A few years ago, cow's milk was a highly encouraged consumption habit. Today, this is much less the case. We are witnessing a significant drop in the consumption of dairy products mainly for health reasons. Rightly or wrongly?
From land to plate is a book dealing with the food industry . This recent book is the work of Marc Dufumier, a retired French agronomist and teacher-researcher known for having worked at AgroParisTech.
Among other things, he answers the following question:is drinking cow's milk bad for your health? The author begins with some figures from the National Union of Drinking Milk (Syndilait). It turns out that cow's milk is less popular today. We went from an average of 61 liters per person per year in 2003 to 49 liters in 2017.
More than a decade ago, milk was touted for its calcium and phosphorus content . Today, the decline in interest comes mainly from lactose allergies (real or not). In any case, this is the main argument leading to lower consumption. However, you should know that these allergies affect a minority of people. In addition, they can still consume other dairy products such as cheese and yogurt in which lactose is no longer present.
However, Marc Dufumier sheds light on a real problem:the presence in milk of proteins that cause blood acidification. Seeking to maintain balance, our body will directly draw calcium and other alkaline minerals from the bones. According to the expert, drinking too much milk can then lead to decalcification caused not by a lack of calcium, but due to an excess of acidity. Moreover, this particularly concerns pregnant or breastfeeding women as well as the elderly.
You should also know that drinking this beverage alone tends to amplify risk. Thus, it is necessary to vary your diet in order to add other proteins (fruits, bread, etc.) and therefore neutralize its acidifying effect. In addition, assimilating calcium correctly involves absorbing equivalent amounts of magnesium. While there is little in milk, chocolate contains a lot. Marc Dufumier also indicates that we should turn more to other foods that are sources of calcium as a substitute. Here is a list:fish (organic or wild), spinach, broccoli, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, soy, soy milk, tofu, dried beans, oranges or even apricots.
The agronomist does not blame cow's milk, but insists that you should not drink too much of it. In addition, varying your diet can also go hand in hand with choosing other types of milk that are richer in nutrients (goat, sheep, etc.).
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