Got Milk? Vermont is a healthy state and a dairy state. Are these two compatible?

Since most of us were kids, Mom always said, “Drink your milk.” Then the marketers got on the band wagon proclaiming “Milk does a body good” and prodding “Got Milk?” The implication being that if you don’t “got milk” you are lacking something. They showed us stars, super models, and professional athletes with milk mustaches. Shouldn’t those milk mustaches be on little baby cows?

A growing number of scientists and health advocates may be asking the same question. Doubts about milk stem from many dairy industry practices including pasteurization (kills good bacteria like acidophilus), the use of recombinant bovine growth hormone (some believe rBGH could pose a cancer risk), the use of antibiotics (does this affect our own immunities?), and even the use of grain as a feed for dairy cows (grain feed alters the ratio of essential fatty acids in milk).

Whether or not you believe that cow’s milk is for cows, it is important to consider your food sources, especially when you choose to consume animal products. Toxins stored in animal fats magnify up the food chain. “Biomagnification is a cumulative increase in the concentration of a persistent substance in successively higher levels of the food chain.” Local and organic meats are often the “cleanest” and can be found here in Vermont.

I can almost hear Mom ask, “What about calcium?” Calcium does indeed help build strong bones and ward off osteoporosis, but you can get more calcium from a serving of kale (not to mention more nutrition) than from a serving of cow’s milk. Other important habits that may play an even bigger role in building and maintaining strong bones: plenty of vitamin D, not smoking, and regular physical activity such as Pilates.

Read more about the dangers of drinking milk:
Natural Health
How Stuff Works

Read about the benefits of drinking milk:
TheBenefitOf.net
Health Mad

Healthy and Dairy can be compatible, especially here in Vermont where organic and local sources of dairy products are as fashionable as “Got Milk?” super models. But do think before you drink. Consider the source.

image credit: www.thehollywoodgossip.com