June is Alternatives to Dairy Month, and for good reason. Though many of us enjoy dairy, humans are the only mammals that continue drinking milk beyond infancy. We don’t actually need it (like the dairy industry would have us believe) if we eat a diet full of fruits and vegetables, and it can cause more problems than it’s worth. Here are ten reasons to kick the dairy habit.

10. It’s Full of Hormones

Most of us are aware of the hormones given to cows, making them produce hundreds of times the amount of dairy they made decades ago due to our demand. These get into our bodies and can cause serious health problems, like mood swings and decreased libido.

9. It Can Decrease Your Leafy Greens Intake

People who believe they get their needed calcium requirements from dairy often forgo the leafy greens and other fresh fruits and veggies that we really need for not just this mineral but so many others.

8. It Doesn’t Help Your Bones

Though the dairy industry loves to say it’s products make strong bones, the research doesn’t support it. In fact, eating dairy may increase bone fracture risk up to 50%. In fact, it looks like vitamin D might be better for bones than calcium altogether. People in Africa and Asia, who consume very little dairy, have the lowest rates of osteoporosis.

7. It Might Increase Cancer Risk

People who eat dairy may have a greater risk of cancer—particularly of the prostate in men—by 30 to 50%.

6. It Creates Stomach Issues

75% of the world is lactose intolerant—and it’s no wonder, since cow’s milk is made for baby cows! It can make your stomach upset as well as make you feel sluggish after eating it.

5. It Exacerbates Existing Issues

Allergies, ear infections, bronchial health problems, sinus issues, constipation, anemia, irritable bowel syndrome, and many other conditions are made worse—or even brought on to begin with—by eating dairy.

4. It’s Smelly

4. It’s Smelly!

Dairy gives you gas. Really, really bad gas sometimes!

3. It May Be Linked to Autism

Though inoculations have thankfully been proven to have no link, as of yet, to autism, dairy just may be linked to the condition. Even if it doesn’t cause the disease, kids with autism do show improvement when they have dairy foods removed from their diets.

2. It’s Cruel to Cows

Dairy cows are often locked up in factory farms, forced to reproduce constantly—with their babies taken from them as soon as they are born—in stalls where they can’t even turn around. They are milked constantly, fed hormones, treated cruelly, and rarely see the light of day.

1. It’s Fattening

Dairy foods, as many of us (especially us cheese lovers!) know, are usually full of fat—which doesn’t help the dieting all that much. It’s also full of calories, which also isn’t very good for most Americans. The saturated fats in dairy make it a heart disease risk as well.