Should You Follow This Diet Tip From The Bible?

Patients point out to me from time to time that some of my advice appears to be at variance with the Bible. They say the Bible endorses and encourages a habit that I am advising them to quit. Not even the American Medical Association has said that its members are smarter than God -- even if many of them seem to think they are -- so where do I get off saying the Bible got it wrong? Good question...

The habit in question is drinking milk. I’m against it. First I’ll tell you why, and then I’ll tell you why I think this is OK with the Bible, even though the Bible admittedly encourages us to drink milk.

There are at least 13 scientifically-demonstrated reasons to stop drinking milk. Basically, milk consumption is recommended only if your goal is to become a 1,200 pound cow. In fact, many people experience immense relief from a wide range of painful symptoms when they completely eliminate dairy products from their diets. So is this one of those cases where modern science is at odds with the Bible?

Well, in my opinion, there is no conflict between the two. By no stretch of the imagination does the Bible refer to homogenized, pasteurized, antibiotic-injected, growth hormone "enhanced" cow's milk -- not by a long shot. And more importantly, in biblical times, cow's milk was almost never used. The tribes of Israel drank camel's milk (Genesis 32:15), sheep's milk (Deuteronomy 32:14; 1 Corinthians 9:7), and goat's milk (Proverbs 27:27). Goats were reared principally for their milk, making it the biblical dairy product of choice -- and indeed, goat's milk avoids most of the problems associated with cow’s milk and is a healthy food choice.

The fact is, cow’s milk, especially as it is produced on industrialized farms, is not a suitable food for the vast majority of humans.