The Dairy Debate

For all those who don't know it, I come from a Jat family and if there is one thing Jats are known for (besides being loud and aggressive) - its their love for dairy. Dairy (in particular  buffalo's milk) and its byproducts had been a staple food in my diet since childhood - be it milk, yogurt, cream, butter or ghee I used to consume one or more forms of diary with each meal. 
I say had because I have eliminated diary to about 95% from my current lifestyle - I made this change last year when I was making a shift towards a more whole and plant based diet - the more I read about milk the more I was convinced that I was better off without it. 

This is a long post and includes all the information that I found useful during my research. Now all this is my personal research and point of view - just read and see what all appeals to your sense of logic and choose and apply that fits your lifestyle

Every mammal nurses its young but once they are weaned off they sustain on other forms of food and never go back to milk. Humans are the only species on earth that never gets weaned off - and we are the only species that drinks the milk of another animal - that's something to ponder over. 
US eats more diary products than any other nation in the entire world and with all their billion dollar subsidies it is without doubt one of the most political foods in America. 

Coming to the details:
(I have picked this information from the book Fit for Life) 

• There are two enzymes - renin and lactase that are needed to breakdown and digest milk. These enzymes are all gone by the age of three in most humans. 
• Milk has an element called Casein - which is 300 times more in cow's milk than in human's. Casein attributes to and is required for the development of big bones. Casein coagulates in the stomach and forms dense difficult to digest curds that are better suited for the four stomach digestive system of cows.
• Casein puts a tremendous pressure on the digestive system of humans which means the body has to devote more energy to digest or get rid of it
• Overtime some of this tough and dense material hardens and sticks to the lining of the intestines - interfering with the absorption of the nutrients. Adults who use milk products do not absorb nutrients as well as those who don't
• Also, the milk digestion process leaves a great deal of mucus in the body which is highly acidic and is stored in the body to be dealt at a later time.
• Many allergies especially asthma can be directly tied to Milk consumption. Ear infection in children has also been linked with cow's milk and formula consumption.
• Many studies consider Casein as major contributing factor to Thyroid problems
• Btw Casein is the base of one of the strongest glues used in woodworking
• Add to it that diary products in the US are highly processed - the high heat of pasteurization (anywhere b/w 145F for Vat Pasteurized to 280F for ultra pasteurized) destroys not only the bad bacteria but almost all the good bacteria and enzymes. Milk enzymes can take heat up to 117F (try touching the milk at 117F and you will not burn your fingers v/s 118F which will burn - this is nature's way of telling that all the enzymes are intact) and not to mention the high doses of antibiotics cows are treated with to increase milk production - some of these antibiotics are passed on to your system through that milk. Source: RawMilk Campaign
• Calcium: Now, let's talk about the calcium - one of the biggest reasons milk is considered a health food is because of its high calcium levels. There are a few reasons why milk might not be the best source of calcium. First, the calcium in cow's milk is much coarser that human's milk and is tied up with Casein making it difficult to be absorbed by the body. Secondly, the pasteurization and homogenization of milk degrades the calcium making it hard to utilize. Thirdly and most importantly there are so many plant sources of calcium such as leafy greens, raw nuts and seeds. Raw sesame seeds - they have the highest calcium content of any food, Kale has more calcium than milk and more Vit C than an orange. 
• Also, let me clarify that the main role of Calcium in the body is to neutralize the acid and most people who are calcium deficient are not because they are not getting in enough from their diet but because they are eating highly acidic diets and their calcium reserves are being used up by the constant neutralizing being done by the body. All dairy products are extremely acid forming except Butter/Ghee
• Yogurt: Another dairy product that is considered a must due the amount of live cultures and healthy bacteria present in it. The fact is that most of the friendly bacteria in yogurt are already being produced by your body in adequate levels.

Alternatives to Milk:

• Almond and Coconut milks are a good option but please make sure that you are buying the purest and most unprocessed forms of these. (I am not a fan of Soy Milk -read it all here). You can easily make nut milk at home using a blender - I use my juicer.
• Another potential option is Goat's milk - If you have to have milk then switching to Goat milk might be a step in the right direction. Worldwide, more people drink goat's milk than cow's - it's only North America that primarily drinks cow's milk

Why Goat's Milk is better than Cow's: 

(Information Source: My New Roots) 

• Goat Milk is Easier to Digest than Cow Milk: Goat's milk has smaller protein molecule than cow's milk and are most similar to the ones found in human milk. The fat molecules in goat's milk have more thinner and fragile membrane - half of that of cow's - which results in lesser curd tension i.e coagulation and is much easier on the stomach. Goat milk takes 20 mins to digest in a baby v/s 8 hours needed for pasteurized cow's milk!!
• Goat Milk is more nutritious: It has more calcium, phosphorus, Vit A, some Vit B's and less cholesterol
• Goat Milk is non-allergic: Since goat milk does not have the complex proteins that are can cause allergic reactions in children like wheezing, coughing, ear infections and eczema etc it does not stress the immune system. Goat milk can also be consumed by most people who are lactose intolerant.
• Goat Milk has an alkalizing effect: Its one of the rare dairy products that does not produce acid in our system and in fact helps restore the pH balance. An acidic pH balance has been associated with fatigue, headaches, body aches, excess weight and blood sugar imbalance.
• Goat Milk Contains Twice the Healthful Medium Chain Fatty Acids:
  Goat milk contains twice the amount of medium chain fatty acids (such as capric and caprylic acids) than found in cow milk. These fatty acids are highly antimicrobial and help boost the immune system and enhance energy levels 

Where Do I stand:

I personally have been buying raw organic Cow's Milk for the past 1.5 years which I heat at a very low temperature and take it off before it reaches the boiling stage. I had completely eliminated dairy from my diet for about 12 months and saw major improvements in skin and energy levels. These days milk is mostly used in our house for tea for Anant (once in a while I indulge too) and I use yogurt mostly for making salad dressings. 
As for Goat milk I had never tried it before - I just bought my first bottle of raw goat milk and let me tell you that contrary to my preconceived notion and popular belief that goat's milk is pungent smelling - it's not all that bad both in smell and taste. It will sure take sometime getting used to but it wasn't half as bad as I was expecting it to be.
Ghee was and is the only dairy product that I never cut off from my diet primarily because I love it too much plus its not acidic in nature.