The pros and cons of milk

I have to admit, even that half-liter amount you mentioned before doesn't strike me as particularly massive; it just seems to me that people in this country consume far more dairy than they used to.

I don't personally view milk as some sort of villainous food for a healthy adult, and frankly, most of the criticism leveled against it seems directed at people dealing with specific health issues rather than those who are actually fit. For instance, my doctor advised me to cut out dairy entirely due to certain estrogen-dependent fibroids—but from what I’ve read, that supposed "link" might only truly apply to mass-produced industrial milk that’s likely spiked with hormones.

Still, I find myself wondering about the actual nutritional value of milk, specifically regarding how indispensable it really is as a source of calcium, or if we can easily find better alternatives.

So, looking at what shadowfalcon33 was saying—yeah, it’s totally replaceable if you’re just hunting for calcium

Personally, though? I wouldn't touch more than half a liter of the stuff... just feels like way too much animal fat hitting my system all at once

And don't even get me started on cheese and cream—that's a whole different beast. In my book, I basically count those as my meat or fat intake for the day

Reading this actually makes me feel a little guilty for skipping the supplements—I always had this nagging fear that my bones would just become brittle one day...

But honestly, since I'm constantly snacking on yogurt and taking a 500 mg calcium pill every single morning, I don't really worry about it anymore...

It feels a bit silly when people start comparing our habits to what our grandparents used to do, especially since life expectancy back then was so much lower than it is now in America...

Just because they did things a certain way doesn't mean everything they ate or did was actually healthy...

I can't stand milk. Haven't touched it since I was four years old, after they made me drink some cow's milk from a mother that had just had a calf...

It grossed me out back then, and honestly, I still haven't been able to stomach it...

I don't like cocoa, and while I enjoy a white coffee, I don't really drink regular coffee either. Basically, zero milk consumption for me...

I love all kinds of yogurt—acidophilus, specifically. Cheeses of all varieties, sour cream... I'm all about those...

There are theories out there suggesting that no other mammal besides humans continues to drink milk after weaning... that what we do with cow's milk is completely unnecessary...

Honestly, yogurt is basically the exact same thing from a nutrition standpoint—you just don't have to deal with the whole lactase deficiency headache

I’m not even lactose intolerant or anything, but I can't remember the last time I actually touched a carton of chocolate milk... I just stick to yogurt because, honestly, it tastes way better.

Kate Martin76 said:I can't stand milk. Haven't touched it since I was four, after they made me drink from a cow that had just had a calf...

That was it for me. Nauseating. Still haven't been able to do it on my own since...

I don't do cocoa. White coffee? Sure. But plain coffee isn't really my thing, so there's zero milk in my diet...

I love yogurt, though. All kinds. Acidophilus, different cheeses, sour cream... I'm fine with those...

There are theories out there suggesting no other mammal drinks milk once they stop nursing... that what we do with cow's milk is basically unnecessary...

Total candidate for osteoporosis.

shadowgardener12 said:someone looking at osteoporosis risks.

😕 and besides—even if we assume milk is some indispensable fountain of calcium (which is a pretty dubious claim to begin with), Kate Martin76 only mentioned she doesn't like milk, not that she avoids all dairy products entirely.

Look, that’s just not enough. Most other dairy options only provide a fraction of the calcium an American body actually needs. And let's be real, nobody's chugging a gallon of yogurt every single day.
It's about consistency... drinking milk regularly starting from childhood. Osteoporosis isn't something that happens overnight; you're basically building it throughout your entire life.

I find myself wondering if dairy products shouldn't ideally match the calcium levels found in standard milk 😕

(Then again, we have to consider that both milk and most dairy goods undergo a process of calcium fortification after the fact)

That said, I wouldn't exactly go so far as to suggest that chugging a quart of milk every single day is a wise move—certainly not without some serious hesitation😁

rustymoose54 said:if you listen to what Pallas was saying, it’s clearly a viable substitute, especially when you need a calcium boost

Personally, I wouldn't touch more than half a liter at a time... just feels like way too much animal fat hitting your system all at once

And don't even get me started on cheese and cream, I basically count those as my meat or fat intake instead

I'm not entirely sure what math you're doing in your head here, but cream is basically pure dairy fat, and cheese isn't exactly light either... honestly, there's way more fat in a bit of cheese than there is in half a liter of milk. Besides, what's the harm in getting some extra animal fat in your diet?... maybe it's not such a bad thing...

Betty Bennett10 said:I wouldn't exactly say it’s a great idea to be chugging a quart of milk every single day—especially if you've been doing it since you were a kid... 😁

But honestly, why the hell not?

shadowgardener12 said:Sure, but that’s not nearly enough. Most other dairy products only provide a fraction of the calcium a person actually needs. And let's be honest, nobody is chugging a whole gallon of milk every single day.
The key is staying consistent with milk consumption from a young age, since bone density issues like osteoporosis are built up over an entire lifetime...

shadowgardener12, I highly doubt anyone is drinking a gallon of milk daily...

That would mean a family of four would need to buy about 7 gallons a week😁

or roughly 30 gallons a month...🙄

Look, it's fine if people here want to look out for one another's health, but let's not get carried away with these exaggerations...😉

Hmm, true, but you can drink milk every day... how much cheese are you actually eating? And is it really every single day?

The more calcium you absorb when you're young, the denser your bones will be later on.

Thank God I was drinking fresh cow's milk until I was 15.🙂
though nothing beats that farm-fresh stuff from back home...😁

Kate Martin76 said:shadowgardener12, I don't buy that anyone actually drinks a whole gallon of milk a day...

Showing up here without even reading the original post. What can I say?...
😉

driftinggull13 said:Why not?

It just feels like an excessive amount of fat to be consuming on a daily basis.

I'm sipping on some 🙂

Just because it tastes good—simple as that.

To be honest, I haven't really crunched the numbers on what our grocery bill will look like once we officially become a family of four (though in my head, we already are 😁). But since kids generally eat and drink way less than adults, it probably won't be a massive shocker 😉

Either way, we both have a major thing for milk in all its forms—cocoa, whole milk, iced coffee, Nesquik, cereal, muesli, you name it—so it definitely takes up a decent chunk of our fridge space.

driftinggull13 said:I don't know what math you're doing over there, but cream is basically just pure dairy fat—it's way more concentrated than cheese, too. There’s way more fat in a small container of cream than you'd find in half a gallon of milk. Besides, what's the big deal about animal fat intake?

Yeah, exactly—like I laid out in my long-winded post earlier, cream falls right into the "fats and oils" category, while cheeses are grouped under "meat and substitutes." And as for how much fat is in cheese... well, that depends entirely on what kind of cheese you're eating, and obviously, it's higher than what's in plain milk.

Look, I've got some health stuff going on—nothing I want to get into here, honestly—so I have to be super precise about what I'm eating, both in terms of quality and actual numbers. I have to be really careful about how much animal fat I'm putting in my body (but seriously, I'm not going down that rabbit hole right now)... Anyway, milk (or yogurt), cheese, and cream aren't mutually exclusive or anything, they can all exist together.

this was supposed to go right after Kate Martin76's post 😉

p.s. coffee can mess with calcium absorption

shadowgardener12 said:You’re posting here but you didn't even read the first post. What can I say...
😉

I read that first post claiming we don't even need milk every single day... honestly... I'm with you on that one.😁

I read the other one too... the one that mentioned half a liter... I definitely consume that much through yogurt alone... and I eat cheese almost every day... especially the fresh kind...

Don't even get me started on milk... I still remember the exact moment I realized I couldn't stand the stuff. It was such a visceral, gross feeling. My grandma was there too; she thought it smelled off, but she figured if the grocery store sold it, it had to be fine... maybe... I just remember Mom coming home and them all standing there talking about it. I can still see the clock... I was only four years old...😁