Is going dairy-free healthy?

[Gina B]

I've been concerned about the health of dairy products for a while. Until I remarried, our dairy intake stayed pretty low.
However, hubby loves ice cream. Son loves milk milk milk. Youngest loves yogurt and such.

We've limited the two youngest on dairy, but they take it at school and other places even if we ask them not too. The school told me they're required to put it on their trays and take it with them, although they are allowed to throw it away. They just won't. We're considering getting a doctor's note, except they don't have a medical reason we can point to apart from us knowing they have better behavior and less constipation without it.

From what I've been reading lately, milk isn't good for ANYONE. Cow milk is for baby cows and I've read humans can't digest it properly. I've had doctors tell me it's the toughest thing for the human body to digest. I've read that we stop having the ability to properly process it in a semi-decent manner around weaning age.

I'd love to go dairy free, but I'm going to need some help convincing people of this.

So what do you think? Do you have any information that accurately portrays the pros and cons of humans consuming dairy products that come from animals?

 

[Salty]

As far as the school requires to put milk on the plate, is that a school or govt requirement? I would say go to the source. If it is a federal govt mandate, write to the agency that demands it, if no action, contact your Representative and Senate.

It just make me sick that kids are told to throw food away.

The Internet is a great way to make an issue known nationwide.

Keep us posted

Salty

PS
Suppose a school said "You must attend religion classes, but if you dont like it, you can just throw away the literature"

 

[mcdirector]

The milk that kids drink in school (when chocolate and strawberry) is loaded with sugar. 30 - 40 grams. That is enough reason not to drink it. Milk is however a nutrient rich food which is why it stays on school menus. We have a cooler in the cafeteria so that kids who don't open their milk can put it in the cooler and then kids who want it come pick up bags of it at the end of the day.

I am almost dairy free but I do have a cup of natural live yogurt a day (a plain greek yogurt). National Yogurt Association

 

[preacher4truth]

Our country is crazed with cheese. Cheese is everywhere and offered on almost everything.

Dairy fat is definitely not good for the body. The dairy industry has pushed milk and dairy products on us and there is great controversy on its benefits &c.

My wife and I have limited its intake.

- Bleesings

 

[David Lamb]

Our country is crazed with cheese. Cheese is everywhere and offered on almost everything.

Dairy fat is definitely not good for the body. The dairy industry has pushed milk and dairy products on us and there is great controversy on its benefits &c.

My wife and I have limited its intake.

- Bleesings

Don't you have skimmed and semi-skimmed milk in America?

 

[Alcott]

Is going dairy-free healthy?

Probably not. If everything in a dairy was free, we would eat and driink too much.

 

[Gina B]

Is going dairy-free healthy?

Probably not. If everything in a dairy was free, we would eat and driink too much.

Why...I otter smack ye! LOL!

MC, I didn't ask but when I, an adult, bought a school lunch, they made ME put one on my tray. LOL I typically won't touch milk if it isn't organic, but they told me that I had to. I'll have to ask where that rule comes from. When I asked why they told me it was because they're a government institution and required to serve x amount of nutrients in x servings of food pyramid stuff.

It's definitely wasteful, but IMO the best place for non-organic milk is the trash can anyhow.

I will eat Stonyfield yogurt, especially yummy with flax seed, but need to cut out most of the cheese we use.

David, we do have 2% and skim milk available. I usually only buy whole milk though because kids need a certain amount and my oldest will usually only get it through the occasional glass of milk or through salmon or other like sources. (she's my health nut kiddo!) I never thought of the difference of it being dairy fat and not other types though.

 

[menageriekeeper]

Kids over two do not need whole milk. Everything they need from milk can be found in skim, though personally 2% tastes better.

As far as I know dairy-free is fine. Eat calcium-rich veggies instead.

 

[Benjamin]

From what I've been reading lately, milk isn't good for ANYONE. Cow milk is for baby cows and I've read humans can't digest it properly. I've had doctors tell me it's the toughest thing for the human body to digest. I've read that we stop having the ability to properly process it in a semi-decent manner around weaning age.

I'd love to go dairy free, but I'm going to need some help convincing people of this.

I've heard this and been told similar things about oatmeal, and that "it's for horses and we don't digest it well". I don't know what I would do without my staple of milk though. I use 1% and use it on cereal often. Sometimes when I'm feeling depleated from workouts I'll drink up to a half gallon during an evening and that seems to bring me up (protein, vit D and all). Many times will drink a glass or two to calm my stomach, especially after acidy foods, it seems to help my digestion.

I'm afraid I'd shrivel up and die without my milk. You'd have a hard time tryin to convince me to give up my milk fer sure. :tongue3:


My concern is about cheese...way to much fat there...but I do love it!

 

[Melanie]

Most of the world gets a long fine without diary food....particularly milk.

It is probably another gigantic con by food marketing.:tonofbricks:

 

[Jim1999]

Personally, I think there is a lot of garbage out there about diets, good food, bad food, and too little talk about how much of anything one eats. A balanced diet of small proportions will help maintain one's health and balance in life.

A diabetic is not governed by sugar so much as how much sugar they consume combined with physical activity.

I hear people talking about food and its danger, and then they talk about all the supplemental pills they consume!! Go figure.

Cheers,

Jim

 

[gb93433]

Everything you eat, touch, and breathe has bacteria in it. I would be concerned too, but not enough to eat antibacterial soap.

 

[gb93433]

So what do you think? Do you have any information that accurately portrays the pros and cons of humans consuming dairy products that come from animals?

There is always some new news that pushes anti-something. I wonder how many of those are pushing something else by scaring people?

I grew up on a dairy farm with two other siblings. We were so unhealthy by drinking at least 2 to 3 gallons of raw mile each. We were seldom sick. In the first 13 years of school I had six years of perfect attendance.

 

[Gina B]

There is always some new news that pushes anti-something. I wonder how many of those are pushing something else by scaring people?

I grew up on a dairy farm with two other siblings. We were so unhealthy by drinking at least 2 to 3 gallons of raw mile each. We were seldom sick. In the first 13 years of school I had six years of perfect attendance.

Yeah, but consider how cows are fed and cared for now for commercial use, and what happens to milk and dairy.

It's pretty much illegal or extremely difficult to legally obtain raw dairy in the United States.

Ben, oats are part of what naturally grows. There's no cause to believe it is meant for horses, but mammals produce milk meant to feed their offspring until they're old enough to survive off other foods. Humans produce milk for human babies, cows produce milk for baby cows, goats produce milk for baby goats. That is my main reason for focusing in on animal milk. It's the one main thing humans consume in mass quantities that logically doesn't belong in the human body.

 

[gb93433]

Yeah, but consider how cows are fed and cared for now for commercial use, and what happens to milk and dairy.

That depends on where you live and the particular farm. Each state has different requirements. There are many new things today that are much better than before.

There's no cause to believe it is meant for horses, but mammals produce milk meant to feed their offspring until they're old enough to survive off other foods. Humans produce milk for human babies, cows produce milk for baby cows, goats produce milk for baby goats. That is my main reason for focusing in on animal milk. It's the one main thing humans consume in mass quantities that logically doesn't belong in the human body.

When was the last time you saw a mother nursing a child that was ten or 15 years old?

Think about the pollution from the car you drive. I would assume that you drive a car. I would be much more concerned about that than many other things.

 

[Benjamin]

Ben, oats are part of what naturally grows. There's no cause to believe it is meant for horses, but mammals produce milk meant to feed their offspring until they're old enough to survive off other foods. Humans produce milk for human babies, cows produce milk for baby cows, goats produce milk for baby goats. That is my main reason for focusing in on animal milk. It's the one main thing humans consume in mass quantities that logically doesn't belong in the human body.

How do you compare this to chicken eggs; they are produced to make “offspring” and yet we not only eat them in mass quantities but the parents as well? Oats grow to pollinate and make more oats (offspring). How is that any more logical to be in the human body? I see what you’re saying about matching up the milk to the provider species but I fail to see the difference concerning the original intended purposes as basically all our foods have or had a purpose and that would include producing or feeding offspring before we made it a food for us.

When was the last time you saw a mother nursing a child that was ten or 15 years old?

Eww Gp, now you got me wondering if anyone one sells human milk for use by adults. Ugh, nevermind, I googled it, duh, and see there are all kinds of claims and promotions. So much for that argument... PETA was even suggesting that human milk be used instead of cows milk to make ice cream because it would stop abuse of cows.

 

[gb93433]

So much for that argument... PETA was even suggesting that human milk be used instead of cows milk to make ice cream because it would stop abuse of cows.

Is that kind of like saying don't eat fish because fish are abused. Certainly we would never want to cut down trees because the trees have feelings too. Doesn't that sound like the tree huggers from the 60s & 70s.

 

[Gina B]

That depends on where you live and the particular farm. Each state has different requirements. There are many new things today that are much better than before.

When was the last time you saw a mother nursing a child that was ten or 15 years old?

Think about the pollution from the car you drive. I would assume that you drive a car. I would be much more concerned about that than many other things.

Well, mothers don't nurse their teenagers. That's kinda my point...should there be a point where people stop drinking milk because they get that nutrition from a normal human diet and no longer need the milk?

I don't know where you're going with the car thing. We don't eat cars. As far as pollution goes, I'm more worried about the pollution from factories and such than from cars.

But right now I was talking about whether it's healthy or not to take dairy products out of the diet of older kids and adults.

 

[gb93433]

Well, mothers don't nurse their teenagers. That's kinda my point...should there be a point where people stop drinking milk because they get that nutrition from a normal human diet and no longer need the milk?

Milk cows produce much more milk than what one calf needs. So if someone or another animal did not drink it then it would be thrown away or the cow would quit giving so much milk. Milk cows produce milk. Beef cows produce much less milk and are smaller as well.

I don't know where you're going with the car thing. We don't eat cars. As far as pollution goes, I'm more worried about the pollution from factories and such than from cars.

But right now I was talking about whether it's healthy or not to take dairy products out of the diet of older kids and adults.

Before there was smog controls the orange trees in southern California were dying. I wonder how the people felt about breathing that same air? At one time the signs were black and now they are not. It was obvious that the damage was produced by cars. At that time people had levels of lead in the bodies too because of the lead in gasoline.

I would be more concerned with the lack of spiritual obedience and the new levels of greed among their parents than anything else. When was the last time you saw every Christian refuse to take a job that made them work on Sunday except the kind of services that are necessary? That is commonly referred to as the "golden handcuffs."

I would also be concerned about the laziness of their parents in terms of physical activity. 2/3 of the people in America are fat. Yet we hear all kinds of excuses. Ever hear those excuses from people who do not have enough to eat?

 

[Gina B]

gb, I'm sorry you're seeing this as an argument. It's not. I am asking others their opinions on whether or not it is healthy to take in dairy products. My main purpose in questioning, as you may have noticed in my opening post, is health concerns for my children.
I'll work on saving dying Californian orange trees and keeping Californians from breathing their smog polluted air when I find that cape with a capital C on it. Right now the cape I'm wearing has a capital M on it. That stands for Mommy.

So thanks for your input and keep on truckin'. Uh, I mean bikin'.