Dairy

There is that generalization about dairy & cancer going around.

Before throwing out the baby with the bathwater (or cream) here, it is important to distinguish between valuable and non-valuable dairy. First, any dairy/milk products (butter, milk, cream, cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, buttermilk, cream cheese, yogurt, kefir, 1/2 & 1/2, egg nog, ice cream, whipped cream, etc.) and/or anything with dairy in it (creamed soups, etc.) needs to be organic/from organic milk or from European, Australian, Canadian or Japanese dairy cows.

The hormone recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is given to non-organic dairy cows to make them produce more milk. And it leads to higher levels of insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in the milk and milk products from those cows. This hormone is also a growth hormone for breast and colon cancers, and possibly for other cancers as well. It is forbidden to give rBGH to animals in the EU, Canada, Australia and Japan where it is banned.

Second, some people are allergic to dairy compounds (lactose or casein, or both) and can't absorb it. For others, it can cause increased phlem production. Some say raw milk may reduce these adverse effects.

If dairy is fermented (yogurt, kefir, sour cream, buttermilk, cottage cheese), it may be easier to tolerate since the lactose is broken down by the fermenting organisms. These provide probiotics which aid the digestive system, make some of the b vitamins and vitamin k, and boost the immune system.

For those who can tolerate it, dairy is rich in protein, calcium, fat-soluble vitamins, minerals, good CLA fats (which may have cancer-
protective activity) http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/bauman/cla/human_health/c9t11_general.html and other benefits.

So, it may be a big mistake to avoid all dairy (unless you're allergic to it). But it must be organic or from rBGH-free sources.

Happy holidays. This is making me want to dig into some raw milk French blue cheese right about now! Whole Foods has a good selection of organic, raw & imported dairy products.

Beware sugar (a cancer growth factor) and its partner, insulin (also a cancer growth factor), in so many of our holiday foods.