Cow’s Milk Controversy
Posted on 25. Jan, 2010 by Becky in Work Your Body
So last week I attended an evening devoted to “A Healthy New Year” and was introduced to a controversy that I didn’t even really know existed.
The Cow’s Milk Controversy.
Did you know that when you pour that creamy white goodness over your bran flakes each morning you are living dangerously, according to some health experts?
Here is a brief overview of the 2 sides of this story:
Got Milk?
The National Dairy Council has done a great job of promoting milk in the past years. We have seen countless celebrities with a stylish and subtle milk mustache touting the 
benefits of this and other dairy products. Not only have they done a great job of spreading the results of a controversial small-scale study that found that increasing consumption of dairy products can increase weight loss, but they have made us moms feel confident that we are providing health and wellness to our family as we insist, “Drink your milk!”
Less controversial are the nutritional facts that confirm that milk is indeed chock full of stuff that is good for us, including Vitamin D, vitamin K, iodine, riboflavin, and several B vitamins. And most famously of all, one serving of cow’s milk provides 29.7% of the daily value for calcium along with 23.2% of the DV for phosphorus.
Milk Sucks!
Now the Milk Sucks group feels pretty passionately about their side of the story, which becomes very obvious as soon as you begin a conversation with one of its members that starts with, “How do you feel about cow’s milk?” You’ll understand what I’m saying 2 hours later when you’re finally able to get a word in edgewise. These groups claim the following (among many other things):
- dairy products are a health hazard that contain no complex carbohydrates or fiber
- dairy products are completely unnecessary to a healthy diet
- dairy products are laden with pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics that wreak havoc on your body
- dairy products have never been shown conclusively to prevent osteoporosis, while plant-based calcium has
- dairy products may actually cause osteoporosis by leaching calcium from the bones due to their high protein content
So, what do you think about all this? As for me, I try to be a woman of balance. While I am intrigued by some of the claims made by the Milk Sucks! fans, I also know that I have known and loved many, many people who drink a healthy dose of cow’s milk every morning and night. I also know that when I have been treated for osteopenia, my doctor has recommended that I increase my intake of dairy products, whether it be yogurt, milk, or cheese.
As for me, this is my conclusion:
- I realize that dairy should not make up the majority of my diet.
- I think a bowl of high fiber cereal with fruit is a very healthy, balanced breakfast that makes me feel good and keeps things moving.
- I am never going to give up ice cream, I don’t care what they say.
So, what do you think of the Cow’s Milk Controversy?
11 Responses to “Cow’s Milk Controversy”
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Julie Anne Beck
25. Jan, 2010
I think they’re CRAZY!!! It breaks my heart that Reagan is allergic to cow’s milk and has to settle with soy. Cow’s milk is so so healthy.
Anyway, I’m just curious. What are some of your favorite healthy cereals? Healthy cereals that your kids will eat?
admin
28. Jan, 2010
I love Quaker Corn Bran and my kids love it too. It’s kind of pricey, but it’s very healthy and so yummy! I also always keep a box of bran flakes on hand and will add it to other flaked cereals to “hide” a little nutrition in without any argument. So sneaky!
Alison Anderson
26. Jan, 2010
I think this is a bunch of bologna. I saw the documentary Michael Moore did and it addresses this, so I buy milk that says “this milk is from cows not injected with rbst.” Also like you said, I’m never giving up milk or ice cream, even if studies show it’ll increase my risk of cancer. Also how does protein leech calcium anyway? The only thing I’ve experienced that makes my bones hurt is excess caffeine, and I’ve been on the strictest sense of the Atkins diet before, another diet that is unfairly criticized.
This “controversy” reminds me of another thing I’ve heard, which claims that birth-control hormones infest the water supply from women’s urine and that it’s negatively effecting men. Even if it is, birth-control is very important for some women’s hormone balance. And hormone balance is very important for anyone’s health. My mom, who is a nurse practitioner, has researched this recently and has started a clinic specifically to care for women and specializes in correcting women’s hormone imbalance: Athena Women’s Clinic, right off state street in Orem.
admin
28. Jan, 2010
I also agree with you! The interesting thing to me was that the individual making the presentation was an MD. He swore that his patients’ health would improve greatly when they gave up cow’s milk. He seemed to me to have VERY extreme views and I also found his “research” from the medical field when I googled the topic. Not exactly scientific journals.
Brittany LeDoux Harnois
27. Jan, 2010
I’d be pretty skeptical of the findings of this group. Looking at their website they appear to have an animal rights agenda. I’ve heard many animal rights groups come out against milk. It’s still worth researching but I’d definitely want to research that wasn’t funded by PETA or another animal rights extremist group. I’d definitely trust the input of my doctor more than these groups.
admin
28. Jan, 2010
Good point. The Milk Sucks website is definitely not just looking at nutrition. They’ve got a whole agenda behind them.
Elizabeth Wallace
27. Jan, 2010
What about Goat’s Milk? It is supposed to be better for you than Cow’s Milk. All I know is my baby loves Goat milk. And those people that think milking a cow is inhumane should talk to any nursing mother and they will tell you how HUMANE it really is to milk these poor cows.
admin
28. Jan, 2010
The doctor I heard did say that Goat’s Milk is probably the best as far as being hormone and chemical-free. But, his stance was no milk is best… Pretty extreme.
Adam
27. Jan, 2010
I scream, you scream, we all scream for Ice Cream!
Alexandria Anderson
29. Jan, 2010
This is one of those constant controversies that exist everywhere but I really don’t think are worth worrying about. I’ve spent the last four years studying food (food science)…chemistry, microbiology, analysis, production, development, you name it! The underlying understanding is that food is a complex system. Most foods contain both natural toxicants and neutraceuticals (i.e. chemicals they believe are good for you). They tend to balance each other out, especially with a balanced diet. Due to this fact, it really is not possible or even necessary to avoid everything an individual study finds “may” be bad for you. However, I do happen to know a little about cow’s milk:
1) There are absolutely NO antibiotics in the milk we consume. I promise. It is completley illegal, and every legitimate dairy in the US tests for antiobiotics. The way it works: when the milk comes from the farm and arrives at the doors of the place it is to be processed (pasteurized, made into cheese, whatever) the very first thing the receiving company does is run a few tests. They test for coliforms (a type of bacteria indicative of fecal material), aerobic plate count (total microorganisms) and most importantly THEY TEST FOR ANTIBIOTICS. Every single company will run a rapid test based on the theory of ELISA (enzyme-linked immosorbent assay) commonly called a Charm II test BEFORE they accept the lot. The milk does not even leave the milk truck and enter the production facility until the test comes out negative. If there are antibiotics in the milk, the company REJECTS it and the dairy just bought their own milk–ALL of it–because they can’t sell it to anyone. Because a dairy cannot afford this, they are very careful to ensure no antibiotics enter the milk. They do this by isolating cattle that are on antibiotics. They put them in separate pins and their milk does not go into the system. They are still milked, but their milk must either go to newborn calves or not be used at all. The antibiotics will be entirely out of their system before they are sent back into the pen with their other friend cows and allowed to feed milk to humankind.
2) rBST is genetically identical to the BST already produced by cows naturally. It is made in a lab, but if analyzed you could not tell it apart from the real deal. While it is referred to as a “growth hormone,” it does not actually directly make the cows grow. Instead, it makes the cows hungrier. Because they are hugrier, they eat mroe, and because they have consumed more food they are able to produce more milk. I personally do not see a problem with it. I often prefer things that are artificially created rather than from the natural source. For example, cheese used to be produced with “rennin,” an enzyme found in the stomach of cows. They can now synthetically make the same enzyme called “chymosin” and never have to dig through nasty cow stomachs. I find that a more pleasing thought
3) It is unlikely than an excess of calcium would be bad simply because it is eaten with protein. While calcium does tend to be more digestible in some forms than in others, I do not think this is a significant concern.
I think the greatest concern with drinking cow’s milk is lactose intolerance.
And there are my thoughts. Sorry that this is such a long comment and that I am so opinionated!!! Let me know what you think. And I LOVE ice cream