It is our societal norm that we eat dairy food. It is not a nutritional fact that we need it.
People live their whole lives without it. Whole countries live without it.
Innana, I saw an interview on David and Kim some time ago now that had a woman on there talking about how dairy is actually bad for us and we don't need to have it. Children yes, but not as much as you think and calcium should be gained from other sources and not relying completely on dairy to meet calcium requirements. Now I love a big glass of icy cold milk, but what she was saying made sense. I wish I could remember who she was so I could link some info.