Hi Shelly, I don't think the answer is as simple as milk or no milk. Milk in our society is very processed (as soya, almond and rice beverages are too).  We  homogenize it, we pasteurize it, we feed the animals the wrong food and use hormones (in the US, not in Canada),antibiotics, etc.   The ideal is raw milk from a farmer who pastures the animals (cows are supposed to eat grass, not soya or corn,etc.) and has a clean milking facility.  The next best thing is pasteurized milk that has been fermented (yogurt, kefir, etc.). And ideally the yogurt, etc. would have been made with pasteurized milk that is non-homogenized.  Mapleton, Saugeen, Pinehedge are good brands.  For Kefir, Liberte makes a plain one out of 2% milk.  Home-made is even better.  The above supposes that you TOLERATE dairy.  This is very individual. Some people should stay away from dairy maybe for a period of time to help HEAL the gut and others cannot tolerate dairy at all. (the casein protein can be toxic for some people)  I don't believe Soya is the answer when dairy is not tolerated.  Goat milk may  be a good alternative to cow's dairy and easier to digest for most but still contains casein that is not tolerated by some.  Regards, Patricia

 Hey Shelly!  It is better to drink organic cow's or goat milk rather than soy milk.  Soy milk is highly processed and can contain unwanted additives such as sugars and flavourings.   Organic cow's milk is more natural and does not contain the unsual things that normal milk does - like hormones and antibiotics.