Switch4Good launches the Kids and Dairy Symptoms (KiDS) program to protect children and combat the misinformation spread by the dairy industry.
IRVINE (24 AUGUST 2023): Drinking cow’s milk has become the most common single cause of fatal anaphylaxis from food allergens in school age children, according to the findings of a scientific study conducted in the United Kingdom, with milk topping the list that includes peanuts, shellfish and eggs as the most lethal kid killers. In the effort to save lives, Switch4Good, an evidence-based nonprofit advocating for a dairy-free world, is launching an offensive called Kids and Dairy Symptoms (KiDS) to teach physicians, dietitians and parents about the many harmful health problems caused by drinking milk and consuming dairy products such as cheese, ice cream and yogurt.
Packed with bovine hormones, saturated fat, cholesterol, blood, pus cells and urine, evidence proves that cow’s milk is not healthy for human consumption and children are the most vulnerable. Common conditions associated with drinking milk include lactose intolerance, allergies, asthma and acne.
Lactose intolerance impacts approximately 67% of the human population, including a higher percentage of people of color. Lactose intolerance is the inability to break down the lactose (milk sugar) in cow’s milk into simpler sugars for absorption into the bloodstream, resulting in undigested lactose remaining in the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms may include diarrhea, abdominal bloating, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, flatulence, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, mouth ulcers, urinary symptoms, fatigue and loss of concentration.
Dairy allergy, an immune response to the proteins in cow’s milk – casein and whey – causes rashes, hives, wheezing, respiratory distress, sinus issues, lip swelling and eczema. In the most extreme cases, dairy allergy can cause fatal anaphylaxis.
To get this urgent information out, the KiDS website (https://kidsandmilk.org) addresses the conditions and symptoms brought on by drinking milk backed by clinical evidence; recommendations for alternative sources for children to get the nutrients found in dairy; informative physician and dietitian testimonials; and an array of resources, including nutritional guidance on high calcium and high protein substitutes, dairy-free swaps and recipes. The KiDS program makes free educational resources available that can be distributed in medical practices and clinics.
“We are completely turning the tide on the misinformation we have been fed our whole lives by a government-backed industry that profits from us believing them. We have been sold a lie for a very long time by Big Dairy and it’s far more serious than just an upset stomach. Dairy is deadly – especially for kids. It took one peanut allergy death to get peanuts removed from airplanes. Why are we still feeding milk to our kids when we know that it makes them seriously ill?” said Switch4Good founder and executive director Dotsie Bausch.
The KiDS program fights to protect children by disseminating science-backed information to healthcare practitioners and parents about the dangers of dairy. It launches during the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Kids Eat Right Month®, which is observed each August to focus on the importance of healthful eating and active lifestyles for children and families.
“We know pediatricians and registered dietitians are the experts when it comes to children’s health and diet. However, our healthcare system falls short on patient-provider facetime, which may mean the root cause of conditions can get misdiagnosed or overlooked. Through our KiDS program, we are reminding healthcare providers that dairy may be the root cause of a host of conditions in children and should always be on their differential since these symptoms overlap with so many other conditions. The cure could be as simple as removing dairy from the child’s diet, which is remarkably easy in 2023 given the variety of options widely available in stores,” said Tiffany Bruno, Switch4Good’s director of education.
Switch4Good is part of the team that introduced the ADD SOY Act now before U.S. Congress, a bipartisan bill that provides a nutritious alternative for millions of kids made sick by dairy milk served as part of the National School Lunch Program. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans states that soy milk is the only suitable alternative to cow’s milk because it contains a similar nutritional profile. ADD SOY is an acronym for Addressing Digestive Distress in Stomachs of Our Youth. A U.S. Department of Agriculture study revealed that 29% of the milk cartons served as part of the National School Lunch Program are thrown in the garbage, effectively tossing $300 million in tax dollars into the trash each year. The likely reasons milk is being tossed out are because kids don’t like it, or they know that it makes them feel sick.
For more information about KiDS and to download the materials, please visit https://kidsandmilk.org.
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ABOUT SWITCH4GOOD
Switch4Good is an evidence-based nonprofit that advocates for a dairy-free world and plant-based living. Founded in 2018 by Olympic silver medal-winning track cyclist Dotsie Bausch, Switch4Good’s mission is to combat the distortion and disrupt the misinformation fed to us by the dairy industry. Switch4Good partnered with health experts, athletes and the International Olympic Committee to write the first playbook for plant-based athletes titled “Let the Plant-based Games Begin.” The organization teamed up with Washington legislators to introduce the ADD SOY Act, a bill currently before Congress to get soy milk added as an option in U.S. schools. Uniting with social justice warriors, Switch4Good plied pressure to Starbucks to drop the plant-milk surcharge that unfairly impacts people of color. Their new Kids and Dairy Symptoms program (KiDS) is purposed with educating doctors, dietitians and parents about the harm drinking cow’s milk does to kids. To donate or for more information, please visit www.switch4good.org.
Contact: Rick Scott 310.714.0248