INFORMATION
The Definitive Plant-Based Nutrition Guide for Families By Dr. Reshma Shah
Reshma Shah, MD, MPH was raised as a Jain in the Pittsburgh, PA area and is currently a board-certified pediatrician and adjunct instructor at Stanford University School of Medicine. She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Johns Hopkins University and her medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband and two children. Most Sundays, you can find her at the California Avenue Farmers Market in Palo Alto where she finds inspiration for weekly family meals. Website: reshmashahmd.com Instagram: @reshmashah
Dr. Reshma Shah co-authored “Nourish: The Definitive Plant-Based Nutrition Guide for Families” with Brenda Davis. The following is based on an excerpt from the book breaking the myth that we need to eat dairy foods, with minor editing by Dr. Jina Shah, Chair of the Ahimsak Eco-Vegan Committee of JAINA to address the Jain community.
Most of us were conditioned to believe that “milk does the body good,” but the science to support this contention is weak. In 2020, Harvard researchers released a comprehensive review on milk and health. They looked at the current evidence as it relates to growth and development, bone health and fracture risk, body weight and obesity, blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, allergies and intolerance, and total mortality. Overall, dairy compared favorably with processed and red meat, but not so favorably with plant-protein sources such as nuts.
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There is no question that cow’s milk is a concentrated source of calcium, with about 300 mg per cup of milk. Cow’s milk is high in calcium because it is designed to promote the growth of small baby calves into full grown cows in short order. However, declaring the milk of one species of mammal essential for the health of another species defies rationality. Humans have no more requirement for cow’s milk than they have for moose milk, which incidentally, is about twice as concentrated in calcium as cow’s milk So, why does the American government recommend three 8-ounce glasses a day for all those nine years of age or older, and two to two and a half cups for younger children? The primary justification is that milk and milk products will help meet needs for calcium, and that by doing so, it will contribute to bone health and reduced risk of bone fractures. While calcium is an important nutrient, we do not need to consume dairy to meet our calcium requirements. Prior to the advent of animal husbandry, humans averaged an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 mg calcium without a single drop of cow’s milk. Even today, it is possible to obtain sufficient calcium without cow’s milk, as people manage to do in cultures that consume little or no dairy. As for bone health, dairy intake does not seem to be a very reliable predictor of osteoporosis or bone fractures. In fact, some of the highest rates of hip fractures occur in countries with the highest dairy intakes, while some of the lowest rates are found in countries with the lowest dairy intakes. While this does not prove that dairy causes osteoporosis, it is a pretty good indication that dairy is not necessary for strong bones. Non-dairy sources of calcium include fortified plant-based milks and orange juice, kale, broccoli, tofu, nuts and seeds (almonds, sesame seeds), and beans. While dairy consumption is common among many healthy populations, there are potential downsides of dairy. Approximately 70 percent of the global
