All right everyone, time for some common sense. All milk is produced in the mammary gland of a female mammal when she gives birth.

Now, let’s continue this train of thought with the fact the human species is the only known organism to consume milk post-infancy. And furthermore, humans are the only creatures that consume milk from another mammal. By no means am I denouncing the consumption of milk, I’m just trying to provoke a little bit of thought.

So after considering this information, why have we continued to consume milk?

The original purpose of milk is to grow an infant into a toddler during the fastest growth spurt of a person’s life. Have you ever thought that, in a time when everyone is watching their waistline, that maybe we should watch our intake of the food that grew a 8-pound baby into a 24-pound toddler in a year? We are talking a 300 percent weight gain.

According to a February 2010 Mayo Clinic report, lactose intolerance is caused by the lack of an enzyme called lactase that is necessary when breaking down lactose molecules into glucose and galactose.

In simpler terms, this enzyme is produced at large during infancy to accommodate for the expected intake of breast milk. As we grow older, our production of this enzyme lactase decreases, forcing dairy products to move throughout the body unprocessed and possibly causing lactose intolerance.

We are all familiar with the “Got milk?” campaign and the benefits of milk such as calcium, vitamin A and vitamin D. Shockingly enough, milk is not even one of our best sources of calcium.

Turnip greens and seeds (such as sunflower) actually contain more calcium by weight than milk. A 100-gram serving of milk contains 33-35 milligrams of calcium while a 100-gram serving of almonds contains 234 milligrams. Maybe it is time we begin to question “nature’s most nearly perfect food.”

The scariest part about all this is that rBGH (a synthetic bovine growth hormone) has been proven to increase the levels of the growth hormone IGF-1. At elevated levels, this growth hormone has been proven to increase cancer rates.

Many countries such as New Zealand, Canada and Australia have actually banned rBGH for its known cancer risks, so why hasn’t the U.S.?

When there has been absolutely no scientific evidence proving milk as an aid in weight loss, and studies show that bone strength has more to do with physical activity in childhood than milk consumption, why do we believe this lie that we have been told for our entire lives?

After realizing that the production of milk is unnatural, its health benefits do not actually exist, and that there are better and easier ways to consume the nutrients minutely found in milk, maybe it’s time for us to find an alternative.

Rebecca Howard is a freshman majoring in restaurant hospitality management.