Something to ponder!(aka) Did u know?

[matt]

That man is the only mammal drinks milk as an adult. Something to think about.

[lorilei]

Probably the only mammal that drinks milk from another animal as well...

[pmmahan]

I have been wondering how healthy it is to drink milk as an adult. Either that, or i bought way too much in to PETA's "scare" campaign however long ago that was.

[hhcowgirl]

What about cats? I know several that drink it. Also, I used to own a horse who used to drink chocolate milk. I know some of you will be very skeptical of this but I have pictures http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[emilycat]

hhcowgirl,

I was thinking, too, about cats. We don't give our cats milk often, but they lap it up when we do. And it's from another animal, too...I think they'd drink it all the time if they could reach the container in the fridge! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by emilycat (edited 01-25-2001).]

[LGBurns]

I have read in several of my cat care books that milk is not good for cats. They don't have the enzyme necessary to break it down.

[kwormann]

I have read that it isnt good for children (or anyone else for that matter) to drink the milk of another animal, that is causes clogged sinuses etc. Anyone else read this too?

[emilycat]

I have read in several of my cat care books that milk is not good for cats. They don't have the enzyme necessary to break it down.

Oops.

[kwormann]

I have also read that (about the cats) We dont give ours any "table food" I was so mad at MIL when she gave my persian tuna!

[LGBurns]

In the same cat care book, it says that tuna in particular is bad for cats. Apparently, it has something in it that prevents the cat from absorbing the nutrients in it and cats can get addicted to it and not eat anything else. I was surprised because I know they use tuna in television to get cats to do things (like lick an actors face -- they put tuna on the actor's face, yuck!)

I highly recommend the book by the way, it's called "Think Like A Cat" -- I can't remember the author's name but I got it on Amazon.com.

[Leslie w]

Also interesting on the milk topic is that Americans, both children and adults consume far more if not most of the milk produced by the dairy industry. I know when I visited Europe milk was not consumed much at all, except in cereal and that was in the form of cream, warm - blah! I don't think its necessary to consume milk at all except for very young children. I only use it on my cereal. I buy O.J w/ calcium, eat lots of cheese and yogurt. I think milk is overrated and I don't like soymilk.

[This message has been edited by Leslie w (edited 01-25-2001).]

[Grace]

The only reason cats drink milk as adults is because HUMANS feed it to them! They wouldn't be drinking it if they were in the wild....I think this was what Matt meant. And it's true, (cow's) milk is not good for cats at all, although there are some that can tolerate it, so their owners seem to think it's ok. But it generally causes gastrointestinal upsets because of the lactose.

[MrsReber]

I don't give my cat milk at all. I hear it's bad for them, too. He does like salad, pasta and pocorn however. Very weird.

Well, I for one cannot think of anything better than at big glass of very cold milk to go along with a home made brownie. Pure heaven. But I really don't drink much milk at all, I guess I mostly eat it- just think of all the foods that we put it in. It's very hard to avoid it.

[ginny177]

And how could I ever manage my cold cereal in the morning ! And puddings ... Yum!

[Beth H]

Veering off topic to discuss cats, but here's a little info from a fellow cat owner.. . .Milk isn't really bad for adult cats, but it can give some digestive problems. The concern about tuna is that it contains small levels of mercury -- if you fed a cat nothing but tuna (or tuna quite often), it gradually could develop mercury poisoning. Occasional tuna (once a month or so), on the other hand, is not harmful to cats.

[LGBurns]

Actually, according to Pam Johnson-Bennett in "Think Like A Cat":

Re: tuna and cats
"It's high in polyunsaturated fats, which cats don't metabolize well. A steady diet of tuna depletes their bodies of vitamin E and can lead to a very painful condition called Steatitis.... Cats can quickly become addicted to the strong taste of tuna. No matter what food you place before him, your cat will only want his tuna."

However, I'm sure if you have been giving your cat tuna occasionally and s/he still eats his/her regular food, you're fine. Every cat is different (to say the least http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif).


[This message has been edited by LGBurns (edited 01-26-2001).]

[JJ40]

I know that there are some medical professionals (including Dr. Andrew Weil) who believe that cow's milk is linked to ear infections and allergies and asthma in children. One recommendation for children with these types of problems is to switch them to soy milk or another alternative.

Julie

[BarbaraL]

My husband's uncle is an allergist, and he says that cow's milk is for calves.

[Kristilyn1]

Who would have thought that milk would become so controversial?

I really don't think that "humans are the only ones" theory really plays out with anything, as you can probably name about 3 million things that humans do that no other animal does. I've heard the whole milk thing too, but I come from a family of big time milk drinkers and we seem to live forever......

My family (four of us) drink on average 3-4 gallons of skim milk a week. I never get sick and either do my kids, nobody has allergies either. I've fallen off a roof, out of a tree, etc. and never broke a bone (yes, maybe milk contributes to clumsiness!) It's definitely a personal choice thing.

On the other hand, the average woman in her 30's needs 1000 mg. of calcium a day. Caffeine interferes with your body's absorption of calcium, and I believe that Vitamin D plays a big role in absorption rates. Milk has approx. 80-100 mg. of calcium per 8 oz. cup, broccoli probably has 15 mg......that's a lot of broccoli.

Kristi

[claire]

I too have been pondering why we drink milk plus eat milk products (many full of saturated fat)in so many dishes. I have been dairy-free (not by choice but by necessity) for the last eight months due to a severe dairy allergy in my breastfeed baby. Yes, it was very hard at first to give up yogurt, cheese and milk and my cereal. However, as time went by, I decided I was satisfied with rice milk on cereal and the periodic soy cheese on homemade pizza. Once my baby is weaned and I can have all the dairy I want again, I am not sure whether I will start to have cow's milk and cow's milk products again. I suppose my biggest concern is the rBGH and antibiotics in milk.

[Natasha]

I love milk - there is nothing (okay, almost nothing) more soothing and it truly works as liquid energy for me. Besides, when I drink it I feel like my bones are saying, "Thank you!!" I can totally understand why people would choose not to drink milk, or would drink soy milk instead, but I don't see myself cutting out milk altogether unless a lot more scientific evidence is disclosed, or unless I become lactose-intolerant.

[SusieO]

Originally posted by Kristilyn1:
Milk has approx. 80-100 mg. of calcium per 8 oz. cup, broccoli probably has 15 mg......that's a lot of broccoli.

Kristi

Actually, milk has more like 250-300mg of calcium per cup, which makes it a better nutritional bargain. And concerns about fat are solved by drinking skim. Here's to healthy bones!

[Kristilyn1]

I got my figure of 80 -100 mg.from Self Magazine....that was for skim milk, it did say that whole milk had more calcium.

So, if I'm wrong on the amount--the idea is right, anyway!

Either way, everyone needs more calcium!

Kristi

[luv2cook]

wow. interesting. I take a supplement - or try to for calcium. We eat plenty of cheese. Don't feed the cats milk at all, but tuna juice occasionally.
Kwormann, I didn't know you had a Persian. Boy, do I have stories for you about mine. what color?

[Don]

I have to weigh in on the side of the milk drinkers. Without milk (skim for me), how would I ever dunk my "reduced fat" Oreos?!?!?!

[This message has been edited by Don (edited 01-27-2001).]

[kwormann]

luv2cook,

my persian is shaded silver...although, she is more human than cat..she sleeps in the bed next to my ear and answers us when we talk to her...It is like having a child...I cant leave the room, or even go to the bathroom, without her following me...she is also kind enough to let DH, our other cat, and myself, live in her house!

How bout yours?

[laughsandlaughs]

Funny that other adult animals don't drink milk or eat dairy and yet find enough calcium in their diets to have healthy bones.

Harvard Study Links Dairy Products To Prostate Cancer
Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research April 3, 2000 in San Francisco, CA

Data from a long-term study suggests a possible link between consumption of dairy products, including whole and skim milk, cheese and ice cream, and an increased risk of prostate cancer, researchers from Harvard School of Public Health said on April 4. Out of the 20,885 men tracked for 11 years in the Physicians' Health Study, 1,012 developed prostate cancer. Based on dietary questionnaires, the investigators found a moderate elevation of risk of prostate cancer in men who consumed higher amounts of dairy products. The researchers believed that it could be the calcium in dairy products that is responsible for the higher cancer risk. Calcium can suppress levels of the most active form of vitamin D. The study also found that men who drank more than six glasses of milk a week had lower levels of this potentially protective form of vitamin D than men who drank fewer than two glasses of milk a week. There has been speculation that calcium may play a role in the progression of a localized cancer into a metastatic, or spreading, disease. The Physicians' Health Study found that a high consumption of dairy raised the risk factor for prostate cancer to about 1.3, or a 30% increase. By comparison, smoking raises a person's risk of contracting lung cancer by 15 to 30 times. The researchers noted that other studies, such as the Health Professionals Study of 1998, found a fairly strong prostate cancer risk elevation -- about 3 to 4 times -- in those taking calcium supplements.

[luv2cook]

Kwormann, my Persian is a little sh*t. He has been since he was 7 weeks old. He has his lovable side and he's great with new cats/kittens but he hates his fur, hates to be brushed, hates to be held, hates to have his feet touched. But get this: If I totally shave him, he has a personality change. He will come lay on the bed, come up to you for affection, etc. He's happier with no fur. When he was younger we would call him the 2-stroke pudder (before he would try and bite you) and now we're up to about 5 or 6. He has since really stopped trying to bite you and when he bats you, he doesn't use his claws, so he's calmed down a bunch! He will be 8 yrs old in April...wow. I have 13.5, 8, 6, 6, 4...plus the dogs...yikes! I better take out that insurance we've been talking about in the other thread!

[Kristilyn1]

To each his own!


Just to actually think about what you put in your body is the important thing, right?

And that is something we all do, regardless of whether we are vegans, carnivores or milk drinkers or supplement takers.

One could also argue that humans are the only animal that take supplements........ :0

Kristi

[mac]

Yeah-my beliefs are that it's so unnecessary. Milk takes baby calfs and makes them into fat cows. Just a side note.

[cryskie]

Just thought I'd add something else to ponder...The recommendations for calcium intakes are much higher in the U.S. than in most other countries. This is mainly because Americans eat so much protein--excess protein causes calcium to be excreted. Some scientists even suggest that taking in more dairy products will not necessarily improve calcium stores since the extra protein consumed through the dairy products causes much of the calcium to be excreted. Osteoporosis rates in other countries (who consume far less dairy products) are much lower than in the U.S. I say this as I drink my cup of milk with my puffed-up chocolate chip cookie, but it's something to ponder nonetheless. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Crystal

[BethR]

As I read this thread and some of the information posted, I find I'm just stunned at how intricate the nutrition needs of our bodies are. You need calcium, but get too much protein with it and your body excretes it! You need calcium, but get too much and your prostate cancer risk goes up. It's fascinating stuff! But it's discouraging that often new studies are published that contradict previous studies. It's also discouraging to know that parts of the food industry will attempt to put a spin on findings so that their product sales aren't hurt! I guess what I take away from this is that moderation is the way to go (except for smoking -- no health benefit to that!).
Beth