What Is The Healthiest Milk – Dairy, Almond, Macadamia, Cashew, Oat, Coconut, Or Soy?
With so many different types of milk available on the market, it can be overwhelming to determine which one is the healthiest option. As is often the case, the answer to “what is the healthiest milk” is complicated, as it depends on the quality and how a particular milk was produced. Let’s take a look at dairy, goat milk, almond, macadamia, cashew, oat, coconut, and soy milk to determine which one is best for our health.
What Is The Healthiest Milk – Raw, Organic, Grass-fed Dairy
If you have been following me for a while, you know I am a big proponent of raw, organic, grass-fed milk and dairy products. Milk in its natural form is one of the most nutrient dense foods we can consume. Grass-fed milk is high in fats like omega-3 and CLA that are conducive to good health. The same thing can be said for grass-fed cheese and grass-fed meat.1
Unfortunately, it’s difficult, and in many cases impossible, to find raw milk at the grocery store. In fact, in some states in the United States, selling raw milk is illegal. If you want to source raw milk in these areas, there are still some farmers who will sell it.2
The milk you find at the grocery store is pasteurized, homogenized, contains hormones, and typically comes from cows raised on grains like corn, not on their natural diet of grass and shrubs. As such, the quality declines sharply and consuming this type of milk contributes to the production of mucus, inflammation, and disease.3
While there are some organic, grass-fed milk options available in some grocery stores, most of them have been homogenized and pasteurized. I don’t recommend consuming milk that has been denatured from its natural form, as one of my rules is, “if man has changed it, exchange it.”
What Is The Healthiest Milk – Goat Milk
Goat milk has been consumed by humans for thousands of years and is considered to be one of the healthiest types of milk available. It is a popular choice for people who are lactose intolerant or have dairy allergies, as it is easier to digest and less likely to cause allergic reactions compared to cow’s milk. Just like cow’s milk, goat milk is rich in calcium which is essential for building strong bones and teeth.4
What Is The Healthiest Milk – Almond, Macadamia, And Cashew Milk
Almond, macadamia, and cashew milk can be healthy options depending on how close it is to its original form. However, many of these nut milks have high quantities of sugar added in to improve flavor. For instance, some of these nut milks include over 25 g of sugar in 1 cup. That’s a crazy amount of sugar for such a small serving.
If you are looking for almond, cashew, or my personal favorite, macadamia milk, make sure it is unsweetened to avoid the health problems that are linked to excessive sugar consumption.5
Read more about the effects sugar has on our health.
What Is The Healthiest Milk – Oat Milk
Oat milk is another popular option that many believe is healthy. However, oat milk, like other milks, often contain added sugar to improve flavor. Another issue with oat milk is that many have added vegetable oil, typically canola oil. Canola oil is extremely toxic and comes with a long list of negative health effects that includes cardiovascular disease.
Read more about the connection between consuming vegetable oils and cardiovascular disease.
Typically, by the time oat milk or other products that contain canola oil are displayed on shelves, the oils are already rancid. Rancid omega-6 fatty acids make their way into the cellular membranes to form phospholipids in all our cells. These oils remain in our cellular membrane for months, causing cellular membrane inflammation that comes with a long list of health consequences including toxic buildup within our cells and hormone resistance.6 7
Another issue with oats is they are commonly sprayed with glyphosate, the main chemical found in Roundup. Glyphosate exposure is linked to many health issues including leaky gut syndrome and an increase in blood brain barrier (BBB) permeability. Additionally, the use of glyphosate over the last 30 years corresponds linearly to an increase in bipolar disorder, ADHD, autism, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, fibromyalgia, and hypothyroidism.8
When glyphosate makes our BBB more permeable, toxins like mercury and aluminum have the opportunity to make their way deeper into the brain. Mercury is especially toxic and accumulates in the hypothalamus, the control center of our hormone system. When this happens, we are effectively operating our endocrine system blind, similar to an airport operating without a control tower. It is only a matter of time before something catastrophic happens.9
In my case, mercury that was released from silver amalgam fillings made its way into my brain and accumulated in the hypothalamus. This resulted in brain fog, extreme fatigue, anxiety, and multiple chemical sensitivity. It is only after I understood this and realized I was suffering from mercury toxicity that I was able to take steps to remove the mercury from my brain and get my life back.10
If you haven’t read my story about how I overcame mercury toxicity and the reason why I developed the Pompa Program, I invite you to check it out. Addressing toxicity from heavy metals is a part of the Pompa Program and the “brain phase” focuses on removing heavy metals from the brain.
There’s more information on all of this in my free Webinar.
What Is The Healthiest Milk – Coconut Milk
Coconut is a healthy milk option, assuming that added sugars aren’t present in the product. If still in its natural form, coconut milk contains healthy fats and is a delicious, refreshing treat. Coconut milk is one of my favorite drinks.11
What Is The Healthiest Milk – Soy Milk
I advise staying away from soy products because they are all GMOs and they also possess a compound that mimics estrogen. For that reason, I don’t recommend anyone consume soy milk, even if it is unsweetened.12 13
Regain Your Health By Repairing Your 3-Legged Stool
Our health is built upon three key pillars, something I refer to as the 3-legged stool. These 3 legs consist of a limited exposure to stressors, a healthy gut, and favorable epigenetic expression. When even one leg isn’t functional, it leads to the development of illnesses.
The most critical leg of this stool is limiting the amount of stressors we have to deal with. Stressors exist as physical, emotional, or environmental factors such as heavy metals, chemicals, toxic milk, and unhealthy foods, etc. These stressors not only directly impact our well-being, but they have a significant impact on the other two legs of the stool – our microbiome and epigenetic expression.
To strengthen all 3 legs of the stool and restore our health, the 5Rs was created.
5Rs – The Roadmap To Getting Well, Starting With The Cell
R1 through R5 are essential steps for repairing the cell. This process involves not only eliminating harmful substances from your diet like toxic, rancid vegetable oils, glyphosate, and sugar, but also regenerating and restoring cellular functions that have been disrupted by toxins.
In R1, the focus is on eliminating common sources of toxicity such as processed foods, heavy metals, and everyday chemicals found in commercial products. These toxic substances hinder proper detoxification, making it impossible to achieve a healthy state.
R2 delves into the importance of regenerating the cellular membrane which has been damaged by toxins. Inflammation of the cellular membrane prevents nutrients from entering cells while also hindering waste removal processes. Think of it like lighting a fire while the chimney damper is closed – smoke will fill the house. In the same fashion, toxins fill up the cells.
R3 is dedicated to restoring cellular ATP production, which is vital for cell function. By opening up detox pathways and increasing cellular function, the body can produce optimal levels of glutathione – a powerful antioxidant that aids in the detoxification processes. With sufficient ATP, cells can finally eliminate toxins from the body.14
In R4, the focus shifts to downregulating inflammation of the cellular membrane. While removing toxins seems like a natural solution for reducing membrane inflammation, it still persists. To fully combat this inflammation, specific nutraceuticals are used to break the cycle.15
Lastly, R5 addresses methylation – a process essential for detoxification and regulating gene expression. To reduce the effect of toxins on cellular function, the cell uses up its supply of methyl groups. Without enough methyl groups available, the cell can’t express beneficial genes. With methyl donors, we provide the cell with the raw materials it needs to optimize epigenetic expression.16
There’s more information on the 5Rs and the 3-legged stool in the free Webinar.
What Is The Healthiest Milk – Dairy, Almond, Macadamia, Cashew, Oat, Coconut, Or Soy?
So what is the healthiest milk? At the end of the day, there’s a number of options that are healthy. Raw, organic, grass-fed dairy or goat milk are excellent options. However, avoid store-bought milks that are pasteurized and homogenized.
If dairy isn’t your thing, almond, cashew, macadamia, and coconut milk are all delicious options, assuming they are unsweetened, non-GMO, and don’t contain toxic vegetable oils or preservatives.
If you are thinking about adding milk onto cereal, read yesterday’s blog on how to avoid toxic breakfast cereal.
References
1 Alothman M, Hogan SA, Hennessy D, Dillon P, Kilcawley KN, O’Donovan M, Tobin J, Fenelon MA, O’Callaghan TF. The “Grass-Fed” Milk Story: Understanding the Impact of Pasture Feeding on the Composition and Quality of Bovine Milk. Foods. 2019 Aug 17;8(8):350. doi: 10.3390/foods8080350. PMID: 31426489; PMCID: PMC6723057.
2 A Campaign for Real Milk. (2024, April 22). Raw milk laws by state – real milk. Real Milk. https://www.realmilk.com/real-milk-legal-map/
3 Ulven SM, Holven KB, Gil A, Rangel-Huerta OD. Milk and Dairy Product Consumption and Inflammatory Biomarkers: An Updated Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials. Adv Nutr. 2019 May 1;10(suppl_2):S239-S250. doi: 10.1093/advances/nmy072. PMID: 31089732; PMCID: PMC6518147.
4 ALKaisy QH, Al-Saadi JS, Al-Rikabi AKJ, Altemimi AB, Hesarinejad MA, Abedelmaksoud TG. Exploring the health benefits and functional properties of goat milk proteins. Food Sci Nutr. 2023 Jun 27;11(10):5641-5656. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.3531. PMID: 37823128; PMCID: PMC10563692.
5 Gillespie KM, Kemps E, White MJ, Bartlett SE. The Impact of Free Sugar on Human Health-A Narrative Review. Nutrients. 2023 Feb 10;15(4):889. doi: 10.3390/nu15040889. PMID: 36839247; PMCID: PMC9966020.
6 Esmaillzadeh A, Azadbakht L. Home use of vegetable oils, markers of systemic inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction among women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Oct;88(4):913-21. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/88.4.913. PMID: 18842776.
7 Gu C, Philipsen MH, Ewing AG. Omega-3 and -6 Fatty Acids Alter the Membrane Lipid Composition and Vesicle Size to Regulate Exocytosis and Storage of Catecholamines. ACS Chem Neurosci. 2024 Feb 21;15(4):816-826. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00741. Epub 2024 Feb 12. PMID: 38344810; PMCID: PMC10884999.
8 Santini, C. (2020, December 29). “Root cause in the dramatic rise of chronic disease” — The Nutrition Clinic. The Nutrition Clinic. https://christinasantini.com/blog/2020/12/27/root-cause-in-the-dramatic-rise-of-chronic-disease
9 Costas-Ferreira C, Durán R, Faro LRF. Toxic Effects of Glyphosate on the Nervous System: A Systematic Review. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Apr 21;23(9):4605. doi: 10.3390/ijms23094605. PMID: 35562999; PMCID: PMC9101768.
10 Jirau-Colón H, González-Parrilla L, Martinez-Jiménez J, Adam W, Jiménez-Velez B. Rethinking the Dental Amalgam Dilemma: An Integrated Toxicological Approach. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Mar 22;16(6):1036. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16061036. PMID: 30909378; PMCID: PMC6466133.
11 Karunasiri AN, Gunawardane M, Senanayake CM, Jayathilaka N, Seneviratne KN. Antioxidant and Nutritional Properties of Domestic and Commercial Coconut Milk Preparations. Int J Food Sci. 2020 Aug 1;2020:3489605. doi: 10.1155/2020/3489605. PMID: 32832538; PMCID: PMC7422486.
12 Bawa AS, Anilakumar KR. Genetically modified foods: safety, risks and public concerns-a review. J Food Sci Technol. 2013 Dec;50(6):1035-46. doi: 10.1007/s13197-012-0899-1. Epub 2012 Dec 19. PMID: 24426015; PMCID: PMC3791249.
13 Domínguez-López I, Yago-Aragón M, Salas-Huetos A, Tresserra-Rimbau A, Hurtado-Barroso S. Effects of Dietary Phytoestrogens on Hormones throughout a Human Lifespan: A Review. Nutrients. 2020 Aug 15;12(8):2456. doi: 10.3390/nu12082456. PMID: 32824177; PMCID: PMC7468963.
14 Zolkipli-Cunningham Z, Falk MJ. Clinical effects of chemical exposures on mitochondrial function. Toxicology. 2017 Nov 1;391:90-99. doi: 10.1016/j.tox.2017.07.009. Epub 2017 Jul 27. PMID: 28757096; PMCID: PMC6078194.
15 Pall M. L. (2013). The NO/ONOO-cycle as the central cause of heart failure. International journal of molecular sciences, 14(11), 22274–22330. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms141122274
16 Dhar GA, Saha S, Mitra P, Nag Chaudhuri R. DNA methylation and regulation of gene expression: Guardian of our health. Nucleus (Calcutta). 2021;64(3):259-270. doi: 10.1007/s13237-021-00367-y. Epub 2021 Aug 16. PMID: 34421129; PMCID: PMC8366481.
Disclaimer: All rights reserved. Information provided is for general purposes and not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Consult your healthcare professional for medical concerns. About Dr. Pompa
