Why You Should Think Twice About Taking Bovine Colostrum
Another day, another health fad: Bovine colostrum is just the latest trend that touts miraculous health benefits. What is bovine colostrum anyway, and does it do what influencers claim it does? Read on to find out.
What Is Bovine Colostrum?
Colostrum is a thick, nutrient-rich liquid that mammals produce in the days after they give birth. Bovine colostrum—produced by mother cows for their babies—helps newborn calves grow healthy and strong. The dairy industry steals colostrum (and milk) from cows who are pregnant—having been sexually abused by workers through artificial insemination—or have recently given birth.
Bovine colostrum is the ideal source of nutrients for baby cows and is not meant for humans. It’s speciesist to think that humans are entitled to a cow’s colostrum. Like cow’s milk, it belongs to mother cows to feed their babies.
What About the Supposed Human Health Benefits of Bovine Colostrum?
Proponents of bovine colostrum supplements make a variety of health claims, but research shows that there’s no significant benefit to taking these products. It’s always wise to be suspicious of claims that a supplement has miraculous effects. Such assertions, including those made by manufacturers of bovine colostrum supplements, are nothing more than marketing ploys designed to increase sales.
You can get all the health benefits promised by bovine colostrum enthusiasts by simply enjoying a healthy lifestyle—which is actually backed by science and doesn’t involve stealing bodily fluids from vulnerable mother cows.
Does Vegan Colostrum Exist?
There isn’t a direct vegan replacement for colostrum. But for every health benefit that bovine colostrum is purported to have, there’s a vegan approach that actually provides it.
Improving Gut Health
Eating a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and plant-based proteins feeds the beneficial bacteria in your digestive system. To help make sure that you have a healthy gut microbiome, you can consume more fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, miso, and fresh pickles, along with other probiotic-rich fare like vegan yogurt, kombucha, and apple cider vinegar. Eating high-fiber foods and a lot of leafy greens will also support your gut health.
Supporting Immune Function
Boosting your immune system involves many factors, and a healthy lifestyle—eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, getting enough sleep, not smoking, and minimizing stress levels—is one of them. But the best thing you can do to help your immune system fight off infections is to stay current with all recommended vaccines.
Boosting Exercise Performance
Some of the world’s top athletes are vegan because vegan eating improves fitness recovery and boosts endurance.
Promoting Skin Health
Micronutrients found in fruits and vegetables—along with healthy fats from plant-based sources such as nuts, avocados, and olives—help improve skin’s health and appearance. Additionally, vegan eating and limiting processed foods helps keep your gut microbiome healthy, which can lead to better skin.
Going Vegan Is Proven to Boost Health—and Spares Animals
Every animal is someone—not something, and animals are not ours to use. Mother cows are gentle, intelligent individuals who want to feed their colostrum to their babies—which is how it’s meant to be used. By going vegan, you can improve your health without supporting industries that exploit cows and other animals. To learn more about the benefits of going vegan, order our free vegan starter kit:
