Drinking milk???!
Surely there must be a better way?
Answers: Why do doctors and officials tell us if we do not drink cows breast milk designed for baby cows we are unhealthy?
Surely there must be a better way?
The dairy industry has pervaded American mentality with their endless mailings to doctor offices, mainstream "Got Milk?" ads and the fact that they sponsor research constantly and lobby the government viciously. The dairy industry has lobbied the USDA very effectively, they even succeeded in changing the appearance of the food pyramid when it debuted in the early 90's. Society is only as good as it's collective knowledge is, and if just about everyone believes dairy is good for them (as we were sold so well on it by the media, dairy industry and corrupt politics) that we're willing to buy these "norms" and mass-propaganda "FACTS" at face value.
The calcium in dairy is actually NOT effective in building strong bones. Naturally occurring minerals, protein and sodium in milk inhibit calcium absorption. In fact, countries that have the LOWEST intake of dairy also have the LOWEST rate of hip fracture. Meanwhile, countries like America, where 1000 mg + of calcium intake daily comes from dairy, the rate of osteoporosis and hip fracture are STAGGERING.
And people keep drinking MORE milk and taking MORE calcium supplements - WHY? It's all for nothing. Why take medicines like Boniva to keep osteoporosis at bay (or so Boniva claims) when you can eat healthy and natural sources of calcium? Just take plant sources of it. Plant sources are some of the healthiest, most easily absorbable sources of calcium. Where do you think some of the largest, strongest vegetarian creatures on the planet - like elephants - get their calcium for strong bones? Um, plants!
It's purely unnatural to consume dairy and completely illogical to argue that man was meant to consume dairy. Cow milk, as you pointed out, is solely for the consumption and development of calves and is in no way a benefit to humans.
Sadly, humans will come up with any excuse to enjoy dairy's taste. Dairy has addictive properties - that's why infants enjoy milk so much. Casein is like a drug in many ways. Look up how casein affects our systems and how it stimulates the human body.
Also, cows have the equivalent of breasts - udders. We call our mammary organs breasts, but they are nearly the same thing as udders on physiological grounds. Both are there solely to feed our infants. That's it. Not to feed some other parasitic species from birth to death (which is what we do to cows).
The dairy industry is facing crippling lawsuits for their claims that dairy causes weight loss. The FDA and USDA have personally challenged the dairy industry on these claims but new rounds of lobbying efforts and propaganda by the dairy industry quieted the conflict. There's been sufficient and mounting evidence as of late that dairy plays little to no part in weight loss and that, in fact, it might be counteractive to it.
Most recent research:
"Two recent studies, one at the University of Vermont and the other at Purdue University, found no significant difference in weight loss between people consuming a high-dairy diet and those consuming a low-dairy diet. In the June issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, a study of dairy consumption among 12,000 children concluded that the more milk children drank, the more weight they gained. The study’s lead author called the dairy industry’s claims “misleading.”"
source: PCRM (Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine)
http://www.pcrm.org/cgi-bin/lists/mail.c...
I've never heard a doctor or an official say that. Cow milk is certainly a healthy thing to drink - lots and lots of good things in there, but you're not necessarily 'unhealthy' if you don't touch the stuff.
? i don't know maybe they want you to not drink any other drinks --- and milk keep ur bones Strong I only know
Actually the latest studies show that cows milk is not healthy at all.
Instead, drink milk made from Soya. There are several types of milk made from Soya beans and they are much healthier and higher in Calcium.
Most Chinese people do not drink cows milk because it's not good for the digestion.
actully i guess milk can be good for you in small amounts but when i was younger i used to babysit this little girl and she was really really over weight and she kept going to the doctors and they couldnt figure out why she just kept gaining wait so the finally realized it was because she was drinking at least one glass of milk a day. it was making her over weight, so the doctor told her not to drink any more milk.
i now drink soy milk, it is way more delicious
I've never heard that. What I do hear is milk as part of a well balanced diet. There might be other products better than milk but milk is cheaper/ more affordable and much mor readily available. Countless generations over thousands of years have survived, depended and otherwise lived very healthy lives with milk as a part of their diet. In fact, it can be argued that these people were physically healthier and stronger than the current generation. (medical improvements notwithstanding) Why is is all of a sudden wrong in an era where vegetarian/vegan/animal rights activism is at its loudest?
In my part of the world, milk powder is the only reliable source of protein and other nutrients for a lot of children AND adults.. Breast milk is being promoted as best for babies up to two years of age.
I don't think all doctors do that, and I'm not sure what you mean by "officials." But, dairy products are definitely widely accepted by the majority of our American culture.
The American Dietetic Association does acknowlege that a vegan diet (no dairy) can be a healthy choice:
"This position paper reviews the current scientific data related to key nutrients for vegetarians, including protein, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin, vitamin B-12, vitamin A, n-3 fatty acids and iodine. A vegetarian, including vegan, diet can meet current recommendations for all of these nutrients. In some cases, use of fortified foods or supplements can be helpful in meeting recommendations for individual nutrients. Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence."
The ADA is also in charge of the Food Pyramid. While most versions of the Food Pyramid contain a section for milk/dairy, I have seen a Vegan Food Pyramid that replaces that section with "Fortified Dairy Substitutes." I'm not 100% sure if the ADA has approved that version, but in light of other statement approving a vegan diet, I don't see why they wouldn't approve the "Vegan Food Pyramid."
As usual, Maggie has given an eloquent, thorough answer. All I can add is read The China Study for further information on why animal protein in general and casein specifically are harmful to human health.
Doctors get almost no nutritional training during their eight years of medical school. A nutritionist associated with the Vegetarian Resource Group, Suzanne Havala Hobbs talked of how the dairy industry would promote dairy consumption with book covers, flyers, and other promotional items. She started questioning the idea that dairy was necessary for good health and will argue that cows' milk is detrimental to human health and now advocates a vegan diet.
Yes, cow's milk has fat, and it's designed to bring a 90-pound calf to a 2,000 pound cow in two years. Human breast milk is designed to bring a six- or seven-pound baby to toddler weight--a far smaller proportionate increase. Once you are no longer an infant, you don't need the fat that is in mammals' milk. And if you're typing on a keyboard, you should have been weaned years ago.
And to the person who compared soy milk to chemicals, what do you think is in cows' milk--hormones, antibiotics, steroids, blood, pus. I read that cows' milk has rocket fuel in it. Whether that's because of the chemicals in the fertilizer leaching into the milk or a chemical reaction of all the drugs given to the cows, I don't recall. But soy milk (or rice milk or nut milk) is a far better bet than the milk of another animal.
soy milk is a much healthier and more ethical alternative.
Because doctors know that drinking milk in moderation is healthy and cows don't have breasts.
Milk is a very good food. If you would prefer to consume some chemical substitute, help yourself. Let me and mine drink milk in peace.
COWS MILK IS HIGHER IN FAT, ESSENTIAL FOR GROWING BABIES.
THEY NEED MORE FAT. SOYA MILK IS NOT HIGH ENOUGH IN FAT.