You can’t swing a cat in a barn these days without hitting some new report out on the beleaguered dairy industry. Not that I’m endorsing cat swinging. Or swinging objects in barns. In fact, I can’t even endorse dairy because – have you heard? – 60% of adults can’t digest milk. And the bad news keeps rolling in: all of that stuff we’ve been told about low-fat dairy aiding in weight loss and strengthening bones and giving us a healthy smile? Aside from getting Heidi Klum to dress up as the world’s hottest milkmaid, all those claims are just not true, so says the new research which contradicts the old research – the old research that was all funded by the dairy industry.
You remember this ad campaign? All lies.This news greatly concerns me because I happen to love my dairy products. When I’m not pregnant, I’m a vegetarian and eggs and dairy are my two favorite ways to get my protein in. I tried being a vegan for three months but discovered that while I enjoy vegetarianism, I feel very deprived as a vegan. Not to mention that taking out whey as a protein source leaves me with soy, a food of dubious health benefits that really does give me intestinal issues. I really like a cold glass of milk, much to the horror of the vegan community who like to point out ad nauseum that humans are the only animals to drink milk past infancy and/or drink the milk of other mammals – a fact which isn’t true despite being repeated a whole lot. Many animals will drink milk of any variety if they can get their paws on it (What do you think all those cats you were just swinging around were doing in the barn in the first place?) We just happen to be the only animals who farm. In addition to drinking the stuff, I eat it nearly every day in its fermented state as my homemade yogurt and as any variety of cheese. Let’s not talk about my ice cream addiction.
Aside from my culinary predilections, however, there remain two important pieces of information:
1) The 60% of adults as described earlier who can’t digest milk.
2) Nobody past infancy needs milk to survive.
Taken together, this makes me wonder if we aren’t too enamored of our moo juice.
So what exactly does an “inability to digest milk” look like? According to recent research, the ability to metabolize lactose, the sugar in milk, is an aberration.
It’s not normal. Somewhat less than 40% of people in the world retain the ability to digest lactose after childhood. The numbers are often given as close to 0% of Native Americans, 5% of Asians, 25% of African and Caribbean peoples, 50% of Mediterranean peoples and 90% of northern Europeans. Sweden has one of the world’s highest percentages of lactase tolerant people.
Being able to digest milk is so strange that scientists say we shouldn’t really call lactose intolerance a disease, because that presumes it’s abnormal. Instead, they call it lactase persistence, indicating what’s really weird is the ability to continue to drink milk.
Being of mostly northern European descent, I suppose that makes me one of the fortunate mutants. I personally have never had a negative reaction – usually described as cramping, bloating, flatulence, or diarrhea – from a dairy product. But apparently a lot of people do thus ushering in a new wave of dairy teetotalers. (Gives a whole new meaning to the question of “Do you drink?”)
Although the question of whether or not milk is even all that good for you is far from settled, if you do decide to partake you open up a whole other can of research worms. Apparently the recommendations to eat and drink only low-fat dairy products are all based on faulty research. Those of us who grew up in the ’90s are still trying to wrap our brains around the fact that eating fat does not make us fat but nowhere is that more true than with dairy. According to researchers, the most valuable vitamins in milk – like the A & D that must be added back into skim milk – are all fat soluble. So by drinking your milk skimmed you’re just peeing out all those precious vitamins that it was fortified with. The solution according to science is to eat and drink your milk in the least-processed form available which would be non-homogenized, non-pasteurized whole milk, cheese and yogurt. (Preferably hormone-free, grass-fed and – finished too, while we’re at it.)
For a lot of people, the decision whether or not to eat dairy is a moral one. I almost envy them in a way; they have a reason beyond a quest for basic good health that tells them what not to eat. But for me, I’m conflicted. I like eating it. I seem to be one of the lucky freaks who can tolerate it. And yet I can’t afford the real quality stuff. In the end, is milk worth it?
What’s your take? Love dairy or hate it? Are you a genetic mutant too? If you avoid it – why?
LOVE this post. For the past year I have been researching this very topic and trying to explain to people that everything they know about milk is a total lie- told to them (us) by the dairy industry pushing their product onto us.
Milk consumption is connected to so many diseases- the most prevalent as of late is type II diabetes in infants and, yes, believe it- osteoperosis.
I do not drink milk and since I stopped, I feel sooo much better! My skin cleared up, I stopped getting bloated and have more energy. When I eat something without knowing it had milk in it (this doesn't happen too often as I am usually very careful, I always know it afterwards.. all the ailments return and It's terrible.
I really hope this news spreads as the public becomes more aware of the wool being pulled over their eyes. Thank you for bringing it up.
ps, don't worry about protein intake, you really only need 10% of your caloric intake to come from protein and everything you eat has protein in it.. so you're fine. 🙂
I'm torn, as well. I don't particularly like milk (I prefer soy, almond, and coconut milk), but I LOVE cheese. And soy cheese just DOESN'T do it for me. I also love Greek-style yogurt.
I go back and forth between vowing to give up all dairy for good and allowing myself a bit here and there.
I am lucky enough to be a genetic freak. I love dairy and it doesn't mess with my stomach at all.
I generally just drink skim milk in my coffee these days (having gotten used to the taste of skim, I find full fat milk to be too rich), but I don't think I could live without my greek yogurt and cheese. I also sometimes eat milk with cereal.
I guess I'm just lucky because dairy fits very well into my healthy lifestyle. If I had to choose between giving up meat or dairy products, I'd ditch the meat in a second.
My boyfriend is lactose intolerant and almost never consumes milk, so I understand where non-drinkers are coming from. But since I don't have a problem with it, I feel like it's tasty and fairly guilt free. I'd take a glass of milk over a can of soda any day.
Genetic freaks unite! I adore Greek yogurt, and have been welcoming fats back into my diet over the past months. I really believe that there is more satiety in fat and that includes full fat yogurt. I might even break down and buy some.
If you ever find yourself in Sweden, you must run, not walk to the nearest supermarket and buy something called Filmjolk (with dots over the "o"). Like Kefir only better.
Thanks for another great post, Charlotte.
D
Ok, I hate milk, more than almost any other drink. It makes my tummy hurt.
BUT, I loooooovee dairy. I usually have several litres ( i.e. more than 3) of yogurt in my fridge at any point. Usually its plain (often greek style), so I can add my own fruit, or other flavourings. I also have a not so secret cheese addiction. Upon my move to Calgary, one of my first concerns was where the nearest cheese purveyor was…and not a grocery store, like a speciality cheese store. Luckily, it's directly beside the best wine market in town. How appropriate.
Regardless, I have long realized that giving up yogurt, cheese, ice cream and other dairy products is a horrible idea. It makes me very cranky- even more than giving up sugar. So, realistically, it doesn't matter what science says, since I'm not giving up dairy anytime soon. I've given up meat, but dairy is here to stay.
I'm none of those ethnic groups you mentioned (mostly Canadian Indian and Scottish) but milk still doesn't like me. Which is OK, 'cause I don't like it, either, never have.
Love rice milk, hemp milk, and my new favorite obsession, coconut milk!
I love milk, drink it mostly nonfat, and am not quite convinced yet that this is a nutritional error.
I tend to have milk with other foods, and so while the milk itself may not have it's usual saturated fat, I'm usually eating it along with almond butter or some other source of healthy fat. I hope this preserves the A & D. And I get some dairy fat as well when I eat cheese. Mmmm, cheese.
Dairy is also a great source of calcium and protein.
While I know milk isn't for everyone, there seems to be just as much of a one-sided agenda in the anti-milk crowd as the dairy industry promoters have going in their pro-milk marketing. I'm waiting for more research about the pro's and cons, but in the meantime, I'm gonna keep enjoying it!
I haven't eaten dairy for years!
Milk in particular does not seem like a good idea to me. I consider it liguid sugar and fat.
I remember Marylu Henner talking about her weight loss years age saying, "When I stopped eating dairy I lost that bovine look!"
Like the big brown eyes, the rest of the cow, not so much 🙂
I don't drink milk. It doesn't agree with me. But I will have a little on my breakfast cereal, which I started eating for the fiber (fiber is our friend!) and I love cheese!
I'm curious about the connection between milk and type II diabetes in infants that banca144 mentioned in the comments. Must now go research that….
I'm a "genetic mutant" like you Charlotte! That could be because I am also of Northern European descent (and live in the Midwest, like you, one state over, though). I can drink milk and eat cheese and yogurt without any trouble.
I actually just started buying milk that is made at a local dairy farm (and therefore not containing the nasty stuff). The milk is sold at grocery stores in our town, so it's really convenient.
It's also whole milk. Yes, I drink whole milk, eat full-fat yogurt and cheese. It's WONDERFUL. 🙂
I have read that messing with milk (taking out the fat, fortifying it with vitamins, etc.), well, messes with it and its ability to be the nutritional powerhouse it is. It's also good to consume full-fat dairy products for fertility,which is important to me right now.
I would suggest reading "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon. It is an interesting, informational book and cookbook. I could go on and on (as I already have), but I'll leave you with that tip. (It would make a good fitness experiment or at least a good post!)
banca144 – I had no heard of the diabetes-infant link! Will have to check it out.
Shelly & Deb – yay for mutants! The study actually pointed out that people who can't tolerate milk do just fine with yogurt though since it's partially digested (nice thought, no?) Gotta say I switched to full-fat yogurt when I started making my own and I LOVE it. Even plain it tastes delish.
M – I'm like you: I can ditch the meat pretty easily but dairy? No way!
Dr. J – I do remember you telling me that back when I was trying veganism and it does make sense – glad it works for you! You def. don't look like a cow;)
Bag Lady – let me know what you find out; I'm interested too…
K – Thanks for the book rec; I'll add it to my list! I've read several books on this subject recently, the most recent one by Nina Planck which was excellent. She also endorses only "real" milk. I would totally do it if it weren't so darn expensive. I figured out that to buy the good milk, it would cost me $50/week for my family. That's nearly my entire food budget! I always joke with my husband that we just need to get a cow…
What's funny is I actually have the opportunity to "buy" a cow!
One of the doctors at the chiropractic clinic I go to told me that they worked a deal out with a local farm. People can buy a share of a cow and then get a gallon of milk a week from said cow. I think it was $20 a month (so $5 a gallon… kind-of expensive, especially if you need more than a gallon).
One of the biggest reasons they started this up was so people could legally get RAW milk, which is supposed to be THE best kind of milk to drink for health benefits.
Due government regulations (or something along those lines) raw milk cannot be bought and sold in the store. So, if you "own" part of cow from which the raw milk comes from – it's all good.
I haven't joined yet, but am thinking about it. I think I'm going to buy the left rear foot… or the tail… oooh, that sounds interesting… 🙂
I have no problems with dairy so I happily partake. Whole only, please, preferably raw. If the day every comes that I can't digest it, then I'll give it up. It's not that deep for.
LOVE this post. I apparently have always been allergic to milk -but so mild an allergy that it rarely bothers me. Still it pays to stay away from the stuff. Have not drunk a glass in decades. When I indulge, it's cheese, sour cream, or ice cream.
Consume it, and allergic bronchitis rears its head.
There is so much research coming out now that recommends adults would be healthier if they limited their exposure to cow's milk and gluten. And yet, look at the American diet and those two items make up a huge percentage of what people eat each day.
I work to limit or avoid the two -and find myself feeling much better. No more acid reflux, no coughing. yet it makes it hard to eat with friends…
Since I also fall in the mutant category (French/German/Polish descent) I have no problem with the idea of consuming milk per se. I stick to raw dairy, but that's easy for me to do in urban California. I also consume yogurt and raw butter. In each case I am consuming the item because it provides bioavailable nutrients in a convenient, ethical (in so far as I can guarantee) and tasty package. But industrial milk freaks me out–if that's the only option, I will not partake.
Charlotte…as a proud Minnesotan, I am glad to say I can not only digest milk products well, but that I enjoy ingesting them in nearly all forms, being in yogurt, cheese, ice cream (hooray!) or a good ol' glass of milk. I have read many things talking about the negative effects of milk, but for me, I can actually feel when my body is calcium deprived, and for me, milk is the easiest way to get my calcium, since I'm not a supplement taker. Plus I find that post-workout, chocolate milk is my favorite snack. 🙂
Very interesting post! Me, my tummy is not good with milk/dairy products. I bloat & all over yucky things. I even have some probs with Greek yogurt but I still eat it. I love my Greek yogurt!
I am not sure about the research but I am fine with what I do because even when I was younger & drank milk & did not realize my probs were form that, I really was not a fan.
Have a great day!
Another interesting aspect of the effects milk consumption can have on a population: those populations that consume the most milk (and have done so for thousands of years), match up nicely with the tallest populations in the world. (This correlation gets a little messy in the last couple hundred years with European wars and the genetic mixing of American populations.) Last I heard, the Dutch and African pastoralists–those who have traditionally relied almost exclusively on animal products (no agriculture, not much gathering of wild plants)–were the loftiest populations in the world. Those populations that have the longest history of animal husbandry (i.e. access to non-human dairy products) have the highest population-wide abilities to metabolize lactose.
This was all presented to me as part of my college studies, so I have no citations to back up this information as fact. Another thought that has occured to me as I type this is that these same populations that consume a lot of dairy also have really nice teeth (even in the archaeological record going back thousands of years, not just since modern dentistry practices).
I do not think dairy is the great dietary evil, it just might not be right for everyone. Moral concerns should be considered separate from any one individual's ability to consume dairy without problems. Physiologically speaking, dairy IS good for some people.
i don't know. i don't like the taste of plain milk (which is why i've been drinking it with tiny bits of coffee in it for YEARS), but i still drink it in that coffee'd up form.
as for an intolerance/persistence … i just get a little extra mucusy when i drink a lot of milk or eat a lot of ice cream. that's all.
Normally I drink milk or have yogurt/cheese daily. Now that I'm vegan for the month I'm drinking almond milk instead.
I've experienced the cramping/bloating etc, but I think that milk is good to drink. I'm a fan. It just depends on the person, really.
I'll have milk on my cereal, but I almost never drink it alone. I do eat cheese once or twice everyday, and always have yogurt on hand. I'm not lactose intolerant, though, so I can eat all the dairy I want.
The co-evolution of bovine husbandry and lactose tolerance in adults is an interesting bit of science. Normally, the gene that processes lactose is shut off after a child/baby animal is weaned (leading to lactose intolerance in adults). However, in a small population of Europeans, the gene was not shut off, allowing the people to continue drinking cow milk for nutrition. As this gave that population a health advantage over others, they grew and spread throughout the world. Thus, you have lactose tolerant people all over the world. End science geekiness.
I don't diget it well, but I so love all things dairy. Cheese, yogurt, milk…love it all. I don't think it's a good idea. It's kind of gross when I think about it. But, too bad…I like it and it will stay in my diet for now 🙂
I am late to this post but just wanted to add that if you are lactose intolerant there is a product called "Digestive Advantage Lactose Intolerance Therapy". You take one or two pills in the morning and then can drink/eat all the milk products during the day you want.
One of my kids is lactose intolerant and they make one specifically for kids. Good stuff. We go through at least 5 gallons of milk a week and buy the 5 lb cheese loafs at Costco. We are big time dairy eaters.
Obligatory male statement: Ther was a cow in that picture?
:^)
I like milk…so long as it comes in the chocolate variety. Every once in a while I'll have me a small glass, but I like my cereal dry.
Joshua
The Technical Parent
I think I probably read the same book by Nina Plank (Real Food?) That Charlotte did. She detailed some very NASTY things that happen to industrial milk, I recommend readers look into this. That book among others such as In Defense of Food convinced me of the dangers of drinking "industrial" milk. I used to drink processed organic milk but now I have switched to local, whole fat, raw/untreated, organic milk from grass-fed, pastured jersey(supposedly the yummiest) cows. My milk is DELICIOUS and has a beautiful golden yellow color. I shake it up to mix the cream into the milk but if you want this kind of milk skim or lowfat, you can just pour as much of the cream off the top as you like.
I feel for you, Charlotte, it is an expensive option, though. My husband is in the military and I am a SAHM of three and milk is a large and expensive part of our food budget. Luckily, we are currently stationed in rural England and I get this lovely bovine nectar for about $1/pint which is about the same as organic milk. It's pricey but we cut corners in other areas of our lives in order to have this health food. Nina Plank and others argue that Lactose Intolerance might not be a reaction to milk, but a reaction to the chemicals in milk and the processing it undergoes. The proof is easy to test!
I love my dairy! Thankfully I've never experienced the negative side effects of dairy that so many do. While I don't drink milk, I couldn't go ONE day without yogurt and cheese!
I have nothing against milk or dairy. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to drink milk since I was in my late teens – it seriously upsets my stomach. I can eat yogurt and cheese. I can handle a splash of cream in my coffee. I can cook with milk. But if I sit down and drink a glass of milk, I'm in trouble. Ice cream is iffy – I seem to be ok with the higher quality, higher fat stuff. I'm not that big of an ice cream fan though, so it doesn't bother me much.
But if I could drink milk, I would.
P.S. – when my Dad was a wee one, my grandparents had dairy cows. Having been used to fresh milk, he thinks the stuff that we get from grocery stores is disgusting.
I've recently cut out drinking milk and eventually all dairy other than butter and cream because of the fact that it's not good for me. I'll use it as a treat every once in a while – gotta have some choccy moo juice – but along with grains and processed sugars and the like, our bodies are not designed to digest all of this crap so severe moderation if not completely cutting it out of my life is the key. The problem with all of this stuff is that it's nothing but sugar – and we all know how we just can't control ourselves around sugar. It's like a drug. I don't want to ingest drugs anymore. Not willingly, anyway!
I think I can comfortably drink milk to a point, and then my body will begin to react negatively. If I drink it with coffee in the morning, I'm fine, but I happen to drink 3-4 other beverages containing milk in the same day, by beverage #4, I will have a stomach ache. I think the same probably goes for cheese and yogurt as well.
I think people from cultures or areas that have traditionally had dairy as a large part of their diets can probably get away with eating it more than people from cultures or regions that traditionally do not eat so much. And I think that, for people who CAN eat it, dairy products probably are good sources of protein and fat.
My in-laws, for instance, are Albanian and yogurt and cheese is a HUGE part of their diets. I'd love to see their reactions to someone telling them "you know, yogurt isn't really something you should eat…" 😉
I wanted to add that in July and until a few days ago, I decided to try switching to soy milk instead of cow's milk and it seems I am horribly allergic to carrageenan, an ingredient in soy milk. In JUly and this weekend, I was doubled over with stabbing pelvic pains. I didn't make the connection with the soy milk when it happened in July, but now I really think that's what caused it.
I grew up on milk – it was my beverage of choice at every meal, and I often drink it in-between meals as well. One day, I simply could not drink it anymore without doubling over in pain. So, I gave it up but was able to incorporate back into my life a couple of years later. Ever since then, I've wondered if milk and I were not meant to be friends.
Flash forward to the present. Although I gave up drinking milk several years ago, I was still eating a lot of cottage cheese and yogurt. I read that dairy allergies often go undetected and can cause all sorts of problems including various infections. In a desperate attempt to rid myself of chronic respiratory and bladder infections, I went dairy free about 6 months ago…one of the best decisions I ever made. Honestly, it has helped soooo much. I miss my Fage, but no more bladder infections and runny noses is so worth it.
Thanks for the great post! I am a non-dairy eater due to being in the more-rare dairy allergic people (not worth the massive doses of benedryl!). But I think the health benefits of soy is often over-inflated. I am glad we live in a world where there are a lot of options available. I just live by the tried and true advice of everything in moderation. Dairy probably isn't bad for you unless you eat a ton of it and forget your other food groups!
Life without cheese is not worth living. And mmmm, chai with steamed milk, iced coffee which is half milk, ice cream, even a good bowl of nice old cottage cheese. YUM.
I could NEVER be vegan.
Are there any food sources a person beyond childhood couldn't live without? I mean, seriously. Tell me I can't eat green peppers any more, or potatoes, or beef… well, I can make do on whatever else is available. That seems like an odd way to decide whether or not a person should eat something.