Milk
9:15 AM Edit This 7 Comments »
I don't know when I decided that I didn't really want Duncan to have cow's milk, but it was sometime between when I first saw "Food, Inc." and last week. I wasn't eager to have Duncan drink anything except water and mommy's milk for at least another few months, anyway - I agree with the saying "Human milk for human babies." We are the only species that drinks another animal's milk; doesn't that seem a little weird? It does to me. Then our friend started talking about almond milk on Facebook a few weeks ago, and I was intrigued. I started doing some research on cow's milk (I typed "cow's milk" and "hormones" into Google), and I was disgusted. I had no idea what cow's milk contains and what it can do - and for all the stuff that's in milk, there's ten times the amount of it in one bite of hard cheese.
The decision to stop eating/drinking dairy is not something that I want to take lightly - a lifestyle change like this affects not only myself, but my family and how we eat every day. Even Michael Pollan doesn't suggest an all vegan diet; he suggests: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." When he says "food," though, he doesn't mean Oreos or pre-packaged meals in boxes or fast food; he means real, unprocessed, grown-in-the-ground food.
The almond milk that I purchased last week is delicious, by the way.
The decision to stop eating/drinking dairy is not something that I want to take lightly - a lifestyle change like this affects not only myself, but my family and how we eat every day. Even Michael Pollan doesn't suggest an all vegan diet; he suggests: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." When he says "food," though, he doesn't mean Oreos or pre-packaged meals in boxes or fast food; he means real, unprocessed, grown-in-the-ground food.
The almond milk that I purchased last week is delicious, by the way.
7 Observations or Opinions:
I don't drink milk, but Kellen does, and it provides excellent nutrition for him. I used to feel very much the way you do, but I ask what those of us who can't breastfeed are supposed to do? Go broke in getting frozen breastmilk from milk banks? The antibodies that are in breastmilk are likely gone because of the freezing process. We are the only species who do a lot of things, which doesn't make them all bad, ya know? I think what's more important than the cow milk debate is where the food is coming from. Dairy from my local farm is quite different than milk from a mass-dairy. And I really have yet to see the harm that dairy is supposed to be causing.
I think it's so funny...you and I are researching the exact same things right now and making the identical changes for our families! huh...interesting. We need to chat sometime :-)
Brooke, first of all, I love your comments! I've never had comments where I get to debate, LOL. So, thank you! Here's what I think:
Those who can't breastfeed use formula, which is the only option available, it seems. After that, the nutrients that milk provides can be found in vegetables and other nutritious foods. I read somewhere, too (can't remember where, so I guess I can't back this up), that the only reason milk is so "nutritious" is from the hormones that are injected into it - not from the milk itself. I guess one would have to research what's in raw milk to figure out if this is true ... but regardless, cow's milk is for cows, and I think that the nutrition we get from it can be found in other places.
But I agree, all the things that we do are not necessarily bad, but the more I research them, the more "bad" I find with them. Maybe I should look for some "good" in the world? :o)
Trisha - is Matt freaking out about all this stuff as much as Eric is? We should have an almond milkshake party sometime! Haha.
And I love Almond Milk BTW!
I'm glad you are ok with my comments. Had my parenting experience been different, I imagine that I, too, would be in the same place you are with some of the things you say (well, other than the circ thing!).
It's funny you're writing about this. I haven't seen Food inc yet but it sounds like I need to. At every visit Mali's doc asks how much milk is she drinking? I say oh, she still nurses 3 or 4 times during the day and as much at night. She means cow milk in a sippy and the answer is NONE! I love my organic milk but I'm the only one in our house that's still holding on to it. Brent uses almond and we cook with a little soy. I really LIKE cow's milk, always have so I've made a conscience decision (for now anyway) to drink the best form of it I can, organic, but when I query people that we are the only mammals who drink milk beyond infancy they look at me cross eyed. My friend says "you do what you until you know better . ."
My 10 cents...I am perfectly okay with Duncan drinking milk. As well as eating certain processed foods. But as Katherine states if there are better replacements out there I think we generally trend towards them. Everyone always picks what they think is best for those they care for.
I drink organic milk.
:)
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