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Jury Still Out On Adults Drinking Milk

The more they talk about it, the more confused I get. The seemingly interminable debate about whether adults should drink Milk gets more and more complex – thanks largely to false logic and pseudo science employed by zealots supporting one side or the other. Let’s try to simplify it a bit…

Calf-Cam view of Udder - © via YouTubeCalf-Cam View! For most of us, drinking Milk is as natural as… Well…

On one hand, you have the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) website which not only opposes the drinking of cow’s Milk by everyone of all ages but brands those who support Milk consumption as heartless animal abusers.

On the other, you have sites like Milk.org, the official website of the Dairy Farmers of Ontario, and Dairygoodness.ca, a national Dairy industry promo site, which extol Milk as the one food you can’t leave out of your diet without suffering dire consequences:

“Every day, the majority of Canadian adults do not consume enough milk products This means that Canadians are depriving themselves of calcium and many other important nutrients, day in, day out. And yet milk products are delicious, refreshing, nutritious and so much more! Getting the recommended number of daily servings is key for a healthy and great-tasting diet.”

Where’s the happy medium?

Maybe at Health Canada’s Eating Well site, where Canada’s Food Guide recommends 2-3 cups (500 – 750 ml) of Milk or the equivalent in other Dairy products (Cheese, Yogurt, Condensed Milk, etc.). However, there are constant complaints that Canada’s Food Guide is politicized and the compilers are susceptible to lobbying by various food industry organizations. That’s another story. But the Egg and Dairy recommendations of the Guide are among those that have come in for the most criticism in  the past.

How about Procon.org, a U.S. site with the mission statement:

“Promoting critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship by presenting controversial issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, and primarily pro-con format.”

Or how about Medicalnewstoday.com, a site addressing medical and health issues from a non-partisan, professional stance?

Or, maybe…

None of the extreme claims for and against the healthfulness of Milk really reflect the truth. As I see it, the truth is, we in the western world all grew up on milk, first mother’s and then (predominantly) cows’.That should ordain that Milk is okay for us, if not downright beneficial. Of course, that blanket statement sets aside the issues of lactose intolerance and the relatively high calorie count of some rich forms of Milk and Cream, and concentrated products such as Cheese and Ice Cream.

Nevertheless, It seems clear that the occasional tall cold glass of Milk would do most of us more good than harm. The danger, in delving into the endless debate over ‘whether Milk is good for you or not’ seems to be to espouse one view or another to the extreme. To paraphrase the theme of Orwell’s 1984: “Extremes bad. Balance good!” And, to quote Julia Child: Moderationn in everything.”

Cheers!

~ Maggie J.