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Milk
Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 10:25 pm
by Jesseco
I read in my local newspaper an interview with Michael Pollan. Here is a quote:
Diet Detective: Is there something about nutrition you’ve learned in the past few years that you haven’t discussed in a book or an interview and that would surprise us?
Michael Pollan: Perhaps it is the prevalence of hormones in milk — even in organic milk and from cows not treated with hormones. We’ve been breeding for high yield, and in the process we selected for cows that produce high levels of growth hormones. This is a concern to many nutritionists. Skim milk avoids the problem, since the hormones are in the milk fat, but then, skim milk often has powdered milk in it, which some people worry contains too much oxidized cholesterol. So pick your poison. I didn’t call it The Omnivore's Dilemma for nothing.
My children's pediatrician had two very important "rules" to follow, and one of them was to not eat/drink dairy. He actually tested my boys' blood for eosinophils (sp?) and could tell if I gave them dairy! He said that milk proteins cause much trouble for humans. So for the past 26 years or so, I haven't had too much dairy. His reasons weren't even the hormones in milk, but I guess that is something new to worry about!
http://www.kpic.com/news/health/17020346.html This is a website that contains the interview; I couldn't find my paper.
Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 10:28 pm
by bettyp
Very interesting !! Thanks !!
Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 11:04 pm
by Mavilu
I could swear he recommends drinking full fat milk in "In Defense of Food".
Oh well... now I'm confused, which exactly what he said it would happen if I listen to every piece of nutritional advice, heh!.
I love full fat milk, though.
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 1:43 pm
by reinhard
I have a hard time believing whole milk is a problem in terms of weight management -- for the simple reason that we drink so much less of it these days than we used to when we were thin (Americans drank 6 times as much whole milk in the 1940s than they do today).
(more fun milk stats on page 55-56 of the book)
Reinhard
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 2:13 pm
by wosnes
reinhard wrote:I have a hard time believing whole milk is a problem in terms of weight management --Reinhard
I don't think the issue is whole milk and weight management; it's that milk isn't a healthy food and whole milk is less healthy because of the hormones that attach to the fat. There are quite a few who believe that dairy is not a healthy food.
I like the very beginning of the interview with Pollan (bold mine):
Diet Detective: Food is sexy, and the media love topics that can capture the attention of readers and viewers. I’m wondering if, as a result, we’ve blown the extent of the problem out of proportion. Meaning, should we really be that worried about the foods we eat?
Michael Pollan: I think we’re far too worried about food, actually. Americans have an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating. We need to learn to relax about it, but that doesn’t mean eating anything you want. If you eat real food — unprocessed whole foods — you can eat pretty much any of it you want, in moderation. My aim in In Defense of Food was to help people relax about food by simplifying the food landscape for them.
I've stopped paying attention to the scientists and researchers and various other experts and especially the food industry.
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 3:05 pm
by bonnieUK
I read somewhere that in "the olden days" people sometimes made almond milk as a subsitute for cow's milk for occasions where they'd run out. It's very easy to make, just google it and you'll find many recipes
(I make it when I run out of soy milk, I make a very rustic version just by mixing a handful of almonds with some water in a blender - I'm too lazy to bother with seiving it
even DH who is a cow's milk drinker doesn't mind having almond milk occasionally).
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 1:25 am
by wosnes
I've also read that in other cultures milk is rarely used as a beverage, but an ingredient to be used in cooking or baking. Asians don't often use dairy at all.
Personally, I can deal with it as an ingredient or on cereal (with most of it left in the bowl), but not as a beverage. Though my kids drink milk, I never encouraged it.