Whitewash: The Disturbing Truth About Cow's Milk and Your Health

by Joseph Keon

North Americans are some of the least healthy people on Earth. Despite advanced medical care and one of the highest standards of living in the world, one in three Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, and 50 percent of US children are overweight.

This crisis in personal health is largely the result of chronically poor dietary and lifestyle choices. In Whitewash, nutritionist Joseph Keon unveils how North Americans unwittingly sabotage their health every day by drinking milk, and he shows that our obsession with calcium is unwarranted.

Citing scientific literature, Whitewash builds an unassailable case that not only is milk unnecessary for human health, its inclusion in the diet may increase the risk of serious diseases

Prostate, breast, and ovarian cancers Osteoporosis Diabetes Vascular disease Crohn's disease Many of America's dairy herds contain sick and immunocompromised animals whose tainted milk regularly makes it to market. Cow's milk is also a sink for environmental contaminants and has been found to contain traces of pesticides, dioxins, PCBs, rocket fuel, and even radioactive isotopes.

Whitewash offers a completely fresh, candid, and comprehensively documented look behind dairy's deceptively green pastures and gives readers a hopeful picture of life after milk.

Joseph Keon has been a wellness consultant and nutrition and fitness expert for over twenty-five years. He is considered a leading authority on public health and has written three books, including Whole The Guide to Wellness of Body and Mind and The Truth About Breast Cancer.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Food, Vegan, Nutrition, Science, Diets

336 pages, Paperback

Published November 23, 2010

About the author

A wellness consultant, nutrition and fitness expert for over 25 years, Joseph Keon is considered a leading authority on public health and is the author of three books, including Whole Health: The Guide to Wellness of Body and Mind and The Truth about Breast Cancer: A Seven-Step Prevention Plan.

Reviews

[RoWoSthlm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whitewash by Joseph Keon is a very informative book, with lots of fact, lots of references, good research. It’s not my thing to go around and moralize people what to drink, eat, what car to drive, etc. Anyway, one of the privileges of the good life is to be able to stop and reflect on the lifestyle we have and its impact on us, the environment, and, not least, the global situation in our World.

When things turn into a large industrial scale, then greed, concurrence, chasing of the profit margins without a doubt would push the limits beyond all reason. Diary industry is not an exception. I'm rather getting an impression – one of the forefronts of this sad set up, that usually operates in the dark. Most of the cows live literally in the dark, never seeing a blade of green grass in their lives. Short lives. Cows are animals supposed to live about 20 years. Not many of them make to 4. You can find out why in the book.

And of course, the industry lies a lot about the product. The fact is, a human body doesn’t need cow milk. We need calcium and drinking milk is a very inefficient way to get it. Then, there are so many other cons with the dairy products, that are very comprehensively presented in the book. It is a very good source of important information about such a common ingredient in our lives.

[Kelsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book includes a good summary of the many health and environmental issues with dairy consumption; however, it's not very well written (for one thing, the author repeats himself - near identical sentences crop up repeatedly), and supports discredited anti-vaccination theories, which undercuts the author's credibility. This was published in 2010, the same year Wakefield was struck off the medical register and The Lancet retracted its publication on Wakefield's unreproducible findings, so while that information was likely not available before this was published, Wakefield's theories were certainly not free from controversy, which is not even alluded to in this book. I would recommend reading The China Study for dairy health info and maybe Omnivore's Dilemma for environmental impacts instead of this book.

[Jodi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The good parts of this book include that it points out that commercial milk can cause problems for lots of people's health, that dairy products can have an opiate-like effect and that having lots of calcium in the diet isn't enough to ensure healthy bones.

Unfortunately this book also reinforced lots of equally harmful myths (salt is bad for you and low salt diet are best, soy is a health food, saturated fat causes heart disease and low fat and cholesterol diets are best and 15% fat in the diet may not be low enough, vegan diets are best, and so on.) The book also heavily promotes the flawed China Study and its author Dr T Campbell. Pointing out all the problems with eating dairy but then promoting eating lots of soy - a very heavily processed and unnatural food which causes allergies for a similar amount of people as does milk, just makes no sense to me. This book offers far more bad advice than good, sadly.

From my own reading I am in the 'commercial dairy foods aren't healthy for anyone (or for the mistreated and misfed cows!)' camp, but also the 'good quality raw dairy foods (from pastured cows) made into kefir and yogurt are probably healthy additions to the diet in small amounts for those that can tolerate them' camp.

I do better by far with no dairy or grains at all, but each to their own. (I don't agree that raw milk with all its enzymes removes the problems of poor milk tolerance, as some claim, as this has not been my experience.)

This book does a disservice to readers by assuming that all dairy products are commercially made using milk from unhealthy grain fed cows, and not pointing out that many of their comments just don't apply to good quality raw dairy products. Commercial milk is so far removed from normal old fashioned milk, and it is a highly processed product. Of course such a food isn't healthy! But these issues should be separated form the issues with good quality raw milk itself, surely.

To get some more reliable and better researched information on what to eat, what not to eat and the reasons for and against eating raw milk products or no milk at all I would instead recommend The Untold Story of Milk and even better Primal Body, Primal Mind: Beyond the Paleo Diet for Total Health and a Longer Life. This latter book provides a real guide to healthy eating and why it is important to eat the foods we evolved to eat if we want to be healthy. It is superior to this unconvincing and skewed book in every way.

Jodi Bassett, HFME

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-documented analysis that shows dairy industry slogans and claims about the value of their products to be unfounded. He covers routine contamination of milk with environmental pollutants, antibiotics, growth hormones, cow pus and cow germs, such as bovine leukemia and tuberculosis; as well as its implication in human diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, breast cancer, obesity, allergies and osteoporosis. In this last case, for example, international scientific data reveals that there is a direct correlation between the amount of dairy products consumed and increases in osteoporosis in the population; while rates of osteoporosis and bone fractures in the elderly are much less in China, African nations, and SE Asia where few dairy products are consumed. Why? Because what matters is retention rates of calcium not ingestion rates. Meat and dairy products make body chemistry acidic, and to return to a normal, slightly base state one mechanism the body uses is to excrete calcium, even if it must be drawn from the bones to do so. Thus a person consuming too much acidifying foods, though they be high in calcium, has been shown to lose more of the mineral than they ingested. Again, the author covers the increasingly deplorable and inhumane conditions dairy cattle are kept in and its effect on their health and well being as well as on the wholesomeness of their milk. I recommend this book as a counterweight to the pervasive propaganda and advertisements of the dairy industry and the branches of government that exist to promote its products rather than to give consumers even-handed and accurate scientific information.

[Keri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing new presented. I am particularly disgusted at the autism section touting a CF/GF diet and the link between vaccines and autism. This book is in the trash!

[Kate Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keon gives us a comprehensive look at what the dairy industry is NOT telling us. By analyzing numerous studies, he chips away at, and ultimately demolishes, all the reasons we've been given to drink milk, and instead shows how hazardous it is. For adult humans to "nurse" from another species is pretty bizarre at the outset, when you view it objectively. The author's stated purpose in writing the book is to show that instead of supporting bone health, dairy products actually undermine it. Countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis are those with the highest consumption of dairy.
We learn not only about the harm from what's actually in milk--casein and other proteins, fat, cholesterol, lactose, etc.--but the numerous contaminants it carries. Pesticides and other environmental toxins are also present in plant foods to a certain extent, but are greatly concentrated in the fat of animals and transmitted in their milk. How about some salmonella, rocket fuel and dioxin with that yogurt? Plus there are the growth hormones and antibiotics routinely given to dairy cows, also transmitted in their milk. Diseases that can usually be prevented or improved if patients remove dairy products from their diets include heart disease, obesity, breast or prostate cancer, joint pain, MS, and many others. The chapter on children's health points out the remarkable relief experienced by most children with autism, chronic ear infections, asthma, behavioral and learning problems, and more, when dairy is removed from their diets. Milk has been strongly implicated in the development of Type 1 diabetes in young children.
The clincher, after we learn the health consequences of consuming milk products, is the chapter on the horrible treatment of dairy cows in the U.S. industrial farming system. Confined in sheds, standing constantly in feces, mutilated without anesthetics, kept constantly pregnant, then having calves removed at birth--this is a process that no compassionate person would want to support. The massive amounts of feces produced--120 lbs. per cow per day--totals 54 billion lbs. annually in the U.S., two and a half times as much as produced by humans! This, plus the methane they produce, have serious environmental impact.
The book concludes with much helpful info showing how easy it is to get one's calcium from plant sources.
I'd read quite a bit about the dairy issue over the years, but still learned new facts from this book. Recommended for everyone who wants to improve or maintain good health and retain strong bones, with the bonus of not having to support cruelty.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the last year and a half through intensive reading, I have learned much about our modern industrial agriculture system. The milk industry operates in the dark as far as the detrimental health issues documented through research, the levels of pollution from urine and feces runoff, the spilled pharmaceuticals into our water and soil, the contribution to green house gases and the animal torture it perpetrates on 10 MILLION dairy cows in the U.S. alone. I can't remember where I read this but someone pointed out that when there is evil in the world, the perpetrators make sure they operate where you cannot see them-or something to that effect. I can promise you that when you finish this book that you will never see dairy and the industry the same way and you will gain insight as to why the industry has politicians introducing ag-gag laws in order to prevent the public from seeing the truth (same for the meat industry). I am so truly overwhelmed by what I read that even trying to write a cohesive review is next to impossible for the sheer emotion this book engendered. Much of it was not new information to me, but Joseph Keon has put so much information into a very readable book that it was like having a lens finally come into focus.
Most of this book is centered on the health effects of drinking milk - well documented and footnoted sources can verify the incredible body of evidence to connect milk to many otherwise avoidable problems.

As I read this book I thought about my own grown children and the illnesses they endured when school age described exactly in these pages- multiple surgeries for ear tubes/infections, antibiotics administered, tonsillectomies/adenoidectomies, acne, one enduring a colonoscopy at 8 years of age without one doctor EVER telling me that milk could be the allergen causing their problems. The only connection was one child with projectile vomiting that was recommended I switch to soy while an infant- but no other warnings for future exposures or any discussion about the dangers of milk in children. (And how sad I am that I did not breastfeed my first two!) With knowledge, I could have taken milk out of the diet to see if they improved, but the industry spends millions on their propaganda. All of these things are described in this book plus so many more - one of the most striking is the growing body of evidence that exposure to cow's milk by young infants likely induces Juvenile Diabetes in susceptible children. Parents, unless they should stumble upon this book, would never know these risks and they would never expose their children to the risks of feeding them cow's milk. The dairy industry wants you smiling over your ice cream cone, not being grossed out hearing you are drinking pus. Many races of people have no tolerance for milk, yet oftentimes the product is forced on them. Our government protects this industry with massive price supports!
If you don't believe the author and his well-documented research, then you should at least be outraged and appalled by what most dairy cows endure - constant artificial insemination, standing in cement stalls all day long with electrical probes to milk them that often shock them, gigantic udders, frequent infections, how their calves are taken away at birth and if females, they will endure the same cement stalls and constant pregnancy until they die a young age and are sent to slaughter. Male calves are taken immediately for veal where they are kept in a crate for 14-17 weeks that will prevent them from moving and their diet is meant to deprive the males of iron. There is more: tails chopped (docking) done with blunt instruments (now banned in CA.)and most receive nothing for the pain. Teats that are sometimes lopped off in the same manner because extra ones often appear and since that doesn't fit the apparatus for milking - off they go. There is more of course. Many dairies contain thousands and thousands of cows. The few news reports we receive on cows in dairies have to warn us of the footage and some is so bad it cannot be shown.
As human beings we owe it to ourselves to challenge the way we think sometimes because there are still snake-oil salesmen just like in days of old. Now they are multi-billion dollar industries with huge advertising budgets to show you smiling happy cows in green pastures. They don't tell you that they throw away milk in surplus, that there are no such things as milk shortages, that you are drinking much more than milk, and that the industry is a major polluter, yet they get price supports and millions upon millions from our government! (In 1991 the government spent $757 Mill. buying up surplus!) I was blown away to learn that cows 50 years ago produced about 2,000 lbs of milk a year and now due to their cruel practices, they produce 50,000+ lbs. of milk now. Milk that may very well may us sick, depletes natural resources, pollutes the environment, creates green house gases, costs the government billions and perpetrates cruelty to animals beyond what you ever imagined, this is the reality behind that summer ice cream cone. Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil. A must read. Every expectant parent should have this book.

[Harsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect for learning more about the dairy industry, and the effects that cow's milk has on our bodies.

[Leonidas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full Review: Whitewash: The Disturbing Truth About Cow’s Milk And Your Health Review

Milk has an even worse effect on our health that we ever imagined... Really, it's REALLY bad.

If you read 'Salts, Fats and Sugars', you understand that the food industry is only out to make as much money as possible. That involves feeding you as much junk as possible, and especially, get you addicted to that crap. Even if it's ABSOLUTELY not healthy for you.

A quick story of why I would even read this book...

When I was young, I would drink milk, eat cheese, pizza, butter and everything else that contained milk, pretty much like everyone else.

But for YEARS, I would wake up before school, and be stuck to the toilet, in pain and agony. My parents and even the doctors thought I had stomach parasites, or some other stomach diseases. This was 1994-2004. I would continue to drink milk for breakfast, pizza for lunch, and milk before going to bed.

As I hit my teens, I experienced some really bad acne... something you would think is just part of puberty right?

Almost every day, I would eat something that contained milk (it's hard not to), and the pain, bloating, and diarrhea would come back the next day.

One day I heard of 'lactose intolerence' and decided to research what it was on this new website 'Wikipedia'. That is when I made the realization.

No one in my family knew, that I was lactose intolerent. My mother did not know, neither did my father, or our family doctor.

Why? Because everyone said that milk is good for you. Every commercial, every food guide, every book, every teacher, and everyone around you.

So from then on I try my best to avoid 'lactose' by drinking 'lactose free milk'. But the problems continued... bloating, pain, diarrhea... same as before.

When I began weight training, I would consume 'lactose-free' whey, and the acne would return.

Fast forward to university...

I rent a place with 3 friends in university. One of my friends, David, experiences repeated migraines... the headache that REALLY sucks... the one that REALLY hurts the brain.

I also notice that he is getting fatter and fatter over the course of 2 years. He would eat milk and cheese products like a boss.

Then a female friend of mine, complained that during her periods, she would experience the most insane cramps... the kind that would make her cry in absolute pain. I saw her in tears one day because of the cramps. She likes milk products.

Fast forward to my travels around the world.

I live with another roommate, and he starts going to the gym to lose weight. At the same time consuming large amounts of milk for the protein. In exchange, acne starts to develop, and instead of losing weight, he gains a kilo or 2 more.

So we come to this book.

So how bad is milk really?

Does it cause acne all over your body? Yes.

Does it make you into a fat slob with a big belly? Yes.

Does it give people chronic migraines? Yes.

Does it cause painful vaginal cramping? Yes.

Do milk products potentially cause Alzheimers? Yea.

Oh, and apparently countries that drink THE MOST MILK, actually hurt their bones, and have a greater chance of bone degeneration or otherwise know as 'osteoporosis'.

Yea, there are a tonne of problems with milk.

These issues are not just someone saying 'milk is bad for you'. These are scientists, that are NOT PAID by the milk industry, who look at all the things that could be causing a problem.

This is just one of those books you need to read to really understand how fucked up the food industry is, and how bad milk is for you.

P.S. The farms also treat the animals really terribly. I won't even bother covering this, because we all know... death camps and torture for animals really. It's hard to imagine living in your own shit (literally your own feces) every single day, ending up with the worst diseases, not being able to ever move around, forced onto chemicals to make you pregrant for the rest of your life, and other destructive anti-biotics... all in the name of keeping you fat, unhealthy, and chronically sick as well.

Read this now, and stop making yourself sick.

[Cori McGraw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for anyone who is interesting in preventing major health problems, or who is trying to heal a major health problem.

Also contains very interesting information for parents on the link between diet and behavioral issues, autism, and other issues affecting children at increasing rates in our society.

Most interesting for me was the correlation between the fact that in the US we have one of the highest rates of dairy consumption and one of the highest rates of osteoporosis; and that conversely, countries where dairy is consumption is very low show very little osteoporosis. If we are all eating so much dairy, why are our bones so unhealthy? This book answers that question.

If you believe that "milk does a body good" a la the old commercials from the 1980s, you might want to read this book to see if you still agree, and to learn who pays for those kinds of ads and why, among other things.

I've heard about the health perils of consuming dairy for many years, but this book further motivated me to eliminate it from my diet.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to say which information in this book is most disturbing.... Is it the presence of rocket fuel in milk or the fact that animal products are the primary source of pesticide residue in the American diet? Is it the presence of pus from the cow in our milk, or the massive antibiotics given to the cow to combat the infections that is it more disturbing? Or is it that we've been trained to push milk on those most vulnerable - our children?

The facts in this well-researched book come hard and fast, despite which it is easily readable and well-presented. Certainly an eye-opener that will be widely discussed.

[Rylee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, but I didn’t care for the organization of the thoughts. Some points that were made I thought were insightful others I thought needed more detail. I do question some of the things that were mentioned and question if they were actually needed in the book to get some points across. Otherwise the book was pretty good. It was different reading a nonfiction book with quoted studies.

[Hannah Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much of this book explores potential links between a wide array of health issues and dairy, which is why it was hard for me to give this a higher rating. The links were all interesting, but I think dairy is just one of many factors to today's health problems. I definitely agree with the author's overall argument that dairy is NOT necessary for good health like the media and "health professionals" promote. This could have been a chapter or two in a book addressing several issues as opposed to trying to make the entire book about dairy. Very disturbing how the treatment of cows at these large commericialized farms. It's worth reading, but it would be best paired with some more recent health-related books (e.g. Good Energy by Casey Means).

[Roland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. Quite upsetting for people drinking milk.

[Aubrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read, well researched, thought provoking book written by a man with a long list of credentials. I recommend it to any and all.

[Sharon]

I read this back before I used good reads and was trying to remember the title. I remember how eye opening it was. I’d love to read an updated version with any new research included.

[Karl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Blah! Blah! Blah! Ridiculous.

[Amanda Graves · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I had read most of the information before but it helps me stay on my straight and narrow path.

[hissi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was all far and out about diary. It was thoroughly explained with one message in mind, and I bet you knew the message before u even picked up the book. "stay the heck away from diary"! Now I've never seen such a resilience outspoken hate against diary before and that made me pick up the book I guess, the all-too-clear-too-fierce-title. I thought the title was overrated and the author is overreacting to sell as many copies as he could muster. I can honestly say though that I am shocked! And well beyond repair (from that shock). You might expect him to say that diary causes gas, acne and acidity. But the author keeps on surprising you with every page with the shocking horrendous facts! The truth is that big corporates do not want you to know the truth. The organization that you think will protect you won't actually do so. And that is ever since we were little people, school, basically everyone who thought knew better about health told u to drink your milk, (oh yea ?? Or what!) or you might break your bones that's what!! Well read this, American is one of the biggest most consuming nation of diary yet, they suffer from osteoporosis. Why?
We have been told to consume 1000 mg worth of calcium yet people who might consume less. ( way less, we're talking 500 mg less) have better bones. Why? Why? Why???
Here's why, it's not about how much you consume. It's about how much your body can absorb. Excessive intake doesn't mean absorption. Thee depend I'm calcium from milk even though it has been shown that our bodies can't absorb more than %30 of the calcium in milk. While we can absorb more than %60 of it in greens such as Brussels sprouts and kale. We are not designed to consume milk. Milk is designed to double the size of calfs in months. That's why it's loaded with fat. And other hormones we don't need nor can we digest and handle. Like lactose. Almost all people are lactose intolerant. Because our bodies stop making the digestive enzyme after 4. You may not have diarrhea or pain. But you might be bloated, pimply and gassy. See, a lot of people think that's normal. But IT'S NOT!
You think you're okay with that? Then get this, milk might cause cancer.. Yep, it shows that cows are being milked during pregnancy. Pumping milk that's full of estrogen which ends up in our bodies. High estrogen in milk causes stimulate breast cell decision that support the growth of estrogen responsive tumors. Aka. Breast cancer.
Cheese. The form of condensed milk through heat. Had double the side effects. Not to mention the compounds In each that are relatively similar to those found in morphine. People get addicted.
The book is very thorough and this is not even half the shocking facts I found in there. It's very very good, shocking but I think we are need the reality slap. The last chapters talk about the inhumane treat to cows ( an added bonus to get u to quit drinking it once and for all ) and the substitute of milk. I will personally divert to soy milk. I already love both soy and almond so I feel good about them. I had an experiment once of cutting all diary for a week. And let me say that inferior superb! I'm not a cheese lover so cutting out the cheese will be no problemo. It's just the powdered skim milk that I add to to my tea from time to time that will need some substituting. I will get there. I'm well on my way. And I hope you (whoever is reading this) are well on your way too!

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I not only struggled to get through this book, but also struggled on the rating. There are simply too many weaknesses that overshadow the good pieces. In the end, I'm feeling generous and am giving it two stars - one (if not two!) higher than it deserves on many accounts.

The author is clearly a nutritionist and not a writer. His style, or lack thereof, makes it a struggle to keep reading. The book is poorly crafted, cobbled together and EXTREMELY redundant. It was a non-stop roller coaster of déjà vu. The same, the same, the same...

If you feel compelled to read it, I recommend starting at chapter 8, Hidden Costs of Diary Products. The half page conclusion would also do the trick, saving you a couple hundred pages. That being said, here's my crack at capturing the gist in even fewer words:

"Diary is bad - the root of all sickness. Got acne, autism, or allergies? Stop consuming and start healing! Oh, and healthy bones, they're all that matters."

My biggest struggle lies in the author's gross generalizations. He cites specific cases where excluding diary clearly resolved an ailment (and he cites nearly every one imaginable!), then turns the milk-free solution into the magic cure all. Such leaps are uneducated and a poor interpretation of the research, which brings us to what this book really is - a compilation of others' works. There are full paragraphs (nearly chapters!) where every sentence is footnoted as coming from another source.

On the positive side (yes, there is some positive!), he does raise some interesting points (e.g., why do we need the nursing milk of another species to survive???) and provides a good listing of resources, citations and a thorough index. The latter is borderline comical (way too many details), though useful. If nothing else, I did pick up a few new tidbits of info, which is nice.

[Christie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have been 4 stars but he lost a lot of credibilty by referencing Andrew Wakefield (whose "study" linking vaccines to autism apparently was discredited the year it came out, but he should have thought better about citing someone so controversial) and the claims that milk + vaccines => autism.

I already knew some of the information from other reading I've done so I know those parts were valid, but after the vaccine part I got a lot more skeptical.

Anyway after reading this book I am glad I gave up dairy. In short:

-Dairy is full of hormones, pesticides, and chemicals. You are causing damage to your health by eating it.
-Raw milk gets mixed into pasteurized sometimes
-They have been able to cultivate bacteria in milk that survived the pasteurization process
-The USDA wants to get you to eat all the dairy it can since that's it's mission. Don't expect them to tell people to eliminate dairy anytime soon
-Milk is NOT REQUIRED for human health. (the book asks why we would need to nurse from a cow all our lives for proper health)
-Eating animal products leaches calcium from your bones, so it actually increases your chances of hip fractures
-The only reason the RDA for calcium is so high is because you have to drink more of it because it leaches from your urine when you eat animal products, so if you choose not to eat animal products, you won't have any problems getting enough calcium

[Idania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eye-opening. Definitely well-cited and clear on its message. As a person who HAD to cut all dairy for health reasons, I understood right away the health effects of what is now considered a highly triggering food group. It made sense when the author asks how is it that as the world's highest consumer of dairy and dairy products, the United States is also one of the leading sufferers of osteoporosis? Something is wrong here, and this book connects the dots clearly. The section on Crohn's and Colitis was definitely intriguing. Some of the author's credibility--unfortunately--was undermined when he delved into the autism topic and gave deference to Andrew Wakefield's faulty research on the vaccine connection. It's one thing if he didn't know at time of writing and revised in later editions, but he still stands by it so I couldn't support that. And the sheer number of ailments listed are definitely worth critiquing. Otherwise, great read.

[Youssef El Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

many things to learn from this book, long known facts about the deleterious effects of dairy products on health most importantnly, but ALSO the fact that one needs to keep a critical mind when reading a purpose-driven publication: while Dr.Keon rightfully exposes the health hazards associated with milk, he falls into the trap of citing (repeatedly that is) just about every kind of anti-dairy study he can find. While that might work in the best of worlds - provided all researchers are honest people - citing Andrew Wakefield's work robs the book of much credibility.

Having confirmed many facts from this book by other readings, It does help get some of the message across. But falling into the anti-vaccine adovacy trap (all started with Wakefield, whose MD license has beenr evoked) is a big NO-NO.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It's packed with (horrifying) information about milk and the milk industry. Now I only by organic milk and yogurt for my family. And...when they don't finish their milk, I'm not shoving it down their throats. The most scary thing in the book was the direct link between breast cancer and milk proteins. I have cut my dairy consumption way down since reading that scary info. The author also writes a book about preventing breast cancer. I'm going to put it on my to read (soon) list!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative book. Can definitely tell the author did his research. I definitely recommend this book and I myself am starting to cut dairy out of my diet and my kids. One comment I liked was that he mentions we are the only species to drink another species milk...to me that is enough said. Cow's milk was meant for calves and only calves. Was amazed at all the hormones and chemicals that go into the process to get the milk on our stores shelves. A good read, a bit repetitive, but overall a very good book.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very eye-opening, very theoretical but makes you recognize that medicine isn't the band-aid for everything; diet modification is an easy way to possibly relieve physical or behavioral problems.
I do believe milk isn't necessary for humans, but I don't think it's completely evil. I just think it needs to be free of hormones, antibiotics, pesticides etc... which is scary that so much bad stuff can seep into our foodchain.

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most comprehensive collection and most densely referenced material about dairy I have ever come across. 67 pages of this book are references/notes. If you think you need to consume dairy for good health, read this book.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting because it links milk to things you wouldn't think of (acne, menstrual cramps, arthritis) or at least that I didn't know. But you don't really need to read the whole thing to understand the bottom line: milk is bad.

[Kezia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone interested in nutrition. Well researched, thorough examination of the health effects of dairy, including sections on children's health, osteoporosis, and the myths surrounding calcium.

[arshag · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Good read for anyone drinking cows milk. Author introduces a lot of reasons for why cows milk should not be apart of one's diet and the health risks associated with consuming it.