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What Is the Best Milk to Drink

By Diane Hanson

You’ve probably been told by your doctor to get about 1200 mg of calcium a day, especially if you’re a woman. Getting enough calcium is important for bone health. It’s supposed to increase bone density and help prevent osteoporosis. So, what is the best milk to drink – cow’s milk, soy milk, raw milk, fermented milk (kefir), or raw almond milk?

Cow’s Milk

I’ve read and heard viewpoints that regular cow’s milk (homogenized and pasteurized) is meant for cows and bad for humans to drink.

Cows are injected with drugs, antibiotics and rBGH (Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone). Although there have been no long-term tests of rBGH health effects on humans, some preliminary studies link rBGH with increased risks of breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes and hypertension, just to name a few.

In addition to that, cow’s milk may be contaminated with cow’s blood and pus, and pesticides.

The late Dr. Benjamin Spock, America’s leading authority on child care, spoke out against feeding kids with cow’s milk. It can cause anemia, allergies, and insulin-dependent diabetes and may predispose kids to obesity and heart disease later in life.

Soy Milk

If you drink soy milk, thinking that it’s a far better alternative to cow’s milk, think again. Most popular soy milk brands are full of sugar, and mixed with oil and stabilizers to create a milky appearance.

The level of phytoestrogen is also pretty high in soy milk, which can lower the amount of testosterone and affect sperm count.

On top of this, soy milk is associated with breast cancer, leukemia, thyroid disorders and early puberty of adolescents.

Raw Milk

Raw milk means straight from the cow or goat without homogenization or pasteurization – contains living bacteria cultures that enhance digestion and even soothe the digestive tract.

Some people argue that drinking raw milk isn’t healthy and even dangerous because the live cultures might get contaminated with unfriendly bacteria such as E coli.

In fact, raw milk that’s collected hygienically from healthy grass-fed cows on a local family-owned diary farm is very safe to drink, and its health benefits far outweigh the risks. Raw milk is very rich in enzymes and contains all of the 22 essential amino acids.

I like raw goat’s milk as the proteins in the raw goat’s milk are easier to digest but the downside is that it has a rather strong taste. If you want to switch to raw milk, I suggest you try both raw goat’s milk and raw cow’s milk, then decide which you prefer best.

Fermented Raw Milk (Kefir)

In my opinion, fermented raw milk is the best and healthy milk to drink. Kefir is a fermented milk drink which offers a host of health benefits.

It has antibiotic and anti-fungal properties, and is used in the treatment of metabolic disorders, atherosclerosis, allergies, tuberculosis, cancer, poor digestion, candidiasis, osteoporosis, hypertension, HIV and heart disease.

Raw Almond Milk

Raw almond milk is the next best milk to drink. It’s made from raw, soaked almonds, water, vanilla and a pinch of sea salt.

It contains many anti-cancer phytonutrients, has no cholesterol and makes a great substitute for lactose intolerant people.

And, because almond skins are a good source of flavonoids, they can protect your heart from cardiovascular diseases as well.

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