(Interview in Spanish)
SupremeMasterTV(M): Welcome, viewers, to Supreme Master Television. Today I am with Mr. David Román. He is the president of the Spanish Vegetarian Union and a member of the International Vegetarian Union Council. Good afternoon.
Mr. Román : Good afternoon.
HOST: David Román, who became a vegetarian in 1989 and a vegan in 1997, promotes a plant-based diet by translating information on the subject and writing books on the topic that have been published in Spain and Latin America. To date he has released three books on veganism: “The Ethical Diet,” “You Will Not Drink Milk” and most recently “Vegan Children, Happy and Healthy.” Today Mr. Román explains why dairy products are not a natural part of the human diet.
Mr. Román (M): When they are babies all mammals breastfeed while they are in the initial stage of their lives. Thereafter, when they can eat by themselves they eliminate the milk from their diets.
The human being is the only one that does not adhere to this rule of the mammals and keeps drinking milk during his lifetime. This should make us think that this is not natural. In fact, our digestive system, in principle, is ready to receive milk only up to the age of three or four. After that the enzymatic juices are modified, because this should not form a part of our diet anymore.
The problem is that since ancient times human beings have been consuming milk and then the body let us say, has adapted to this reality. This does not stop just there. Not only do we continue drinking milk all our lives, but what’s more it is from a species different than ours. That is, the milk from human women is not sold, but only that from animals like cows, goats or whatever. I mean, We are consuming a food which is not specially designed for our body.
SupremeMasterTV: What are the consequences of animal-milk consumption by humans?
Mr. Román: As I mentioned, it is not natural to drink milk from another animal. We may think that it is safe, but some studies reveal that it is not like that. Traditionally, people in ancient China did not milk cows for food. Culinary customs there have been completely different and there are many populations that do not take milk in their diet
HOST: Milk proteins can lead to many health issues.
Mr. Román: There are some people with allergies to the milk protein, especially babies. It is very common, and that protein produces different types of reactions. It is very important to stop it because it is harmful. Some other people continue having an intolerance or an allergy all their lives.
HOST: Scientific research shows that the milk protein is not easy for the human body to digest and use.
Mr. Román: Milk has got lots of proteins, but then we can see what happens with this protein when it is introduced into the body. Many people get undesirable reactions from the milk proteins. What is mostly being investigated about the proteins is whether they cause auto-immune diseases, and this is very important because many of the auto-immune diseases were unknown up to now. Nobody knows the concrete cause, and now this disease is being linked with milk and all dairy-product consumption.
The transformation process which milk undergoes nowadays, it is put to high temperatures, and also it is homogenized so that the fat balls are so small that cream cannot be formed out of milk, the consequence is that when milk reaches the intestine for digestion the small balls are so tiny that they can trespass the intestine in those people with certain sensitivities or certain permeabilities higher than other people. Then when these tiny fat balls reach the bloodstream, they liberate the protein inside, which is not digested. In that moment the body detects that there is an alien protein in the bloodstream and produces antibodies against those proteins. In fact, type 1 diabetes has been observed to be created by an antibody, a milky protein that damages the pancreas cells.
HOST: Consumption of saturated fats is a major risk factor for heart disease. A bit less than 250 milliliters of milk has about five grams of such fats, while an equivalent amount of soy milk essentially has none. Many products have milk derivatives within them and thus not drinking milk may not shield one from dairy-sourced saturated fats that are found in commonly eaten products such as ice cream.
Mr. Román: All nutritionists agree that the less saturated fat we have in our diet, the better. The fat that is taken from milk is used mostly in other products, such as bakery items. Dairy derivatives are hidden in a largenumber of products. I invite people to read labels and they will see really what they are eating.
HOST: Apart from saturated fats and proteins, milk also contains other chemicals such as hormones that can negatively affect our bodies.
When we return David Román will present further evidence about the influence of dairy products on our health. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television.
Welcome back to Healthy Living on Supreme Master Television. Today, David Román, President of the Spanish Vegetarian Union, is discussing why we should avoid milk and dairy-based foods.
(Interview in Spanish)
Mr. Román: Another issue of great importance is the content of hormones in dairy products. Of course, a mother’s milknot only transmits to her baby proteins, fat
and vitamins, but also an amount of hormones and diverse elements that help to regulate the body. These are protection elements, antibodies, growth hormones, etc. that have been proved to also directly influence our body.
The human body is not designed to grow to 300 kilograms like a calf; therefore the growth elements thatdairy products contain are not suitable for our body. Specifically, there is a hormone called IGF type 1, which has been directly observed. This hormone comes from cow’s milk. This hormone directly promotes the growth and development of carcinogenic tumors. Therefore it is a very troubling issue.
HOST: Many cancer survivors have overcome their disease by avoiding milk and milk products.
Mr. Román: There have been some published materials about people that have gone against their cancer by just giving up dairyproducts in their diet.
HOST: Some believe that milk is a good source of calcium. However, scientists at Harvard University, USA have discovered that the truth is just the opposite. The more milk one drinks, the more calcium deficient one becomes.
Mr. Román: High consumption of milk does not result in a protection for the bones. Calcium sourced from animals, in this case from milk, in addition to the harmful effects like the ones I have commented on, does not help to strengthen bones.
Of some of the studies carried out there is one that for me seems to prove the point the best and that is the one carried out by Harvard University in which the study followed over 70,000 women for 12 years. During this period it was observed that of the women that drank more milk, these women had more bone fractures.
HOST: In different areas of the world, those that do not drink milk or eat dairy products do not have bone problems.
Mr. Román: In rural China it has been noted they do not drink any milk at all. In relation with Africa, the amount of milk that women have is little. Nevertheless these women do not have any bone problems.
SupremeMasterTV: Could you please tell us why after so much research doctors still recommend milk for bone problems and also for lack of nourishment issues when they see that milk creates so many problems in people?
Mr. Román: They are mainly bound to tradition and what the dairy industry says. Doctors that are studying now and researching about this and that have developed all these studies are now realizing that milk consumption is not good. In fact in the USA there is a doctor’s committee that directly advocates for the vegetarian diet and does not recommend any dairy products.
HOST: Today one can easily leave dairy products behind, as manysubstitutes for milk canbe found on the market.
Mr. Román: Fortunately, nowadays there is plenty of variety in the market for vegetable-based milks, not only soy milk, but there are others made from oats, rice and almonds and many others,and all of them have a very nice flavor.
In many cases these vegetable milk substitutes have had calcium added. You have vegetable milks with calcium added and they provide the same amount of calcium as cow’s milk; therefore we should not then need to worry about it.
HOST: One can easily get enough vitamin B12 if one stops eating dairy products. In fact, many vegan products have been fortified with vitamin B12 in order to help meet our nutritional needs.
Mr. Román: It is recommended by vegetarians and vegan organizations, the International Vegetarian Union, that people adopting a vegan diet should adopt the habit to include in their diet food with supplements of vitamin B12, or enhanced with vitamin B12 or supplement food that you can find in nutrition shops with no problem that can provide this vitamin B12.
HOST: In addition to the health reasons for avoiding milk, there are animal welfare issues when it comes to modern dairy industry operations.
Mr. Román: Today what we have are vast industries seeking the maximum benefit and that is done at the animals’ expense. No matter the conditions in which the animals live, what matters is maximum profit and with this purpose animals are forced into a series of procedures which are very cruel to the animals.
HOST: We would like to commend Mr. David Román and the Spanish Vegetarian Union for publicizing the health benefits of a vegan diet and also why it is best for people to avoid dairy products. We also appreciate the time he took from his busy schedule to speak with us about this very important issue.
Mr. Román: Be veg, go green to save the planet.
HOST: Thank you, blessed viewers,for joining us on today’s episode of Healthy Living. Please stay with us for Enlightening Entertainmentafter Noteworthy News. May you always be fit and feel your best.