Mega Bored
We all grew up drinking milk. In most households, the dinner table is not complete without a pitcher of milk. Some kids cannot sleep without drinking a warm glass of milk. The culture of consuming milk is deeply embedded into our brains that even health experts encourage all people to drink the stuff at least three times a day. Humans are the only animal living on earth that consumes milk from other species.
Milk has become an epitome of good health. But what if the very thing that we believe could improve health may actually be bad for us?
Hidden Dangers of Milk: The Tainted Cows
Milk that was produced decades ago is radically different from the milk you see at the local grocer right now. The label may not say it, but most milk manufacturers do raise genetically altered cows; these cows produce more milk than average ones. Such cows also yield more meat than regular cows. To top it all off, these test tube cows consume genetically modified feeds too. Now imagine eating foods from such a source!
Proponents of genetic modification insist that the technology could one day eliminate world hunger — but at what cost? We know that generally, altered foods and animals cause mutations of all kinds — most of which have not been discovered by science at this time. As such, safety and public health are a priority when it comes to consuming products from genetically modified sources.
Unfortunately, in the US, food manufacturers are not required to indicate on the label whether the food stuff came from sources that are genetically modified. This means, the public has no idea if the foods they consume are all-natural or tainted with chemicals. Even more alarming, several groups of scientists are already working on genetically modified cows that produce “human” milk! It’s a concept that’s straight out of Frankenstein.
Hidden Dangers of Milk: The Repercussion
It’s bad enough that some cows are fed with antibiotics—genetically modified or chemical-laden feeds—getting milk from a genetically modified cow is dangerous. At this point, we literally do not know what repercussions there are when messing with Mother Nature.
Most milk on your local grocers have trace elements of antibiotics given to the cow while it’s lactating. When absorbed by humans, these chemicals may lead to harmful microbes that are extremely resistant to antibiotics. This means that when you get sick, the antibiotics usually prescribed to treat your illness are no longer effective.
What’s more, majority of health experts believe there is a link between milk produced by cows injected with bovine growth hormone (rBST) and cancer. Although tests showed mixed results, the prospect is scary considering how millions of people die from the disease every year.
Milk from tainted sources is also less nutritious than milk from organically-raised cows. This defeats the purpose of drinking milk for better health.
Should We Stop Drinking Milk?
This will depend entirely on you. Milk harvested from organically-raised, free-range cows is much healthier than average so if you cannot imagine going through life without drinking milk or eating cheese then it’s best to be selective when it comes to the brands of dairy products you eat. If you can, limit or eliminate milk products from sources with questionable practices. You can dig around online to find out which brands are better than others.
