compared to omnivorous ones. Dr. Steinman suggests that animal-product foodstuffs, especially dairy foods, can increase the chance of releasing more than one egg during ovulation, which could lead to a double fertilization.

This theory is also supported by other research into traditional dairy-consuming populations. The findings show that milk-farming communities have a higher rate of twin births. This adds weight to the many studies showing nothing less than a horror story when it comes to bovine IGF-1 and human health.

People consuming dairy milk will ingest this harmful IGF-1 bovine growth hormone, and this completely upsets the natural hormonal balance of the human body. Giving birth to twins (or even triplets) is unnatural in the human species, and is not a sign of good health.

Another little known fact about dairy milk is that the combination of IGF-1 and estrogen in milk accelerates early puberty in young boys and girls (the bovine growth factor accelerates the onset of puberty in humans). This makes you more prone to getting cancer later in life.

Early puberty in girls causes depression, aggressiveness, social withdrawal, moodiness, behavioural problems, and a greater tendency to smoke and take drugs. Also, it is known that early puberty in a girl increases the risk of osteoporosis later in life.

‘There are several reasons why dairy products raise a woman’s hormone levels causing a variety of hormone-dependent problems from early onset of menstruation (menarche) to PMS and uterine fibroids - but one is unique to cow’s milk: cows are milked even while they are pregnant. As a result of the pregnancy, cows secrete high levels of estrogen into their milk.’ Janowski T., ‘Mammary Secretion Of Estrogens In The Cow’, Domestic Animal Endocrinology, 2002 Jul; 23(1-2): 125-37.

The simple solution is to avoid dairy milk and switch to delicious and super-nutritious non dairy milk. When you switch to non-dairy milk, this has a dramatic beneficial effect on your health. It is quick and easy to make your own non-dairy milk, plus the added bonus that you save money. See below for details of a free recipe book showing how to make non-dairy milk.

Dioxins are man-made chemical by-products caused by factory waste, incineration, traffic pollution, industrial emissions, fires, and many other chemical and industrial processes. Dioxins are deadly and are known to be the most potent carcinogen ever tested.

Research clearly shows that dioxins cause many serious diseases such as a kidney disease, birth defects, premature death, and a whole range of cancers.

Unfortunately, dioxins are just about everywhere in nature because they get carried by weather patterns, rain, ocean currents, and wind to all parts of the globe. Dioxins settle on pastures, and on plants and grains that form part of the food chain for animals and humans.

Although there is little we can do to escape dioxins altogether, we can minimize the amount that goes into our body by avoiding certain foods. Dioxins are found in equal measure in both organic and non-organic food. Dioxins do not come from pesticides or fertilizers - they come from the environment at large and even from the water supply.

Normally, our bodies cope with a low level of dioxins. Some dioxins get excreted instead of being absorbed into the body to cause illness. We can, to some extent reduce the amount of dioxins we get by avoiding foods high in dioxins.

So which food is highest in dioxins? Dairy milk is known to have a higher amount of dioxins than any other human food or drink, weight for weight. All female mammals produce milk for feeding to their young, including humans. Dioxins consumed by the mother get concentrated in her breast milk. This happens because all nutrients (including dioxins) get concentrated in the milk as a way of providing good nourishment to the baby.

This means human babies get concentrated dioxins from their mother’s milk. Mercifully, a baby stops breastfeeding after a few months so the level of dioxins received by the baby drops off. Also, human milk has a lower concentration of dioxins compared to dairy milk.

But for a milk consumer it’s a different story. Over time, the daily consumption of dairy milk results in a dangerous build up of dioxins in the body, causing below-par health, serious disease, and premature death.

There are plenty of studies showing that dairy milk has the highest concentration of dioxins compared to any other food product:

‘Dioxins penetrate the environment via air, water and soil and are then incorporated in food chains. The major source of human exposure to dioxins (90%) is consumption of .dairy products.’ (Prof. Rocz Panstw, Zakl Hig, 1999, 50:3).

‘The primary source of dioxins is food, especially .dairy products.’ (Chemosphere, 1998 Oct, 37:9).

‘The lipophilic nature of dioxins.may result in relatively high concentrations of dioxin contamination in dairy products.’ (Journal of Animal Science, 1998 Jan, 76:1).

‘Cows’ milk is ideal for assessing levels because these compounds adhere to fat and are transferred to and eliminated in the milk of the lactating animal.’ (Linda Fitzpatrick, Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment, 2005).

All kinds of dairy milk contain dioxins in varying degrees, including organic milk. Unfortunately over eighty percent of organic milk sold in the world is UHT milk (also known as Long Life milk). In the Americas and most of Europe virtually all organic milk is UHT milk.

With UHT milk you get far more dioxins than regular pasteurized milk because more dioxins gets digested instead of being excreted. This happens because the micronized fat globules in UHT milk are much smaller than in non-UHT milk. As a consequence, more dioxins from the milk get into the bloodstream. See below to find out more.

The many unhealthy aspects of dairy milk are becoming increasingly recognized. Consequently, some people are giving up dairy milk (or consuming less) and switching to non-dairy milk. Shops everywhere are now selling soy (soya) milk - even other milks such as almond or rice milk. Your health benefits in two big ways when you switch to non-dairy milk:

Firstly, you avoid all the unhealthy aspects of cow’s milk (too numerous to mention in this article). Secondly, you will greatly benefit from the truly delicious and highly nutritious aspects of plant-based milks.

Don’t just think ’soy’ when it comes to non-dairy milk. There are many kinds of plant-based milks offering a wide range of mouth-watering flavours such as the various nut milks, seed-based milks, grain milks, and soy milk. Once you taste two or three kinds of non-dairy milk, and experience the sheer cool delicious taste you will never want to go back to dairy milk.

Some people have the impression that making non-dairy milk is time consuming or that it requires special milk-making equipment. In fact, a new and easy method makes it quick and simple to make non-dairy milk at any time.

The belief that special milk-making equipment is required has been generated by the marketing of soy milk-making machines. The machines are said to make soy milk ‘automatically’ by simply putting the ingredients into the machine. Then when you come back later and your milk is ready.

In reality, a milk-maker increases the workload, reduces the nutritional value, and is more time consuming. This is why:

More work: the same preparatory work applies, whether or not using a special milk-maker. With a milk-making appliance you have the additional burden of having to take apart and thoroughly clean all the components afterwards.

Less effective at extracting milk (nothing can beat the human hand and a strainer when it comes to extracting the milk!). With a milk-maker you are left with a soggy mess of left-over residue.

Most milk recipes cannot be made using a milk-making machine, and very often a blender is much more effective than the limited mixing capability of a milk-making machine.

The okara (i.e. the highly nutritious left-over residue) usually ends up being too soggy when using a milk-making machine. Soggy okara is more difficult to keep, or freeze, or use with other food preparations.

If adding condiments such as vanilla extract, maple syrup, etc. you cannot check the taste of the mixture while you are making it in the machine.

Biggest drawback: It is difficult to control the heating/boiling process, and as a result, the nutritional value of the milk can be affected (vitamins and plant oils are easily destroyed with heat). Bottom line: milk-making machines produce milk with poor nutritional value compared to making milk without such a machine.

Clearly, you may if you wish, simply buy non-dairy milk from a health-food store or supermarket. You are likely to have a limited choice (usually just soy or rice milk) and it can be quite expensive compared to making your own milk at home. Also, some commercial non-dairy milks can be high in added sugars and they may contain preservatives.

As soon as you start making milk you will not want to go back to buying milk, dairy or non-dairy. When you see how home-made milk is so quick and easy to make it will become second nature. Best of all, as home-made milk is super-nutritious and absolutely delicious, you will always want it.

To make coconut milk the juice inside the coconut is combined with the white flesh of the coconut. The result is a wonderful white milk that is full of super-healthy nutrients. Best of all, coconut milk is absolutely delicious and is non-fattening compared to cow’s milk.

It used to be thought that because coconut oil is saturated it is therefore bad for your health - but this is not so. Past research was often based on hydrogenated coconut oil, rather than virgin coconut oil, thus giving a false impression that it was fattening and bad for health. Also, it was not realized that some saturated fats end up as surplus body fat while others get used up as energy or broken down to unsaturated fats, depending on their atomic structure.

All the modern research shows coconuts to be a great source of healthy nutrition. Although about a third of the white coconut flesh is technically classed as saturated fat, most of this fat is made up of MCFA’s (fatty chains that are burnt up as energy rather than ending up as body fat). Because of this, coconuts are increasingly used in weight-loss regimes.

About 50% of these MCFA’s are made up of lauric acid. This is the most important essential fatty acid in building and maintaining the body’s immune system. The only other rich dietary source of lauric acid (apart from coconut oil) is human milk.

Coconut milk provides a really good source of nutrition for those following a weight loss regime because the saturated fat is composed of short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids that are quickly and easily assimilated into the body - the fatty acids do not end up as fat in the body like the long-chain fatty acids in cow’s milk.

‘One of the remarkable things about coconut oil is that it can help you lose weight.’ Dr. Mary G. Enig, (Ph.D. in nutritional sciences), USA.

‘In tests, animals which ate just a little pure unsaturated oil were fat, and animals which ate a lot of coconut oil were lean. The anti-obesity effect of coconut oil is clear.’ Dr. Raymond Peat (scientist and biochemist), USA.

Although high in saturated fat, coconut milk is an excellent source of nutrition for anybody wanting to lose weight. The fat mostly gets burnt as energy instead of being kept in the body as fat. Coconut milk is highly nutritious, good for the bones, and it helps build up a strong immune system to fight illness and disease.

Much research is currently being done on the high nutritional value of coconuts as they are rich in many vitamins, minerals, and health promoting oils.

Making coconut milk at home is quick and easy once you know how, and no special apparatus is required. When you experience the cool, luxurious, super-delicious taste of coconut milk you will always want to have it.

Several recent studies have continued to support the link between Vitamin D and positive health issues ranging from lung health and new asthma treatments to the prevention of breast and colon cancer. For example, the research shows that daily intake of 1,000 units of Vitamin D cuts the odds of getting colon cancer by about half, and the chances of breast and ovarian cancer by about one third.

It is a well known fact that regular, sensible exposure to ultraviolet sunlight helps the body produce Vitamin D and that you cannot “overdose” on Vitamin D that is produced through UV exposure (although you might get sunburn!). What is less well known is that vitamin D supplements can be very harmful if not taken correctly.

Among the many important functions of vitamin D is absorption of calcium. Vitamin D greatly increases absorption of calcium into the blood stream (from the food you eat), and hence into the body generally.

The big danger is that if milk is consumed on the same day that vitamin D supplements are taken, the bloodstream is overwhelmed with calcium, and this can cause harmful calcification just about anywhere in the body. Calcification of the body is known to be at the root of much illness such as stroke, cancer and heart disease, to name but a few of the conditions.

When a person consumes dairy milk, the protein in the milk quickly makes the bloodstream too acidic. The body reacts to this by pulling calcium from the bones back into the bloodstream (calcium is very alkaline and so it helps neutralize the blood).

As the milk is gradually digested, calcium from the milk enters the bloodstream. As this happens, calcium levels in the blood become too high. In a kind of “knee-jerk” reaction hormones in the body get rid of the excess calcium in the bloodstream by ’storing it’ it in different parts of the body, leading to harmful calcification and illness.

When milk is consumed on days that vitamin D supplements are taken, this compounds the problem by increasing further the excess calcium in the bloodstream. Excess calcium in the bloodstream is referred to by doctors as hypercalcemia, a condition that can cause serious illness. For this reason it is important to avoid all kinds of dairy milk on days that vitamin D supplements are taken.

The solution is simple: never take vitamin D supplements on days that dairy milk is consumed. Better still, switch to non-dairy milk which is far more nutritious and delicious than cow’s milk. If non-dairy milk is not available from your local store, you can easily make your own milk at home from ingredients that can be stored almost indefinitely.