“In this matter of milk and human health, our collective common sense has been put out to pasture.”
Milk has an even worse effect on our health than we ever imagined… Really, it’s REALLY bad.
If you read “Salt, Sugar, Fat,” you understand that the food industry is only out to make as much money as possible. That involves feeding you as much junk as possible, and especially, getting you addicted to that crap. Even if it’s ABSOLUTELY not healthy for you.
Whitewash by Joseph Keon takes this one step further. It focuses entirely on the dairy industry — an industry so deeply embedded in government policy, school nutrition programs, and cultural identity that questioning it feels almost unpatriotic. But question it we must, because the science is damning.
A Quick Story of Why I Would Even Read This Book
When I was young, I would drink milk, eat cheese, pizza, butter, and everything else that contained milk, pretty much like everyone else.
But for YEARS, I would wake up before school and be stuck to the toilet, in pain and agony. My parents and even the doctors thought I had stomach parasites or some other stomach disease. This was 1994–2004. I would continue to drink milk for breakfast, pizza for lunch, and milk before going to bed.
As I hit my teens, I experienced some really bad acne… something you would think is just part of puberty, right?
Almost every day, I would eat something that contained milk (it’s hard not to), and the pain, bloating, and diarrhea would come back the next day.
One day I heard of “lactose intolerance” and decided to research what it was on this new website called Wikipedia. That is when I made the realization.
No one in my family knew that I was lactose intolerant. My mother did not know, neither did my father, or our family doctor.
Why? Because everyone said that milk is good for you. Every commercial, every food guide, every book, every teacher, and everyone around you.
So from then on I tried my best to avoid lactose by drinking “lactose-free milk.” But the problems continued… bloating, pain, diarrhea… same as before.
When I began weight training, I would consume “lactose-free” whey, and the acne would return.
The Pattern Continues
Fast forward to university…
I rent a place with 3 friends. One of my friends, David, experiences repeated migraines… the headache that REALLY sucks… the one that REALLY hurts the brain.
I also notice that he is getting fatter and fatter over the course of 2 years. He would eat milk and cheese products like a boss.
Then a female friend of mine complained that during her periods, she would experience the most insane cramps… the kind that would make her cry in absolute pain. I saw her in tears one day because of the cramps. She liked milk products.
Fast forward to my travels around the world.
I live with another roommate, and he starts going to the gym to lose weight. At the same time, he is consuming large amounts of milk for the protein. In exchange, acne starts to develop, and instead of losing weight, he gains a kilo or two more.
Same story, different person, different country. The pattern was undeniable.
The Propaganda Machine
Here’s what Keon really nails in Whitewash — the MARKETING behind milk. The dairy industry has spent BILLIONS over decades convincing you that milk builds strong bones and that you can’t grow up healthy without it. “Got Milk?” isn’t just a slogan. It’s one of the most successful propaganda campaigns in the history of food.
The USDA — the same government body that’s supposed to protect your health — is also tasked with promoting American agriculture, including dairy. So the people writing your dietary guidelines are the same people whose job depends on you drinking more milk. Conflict of interest? You think?
Keon documents how the dairy lobby has infiltrated school lunch programs, nutritional science funding, and government policy for generations. It’s not a conspiracy theory — it’s publicly available information that nobody bothers to look at because we’ve been conditioned since childhood to believe milk is essential.
So How Bad Is Milk Really?
Does it cause acne all over your body? Yes.
Does it make you into a fat slob with a big belly? Yes.
Does it give people chronic migraines? Yes.
Does it cause painful vaginal cramping? Yes.
Do milk products potentially cause Alzheimer’s? Yeah.
Oh, and apparently countries that drink THE MOST MILK actually hurt their bones and have a greater chance of bone degeneration, otherwise known as osteoporosis.
Yeah, there are a tonne of problems with milk.
These issues are not just someone saying “milk is bad for you.” These are scientists, not paid by the milk industry, who look at all the things that could be causing a problem.
This is just one of those books you need to read to really understand how fucked up the food industry is, and how bad milk is for you.
The Animals
P.S. The farms also treat the animals really terribly. I won’t even bother covering this, because we all know… death camps and torture for animals, really. It’s hard to imagine living in your own shit (literally your own feces) every single day, ending up with the worst diseases, not being able to ever move around, forced onto chemicals to make you pregnant for the rest of your life, and other destructive antibiotics… all in the name of keeping you fat, unhealthy, and chronically sick as well.
Final Thoughts
Look, I’m not saying you need to go fully vegan tomorrow. But if you’re experiencing chronic digestive issues, skin problems, migraines, or unexplained inflammation — maybe take a hard look at how much dairy you’re consuming. I spent over a DECADE suffering before I figured it out. Don’t be me.
Keon’s writing is accessible and well-researched. He backs up his claims with studies and data, not emotional appeals. Is the book a bit one-sided? Sure. But when the other side has billions of dollars in marketing behind it, I think a strong counter-argument is exactly what we need.
Read this now, and stop making yourself sick.
3.5/5 — an important read if you care about what you put in your body.
Thanks for reading.
— Leonidas
