The case for drinking milk (or not)

[LauraGB]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I don't "drink" milk - I just don't like it. I do eat cheese and butter and ice cream, etc. But sometimes I wonder why it's okay. I wouldn't drink human milk, or eat ice cream made from it. And, I'm not a cow. I wouldn't drink dog milk. So why is it okay for us to drink cow's milk? Advised, actually.

 

By our government, mostly, I think. Generations of families have grown up inundated with "drink milk, it does a body good" and all sorts of anecdotes as this. I wonder, frankly, if our economy would completely collapse if Americans stopped drinking milk and using milk products. From the subsidies, to the dairy farmers, to the corn/hay farmers, to the truck drivers, and so on.

 

Here is an interesting article that says about 60% of adults can't drink milk do to sensitivity. Many of us have children as young as babies that can't tolerate it, either. Possibly simply because we are not cows?

 

The idea that 3 glasses a day can help prevent osteoporosis is highly questionable, too. My own mother was diagnosed with it when she was barely 50 years old, and put on medication. To this day (and for all of her life) she drinks about 1/2 gallon of milk each day, thoroughly convinced this is going to give her strong teeth and bones (she also has lost all of her teeth and has been wearing dentures since her early 50s). It would appear that cow's milk does not in fact prevent osteoporosis.

 

So, how does milk from another animal after we have lost our "milk teeth" make any sense? And why is it on nearly every table for nearly ever meal and show up in snacks in America (and beyond) in some form or another? How does it even make sense? (I ask as I sip my coffee with the perfect amount of whole milk mixed into it)

Edited June 20, 2011 by LauraGB

[Jen500]

Well, we eat cows. Why not drink cow's milk too.

(Sorry, not much real help from me :tongue_smilie:)

[Ipsey]

Human beings have been drinking milk from large and medium domestic animals as long as we've been able to do such a thing. Yaks, goats, sheep, cows, the list goes on.

Perhaps another question would be "why stop now?"

 

edited to add: your mother's case is anecdotal evidence. I haven't done any research into this area, but I do know that making a claim based on one case is not scientific.

 

*I don't make any money from the milk industry* disclaimer :)

Edited June 20, 2011 by Ipsey

[merry gardens]

I come from a heritage of milk drinkers and milk users. It makes sense for us to continue drinking milk because it goes well with our chocolate.:D

[regentrude]

Humans do all kinds of things other animals don't. One of the reason we are pretty successful is that we are able to use sources of nutrients that other animals can't access. We are the only animal that cooks food, making certain things easier to digest.

(We are the only ones who use cars and computers)

 

I don't buy the government conspiracy theories. I grew up in a society where things were scarce. Where productivity was low and there would have been no benefit in hyping the consumption of anything. We drank milk. People have been drinking cows milk for centuries.

[happypamama]

I'm with you -- I think it's been pushed as a healthy food more than is necessary. I think it *can* be part of a healthy diet, but I don't think drinking milk is the end all, be all of good health, and I think you can be perfectly healthy without drinking milk.

 

DD and I hated milk as a beverage before we switched to raw milk. But raw milk is so completely different, not even the same thing at all. It tastes *good* and is easier to digest too.

[ColoNative]

We don't drink milk from a cow...we like cheese and ice cream and on occasion we will partake. However, after years of having milk and lots of allergies and colds, we decided to not have cow products. Amazingly enough, we don't get sick much and allergies in our family are almost non-existent. Milk causes mucus in the body, which then creates illness/allergy stuff - at least in our family. Goat's milk is actually easier for humans to digest than cow's milk - it's make-up is much more similar to human milk than cow's milk.

 

We do eat cow (had very nice filet's last night on the grill ;)), but find for us that we stay much healthier without the RDA of cow's milk. We gain calcium from a whole host of other sources that are much more easily assimilated into the body - such as lots of greens (kale, spinach, collard greens, etc.). We also drink almond milk and coconut milk. We eat lots of vegetables/seeds/nuts also so I'm not concerned about the calcium that our kids are "supposedly" missing from cow's milk....sesame seeds are also another great source of calcium. :)

 

Melody

[Ellie]

Why *wouldn't* it be ok to drink cow's milk? God has provided us with many different kinds of foods. This is not a question of ethics or whatever.

 

:confused:

 

After saying that, let me say this: I don't believe that people need to drink cow's milk to survive. Cow's milk is the most allergic food there is, besides which it's expensive for most of us. The American Dairy Association wants us to think that milk is good for every body, but it isn't.

 

We didn't use cow's milk as a beverage--both dds were lactose intolerant, anyway--but our budget could not have afforded as much milk as many people seem to consume.

 

I don't think twice about using dairy products. I just don't drink milk very much.

[livingnlearning]

With a milk cow in the back yard, I have to admit we're milk freaks here. We go through probably two to three gallons a DAY in a family of four. DH and I grew up with milk cows and we got this one when our kids were 8 and 10. In a family of rodeo, horse wrecks, working outside, and being extremely active we have no broken bones-DH has bones that seem to be made of iron; I got kicked at point blank range in the shin a couple years ago by a horse and the doctor couldn't believe my leg didn't break. I don't have scientific proof but I do believe that the milk has made us break-resistant! :D

 

Milk of all kinds has a good nutritional profile if you break it down, it's reasonably easy to produce and distribute, and it's part of our culture, I think. The family milk cow went hand in hand with the family cow. And it was often a life-saver for poor families with lots of kids with a run down mother trying to feed them all.

 

We drink our milk raw and we know people that have milk "allergies" and lactose-intolerance that can drink our raw milk without issue. I can't recommend that to everyone of course but I've seen it enough to know it's possible.

 

I don't over think it. I know what's good for us, what we like and enjoy, and what we can produce for ourselves without having to rely on outside sources for food for our family all the time. We're healthy as horses on good pasture and that's all we care about.

[angela in ohio]

Human beings have been drinking milk from large and medium domestic animals as long as we've been able to do such a thing. Yaks, goats, sheep, cows, the list goes on.

Perhaps another question would be "why stop now?"

 

Yep. Definitely not a new thing concocted by the government.

 

I cannot tolerate milk anymore, but my dc still can, so they have a glass a day, as well as some yogurt or kefir and some cheese. It's an easy source of protein.

[Ali in OR]

With many Scandinavian ancestors, I think my body is well-suited for milk and cheese consumption. If you live in a place with a short growing season (eg Norway), it's helpful to have an animal that can just eat grass and then be a source of food for you. And during seasons when they produce a lot of milk you make cheese to be able to eat during the months when there isn't as much milk or food of any kind.

 

I don't have any research to back up this line of thought, but after studying the Vikings a few years back and how they ate, this kind of all made sense to me. So we're all big milk and milk product consumers here.

[AnnaM]

We drink raw milk that hasn't had the nutrients cooked out of it during the pasturization process. Raw milk often takes care of the "allergy" issue with milk and is so nutrient dense that you could, if you had to, live on it alone. Of course this is a broad statement about the allergies and doesn't apply to everyone. My son has a milk protien allergy and can drink raw milk without a problem. When milk is pasturized the good is killed right along with the bad and makes milk harder to break down.

 

ITA with previous posters who said that humans do alot of things that other creatures don't. It isn't unusual for adults to become intolerant to lactose and I am another that as an adult can't handle milk, but I do LOVE me some cheese!

[Night Elf]

It's just another product we get from animals we eat. I eat chicken eggs. I suppose that is as weird as drinking cow's milk.

[Haiku]

We drink cow milk and not human, dog, goat (with few exceptions), rabbit, or cougar milk because we are conditioned to. The idea that cow milk is good and dog milk is gross is simply conditioning.

 

We don't drink milk at all and haven't for many years. Dd9 is allergic to casein, and ds8's asthma and eczema are worse when we eat dairy. We are vegan, so we don't do any animal products at all.

 

We use almond milk. My research has led me to believe there is nothing nutritional in milk that can't be gotten elsewhere, and not drinking milk avoid the problems associated with milk and also doesn't support an abusive animal agriculture system.

 

I just hope there are no big exposés on abuse of almonds. ;)

 

Tara

[LauraGB]

We drink cow milk and not human, dog, goat (with few exceptions), rabbit, or cougar milk because we are conditioned to. The idea that cow milk is good and dog milk is gross is simply conditioning.

 

 

 

I'm kind of thinking this as well; that it's mostly psychological.

 

In addition, the milk we drink is from farmed animals and humans seem to have developed a tolerance for it once we started farming. When we were hunter and gatherers, I doubt any of them milked their prey first. Maybe they did, but I have a hard time seeing a hunter quickly milking that doe before he gutted her. :tongue_smilie:

 

The case for raw milk is a pretty powerful one, I completely agree. We used to drink it here, too. Dh has terrible lipoma, and I think his inability to correctly process animal fat has to do with all the cooking/cleaning that goes on with traditional milk (huge milk drinker), and when we switched to raw, new lipoma did not develop, but when we went back to regular milk, they started coming again. And that would be just one of many odd benefits.

 

As far as government conspiracy, well, the word "conspiracy" makes it all seem like a silly hoax. I don't think it's that simple. A whole lot of people wouldn't have jobs if it wasn't for the dairy industry (an industry our gov't all but owns), including my own father who has made a living his entire life trucking hay and straw to dairy farms, and nearly every farm in my state grows corn for these farms (and other purposes). And just recently, there has been a new "movement" in our public schools for athletes to drink chocolate milk - there are seminars right in the schools promoting this (at the same time some states are actually banning flavored milk). I live in a dairy producing state.

 

I'm in no way judging anyone's milk consumption or dairy farming. At all. I'm just musing, really. I find the whole thing very interesting lately.

 

 

ETA - Here is the link to the group promoting the chocolate milk thing. It would appear the schools get grants by endorsing this. And as far as I can see it can be traced back to the California Milk Processing Board, ie, government (in a bankrupt state, no less). Possibly it is the main national Milk Processing Board - I really can't tell, but California is specifically mentioned more than once.

Edited June 20, 2011 by LauraGB

[justamouse]

We drink it/eat milk products because they provides Leucine which is an amino acid that helps your body build muscle. It's not used well (by the body) in its synthetic form, and should be eaten from whole foods.

[Julie Smith]

I was never a milk drinker, but recently started being one.

 

Our running coach recommended drinking chocolate milk after running more then a couple miles. I found that I feel better and recover faster from the run if I do so. He did state something about it having things very similar to expensive drinks meant for after a run - but it's much cheaper. :) Mind you that is only a cup or two after running at least 3K.

[Amy in KS]

IMHO milk is healthy. My husband's family grew up drinking milk at every meal. My family did not (we drank water). As a rule, My dh's family eats less during their meal and snack less between meals than my family did.

 

This might be coincidental, but I believe it is not. Milk is full of protein, which fills you up more and quenches hunger better. It also contains calcium and vitamin D, which are important for health.

 

Here's an interesting article:

 

http://www.ehow.com/about_5507561_much-protein-milk.html

[In The Great White North]

They're not the only ones promoting chocolate milk after exercise:

 

http://forums.usms.org/showthread.php?t=5822

 

http://www.runnersforum.com/special/milk_recovery_drink.html

 

http://dailytrojan.com/2011/01/30/chocolate-milk-more-than-a-simple-snack/

 

http://www.indiana.edu/~hplab/research/chocolate_milk_as_a_post_exercise_recovery_aid.html

[LauraGB]

They're not the only ones promoting chocolate milk after exercise:

 

http://forums.usms.org/showthread.php?t=5822

 

http://www.runnersforum.com/special/milk_recovery_drink.html

 

http://dailytrojan.com/2011/01/30/chocolate-milk-more-than-a-simple-snack/

 

http://www.indiana.edu/~hplab/research/chocolate_milk_as_a_post_exercise_recovery_aid.html

 

And the studies were all funded by none other than the Dairy and Nutrition Council, a government funded organization that benefits from the drinking of milk by consumers.

[Dirtroad]

Milk, in history, has been a valuable resource of good nutrition and calories for poor people and nomadic peoples. Milk is easy to obtain and the animals can forage easily. When water is bad or ale wasn't available... milk was probably helpful. When you live off bread, milk was a great supplier of nutrients, fats, and it was filling.... even a feeling of luxury due to the fat content. Too many books talk about drinking milk as a life saver, etc.

 

Today, with diets so much more varied & our environments less extreme/harsh, it isn't probably needed in the same way. It may be more cultural.

 

As for recommended... 3 glasses a day. That is all goverment & agricutlure lobby stuff. It may be helpful... but I never trust recommendations. They pay for the research & promote the ads. It is about nutrition (a little) but more about keeping the industry needed. (and I love farmers!)

 

Just like 8 glasses of water.... XX number of breads, etc. How much of this stuff changes? NO butter... now butter better than margarine, etc. No saccharine it will kill you.. now nope, bad data. ETC.

 

I think it all depends upon your climate (stresses/ease), your heritage/genes, and your body chemistry/demands. LIke it, drink it. Don't like it.... use other calcium sources.

 

Also, in regards to allergy comments.... some problems simply result from the processing and heating. It changes the chemistry of the milk. We have friends who like raw milk, but it can only bought for animals & hard to find source. Other friends stopped buying homogenized milk... eczema issues & sinus issues immediately improved. Some stopped using dairy completely.... others use soy/rice/goat, etc. I think they all worked it out via trial and error and lots of questioning of friends.

[jenangelcat]

I don't like milk so I don't drink it. I also don't believe in the long standing milk mustache ad campaign. Milk is nutritious but it doesn't have anything you can't get elsewhere.

 

My husband loves milk but didn't often drink it because it's expensive. Now that we have goats (better for you than cow's milk) he drinks it all the time.

[Susan in TN]

If you make beef broth by simmering good quality beef bones for several hours, you will have way more calcium per cup of broth than you can get from milk, plus it is more readily absorbed by the body.

 

We prefer fresh goats milk if we can get it - we have cow's milk protein issues in our house.

[regentrude]

We drink cow milk and not human, dog, goat (with few exceptions), rabbit, or cougar milk because we are conditioned to. The idea that cow milk is good and dog milk is gross is simply conditioning.

 

 

Maybe it has to do with the fact that it would be rather hard to harvest enough milk from a dog to make it worthwhile?

 

Some cultures drink horse milk. In certain parts of Central Asia and Mongolia, a drink from mare's milk that has been allowed to ferment is very popular.

[Colleen]

The idea that cow milk is good and dog milk is gross is simply conditioning.

I'm kind of thinking this as well; that it's mostly psychological.

There's a psychological element ~ cultural conditioning ~ to everything about our diets, yes. Many things that are the norm in other cultures are looked upon here as distasteful, and vice versa. In the case of milk, it's also a matter of volume. One family is able to get more milk from one cow (or camel, or yak, depending upon your locale) than they ever would from one dog ~ or one human, for that matter.

 

A whole lot of people wouldn't have jobs if it wasn't for the dairy industry...

A whole lot of people wouldn't have jobs if it wasn't for industry, period. Yes, the dairy industry promotes dairy. That stands to reason. It's no different than any other sector promoting their particular product, edible or otherwise.

[happypamama]

I agree with that, but there are lots of things pushed on us in the name of good health that at the core aren't the end all be all (and sometimes questionably healthy). For example, does our diet have to be comprised of half carbs or more to be healthy? That is certainly convenient for those who profit from growing grains.

 

Oh, I totally agree with you there. I think most foods *can* be part of a nutritious diet, but I can't think of any that are absolutely essential (unless water in general counts).

 

Even if you don't subscribe to a traditional foods mentality, the stuff that Nourishing Traditions talks about with regards to Weston Price's research on traditional societies is pretty interesting. He mentions all sorts of isolated societies who had very limited diets -- some ate mostly vegetables, some ate mostly animal fats, etc. And many of them were very, very healthy. So I definitely think it's not so much the variety of what you eat, but the quality of what you're eating that makes the health difference or not.

[Barb_]

Supporting the case for: A study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health found that dairy fat significantly reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes.

 

Barb

[alpidarkomama]

Maybe it has to do with the fact that it would be rather hard to harvest enough milk from a dog to make it worthwhile?

 

No, no, no. I'm sure it's entirely due to the fact that dog milk isn't kosher. :lol:

[alpidarkomama]

LOL, it's not? Why? I studied kosher dietary "stuff" in culinary school. I can't recall a reason why it could not work. :D

 

The animal must chew its cud and have a split hoof in order for it (or what it produces) to be kosher...

[StaceyinLA]

(I am a seesaw vegan), but I have had dairy goats and have done a good bit of research about benefits of raw milk. The calcium in pasteurized milk is not utilized in the body very well. There is something in the milk that actually leeches the calcium (and off the top of my head I can't remember what it is) from your body.

 

I was never been a big milk drinker until I got my dairy goats as an adult. My kids were raised on the raw milk (though none drink a lot of milk). We have had no broken bones. We eat a LOT of leafy green veggies and other things that have calcium in them.

 

My biggest issue with dairy is the cruelty factor. If I drink my own milk, or milk from my friend's goats, I know the goats have been treated humanely. We always shared our milk with the goat babies - they got theirs first, and we got what was left. I can live with that scenario.

 

Now that I don't have goats, if I don't have milk from my friend, I will rarely touch it. Occasionally (as in once a month maybe) I buy from a local dairy that doesn't homogenize, and occasionally I pick up Organic Valley. Other than that, we just don't drink it.

[Tarreymere]

We are lactose intolerant. I do eat milk chocolate. The price is small for the pleasure. It does make me ill to watch people toss back a glass of milk. Eeeewwwww......

 

We are also vegetarian, so we don't eat cows either. Although, back in the day when I did eat cows, I remember they were very tasty.