The Harvard School of Public Health made no bones about where they stand on dairy when they sent their findings to the  United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and nutrition experts everywhere with the  “Healthy Eating Plate” food guide.  This guide is a replacement for the food pyramid, which hadn’t been updated in many years.

Harvard’s nutrition experts claim this guide is based on sound nutrition research and not influenced by food industry lobbyists.   According to Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD,  “The greatest evidence of its research focus is the absence of dairy products from the “Healthy Eating Plate” based on Harvard’s assessment that “…high intake can increase the risk of prostate cancer and possibly ovarian cancer.”  The Harvard experts also referred to the high levels of saturated fat in most dairy products and suggested that collards, bok choy, fortified soy milk, and baked beans are safer choices than dairy for obtaining calcium, as are high quality supplements.”

Not only do cows suffer on dairy farms (their babies are biproducts of the cruelest part of factory farming imaginable,) we suffer.  Cows milk ingested by humans (remember – this is breastmilk for baby cows after all) can cause autism, cancer, weight gain, bad skin, diarrhea, bloating, gas, cramps, vomiting, headaches, rashes, and asthma.  We are the only species to ingest the breastmilk of another species. Let’s think on that for a second.

For more info on dumping dairy, and the ethical and health benefits of doing so, scroll our archives.