The pros and cons of milk

Alright, fine. If you're eating cheese nearly every day, then I'll take back what I said.
😉

Betty Bennett10 said:I mean, honestly, it feels like way too much fat to be eating in a single day.

But seriously, what does "too much" even actually mean when you're talking about someone whose body is basically in overdrive right now... how much fat can one system really handle during a massive growth spurt before things start going sideways...

And why on earth wouldn't you just take calcium supplements? I personally take them every day... it’s the only way I can feel certain that I'm actually getting enough...

rustymoose54 said:Yeah, just like I laid out in my previous breakdown, cream falls under the "fats and oils" category, whereas cheeses are grouped with "meat and meat alternatives." As for the fat content in cheese, well, it really depends on which kind you’re grabbing, but obviously, it's going to be higher than what you'd find in plain milk.

Look, I'm dealing with some health stuff right now, so I have to be incredibly precise about what goes into my body—both in terms of quality and exact amounts—especially when it comes to tracking animal fats (but honestly, I don't even want to get into the whole "why" behind that here... it's a lot. Anyway, milk, yogurt, cheese, and cream aren't mutually exclusive groups, they can all exist together in a diet

I'm with you there; I actually took your last post to mean the exact opposite of what you just said.
As long as someone isn't dealing with allergies or some kind of dietary intolerance, there's really no reason they can't drink milk or eat dairy products whenever they want without any issues at all.

And who says I’m talking about an organism in its peak growth phase? 😕

It’s entirely possible you’ve come to some different conclusions, but based on the standard nutritional guidelines I’ve encountered for adults, two glasses of milk a day is the recommendation, which would be roughly half a liter, just as rustymoose54 mentioned.

Look, I’m pretty sure that if you just shovel food into your face without any limits, you're gonna pack on the pounds—and let's be real, that's not just about looking different in jeans, it's about the actual health risks involved...

Everything I’ve been saying ties back to those standard nutritionist recommendations about what they call a "balanced diet." Like, they'll suggest having maybe a couple of cups of milk or yogurt as part of a daily intake sitting somewhere around 1,700 to 2,300 calories.
That amount of dairy usually clocks in at about 250 to 300 calories, depending on how much fat is in there—you know how it goes. But the rest of your daily calorie budget needs to be spread out over other foods... not because milk is some kind of poison, obviously, but because you actually need to get all those other essential nutrients in somehow.

My take is that those two cups a day are really just about hitting your calcium targets through milk consumption—though, honestly, how much fat you can get away with in your dairy probably depends on the rest of your diet and what else you’re putting on your plate.

Just so we're clear,😁 there are people like me who knock back anywhere from a pint to a full quart of yogurt—think Chobani or similar brands—plus cheese almost every single day. Call me an addict if you want,😁 but I've been living this way for about 15 years now. Everyone has their own vices, right?😉 So please, spare me the lecture about how nobody consumes that much dairy on a daily basis. Because trust me, some of us do.

So, I’m knocking back like half a liter of yogurt every single day—and honestly, it’s not even because I’m obsessed with it or anything, it’s just part of this diet I’m doing (not one of those restrictive ones that makes you want to scream)

Cheese is a whole different story, though... I pretty much treat it as my meat substitute (you know, whenever I’m skipping the steak, fish, or eggs), but I don't go at it every day, just whenever the mood strikes me

That’s exactly my point—I honestly don't get why everyone is acting so shocked about someone drinking a quart of yogurt every single day.

Betty Bennett10 said:And who exactly said I was talking about an organism in its peak growth stage? 😕

Look, maybe you’ve got some other theories floating around in your head, but based on the actual nutritional guidelines I've come across for adults, they suggest about two cups of milk a day, which is pretty much that half-liter amount rustymoose54 was bringing up...

Betty Bennett10 said something earlier:
"I wouldn't say drinking a whole liter of milk a day is recommended—especially not for little kids."

So now, either I'm totally misreading this thread or you're just contradicting yourself right in front of me...
Honestly, there's nothing wrong with milk, nor is there such a thing as too much of it if you know what you're doing. It's one of the healthiest things out there. Sure, you can find substitutes for everything these days, but really, what's the point?...

driftinggull13 said:Betty Bennett10 said earlier:
"I wouldn't say drinking a liter of milk a day is advisable—especially not from such a young age."

Either I've completely misread this, or you're contradicting yourself.
Betty Bennett10 claims there's absolutely nothing wrong with milk and nothing excessive about it, insisting it’s one of the healthiest foods out there. Sure, you can find substitutes for everything, but what's the point?

Hmm, I'm not entirely sure I follow your logic. Perhaps you're reacting to my comment about 'from a young age'—that was actually a bit of a joke, though it depends on how one defines 'young.' If we're talking about a newborn, then no, drinking a liter of milk a day is certainly not recommended; typically, cow's milk isn't suggested at all until a child reaches their first birthday.

And from what I understand, even for children older than a year, two servings of dairy a day are usually recommended—which would be roughly two glasses, though kids are specifically advised to stick to whole milk.

As for whether milk is healthy—well, people have vastly different opinions than yours. Critics of dairy blame it for everything from acne to prostate cancer 😁, but I really wouldn't venture into an argument over that, simply because I lack the professional expertise to weigh in.

However, I can't quite agree with the notion that there's nothing excessive in milk. There are calories and fats involved, which become an issue if you consume too much of it. No food exists that can be consumed in unlimited quantities while remaining healthy.

When I question whether milk is a necessity as a calcium source, I'm not talking about finding dairy substitutes, but rather looking at other plant-based sources of calcium. What remains a mystery to me is whether milk is truly superior to other calcium-rich foods, and if so, why.

shadowgardener12 said:A candidate for osteoporosis

That’s just plain silly. Milk and dairy aren't the only ways to get calcium, and honestly, just chugging dairy isn't some magic shield against osteoporosis...

I don't touch milk at all (not since I was a baby—and even then, it was barely anything, because let's face it, cow's milk is gross), believe me—my bone density is perfectly fine and I won't be dealing with osteoporosis anytime soon.
I have a massive aversion to milk and dairy products; they really turn my stomach, much like most meat and processed deli stuff does.

shadowgardener12 said:Fair enough, but that’s just not 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 gallon of yogurt every single day.
The real key is drinking milk consistently starting from when you're a kid, since osteoporosis is basically something you build up against your whole life...

Actually, osteoporosis doesn't just "develop" throughout your entire life. You should be more specific there, because that's not quite right.

There’s a specific window of time where you build up your peak bone mass, and once you start aging, that's when things begin to decline. The goal is really about hitting that biological maximum while you can.

shadowgardener12 said:p.s. coffee can actually interfere with calcium absorption

And don't forget about Coca-Cola and all those other sodas, too...

Pallas, I’d really love to keep this conversation going about how different types of exercise actually impact bone density.

damien said:I’m actually considering switching exclusively to milk from a local farmer at the market.

.....

Well, I learned my lesson about how important it is to know the vendor. I found myself at this random farmers' market I don't usually visit, just browsing the cheeses. I finally picked one out, and as the vendor started bagging it up, I caught a glimpse of her hands...😲 man, they were filthy, and those nails 😱 were something else. Since then, I don't just look at the product when I'm at an outdoor market.😁

As for the milk, I'll probably just stir a splash of low-fat into my coffee.
And maybe some probiotic yogurt with LGG now and then.

Casey Palmer5 said:Osteoporosis doesn't just happen out of nowhere later in life. Be more specific, because that's just wrong.

There’s a specific window where you build up your peak bone mass, and once you start aging, it begins to decline. Reaching that biological maximum is everything...

If you aren't drinking enough milk as a kid, hitting that peak is going to be much harder. Getting enough calcium during childhood is critical.
You know as well as I do that bones do most of their forming while you're young.

And if you haven't been paying attention to it by the time you're 30, then osteoporosis is basically already written in the stars.

Casey Palmer5 said:Pallas, I’d love to keep talking about how exercise—specifically what kind—affects bone density.

yoga 🙂
doing it regularly hits the glands and the actual bone structure.
but that's only partially "exercise"...😉

shadowgardener12 said:If you aren't drinking enough milk while you're growing up, you're probably going to struggle to reach your physical peak. Getting enough calcium during childhood is absolutely vital.
You know as well as I do that your bone structure really forms during those early years...

And if you haven't been paying attention to your intake by the time you hit 30, osteoporosis is basically already a done deal.

Look, milk isn't the only thing that determines someone's bone density—I feel like I've been trying to hammer that point home forever.

It feels like everyone is clinging to the whole "milk is everything" idea like a lifeline and just won't let go. Calcium is everywhere in different foods, and honestly, bone health isn't just about calcium; there are so many other nutrients involved too...