The debate over organic versus conventional milk is endless. If you can afford the hefty price tag, organic milk seems like the way to go if you want milk from cows that live under the four organic requirements set forth by the USDA (no BGH, no pesticides in their feed, no antibiotics, and access to pasture). Yet scientists are still out on whether or not there is any real benefit to organic milk over conventional milk. Considering that the acid in our intestinal tract easily breaks down BHG proteins, pesticide residues are well below tolerable standards, and milk isn’t sold if there are detectable amounts of antibiotics in it, there is no solid evidence at this point that organic milk is any healthier than it’s conventional counterpart. For people concerned about the welfare of a dairy cow, the final requirement of “access to pasture” is widely interpreted. You will have to visit a dairy farm yourself to discover whether or not the animals actually spend any time in a pasture as opposed to simply “having access” to it.
Whether you’ve made the choice to serve your child organic milk or conventional milk, chances are you’ve got your own reasons for making the decision. But in the midst of the endless “organic versus conventional” war, a seemingly new seed has sprouted; should we be feeding our kids milk at all?
For those of us who were raised with the idea that a balanced meal needs to include a glass of milk, and that milk has essential nutrients and calcium that are vital to our health, the idea that it might not be such a good thing after all is somewhat startling. I haven’t paid much attention to milk since I grew up and left my parents’ home, where it was expected that we would drink milk with every meal. Now I drink it on my cereal and with the occasional meal (especially if there are cookies), and I always feel guilty about not drinking it more often. So imagine my surprise to learn that the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine advised that parents be alerted to the potential health risks to children from cows’ milk, and that cows’ milk no longer be recommended in any government guidelines or programs (school lunches, WIC programs, etc). When did they make these recommendations? Back in 1998! In 2002, the PCRM published another report with eight reasons to eliminate dairy altogether from our diets. -Maybe I’m living under a rock, but this is news to me. I was under the impression that milk is not only good for me, it is essential to my overall health.
So how come I haven’t seen ads on TV telling me that milk might be potentially harmful? I think I might have seen or heard some noise from PETA over the years about avoiding dairy, but why would I listen to them? My health isn’t part of their vegan agenda, is it? I have, however, continued to see TV ads telling me that milk is good for me, milk makes strong bones, and even new ads recently telling me that milk in my diet could help me lose weight. Drinking milk will make me skinny? I definitely need to drink more! But wait… who issued this report anyway? Well, the study of dieting habits in this country was done by the NPD Group (a marketing research company) and commissioned by the Milk Processor Education Program (shocking). The results do say that people who drink milk tend to weigh less, but the missing piece to that statement is that people who regularly drink milk weigh less than people who drink soda, coffee, tea, and/or juice. The study also reports that “dieters who drank milk had better quality diets, richer in essential nutrients” (*2), but nowhere does it say that these rich, essential nutrients come from milk itself.
Milk, water, and the occasional cup of natural fruit juice are the only drinks my children are allowed to have. Naturally, I would never consider giving them coffee, tea, or soda, and now I’m wondering if I should stop serving milk beyond what is naturally consumed on their cereal or in an occasional bowl of ice cream? My older son doesn’t even like milk that much, and given a choice between a cup of water or cup of milk with dinner, he will choose water every time. Perhaps I should take my cue from him on this one?
This topic definitely needs more attention.
