Many children are subtly or violently allergic to milk proteins. Sniffles and intestinal distress dismissed as colds and colic can actually be signs of lactose intolerance. Pediatricians often find that chronic ear infections and respiratory problems are aggravated when milk is part of a child's diet. Drinking milk has also been linked to asthma and intestinal bleeding and is suspected of triggering juvenile diabetes, a disease that causes blindness and other serious effects. Unfortunately, these antibodies also destroy the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas, leading to diabetes.
Humans are the only creatures that drink milk from the mother of another species.
Human children have no nutritional requirements for cow's milk and grow up healthy and strong without it. Parents should feel good about giving their children the many nutritious, tasty, nondairy alternatives instead. All the protein and other nutrients needed for growth and health are found in plant products, so don't feel pressured by well-meaning relatives or uninformed doctors. Children who eat more than 12 hot dogs per month are nine times more likely to develop childhood leukemia than vegetarian kids, according to a University of Southern California study.