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| July Health Notes. The Milk Issue. |
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Are you a Milkaholic?
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Got Milk? The FDA has now told the U.S. dairy producers to stop pitching the idea that drinking more milk spurs weight loss. "Milk and cheese are more likely to pack on pounds than help people slim down," said Dan Kinburn, PCRM's general counsel. "This case calls into question other advertising claims made by the industry, especially the notion that milk builds strong bones. Evidence shows it does nothing of the kind."
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But isn't dairy good for us? Many do believe dairy is good for us, it is from "mother" afterall. Problem is that most of us, ok, all of us, do not have a cow for a mother. It was from mother, when we were infants and breastfed. A cow's milk however is not the same composition as breast milk. Its content of fat, protein, and carbohydrates varries from human milk, which is what nature designed for us. First, the protein in human milk is much lower and the carbohydrates are higher than in cow's milk. The quality of the fat in cow's milk is a problem for us as well. Today's commercial cows are fed on a grain diet and not grass and basically the quality of the milk is based on what the cow eats. Recent articles have praised the CLA content in the milk from grass-fed cows, which is a fatty acid of the good fat of Omega-6. In general we get too much of the Omega-6 fatty acids, making us gain weight and develop other "to much fat" related health issues. However, the CLA in cow's milk is only there in whole milk, and mostly so from grass fed cow, AND, you can get the oh-so good for you CLA from other sources. So, milk might not be your favorite choices after all since it has been linked to diabetes, heart disease, and cancers such as breast and prostate. |
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What did your cow have for breakfast today? The Consumer Union sampled milk from different processing plants and from the 25 brands they tested they found that only 12 % were free of some defect in taste variance. Over 1/3 of the milk contained flavors of the feed the cow had recently eaten. Bon Appetite. Next, what about the bacteria in cows milk? Milk from a healthy cow will always contain some bacteria. Usually from fecal that has contaminated the udder. That is why we pasteurize, right. Well, – the government regulation states that milk is allowed no more than 20,000 bacteria per milliliter of milk. There is 5 milliliter in a teaspoon just for the record. Milk is also "only" allowed to have 10 organisms of coliform per milliliter. But it is organic! That helps, because at least you are not getting an extra load of pesticides, growth hormones, and antibiotics. Do however remember, that the natural growth hormone that is in mother's milk goes for the organic milk as well. This still is beyond what we need as grown-up people.
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Lactose Intolerance. If you take a look in the world of mammals we are the only ones to ingest dairy products after infancy. We are actually not even supposed to be able to digest it as our lactase goes down as we grow up, but since dairy is such a large part of our western diet we are learning how to digest it. If you take a look at the lactase deficiency in healthy adults we see that quite a large part of the population in countries where dairy is not part of their heritage diet the numbers of intolerance is about 80-90% where as in countries like America and Denmark (a country big on dairy) it is as low as 5-8%. Signs of Intolerance: Gas and bloating is the most common complaint after consumption of dairy. But more severe symptoms such as diarrhea and chronic constipation, anemia, asthma, allergies, and acne can also be a result of dairy. The Calcium Connection. Many believe that dairy is crucial for our bones. The funny thing is that dairy has actually been linked to bone loss. The majority of the world's population consumes less calcium than we do in the Western diet, and they have strong bones and healthy teeth. Cow's milk is rich in phosphorus, which prevents absorption of calcium. So milk may contain calcium, but if you cannot absorb it, what good does it do? Alternative calcium sources would be all your leafy greens and green vegetables, and legumes (beans, lentils, and peas). Something else to consider if you are concerned about getting enough calcium, be mindful of the things you eat that causes calcium depletion instead. That would be such as coffee, too much protein, soda and sugar, nightshade vegetables (tomato, potato, peppers, eggplant, and actually also spinach). Add some exercise and you should be good to go dairy free if you so choose. Sources: Don't Drink Your Milk, Frank A. Oski, MD
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Great News: Path for Life has been voted among the 10 best Nutrition Centers in NYC in 2007 by City Search.
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| < click here to go to the Path for Life web site > |