Dairy – Why Animal Products Harm

Milk is no miracle food and the consumption of dairy products has been linked to a number of health issues and diseases. We’re not meant to consume milk after weaning and are best off without it.
This page includes excerpts from our report, White Lies. Download the full report for more information.
Drinking milk is the most innate thing in the world – if you’re a baby and you’re suckling from your mum, that is. Like all 5,000 or so species of mammals on this planet, we have evolved to drink the milk of our mothers until weaned. But we are the only mammal to drink milk after weaning and certainly the only one to drink the milk of another species! If this sounds strange, think how you’d feel if your friend told you that they suckle from their pet dog or cat. Or even directly from a cow.
Cow’s milk: ideal for calves not humans
The composition of milk varies widely from animal to animal, providing the perfect first food for the young of that species. Cow’s milk is very different from human milk – which is why we mustn’t give ordinary cow’s milk to a baby – it has to be changed into a formula that attempts to replicate human milk.
Cow’s milk is meant to get a calf to triple his or her weight within a year to a whopping 300-400kg – that’s why it contains a lot of fat, hormones and proteins that are perfect for a calf but can be very unhealthy and even harmful for a human!

Lactose Intolerance
Did you know that over 70 per cent of the world’s population are lactose intolerant? For example, most people in China, Vietnam, Thailand and Japan – as they lose the enzyme needed to break down the sugar (lactose) in milk after weaning. If they drink milk, the main symptoms include diarrhoea, a bloated and painful stomach and, on some occasions, nausea and vomiting. Even in the UK, lactose intolerance is the most common adverse reaction to cow’s milk among adolescents and adults.
There’s nothing wrong with being lactose intolerant – adult mammals (including humans) have no need for digesting lactose as they are not supposed to suckle so it’s actually unusual that some people can digest it. It’s only possible for some populations due to a couple of genetic mutations that occurred several thousands of years ago.
Every hour is cocktail hour!
In a typical glass of milk or bite of cheese, there are 35 hormones, including IGF-1, oestrogen and progesterone, adrenal, pituitary, hypothalamic and other hormones. And as two-thirds of milk is taken from pregnant cows, with the rest coming from animals who have recently given birth, levels are sky-high.
IGF wot not?
IGF-1 stands for insulin-like growth factor 1. It is a growth hormone that controls growth and development in both cattle and people but each species has very different rates of growth. It is thought that compounds in cow’s milk also make us produce more of our own IGF-1. Even small increases in our levels of IGF-1 increase the risk of several common cancers, including breast, prostate, lung and colon.
Higher intakes of milk and dairy products are linked to raised levels of IGF-1, whereas high vegetable consumption is linked to lower levels. Science looking at adult milk drinkers shows that increased dairy consumption is a major dietary risk factor for the development of prostate and breast cancers.
Pus in milk
Another undesirable component of milk is pus! Milk containing up to 400 million pus (somatic) cells per litre is legally allowed to be sold for human consumption – even higher levels in goats’ milk. Why so much? Because modern, intensive dairy farming ensures that 30 per cent of British dairy cows have mastitis – a painful infection of the udders – at any given time. Pus is a product of the cow’s almost constant fight against bacterial invasion (made up of white blood cells, bacteria and dead udder tissue cells) and some of it finds its way into her milk.
Dairy damns ‘dem bones!
Worried about your bones? Don’t be, most peoples of the world don’t drink milk and their bones are strong but those who drink the most (in Northern Europe and the US) have the highest levels of osteoporosis (brittle bone disease). The World Health Organisation say that: “The paradox clearly calls for an explanation. To date, the accumulated data indicate that the adverse effect of protein, in particular animal (but not vegetable) protein, might outweigh the positive effect of calcium intake on calcium balance.”
Cow’s milk is not the best source of calcium; our bones benefit more from plant calcium sources. Weight-bearing exercise (walking, running and dancing), is the most important factor for maintaining healthy bones, followed by improving diet (plenty of fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, pulses, seeds and nuts) and lifestyle. To protect your bones – use ‘em or lose ‘em!
Mending a broken heart
Every two minutes, someone has a heart attack or stroke in the UK. Heart disease occurs when arteries carrying blood to the heart become blocked. Gradually, they become furred with ‘plaques’ – a thick sludge formed from cholesterol and other substances.
Animal protein and animal fats found mainly in dairy (hard cheese, cream, ice cream, milk chocolate and butter), red and white meats and eggs, as well as hydrogenated fats in junk foods, raise ‘bad’ cholesterol levels in the blood and increase the risk of heart disease.
Not cool for kids
Acne, asthma, colic, eczema, ear infections and obesity are all linked to dairy. So is childhood anaemia, caused by milk allergy-induced intestinal bleeding. Childhood diabetes (type 1) is increasing dramatically in younger children; early exposure to cow’s milk and infant formula is a recognised trigger. Type 2 diabetes is now a disease of our children. Lack of exercise and poor diets with high-fat dairy products are to blame. Four-cheese pizzas do us no favours!
Milk — The Wrong Stuff
Drinking milk is unnatural for us. Many humans find milk hard to digest, suffering from discomfort and pain. Despite relentless claims by the dairy industry, milk is neither the only nor the best source of calcium and can even increase your risk of bone fracture. Beans, lentils, broccoli, kale, watercress, nuts, seeds, soya and other plant foods are better and healthier sources.
Ditching dairy products has never been easier as supermarkets and health food shops now stock a wide selection of delicious and nutritious dairy-free alternatives to milk, yogurt, ice cream, margarine and cheese!
Since 1960, global milk production has nearly doubled (Speedy, 2003). The most substantial growth has occurred in developing countries; the consumption of milk per person in China has increased tenfold since 1980 (FAO, 2009). These changes in diet have had an impact on the global demand for agricultural products and will continue to do so.
Around three-quarters of the world’s population do not drink milk, but among those who do, the pattern of consumption varies widely between countries. Data collected by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) provides figures for the consumption of milk (excluding butter) in kilograms per capita per year for over 170 countries (FAOSTAT, 2013).
As shown in Figure 1.0 the level of milk and dairy product consumption varies widely between countries. The highest levels of consumption are seen in Europe. In Finland for example, a massive 375.4kg was consumed per person in 2009, with Sweden close behind at 357.4kg, then the Netherlands (357.3.7kg), Albania (282kg), Germany (264kg) and Norway (262.6kg). Between 2002 and 2009, US consumption dropped from 264.6kg to 255.6kg and UK consumption increased from 233.3kg to 248.5kg so the gap between the two has largely been closed. The average amount of milk and dairy products consumed per person per year on a global scale is just 87.3kg (up from 79.8kg in 2002). It should be noted that while overall dairy consumption in the UK may have increased, the consumption of milk in 2009 was reduced according to the 2008/2009 National Diet and Nutrition Survey. For example, consumption for girls aged 11-18 years was 136 grams per day on average in 1997 and 107 grams per day in 2009; consumption for boys of the same age was 208 grams per day in 1997 and 172 grams per day in 2009. For adults, even larger decreases were seen, for women from 195 grams per day in 2000/2001 to 120 grams per day in 2009 and for men, from 225 grams per day to 165 grams per day (Bates et al., 2010).
The lowest levels of consumption are seen in Africa and Asia. In Liberia a mere 2.5kg was consumed per person in 2009. Other countries consuming small amounts include the Congo (3.7kg), Mozambique (4.1kg), the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (4.5kg), Viet Nam (11.5kg) and Thailand (21.8kg). With levels this low, it is reasonable to assume that many people in these countries and others do not consume any milk or milk products at all.
While some European countries are consuming less (Sweden, France, Norway, Ireland, Portugal and Spain), consumption in developing countries is increasing (Brazil, Kenya, South Africa, India and China). In 2002 the amount consumed per person in China was 13.2kg, by 2009 this figured has risen to 29.8kg. Although the amount consumed per person in China is still relatively low compared to that in the West, it should be remembered that China has a population of 1.35 billion so this increase amounts to a significantly higher demand.
It could be argued that the lower level of consumption seen in some developing countries just reflects the fact that people cannot afford to buy milk products. However, in Japan for example (not a developing country), consumption is very low at only 73.9kg. Most people in the world do not drink milk; their reasons may be cultural, economic, historical or biological. For example, most of the world’s population are lactose intolerant (see Lactose intolerance). But many of us think of milk as a fundamental component of a healthy diet. Why is this? Is milk the only source of some obscure essential nutrient? Or is milk unique in that it contains all the nutrients that we require?

Adverts for dairy products are very inventive but rarely tell you actual facts. We all know milk contains calcium but what else is in it? And how does it affect your health? Here are the facts on what’s in milk.
Water
The main component of milk is water- around 87 per cent and it’s even more in skim milk, over 90 per cent. Water is necessary for the newborn calf and also serves as a carrier for all the other ingredients in milk. When dairy proponents criticise plant milks for containing a lot of water, they’re conveniently forgetting that dairy milk shares that characteristic too!
Sugar
Milk naturally contains sugar – lactose – about 5g per 100ml. Lactose is a sugar that serves as the main source of energy for the newborn calf.
However, for lactose to be digested the enzyme lactase is necessary. All human babies have this enzyme but only some retain it after weaning. In fact, most of the world’s population (about two thirds!) are unable to digest lactose after infancy. That’s why so many people are labelled as lactose intolerant.
The reason for the absence of lactase in many children and adults is evolutionary. No other mammal species needs this enzyme after weaning and therefore, given that it would be redundant, the body simply stops producing it as it’s genetically programmed to do so. Drinking milk after infancy is just not what nature intended.
Protein
The proteins in milk can be divided into two categories – caseins and whey proteins.
Caseins can be very difficult to digest, often cause cow’s milk allergy and have been linked to type 1 diabetes. Caseins are so tough they are even used as a basis of some glues!
The amount of protein in cow’s whole milk is around 3.3 g/100g (3.4g in semi-skimmed milk) while it is only 1.3g/100g in human milk. Moreover, the ratio of caseins to whey proteins is 40:60 in human milk but it is 80:20 in cow’s milk. Calves need extra protein because they need to grow fast. Human babies, on the other hand, need less protein and more fat. Not only is the higher amount and wrong ratio of proteins in cow’s milk difficult to digest, it also contributes to acidic (unwanted) reactions in the body that may weaken bones.

Fat
The majority of fat in milk and dairy products is saturated. Even though low-fat milk products contain less fat overall, the fat in them is almost all saturated. This ‘bad’ fat is completely unnecessary for humans and increases the risk of many diseases including heart disease and stroke, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and has been linked to several types of cancer. Some dairy products, such as cheese, are the biggest saturated fat contributors in Western diets and have been blamed for the current obesity epidemic.
Milk contains only tiny amounts of polyunsaturated fats that are not only essential for the human body but also have a whole range of beneficial properties (eg are anti-inflammatory). These are abundant in plant foods and some plant milks are also a good source.
Vitamins and minerals
Small amounts of these vitamins and minerals are found in cow’s milk:
- Minerals: sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, selenium, iodine and trace amounts of copper and manganese
- Vitamins: vitamin A, vitamin E, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folate, pantothenic acid, biotin and trace amounts of vitamin D
Sounds good? Think again – the amounts are small, aside from calcium, and you can get all of these from better, healthier and more ethical sources. The truth is, the dairy industry are great at exaggerating but there’s nothing essential about milk.
Hormones
Cow’s milk naturally contains a cocktail of 35 hormones and growth factors, including IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1), oestrogen and progesterone, adrenal, pituitary, hypothalamic and other hormones. All these are meant for a calf and perfectly suit his or her growth and development needs (a calf grows into an adult size cow/bull in just one year).
However, these hormones can accelerate cancer growth in a grown-up human body. Certain types of cancer cells are sensitive to hormones and respond with faster and more aggressive growth.
Two of the biggest concerns are oestrogen and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) as both are linked to breast and prostate cancers in humans. Even small increases of IGF-1 raise the risks of several other common cancers including breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers. IGF-1 is not destroyed during pasteurisation. For more information on this subject see the White Lies report.
Infectious particles and somatic cells (pus)
Dairy cows are prone to disease and due to large numbers of cows on dairy farms and the intensity of production, diseases spread fast. In the UK, cows can suffer from a range of infectious diseases including brucellosis, bovine tuberculosis, foot and mouth disease, mastitis, viral pneumonia and Johne’s disease. As a result, various contaminants can occur in milk.
Mastitis (inflammation of the udder) is very common. It is caused by bacteria and leads to the whole udder or a part of it being inflamed, swollen and very painful. The cow’s body responds to the infection by producing white blood cells (neutrophils) that combat the infection in the udder. These cells, together with dead cells (all these cells are called ‘somatic cells’) and waste products of the inflammation are components ofpus and are inevitably excreted into the milk.Milk containing up to 400 million somatic cells per litre can be legally sold in the UK.
In the USA, the upper limit for somatic (pus) cells is 750 million and there’s a lot of pressure on the UK and EU to raise the limit – with Brexit, this may happen in near future.
The composition of milk varies widely from animal to animal, providing the perfect first food for the young of that species. A seal’s milk is extraordinarily fatty (50 per cent fat) so that seal pups can grow very quickly, depositing a thick layer of blubber that will protect them from the cold and sustain them as they learn to hunt for themselves. Just as we are different from seals, we are not exactly the same as cows either! It won’t surprise you, then, that cows’ milk is very different from human milk – which is why we mustn’t give ordinary cows’ milk, condensed milk, dried or evaporated milk to a child under the age of one. If a human baby is given cows’ milk, it has to be changed into a formula that attempts to replicate human milk.
Do you think that milk is ideal for humans? Cows’ milk is meant to help a calf grow very rapidly indeed, reaching 47-63 stone (300-400kg) within a year. We, on the other hand, take about 18 years to reach adult weight (a woman of 5’4” has an average weight of about 10 stone 3lbs (65 kg); a 6’ man has an average weight of 13 stone (83 kg)). So, we have very different rates of growth and while cow’s milk and human milk contain a similar percentage of water, the relative amounts of fat, carbohydrate, protein, vitamins and minerals vary widely. So let’s look at four of these main nutrients. You’ll soon discover why cows’ milk is ideal for baby cows, but not for humans.
Ever wondered how do dairy products and their plant-based counterparts match-up? We’ve done all the hard work for you!
Firstly, let’s have a proper look at what any milk actually is – a very watery liquid, around 90 per cent is always water. Therefore, any amount of nutrients it contains is more or less diluted and any health effects depend on how much of it you drink.
Sugar with your milk?
As you can see in the comparison table, dairy milk has more sugar than most plant milks. Why is there sugar in plain dairy milk you ask? Milk sugar – lactose – is a natural component of milk. It’s a simple sugar, which means it breaks down fast and is quickly absorbed by your body in the same way as table sugar.
On the other hand, unsweetened plant milks have almost no sugar and even the sweetened varieties are often sweetened with apple juice, which is better for you than sugar.
The lowest in sugar: soya, almond and hemp milks
Nutrient/100g | Dairy milk (semi-skimmed) | Soya milk | Almond milk | Oat milk | Hemp milk | Rice milk | Coconut milk |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total fat | 2g | 1.7g | 1.1g | 0.5-1.5g | 2.8g | 1g | 0.9-2g |
Saturated fat | 1-1.3g | 0.3g | 0.1g | 0.1-0.2g | 0.3g | 0.1g | 0.9-1.9g |
Polyunsaturated (essential) fats | 0-0.1g | 1g | 0.3g | 0.7g | 2g | 0.6g | 0g |
Protein | 3-4g | 3g | 0.4g | 1g | 0.6g | 0.1g | 0.1-0.2g |
Sugar (unsweetened) Sugar (sweetened) | 5g | 0.1g 2.4g | 0.1g 3g | 4.1g | 0.1g 1.8g | 3.3-7g | 1.6-1.9g |
Fibre | 0g | 0.5g | 0.4g | 0.8g | 0.5g | 0.3g | 0.1g |
Calcium | 120mg | 120mg | 120mg | 120mg | 118mg | 120mg | 120mg |
Floating fats
Dairy milk always contains saturated ‘bad’ fats which are a risk factor for heart disease. In that respect, coconut milk is similar as it’s the only type of plant milk that naturally comes with a higher saturated fat content. All the other plant milks have a healthy fat profile. Hemp milk also comes with an extra dose of essential omega-3 fats, closely followed by soya with its healthy unsaturated fats. Rice, oat and almond milk have the absolutely lowest fat content.
Lowest in fat: soya, almond, oat, hemp and rice milk
Packing protein
Protein levels vary and although dairy milk has about the same protein content as soya milk, cow’s milk proteins, such as whey and casein, are difficult for the human body to digest. In fact, they used to make furniture glue out of casein! Soya not only contains a good amount of protein but it’s better protein at that! Soya protein lowers cholesterol and may reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Best for protein: soya milk
Liquid calcium
The amount of calcium you get from most fortified plant milks is the same as from cow’s milk. Not all varieties are fortified, so check the carton! The calcium in dairy milk is why we’ve been told to drink the white stuff but don’t forget that cow’s milk also packs a good dose of hormones and pus by default. No one needs that!
Best for calcium: all fortified plant milks
Roughage in your drink
All plant milks contain some fibre, which is essential to good health, whilst dairy milk never contains any. Fibre helps to keep your digestive tract healthy and can slow down sugar digestion. Soya, almond, hemp and oat milk are best for fibre but oat milk beats the others.
Best for fibre: oat milk
Environmental impact
It takes 1,020 litres of water to produce one litre of cow’s milk. To produce the same amount of soya milk, you need 297 litres of water – and even less for other crops such as oats! Almonds drink a bit more but they’re certainly not the culprit behind California’s water crises, as some tabloids claimed – unlike livestock farms!
And the winner is?
It’s impossible to pick which plant milk is the best. Ultimately, it comes down to taste because you’re most likely to stick with something you actually enjoy drinking!
The truth is, all plant milks are not just more ethical and sustainable than cow’s milk, they’re also healthier.
Dairy yogurt vs soya yogurt
When it comes to yogurt, soya ones are by far the best – providing good amounts of protein, calcium, healthy fat and fibre:
Nutrient/100g | Plain low-fat dairy yogurt | Alpro plain soya/ soya-almond yogurt |
---|---|---|
Total fat | 1.5g | 2.8/2.3g |
Saturated fat | 1.0g | 0.4g |
Polyunsaturated (essential) fats | 0.044g | 1.4g |
Protein | 5.2g | 3.9/4.0g |
Sugar | 7.0g | 2.2/2.1g |
Fibre | 0.0g | 1.1g |
Calcium | 183mg | 120mg |
The only thing to watch when it comes to non-dairy yogurts are some coconut ones which have a very high fat content.

Dairy consumption has been linked to many health issues ranging from acne and asthma to certain cancers and diabetes.
Here we explain why dairy is the culprit in many of these diseases. Click on each health condition below to read how and why it’s linked to milk and dairy products or for detailed and referenced information, scroll down to the White Lies report.

Being dairy-free is a natural and healthy choice. All the nutrients in milk are easily found in plant-based foods that will make you thrive and you won’t miss a thing!
Many of us have been brought up with the idea that we need milk for calcium but it’s nothing more than a successful ploy by the dairy industry. They provide ‘educational’ materials to schools, lobby the Government, organise lectures for healthcare professionals, sponsor research and pay millions for advertising to condition people to think they ‘need’ milk. Yet no one needs milk after weaning and no one needs the milk of another species. There’s nothing in cow’s milk that you can’t find in plants, just minus all the bad fats, hormones and gluey protein.
Calcium Question
Calcium is an important mineral that we need for healthy bones, muscle function, numerous metabolic reactions and hormonal balance – about 700 mg per day (adults), children a bit less, adolescents and lactating women slightly more. And we can get more than enough from non-dairy sources as long as we eat a varied and reasonably healthy diet.
The National Osteoporosis Society agree:
“If you don’t eat dairy products, you will need to include lots of other calcium-rich foods such as green leafy vegetables, almonds, sesame seeds, dried fruit, pulses, fortified soya drinks and soya protein (tofu) in your diet. A vegetarian diet is not a risk factor for osteoporosis and vegetarians and vegans do not appear to have poorer bone health than the rest of the population.”
Get your calcium from:
- Nuts and seeds: almonds, Brazil nuts, sesame seeds and tahini (sesame seed paste used in many recipes)
- Pulses: peas, beans, lentils, soya and calcium-set tofu
- Green leafy vegetables: broccoli, kale, spring greens, cabbage, watercress, parsley
- Dried fruit: figs, apricots
- Fortified products: plant milks (soya, almond, oat, hemp, rice, coconut), soya yogurts
Calcium-Rich Foods Poster
Get our calcium-rich foods poster as a reminder of all the great plant sources of calcium!
It has an extendable piece with sample portion sizes and calcium amounts.
Healthy Bones
Our bones need good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle to be strong and healthy. Milk is not just unnecessary for healthy bones – studies show that high intakes can even increase the risk of bone fracture!
Calcium is important to bones health and easy to get from the foods listed above. Another nutrient crucial to maintaining healthy bones is vitamin D. It’s produced in your skin when exposed to the sun in the summer but during the winter months (or if you always protect your skin from sunlight), you might need to take a supplement regardless of your diet (this advice applies to everyone in the UK).
However, we need much more than calcium and vitamin D to produce strong bones. Nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, selenium, zinc, copper, boron, iron, vitamin K, vitamin C, B group, beta carotene (vitamin A) are also necessary but don’t panic! Fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds, pulses and wholegrains are the best sources.
One last thing – bone adapts to the weight and pressure applied to it and it needs this stimulation to stay strong. There’s no need to sweat your socks off but moderate, weight-bearing exercise is a must. This means walking, carrying shopping bags, dancing, gardening, ball games, jogging, yoga, weight-lifting exercise and so on.
More on healthy bones here.

Protein Fiction
Some people believe that dairy products are a good source of protein. It’s true that milk contains some protein but it’s certainly not good for us! One type of protein found in milk – casein – is notoriously hard to digest and it’s so tough that it can be used to make furniture glue. Scientists also discovered that it encourages prostate cancer growth! And other milk proteins – whey proteins – are no miracle either. Whey protein powders have been repeatedly linked to acne.
Milk protein can also cause milk allergy and intestinal bleeding in babies – it’s the most common cause of infant anaemia.
There’s an abundance of protein in plant-based diets and it comes in a much healthier package! Among vegan protein heroes are: pulses (beans, lentils, soya, peas, chickpeas), nuts, seeds, wholegrains and ready-made products such as mock meats, hummus, falafel, soya yoghurts and more!
Being dairy-free is a natural state of being for all adults and children past early years. When you decide to go dairy-free, you’ll most likely experience some health benefits but it has long-term perks too!
Many people notice positive health changes when they cut dairy out of their diet, such as clearer skin, better breathing and better digestion. It’s no coincidence! There’s a lot of research backing up the health improvements people experience.
Better skin
The hormones in milk and dairy products can make your skin more prone to acne. Teenagers who consume dairy tend to have worse acne than those who don’t drink/eat it and bodybuilders who use whey protein powders often suffer from bad skin too.
This is what the world-famous actor Woody Harrelson had to say on the subject in an interview with Maxim magazine:
“I was about 24 years old and I had tons of acne and mucus. I met some random girl on a bus who told me to quit dairy and all those symptoms would go away three days later. By God she was right.”
Ditching dairy can make your skin clearer but for best results also limit your sugar, fried food and alcohol intake and make sure you eat plenty of green leafy vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds.

Improved digestion
Dairy is often the culprit in indigestion, several inflammatory bowel conditions, constipation and stomach pains. When you cut out dairy products, your digestion will very likely improve even if you don’t suffer from any serious conditions. Simply by not eating dairy foods that are high in saturated fat, lactose and devoid of fibre, and replacing them with plant foods (rich in fibre, healthy carbohydrates and antioxidants), your digestive tract will become happier and healthier!
Healthier bones
Better bone health without milk? Yes! Sounds counterintuitive thanks to decades of the dairy industry’s brainwashing but it’s true. Research shows that high intakes of milk and dairy products don’t help your bones but may actually have adverse effect on them. Countries with the highest dairy intake also have the highest rates of osteoporosis (brittle bone disease).
Your bones need many minerals and vitamins to be strong, all of which are abundant in plant foods. The best sources of the most important mineral, calcium, are: nuts and seeds (almonds, Brazil nuts, sesame seeds and tahini – sesame seed paste), pulses (peas, beans, lentils, soya and calcium-set tofu), green leafy vegetables (broccoli, kale, spring greens, cabbage, watercress, parsley), dried fruit (figs, apricots) and fortified plant milks (soya, almond, oat, hemp, rice, coconut) and soya yoghurts.
And what’s more, plant protein has beneficial effects on bone health whilst animal protein (from dairy, meat and eggs) has been repeatedly shown to have negative effects and even to contribute to calcium losses from bones due to its acid-producing nature.
A healthy vegan diet, active lifestyle (to stimulate bones), sufficient vitamin D intake and low or no alcohol intake is all you need to have healthy bones.
Happier heart
By avoiding dairy you’re leaving a lot of saturated fat and cholesterol out of your diet and that’s a great step for a healthier heart and the whole circulation system. Saturated fat, in particular, is a risk factor for heart disease and it can contribute to artery-clogging plaques. Butter is definitely not back – hundreds of scientists agree that avoiding saturated fats is one of the best things you can do for your heart health.
A plant-based diet with healthy, unsaturated fats is what your heart needs and the many antioxidants in plants help to protect your blood vessel walls from damage.

Lower risk of some cancers
Milk and other dairy products contain 35 different hormones and dairy consumption also increases your body’s production of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). IGF-1 can fuel cancer cell growth and people with high IGF-1 levels are at an increased risk of prostate cancer and breast cancer.
For ovarian cancer, milk consumption may also be a risk factor – not just because of the hormones but also due to the milk sugar lactose. Women consuming it on a regular basis (in a range of dairy products) seem to have an increased risk of the disease.
When you go dairy-free, you stop consuming all these hormones and lactose. Studies also show that vegans have lower levels of IGF-1 in their bloodstream. These facts lower your risk of several cancers and if you make your diet healthy with plenty of fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, pulses, nuts and seeds, you’re lowering your chances of developing cancer even more.
Going dairy-free is great for your health but thanks to decades of the dairy industry’s aggressive marketing, many people are worried about making that step. Here we answer the most frequently asked questions about dairy, your health and dairy-free diets.