As more and more people awaken to the benefits of a plant-based diet, due to ethical, health and environmental concerns, we are seeing a massive decline in the sales of dairy. 52 New York dairy farms have lost their wholesale contracts as no one is lined up to buy their product as of the beginning of July.

According to CBS New York, the average American drinks 37 percent less cow milk than they did in 1970. So, why the decline? Awareness has been growing for a number of years about the conditions in which dairy cows are raised, the hormones and antibiotics they are given, and the food they are being fed. People are realizing that maybe milk, in turn, does not do a body good. Not to mention the profound impact on the environment to raise these animals in the first place. Many believe that it is actually unnatural for humans to consume milk past the weaning stage from their mother’s breast milk — like all other members of the animal kingdom.

Plant-based alternatives have been taking over and we are seeing a wide variety popping up all over supermarket shelves. Everything from cashew, coconut, peas, rice, oats, almonds, flax seeds, hazelnuts, hemp macadamia, and soy, it appears as though ditching the dairy has never been easier. The demand for milk alternatives is so high that the global dairy-free milk market is expected to reach 14.4 billion by 2020.

Elmhurst Dairy

Just last year we saw just how much plant-based milk alternatives have been taking over when Elmhurst Dairy, one of the largest dairy manufacturers on the East Coast of the United States switched their entire operation over to nut-based milk alternatives.

CEO of the company, Henry Swartz, said that the company had been operating at high costs and noted that “Pasteurized fluid milk has sort of gone out of style. We are unable to continue to go on without ongoing losses. There isn’t much room for our kind of business. I tried to keep this open because it was my father’s plant and he asked me to do so.”

Elmhurst’s new nut milk products are part of a new brand called Milked and according to Swartz, their milk has “up to 4 times more nuts per serving than the other leading brands” and will be available in four varieties, almond, hazelnut, cashew, and walnut. Each contains only raw cold-milled nuts and simple ingredients. And “No emulsifiers, thickeners, whiteners or frankenfood proteins” are used.

The End Of Dairy As We Know It?

As more awareness is raised, the conscious consumer recognizes the importance of ditching the milk. Interestingly enough, many people never liked milk in the first place but were encouraged to drink it because of the media constantly pushing it as a health food, making us believe that it is one of the main components of healthy bone development.

A large study coming from researchers at the Uppsala University in Sweden found that drinking milk led to an increased mortality rate and actually made bones more prone to fracturing, not less.

The study was recently published in the peer-reviewed British Medical Journal and was specifically conducted to examine whether high milk consumption is associated with mortality and fractures in both men and women.

The above studies are just a few out of many examples that tell us that milk isn’t all it has been cracked up to be. With dairy being one of the main food groups in the Canadian and American food guides, it is easy to see how the dairy associations of these countries have duped us. Unfortunately, as with most Big Businesses it is and always has been, profit before people, and they will and have done whatever it takes to make us believe that we need milk to keep us healthy. I’m sure we all remember the “got milk” ads, featuring celebrities and athletes with milk moustaches? Propaganda at it’s finest.

Could It Be The End Of Big Meat As Well?

Big dairy isn’t the only one facing the heat. Along with the rising awareness of the truth about milk, many people are looking at meat with a skeptical eye as well. Perhaps this is why, in the U.S. alone, veganism has risen by 600% since 2014.

Being vegan, or if you prefer to not have the label but following a plant-based diet – is no longer taboo or a laughing matter.

The results are in and more and more people across the globe are choosing an animal-free diet. Why this has happened can be attributed to a number of different reasons. –

An increased awareness towards the atrocities that are taking place on factory farms.

• Compassion towards animals.
• A drive for increased personal health and wellness.
• A growing concern towards the environmental destruction caused by meat eating.
• A shift in consciousness within ourselves that leads to a greater connection to the body, earth, and animals.

One thing is for sure, as we shift and our awareness continues to grow, people are taking responsibility and making big changes in their lives.

According to the video below,

“Veganism in the U.S. has increased by 600% in the past three years alone. Six percent of Americans identified as vegans in 2017, compared to only one percent in 2014. Non-dairy milk sales have also increased by 61% since 2012, which is causing traditional cow milk sales to decrease. According to data released by GrubHub, people chose vegan food 195% more in the first half of 2017 than the year before.

The trend is spreading globally too, people identifying as ‘vegans’ increased 350% in the UK, compared to a decade ago. Vegetarianism rose by 400% in the last 10 years in Portugal. In HongKong, 22% of people are practicing a plant-based diet. In China, even the government is getting on the plant-based train, by encouraging people to cut their meat consumption in half. Researchers think China’s plant-based market will grow more than 17% by 2020. Based on these numbers, it’s clear that more and more people are shifting toward plant-based diets.”

Power To The People

This is simply one example of how much power we — as the consumers, really have. If it weren’t for us learning the truth about the dairy industry, and how harmful the production of milk is for our planet, how the animals on these factory farms are treated and the potential health implications from milk consumption we would not be seeing such a drastic decline in the sales of milk. This goes for everything in our lives, if you don’t want to see something happening, simply stop supporting it. Putting your money where your mouth is, and voting with your dollar is a powerful way to create real change on this planet. It’s time to walk our talk, speak and spread our truth, and be the change we wish to see in the world.

Make Your Own Nutmilk

Homemade nut milks are not only super easy but much more affordable and less wasteful than most store-bought brands. They have more nuts per serving, which means more essential vitamins and minerals. Homemade nut milks are also better because they aren’t loaded with thickening agents and preservatives. Check out the video below to learn how to make a very simple Vanilla Almond Nutmilk