Comments on: Exactly How Does Milk Do A Body Good?

By: Erika Nicole Kendall

Erika Nicole Kendall — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:37:17 +0000

“Is it speculation or hard facts that African cultures didnt drink milk before mass marketing?”

It is fact. Not speculation.

I’m not understanding the debate. Either your body wants milk, or it doesn’t. Again, if you consume raw milk and still experience discomfort – which has to do with the milk and not its processing… which, again, would make sense since general consumption is notthe initial purpose of milk – then don’t drink it. Like you said, there is no nutrient (short of B12) that has a single food source.

I can’t keep repeating myself.

By: kristina

kristina — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:26:47 +0000

I can appreciate your passion in educating others on how to live healthier lives. With that being said, there is no such thing as a nutrient or vitamin that has a single food source. As one can abstain from milk and get the the nutrients from other sources, the same is for any other food. Thank God for variety! Is it speculation or hard facts that African cultures didnt drink milk before mass marketing? My point in mentioning this is that many of the side effects associated with inorganic cow milk is not seen with milk from other animal sources. As a physician, I strongly believe that the ills experienced from drinking milk is not a result of drinking the milk itself, but it is from drinking overly processed byproduct from animals who are not fed a natural diet and are pumped with hormones and antibiotics. Milk, itself, is pretty clean and quite healthy.

By: Erika Nicole Kendall

Erika Nicole Kendall — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:06:16 +0000

Goat’s milk isn’t new, but it’s still peculiar that milk is being used outside of its original purpose, which is to feed and nurture young.

There is absolutely nothing in milk that can’t be obtained via other means. I’m also pretty certain that, before milk got its “mass marketing” and experienced its ascension to “sole source of ‘special’ type of calcium for bone health” that African cultures did not, in fact, drink milk. Lots of studies against drinking milk actually source Africans (from all over) as the reason why and how people can sustain WITHOUT it.

We can talk about raw milk, sure, but if your body doesn’t want ANY kind of milk and you’re expriencing discomfort from it because so many are, in fact, lactose intolerant… then it’s a pretty useless conversation.

By: Kristina

Kristina — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 04:28:05 +0000

Hmm. Im not sure about this. Processed, pasteurized milk derived from diseased and hormone- pumped cows is clearly not good for you. But there benefits to organic u pasteurized milk from local farms, probiotics which aid the gut in digesting food while also stimulating the immune system being one. Also keep in mind that other cultures consume milk from different sources. For example many west africans drink milk from goats. Personally, i believe that milk is not only safe but nutritious. If one isnt lactose intolerant, organic and unpasteurized milk is the way to go.

By: Monique

Monique — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:07:41 +0000

Excellent post!
It’s hard for many people to fathom not drinking milk when it has been drilled in us for so long how “necessary” it is. Never mind the fact that most (especially African-Americans) can’t digest it.
I remember when I was a kid, my aunt used to buy my cousin Lactaid for his cereal. She said milk was the only way he could get his vitamin D, so she HAD to get the alternative. lol Even then I knew that didn’t make much sense and now that I’m older, I realize that nut milks like almond or hemp probably would have been better for him (easier to digest).
I find it interesting that we’re the only species that will consume milk well into adulthood AND from another species entirely. Dairy industry and government funding at it’s finest. SAD

By: Starry

Starry — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:57:21 +0000

Indians have long been recognised as having very, very low tolerance to lactose. Interestingly though, Indians (including myself and my family) include a fair old amount of yoghurt in our diets – very little milk, unless it is cooked, and even that is very occasional. This has far less lactose than plain milk. Just goes to show how peoples adapt naturally. When I went to India recently, I was surprised to find that the majority of people with whom I came into contact drank buffalo milk and used this milk to make their yoghurt and butter and to cook with. In the West, people with lactose intolerance are increasingly finding that drinking buffalo or goats milk is okay for them.

By: Erika Nicole Kendall

Erika Nicole Kendall — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 19:06:00 +0000

I also look forward to your study regarding ALL the other cultures who don’t rely so heavily on dairy and also don’t suffer the same problems that we do here in America.

By: Biolobri

Biolobri — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 18:48:09 +0000

I’m working with a colleague on writing a paper about dairy & bone health (I work in research). While there are a lot of other sources of calcium, the bioavailability is very variable and generally MUCH less for plant based calcium sources (despite them having high levels of calcium). While I am in the early stages of my literature review, thus far it looks like without a doubt, dairy (yogurt especially, and milk, but not cheese.. and definitely not cream) is the best way to absorb calcium, have higher bone density, and prevent fracture (these 3 endpoints were analyzed as separate measures, so we’re not just throwing out assumptions here).

By: Erika Nicole Kendall

Erika Nicole Kendall — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 01:18:35 +0000

Bone loss is VERY real, but there are TONS of vegetables that have more grams of calcium per serving than milk… and without all the excessive chemicals. There’s a great post out there about this, I’ll have to share a chunk of it.

By: Elle

Elle — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 20:27:41 +0000

I’m so glad you touch on this. It’s actually a little known fact that HUMANS are not suppose to digest milk after a certain age, and we definitely shouldn’t digest another animals milk. Your mothers milk is used as a life source and sort of a human growth product when u are a child, it helps develop you, but after awhile you don’t need it anymore…that’s why so many ppl are lactose intolerant, humans are not meant to drink milk for the rest of their lives. Milk is suppose to fatten a baby up, so why do we continue to drink it…Dairy Association of America has a such a strong hold on the USDA that we have been brainwashed to believe other wise

By: Deandra

Deandra — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 20:22:42 +0000

I use almond milk and that has seemed to help. I am really good friends with a vegan and he is constantly telling me that milk from a cow is poison.

By: Blair

Blair — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 20:15:00 +0000

But what about the issue of bone loss, that is very real. My mother’s spine has a giant sideways curve in it.

By: Zee

Zee — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 17:34:54 +0000

Nice post.
Makes me wonder about how powerful ideas about food can be (with the beneft of advertising)- to the degree that people are willing to ignore the evidence of their bodies’ complaints because “the dairy industry or surgeon general said…”

By: Jem

Jem — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 20:31:21 +0000

My main issue is overprocessed-ness. Which is why I avoid fake milks and go for the real thing (organic, and I’m ok with pasteurization and homogenization).

I’m in the 24% of African Americans who can digest milk without problems….but I think you bring up a good point.

By: Danielle

Danielle — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 14:46:35 +0000

Hey latoya- don’t forget that green leafy veggies are really rich in calcium too! (bok choy, collards, spinach, mustard greens). Granted I know we don’t always eat enough so we require vitamin supplements.
I’ve found that I am sneaking handfuls of spinach into a lot more things- eg i made spaghetti and added some at the end for it to wilt.

By: keke

keke — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:58:13 +0000

Hi,

I am new to your website and I have been browsing on so many of your blog posts. I think its awesome and just what I need. I am in the beginning stages of training for a half marathon and I am also trying to lose about 80lbs. So this website will be a great resource for me when I need some guidance and a little motivation and inspiration when times get rough.

This particular article hits home. I realized some time ago that I have an issue digesting dairy, particularly milk. I had so many digestive problems but I didn’t want to break away from milk because I was sold on the health benefits and I just happen to love milk anyway. I have recently switched to using soy milk but I have been reading that soy milk can have adverse health effects as well ( this is something that I do need to research more).

But you have switched to rice milk, is that a healthier option? Do you drink soy milk at all?

Once again, I love your blog. This is such an inspiration. I am at the beginning of my journey, day 2 to be exact and I have made a firm decision to cut out fast food from my daily diet. My health will thank me and so will my pockets. I just want to thank you for sharing your advice and your story. It makes my journey feel possible.

By: LaToya

LaToya — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 18:41:27 +0000

Thank you for this. I’ve been somewhat concerned about my lack of dairy. I am very lactose intolerant, and have tried to get enough soy milk and calcium supplements to replace the calcium from the all of the dairy I’m supposed to be getting. I’ve always been fearful I wasn’t getting enough because it wasn’t coming from real dairy products. Needless to say I’m breathing a little easier after reading this.