Since yogurt comes from the same source as cow’s milk, it should not be surprising to learn that it is not a healthy product for human consumption. It’s just that, due to some very clever marketing, it has gained a place among many unhealthy foods that world has been subtly convinced otherwise. Here’s what we had to say in Chapter 10:

How cute! The clever marketers put a lone strawberry atop this “not-so-healthy” serving of yogurt.

Yogurt is a dairy product produced by the bacterial fermentation of milk. Though widely promoted as a healthy product that contains calcium and many vitamins, it also contains the same animal protein as milk and is associated with the same issues. It has no fiber and no phytonutrients that will help protect you against chronic disease. It is not plant-based and should not be included in your health- promoting diet.

In case you didn’t read our post about milk, here is the brief excerpt from Chapter 10:

As Dr. T. Colin Campbell said in the “Forks Over Knives” movie, cow’s milk is nature’s most perfect food—for baby cows, not for humans.  Humans are the only species that drinks the milk of another species and the only species that drinks any milk at all after weaning.  As you learned in the first three chapters, cow’s milk contains casein, which is associated with cancer, and it has no fiber.  It’s also loaded with cholesterol and derives around 35% or more of its calories from fat.

After seeing about a zillion labels and ads like this; it’s no wonder you may have concluded that yogurt was a pretty healthy food. Not.

So what about ice cream? Well, no one ever told you that ice cream was healthy. You may choose to continue having ice cream as a treat, but surely you realize by now that added sugar and fat are probably not the most harmful ingredient in ice cream; I would bet on the cancer and heart-disease promoting animal protein and cholesterol.

Let’s face it; milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream — they’re all dairy products and should be completely eliminated from the diet of anyone trying to promote vibrant health. Fortunately, there are many healthier substitutes including a long list of plant-based “milks” — like soy, almond, rice and oat. Some of the Esselstyn recipes call for tofu instead of the cheese in dishes like lasagna. There’s also soy ice cream. Bear in mind that while none of these plant-based substitutes contain harmful animal protein and cholesterol, they are not 4-Leaf foods because they are not “whole plants.”

One of my favorite brands of UNSWEETENED vanilla; According to my own informal survey, less than one percent of the soy milk in stores is unsweetened. The remaining 99% contain 7 to 10 grams of added sugar per serving.

A final point about substitutes for dairy, eggs and meat products. In a previous post, I emphasized the need for CELEBRATION. We need to celebrate our new healthy lifestyle and no longer consider any part of it to be deprivation. For this reason, I rarely eat things like soy-dogs or veggie burgers. However, I might very well enjoy a little soy ice cream from time to time. For the final post in this 6-part series:

FISH; not a health food…the last post in a series of 6

Handy 5-piece take-charge-of-your-health kit—from Amazon.com

• The movie that’s changing the lives of millions: Forks Over Knives DVD 
• Healthy Eating, Healthy World, The “big picture” about food (our book)
• An essential scientific resource: The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell
• Dr. McDougall’s new book, The Starch Solution, with lots of great recipes.
• Dr. Campbell’s new book: WHOLE, Rethinking the Science of Nutrition

Why should we be eating mostly plants? The “big picture” in 4 minutes.

Want to find out how healthy your family is eating? Take our free 4Leaf Survey. It takes less than five minutes and you can score it yourself. After taking the survey, please give me your feedback as it will be helpful in the development of our future 4Leaf app for smartphones. Send feedback to jmorrishicks@me.com

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J. Morris Hicks, working daily to promote health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.

To order more of my favorite books—visit our online BookStore now

For help in your own quest to take charge of your health, visit our 4Leaf page and also enjoy some great recipes from Lisa’s 4Leaf Kitchen.

Got a question? Let me hear from you at jmorrishicks@me.com. Or give me a call on my cell at 917-399-9700.

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—J. Morris Hicks, board member, T. Colin Campbell Foundation