Deliciously Dairy

I personally think that you can get your calcium intake from vegetables, its just that dairy companies are so good at promoting calcium in dairy products which makes us think its the best source. Its not!

Its easy for me, I dont like dairy anyway, so its not a part of my diet. I dont take vitamins, and have a glass of lite soy milk a day. I am fit, healthy, toned and never (knock on wood) get sick....

I say if you like it and enjoy the taste, have it. Otherwise, you CAN live without it.....

By eating in moderation you should be able to eat what you enjoy. I am not overweight but do exercise so I can stay healthy and as I'm in my 40's I do have my share of dairy eg.  full cream milk, low fat yoghurt and enjoy my cheeses.  I think it's about taste and moderation but there are some brands that  focus on your health  but they are more expensive in comparison to the others. The difference..... I'm not sure...

I have a large part in the supply of certain food products to the market and trust me when I say DO NOT believe everything you hear, actually I would say do not believe just about half of what you hear, especially on programs such as a Current Affair & Today Tonight. The best guide to go buy, believe it or not is the food pyramid! If you stick to anything that is produced by nature (such as vegies, fruits, pastas, dairy & meat) and stay away from things that are not quite nutritional (ie. KFC, Macca's, Take-aways in general) you have nothing to worry about!

Species that produce milk (even the males of that species) should not consume the milk products of other species and not consume the milk products of their own species beyond infancy. Soy products should be avoided by males as they contain phyto-oestrogens.

I agree with tess87, all natural foods in moderation are still the best, I believe that with all the take-away junk food that have flooded the markets over the past years is what is causing obesity, not dairy products. Sensible eating and exercise is the way to go and just enjoy life to the best of your ability.

There are many different Dairy products on the market to cater for just about everyones tastes these days, with a special range designed for children, There is no excuse for people not to be getting enough calcium in their diets. The choices are out there so if you dont like milk there is always cheese or yogurt, there is bound to be something out there to tempt you. Just remember that you do need calcium in your diet for strong healthy bones, for now and later in life. and what better way to do that than to have yummy dairy in your diet

I LOVE dairy...especially ICED COFFEE - although I honestly dont believe this is good for me as I have been addicted to it for 13years!!!  I might add that I'm 33yrs old and have never had a broken bone ! But, having been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes recently & now watching whatever I eat/drink, I was told that dairy(eg.cheese,milk,yoghurt) is as safe/ healthy as fruit/veg/meat. I can have as much of these as I choose -especially if it is the LITE variety - as they dont contain excess/added sugar that the body has trouble 'breaking down'. As long as I ALSO include carbs & proteins in most main meals,I can pretty much eat what I want. I have learned that LITE doesnt mean LACK OF FLAVOUR - actually,I prefer LITE/NO ADDED SUGAR/FAT FREE products these days,and my kids request LITE milk when we do the shopping....they say the other 1(full-cream) tastes 'funny'. !! Dont make big changes all-at-once, try subtle changes - buy DIET yoghurt just before shop closes so you cant change your mind & take it back , and add some fresh fruit if you find you NEED that extra something.

I am 61 and have eaten dairy products all my life.  I am overweight although that is not necessarily due to dairy products.  I like too much that is "bad" for me.

In fact, if you believed everyone who told you something was "bad" for you, you might well die from malnutrition or starvation!  It seems that different scientists, many who might be paid directly or indirectly by various food industries, seem to be able to find "bad" aspects of just about every food made for man.

These days I tend to have only skim milk made up from powder because I am overweight and tend to not be able to predict when I shall go without milk for a few days, thus "wasting" liquid milk which I might have bought.

I have seasons in which I eat lots of cheese (I love it) but have other periods when I don't eat cheese for weeks.  I guess I am inconsistent!

I very seldom have flavoured milk, as assume it is more "fattening," but I really love it when I do have it.

So my advice is, just eat anything you enjoy in moderation.  Don't get too uptight about what "experts" say is "good" or "bad" for you; after all, "x" is the unknown quantity and a "spurt" is a drip under pressure.

Enjoy that milk all you want in whatever form you want; just don't be too excessive.

Milk from cows is designed by millions of years of evolution to fatten little calves which grow to nearly one tonne in a matter of months. It simply isnt made for human consumption. That being things such as yogurts and cheeses contain chemicals and preservatives, with especially the lite or low fat ones start to look less and less like food. If the ingredients label contains more than two or three things then most likely you are eating a food imitation product. However due to a law passed in the 70s companies are not required to label their food as such. Due to a very strong dairy industry and lobby we are indoctrinated to believe that dairy is essential to our diet but this is not true. For millions of years we have survived and evolved to the dominant species on the planet without dairy. So why is dairy such a big deal now?

The image above is also an extremely inaccurate, romanticised portrayal

of a dairy farm, which is rarely a family owned business but rather a conglomerate of big corporations trying to solicit valuable market research information for free.  

Dairy certainly has become a controversial area in the last ten or so years.  I personally can live without it and have done so since I was 2, I'm now 39.  I have the occasional cheese, ice-cream but rarely eat yoghurt or milk - makes me violently ill.  I am overweight due to sheer laziness and lot's of yo-yo dieting over the years.

I can't tell people what's good for them and what's not good for them.  If someone uses the right emotions and tricks of the trade to convince you something is good for you then they will.  You will find yourself beleiving what they've said, buying it and helping them do their job and that's a good thing.

But I will say this in all the yo-yo diets and naturopaths and doctors that I have been under the Dairy factor at the top of the food pyramid is small and the amounts recommended to you are small.  One cup of yoghurt per week, fat free, low in sugar, full cream whatever.  If you look at the back of a milk carton it will tell you recommended serving size is 3/4's of a cup per day.  Dietician's recommend the same thing so I'm agreeing to the majority of posts, everything in moderation and pay attention to just how much you are eating.

If you think specially marked Diet items are high in sugar grab the Diet carton and one that isn't Diet and compare how much sugar is in each.  I think you'll be surprised.

If you love Dairy by all means have it but be-careful of how much and space if out more.  If you hate Dairy like I do, by all means avoid it.  No one can tell you what to do.  My husband is in his 40's and has severe Osteoperosis not due to lack of dairy but due to his body's inefficency to absorb the calcium from milk and there isn't jack he can do about it.

I may or may not get Osteoperosis from lack of dairy, mine will probably come from lack of exercise which does play a vital role in our bodie's ability to absorb calcium.  It doesn't just rest on milk and milk alone.  They can add things chemically, they can add vitamins and minerals, they can add anything they like but at the end of the day, if you don't beleive what they say then how likely are you to actually go and buy their product?

By the way, once you've tasted milk straight from a cow's udder, you'll never touch anything the milk manufacture's sell.  And I don't do Soy or those alternative milks and dairy products either - YUCK!!

I love dairy too.  My mum doesn't.  I have very healthy strong bones and my mum's are weak and brittle and she is starting to have a lot of problems.  So my advice would be to definitely have some dairy but like everything else don't go overboard.  As far as flavoured milks go there is one on the market called Feelgood that actually tastes half decent and isn't too bad for you either.  As for the yogurts most of the diet ones have got more sugar to make up for the taste loss of leaving the fats out.  But have heart, there are yogurts, cheeses and milks out there that do have less fat and less sugar and remember that not all fats are bad for you.

If you have a look at Asian diets, they don't really have dairy as a part of their lifestyle.  I agree that you can calcium from other sources such as Veges.  I don't like milk, and don't drink it.  I do enjoy cheese, yoghurt and icecream.  I think, like anything, it is all about being sensible and eating a balanced diet.  I don't believe in eating low fat products.  Eat the full fat, but eat in moderation.  I think people are eating low fat products to feel good about being healthy, but then still eating heaps of junk and processed food.  The Healthy food guide pyramid is a wonderful model.

P.S Diet yoghurts are full of sugar!

I think it really is a case of "everything in moderation".  Of course anything can be bad for a person if you have too much of it.  I like my dairy products, and I like full cream dairy products.  If perhaps I lived on full cream dairy products I would have a problem...but because I like my dairy products, but have them along with other food sources I don't have any problems.

Personally I believe that there is no point using the low fat, skim and such like brands of milk products...you might as well buy some water and add a little milk!

I would just like to say, living in the country and having had fresh milk straight from the cow, with cream half an inch thick on top of it, it has never hurt myself or my husband or our kids. I love butter, you can certainly taste the difference, real cream, not that thickened muck that they have at the shops, and all the other dairy products, the trouble with the dairy products that are sold in the shops is that they all have something added to them to thicken, or to make them last longer and just recently I read that the milk was watered down.

My view is if you like it, have it, life is to short to worry about a few calories or what it might or might not do to you.

the problem with the food pyramid is that it underemphasises the dangers of eating refined carbohydrates and sugar

Because your a woman.... you need to consume dairy products to prevent you from getting osteoporsis. Calcium deficency is getting more common with women as they age. You might only be 32 now but youre less then 10 years away from reaching 40...and some women this youg do suffer from osteo. Yes, i said 40 yr olds. This is no longer a "nanna" illness. If you want to live a healthy life without expensive prescription drugs and constant worry if you fall you could break a bone or two....DRINK MILK!! EAT CHEESE!! CONSUME YOGHURT!! Especially if you are a smaller figured person because you are more at risk then someone of a larger build.

are you a doctor or a nutritionist nola?

or do you just watch a current affair

I am aware of so many varying views on different foods I now ignore all of them. I recently heard of radio personality that kept references to what foods could possibly harm you and he found that, besides there being little left that wasn't harmful, eventually another report would contradict a previous one! So now, instead of worrying about what to eat I simply enjoy what I like and to hell with the rest. I might die quicker but I'm sure I'll have had a better ride.

P.S. I love milk drinks.

I love dairy products. I love cheese, milk, cream, yoghurt, cream cheese etc etc. However, the milk and yoghurt I have need to be 'diet' or 'skim' yet I don't like low fat cheeses.

I think, as has been said before: "everything in moderation"

The Australian dietary guidelines for adult Australians that you should eat dairy,especially to stop oesteoporosis later in life, however, you should choose low fat varieties of dairy products to stop weight gain and to prevent the obesity epidemic we are currently experiencing in the developed world.

The majority of comments above cover the same things: Whatever you choose to eat, do so in moderation; make sure you have calcium in your diet; eat that which you enjoy and don't believe everything you read/hear.

I absolutely agree with each of these angles and would like to throw this into the mix:

Go with your instincts. If a product contains mostly artificial ingredients, there will always be a better alternative. Shop around. Avoid the unnatural, because let's face it, if it's artificial it can't possibly be as good for your body.

So many brands lay claim to providing certain health benefits, but I find that the most beneficial brands are those that state it as it is, without desperately trying to "sell" you their product, by sugar-coating it. I don't trust brands that try to 'force it down your throat' so to speak.

Although sometimes the low fat option may seem the most nutritional choice, these products can often be deceptively unhealthy.

According to certain 'health professionals', Low fat/diet products should be avoided by pregnant women, as they have the potential to cause brain defects in the unborn faetus. If this is indeed fact, it seems that 'diet' options are not as 'healthy' as the manufacturers would like us to believe.

It could very well come back to the fact that child health professionals vehemently discourage the feeding of cow's milk in infants, as biologically their natural development depends on the milk of their mother to thrive and any foreign substance introduced before the infant's body has developed completely could be detrimental to the future health of the child (Think of how the cavemen did it!)

Being 32, you do not need to worry about premature introduction of foreign ingredients to your body, of course, but 'natural' is the most proven statistic for a healthy body and mind and therefore, I believe, the way to go.

I don't think you should avoid dairy, especially if you enjoy it. (Nothing beats a glass of true full cream milk! Yum!) Just choose your consumables wisely, enjoy what you eat and don't eat to excess.

The Australian dietary guidelines for adult Australians say that you should eat dairy,especially to stop oesteoporosis later in life, however, you should choose low fat varieties of dairy products to stop weight gain and to prevent the obesity epidemic we are currently experiencing in the developed world.

Dairy is great!!

The more the better i say.. and there's so much more variety out there now! Even if your lactose intolerant you can get lactose free milk ... still tastes the same!

I definilty couldnt live without dairy - all those beautiful cheeses just melting in the mouth - some coon on toast under the grill, or some bega slices folded in half and then quarters on crackers are a great treat. then cheese platters yummmm

Then there milk - a glass of full cream pura is so refreshing - and zap it in the microwave on a cold night and it makes you feel all nice and warm inside.

Yoghurts- flavoured/natural/vanilla with or without fruit the list goes on

How could you not like dairy?

I must say though, i dont like things with added omega or some added weird vitamin - full fat for me PLEASE!

And then just walk a little extra every day, at least you can give people a great smile as you walk - all that calcium has got to be good for something!

hi there

i believe in everything in moderation. however if you are having weight problems or metabolism try looking up ayurvedia on the internet. its an indian nutritional system that has been around for centuries. it is built upon each individuals body types. once you have worked out your bodys constitution it informs you on foods you can eat and foods you should avoid. i dropped two sizes in two weeks following this system. another great book is jessica seinfelds deceptively delicious. it provides nutritional information on what vwggies can supplement calcium. good luck in whatever venture you proceed in.

I think Dairy foods are wonderful, and like all foods, can be enjoyed in moderation.

If you are exercising, then I believe all foods can be eaten and enjoyed withour feeeling guilty.

I think you stick to Natural brands, and I like the ones around me that are local, for eg Harvey Fresh in WA.

Yoghurt is divine, but I love the pot set ones, I think they have better ingredients and have more probotic goodness and the A, B and C cultures.

I'm careful of the yoghurts that claim to be thicker than the rest though, because they have animal based gelatines in them.  

Milk is great and if you are healthy, fit, then enjoy the milk you like the most.  

I could not imagine a coffee with skim milk!!

Enjoy your dairy..

Calcium is needed in small quantites in the body. Hence you need so little of it in a day.  I think the falicy is tho that u only need it for bones - more importantly you need calcium with sunshine for it to be activated. Also calcium is important in the cardiac cycle [the heart] it potentiated the sodium/potassium channels to ensure the heart will contract and relax as needed to function....

Animal foods provide us with many essential fats, vitamins and amino acids - but it is also where we get cholesterol ... but too much calcium can also give you gall stones.

So back to the dilema of which ones... u correctly point out that other ingredients are added in order for a product to be low fat [usually increases in salt/sodium and or sugar]. So i think a more importanat question you may need your doctor to help with is: do your kidneys and liver function normally [blood test can answer this]? if they are good - then i dont see your dairy habits causing you too many problems.... and i only wish more people would take their health as seriously as you do.

A few people above have mentioned the importance of exercise as well as eating anything in moderation.

There's a bloke (is his name Rives or Reeves?) who wrote a book titled "Walk Yourself Thin" and his thesis is that if you walk as fast as you can for as far as you can for about an hour a day, you can eat whatever you like and become thin.

I think there is a lot of sense in this.

Before our current couch potato lifestyles developed, our ancestors without vehicles and "modern conveniences" were automatically exercising as they went about their daily life.

So enjoy your dairy products in appropriate moderation, but back it up with some appropriate exercise such as regular brisk walking.

Mankind has been eating/drinking dairy products of various types for over two thousand years, Louis Pasteur made it safer for us.

I used to have dairy products as I grew up, and I'm ft and healthy now, used freely with exercise there is nothing wrong with indulging in dairy products.

I intend to still be playing volleyball and skiing when i'm 70, as do other people I know.

I lived on a farm and grew up with fresh milk straight from the cow. (had it while it was still warm.) Next day we had 1/2 inch of cream on top . I am 62 years old and still have all my own  teeth. My daughter is 40 and has not got one filling in her mouth. We made our own cheese and yoghurt so I belive that if we have things in moderation ereything is ok. Half the milk we buy to-day is watered down

I have just re read the main post and would like to reiterate my (and others) comment about moderation.

It is alleged by one chocolate manifacturer that a block of chocolate contains a glass and a half of milk.

I pose this question would you eat a block of chocolate so that you would be consuming a glass and a half of milk? Would you eat a whole block of chocolate instead of drinking a chocolate drink?

Just something to think about.

I have to ask, Snakeau why do you think that if a species produces milk that they shouldn't drink it passed infancy and why can't we drink other milk? Please answer as I am very curious.

If you like it eat it

If you like it eat it

As a 42 year old, I was diagnosed with early onset osteoporosis.  I was very thin (42 -45kgs) throughout my 30's, but loved dairy products & had always consumed more than the "required" 3 -4 serves per day since childhood.  So it certainly wasn't making me overweight!  

Since then, over 15 years, I have been able to slow down the progress of the disease by maintaining my dairy input ( I prefer to choose the low/non fat varieties, always checking the sugar content as well &  suggest that Forme by Yogplait is the lowest kilojoule yoghurt available today), increasing weight-bearing exercise & getting a minimum of 10 minutes exposure to sunlight WITHOUT using sun-screens, as they severely hamper the Vitamin D intake.  

Post menopause, women need about 1300mg of Calcium, as do men over 70. To try to get this amount from vegetables alone is a losing battle! Consider this: 1 cup of broccoli is equal to 40mg while 300g or 1 cup of baked beans is 140mg.  That means eating at least 9 cups of baked beans or 33 cups of brocolli, per day!! (& yes, I do know that Baked beans are not a vegetable).

Compare that to 250ml of milk, 200g of yoghurt & 60g of Ricotta cheese all @ 300mg, 30g of hard cheese @ 200mg.  And remember that salmon, from a tin, including bones & skin provides 300 mg as well.

Food for thought

n.scherzer asked "would you eat a block of chocolate so that you would be consuming a glass and a half of milk? Would you eat a whole block of chocolate instead of drinking a chocolate drink?"

To the f1st question - an emphatic no, because chocolate for me must be dark, darker, darkest like Lindt's 80% cocoa or 70%.  

And to the 2nd question - I'd eat the 100g block Lindt chocolate AND the chocolate drink, thank you very much !

I think it has all to do with our genes. I eat a lot of full dairy not diet, and health and weight wise I am fine. I have one son out of three that has a milk and milk protien intolerance but the doctor advised not to take him completely of dairy as it could make him worse. He loves his dairy and works it out for himself how much he can have. The things he dodges is stuff with added sugar like soft serve ice cream. It took a few stomach pains and vomit for him to work it out but now he can enjoy dairy products.  

Its like any thing good for you, if you want to saty healthy and have a good diet and keep the bones in your body heathly.

Dairy foods are incredibly rich in important nutrients and vitamins, such as potassium, riboflavin, and protein, as well as vitamins A, D, and B12. They are also the main source of calcium in our diets, supplying 75-80% of our calcium intake. What does this mean about their benefits?

Studies have found a long list of benefits associated with the nutrients in things like cheese, yogurt, and milk, including better bone density, improved dental health, lower blood pressure, more effective weight management, and even reduced risk of *** and colon cancers.

People often underestimate the amount of dairy foods they ought to eat each day. Scientists estimate that the typical adult needs the equivalent of approximately 3 cups of dairy products every day just to get the recommended daily dose of calcium, not to mention other important nutrients. For comparison in terms of calcium, three cups of milk is roughly the same as 3 cups yogurt, 5 ounces of cheddar cheese, or 6 ounces of processed cheese.

Milk is one of the easiest things to incorporate into your diet. Not only is it easy to drink with cereal, but it is also used in a variety of recipes, such as soups, smoothies, and baked goods. However, like most dairy products, choosing the correct type of milk is important. Many varieties of milk are high in both calories and fat; avoid these if possible, and choose 1% or skim milk instead.

Cheese is another very common dairy product, used in everything from pizza to salads to sandwiches. Fortunately, like milk, cheese is also a great source of essentially nutrients and has also been linked to dental health benefits. On the other hand, cheese enthusiasts should watch out for high amounts of cholesterol and fat and choose low-fat varieties whenever possible. Cooks take note, however - low-fat cheeses react differently to heat than do traditional ones.

The third and final dairy product we will discuss is yogurt. Yogurt is a very unique product. It is produced with the help of cultures of specific types of bacteria (L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus), which have also been linked to a strengthened immune system, improved digestive system functions, and reduced risk of cancer. When eating yogurt, keep in mind that frozen yogurt is not a good source of these helpful bacteria; pick the normal kind for maximum health benefits.

I don't want to have an impression of being bias or specifically name a certain brand, but instead read what they contain will be much more important. Also a balance diet and regular exercises are strongly recommended. I also recommend to take some vitamin supplement such as Vitamin E and fish oil. By following all these steps, there is no doubt you are living a healthy lifestyle.

Yes, it is all about portion control & common sense.  Perhaps a Dr's referral to a dietician may help you see your way thru' the conflicting opinions.  The dietician will help you to select the necessary 'fuel'  you require based on your lifestyle, age & weight etc etc.

I am a dairy product fan from way back.  I grew up on a farm where we had milk virtually straight from the cow; cream gurgled from a glass bottle & butter was butter.  Margarine & yoghurt didn't exist then & cheese was considered a luxury.  Amazingly, I never saw anyone who appeared to be obese or seemed unhealthy.  Maybe it was because everyone worked hard physically & recreational time was spent outdoors.  Now that I am at the "falling to bits" age, & less physically active, I moderate my dairy intake using portion control & common sense.  & I treat myself every now & again with a bottle of full cream flavoured milk or milkshake.

www.notmilk.com

Dairy is fine in moderation, like everything else. Have your cheese and cream and yoghart etc, and if your trying to cut down on fat then try the low fat varieties although I think low fat cheese tasts like cardboard.

I have heard a lot of people say how they grew up on farms, and drank full cream milk, and the cream on top.  

Like a few comments above, it doesn't seem to have done any harm to anybody, infact these people, usually comment on how strong their bones are.

I still believe dairy foods are the best source of calcium.

If anybody is worried about the calories or doesn't or cant tolerate dairy, there are good calcium supplements that can be taken.

Look, the way i see it is that there is no food or drink that is completely healthy for anyone. Every person(s) has a different body (whether it would be in shape, size, health, hygiene, disability, allergies, etc) Therefore, personally i think there is no 'actual' dairy or other food or drink item that is clearly assigned to 'only diabetics' or 'only anorexics', etc....

If you take an original item or product and make duplicates of them (one being low in fat, the other being skim, the other just ordinary) they would all be wrose or identical to each other. why buy something low in fat when its got more sugar or why buy something skim when its got more carbs, or why buy something that comes as the original product when its got more fat?

Seriously, there is no such thing as these dietary items, etc. Just remember everyone's body is different therfore they react and act and get both effected and affected differently. Also, in many cases its not your dairy poducts that need to be cut down on.... alot of the time you will find that you get fuller quicker when you eat bread, or you bloat.... you will find you would lose so much more weight from not eating so much bread.

Not only bread, these days nothing is healthy! unless of course if you grow your own foods! Everything these days are made from chemicals that yes in long term will affect the human body. Like eggs, they say its free range but if they are giving their chickens chemicals to make them produce faster then its not really free range is it? if they say milk is fresh, however, milk only lasts a few days before going off or starts going chunky. nothing is fresh nothing is natural these days.

i guess you just need to focus on what your eating, how your eating, what foods affect your body so that you can stop eating them, etc. so if you ate bread and milk and you experienced bloatness try another milk or try cheese. In other words, diabetic cheese wouldnt suit all diabetics, some might still have to eat the normal cheese in order to receive the right protein or energy etc.

If you compare people of today to the people from 100 years ago, you will find that people from 100 yrs ago lived longer lives then the people of today, due to less usage in chemicals, etc in our everyday foods and drinks. If everything was natural these days, farmers would go broke, and there would be a greater shortage in foods, but because they have chemicals to enhance food tastes and make them look and last longer nothing is gonna ever be healthy unless you grow your own that is.

But yeah, you gotta look at ingredients and taste products to see which one better suits you and that has a better infulence towards your body.

Noelsy

I was curious about what Noelsy said above.

I thought we were living longer now, and getting better.  Noelsy said we lived longer 100 years ago, but I thought the average life span was growing more over the years?

I suppose all food has chemicals and preservatives, but I hope most are safe within the body when consumed in small quantities.

The big bad chemicals are known, and people try to avoid these.

But I dont think too many are in milk and dairy foods.

cial

Personally dairy in moderation is ok.  Calcium on the other hand you mainly get thru veges they have to be organic but also in a bigger dose thru vitamin and mineral supplements.  Not only that but with dairy there are a lot more people who can not tolerate this, as I have heard milk is for cows baby ones, not for humans.

Well natural things cannot be compared to artificial products like vitamens, minerals or calcium. Also I believe what nature has given you, you take it as it is. So instead of going and finding processed product I believe you concentrate on full cream milk, yougurt etc. The quantity can be lowered instead of high intake. But I believe natural make humans not destroy them until required. So live according to laws of nature and eat what is provided naturally and no big dramas. Rest all are marketing compaigns nothing else.

Michelle,

An increasing amount of evidence is pointing to a link between dairy products and *** and other cancers. It stands to reason that the milk of any species would be designed to confer the most benefit to that particular species, therefore for any other species it would be second-best.

In addition, more and more humans are becoming allergic to cows' milk, which is also being linked to congestive diseases of the sinuses and lungs.

As far as not consuming it beyond infancy goes, can you think of a single species (other than human) that actually does this? Milk is designed to be easily consumed by infant creatures without fully functional dentition, to be easily digested by creatures of that age and to deliver higher fat and energy quotients than are required at later ages. It also confers immunity from the mother's system, again, something we do not need as we get older.

Hope this suffices.

Yes, we all have been drinking milk since the Old Testaments days.  A baby was born, and placed on the mothers *** to have what is entirely natural.

It is normal for a baby to drink its mothers milk.

Therefore we were born to drink milk, and of course, other dairy products.

If dbowie's comment is in relation to my last, several things come to mind:

1 - We've been drinking mothers' milk since way before Old Testament days.

2 - The fact that it is natural does not contradict, but is not relevant to what I said. It is natural for horses to eat grass, but is anyone suggesting that, just because they do it, we should too?

3 - There is no entailment that because we were born to drink [our mothers'] milk, we are also able to consume other cross-species dairy products without penalty.

That said, if you like dairy products and can consume them without discomfort, then go nuts. Each to his (her) own.

I simply meant we've been drinking milk since the creation of man.  Its a normal function of women and providing you are not intolerant, then babies need milk.

I didn't mean if we drink milk, so should every species.  I was referring to humans only.

But yes its natural that humans drink milk, horses eat grass etc.  Our bodies are meant to eat certain types of foods.

I didn't think I inferred that we were drinking or eating other species food and drink.  

I simply meant we have been drinking milk since the beginning of man, and therefore we were meant to have milk, and therefore other dairy products, like cheese and yoghurt.

I love dairy foods, and feel sorry for those who are intolerant or allergic.

Sorry...I don't think you've quite got what I'm on about. I'm not saying every species should drink milk at all.

What I mean is that cows' milk is best for calves, not humans. Human milk is best for humans, but only in infancy (if, as you say, one is not intolerant). Most milks contain nothing that an adult human needs that cannot be had from other sources, and a lot of things (like excess fat and energy) that adult humans definitely *don't* need. You're absolutely correct - our bodies are meant to eat certain types of foods, it's just that milk products are not among them.

We've only been drinking cows' milk for some 10 - 15 thousand years (I think) when cattle were first domesticated. Sure, it tastes great and you can make a lot of yummy stuff with it, but all I'm trying to say is that we're not designed for it and there are more and more known health risks associated with it.

Most people can tolerate dairy products and it certainly makes life hard for those who can't. I should point out here that I tolerate dairy quite well - I just choose to avoid it (without going overboard) for health reasons.

All that said, I'm no doctor and I'm quite prepared to be proven wrong. If anyone can, I'll be the first to get stuck into a bowl of strawberries and cream (pure...King Island...Oh, how I miss it).

Yes, absolutely you should be eating dairy products and not avoiding them if possible. The main sources of Calcium are dairy products, particularly milk, yoghurt and ice-cream. In gereral low-fat dairy products have roughly the same amount of calcium as regular versions so even if you are opting for low-fat dairy products you wont be any worse off. Although dairy products are the best source of Calcium its not the only one. If you do need to avoid them either because you prefer not to or simply not able to, there are Calcium-enriched non-dairy alternatives.

Certain food products can actually reduce your body's ability to access the Calcium taken in. To get the most from Calcium in food it's best to avoid these particular food products if you're having dairy on the same day. However for vegetarians this wont be possible. These particular foods include:

- Foods such as spinach, rhubarb (vegetables!) and peanuts contain oxylates which interfere with the body's ability to access Calcium obtained from eating dairy products.

- Other vegetables such as beans, peas, lentils, and in certain processed wholegrain and wholemeal cereals (which contain phytates - similar to oxylates)

If you hate your dairy products you can replace these with certain vegies to obtain your Calcium but you would have to eat about 3 plate fulls of greens several times a day to obtain the same amount of Calcium from a large glass of milk! So if you hate your vegies here's another reason you can reduce your intake of leafy greens.

If regard to weight issues with dairy products it's really down to whether the fats in that particular brand of product contain unsaturated or saturated fats. Unsaturated fatty acids are better for your body than saturated fatty acids. A lot of people tend to restrict their dairy intake believing them to be fattening. Dairy foods contain saturated fats which is associted with increased blood cholesterol levels. However, dairy foods are not a threat to good health if consumed in moderation as part of a well-balanced nutritious diet. If you limit your dairy intake yet still downing cans of coke and eating chips, biscuits and tim tams than your no better off.

Low intake of dairy foods can result in Osteoporosis caused by inadequate intake of Calcium, as wells as blood pressure - caused by low intake of dairy but high intake of fruit and vegies. Not to mention my personal main concern - bad teeth!  Low intake of Calcium causes tooth decay as your teeth draw on a large amount of Calcium to remain healthy and white. A diet low in Calcium can cause your teeth to rot and increases the chance of having cavities.

(so that post about relying on vegies as their only source of calcium is an absolute load of bollocks).

People that completely avoid dairy tend to be unhealthier, prone to Osteoporosis, and fatter than those who include diary in their diet. I'll leave the choice up to you - but for me its not really a choice: Fit and healthy or rotten teeth and bad bones?

Ah.... finally! All those years spent at uni have finally paid off and I can actually use some of that knowledge to educate people who think vegetables provides sufficient levels of Calcium! A Masters in Science is no use when your working in real estate!

You are very right.

The amount of vegies you would have to consume would be more than anyone could eat in a week, and to think you are suppose to get a miminum amount of miligrams per day.

I know people who refuse to eat dairy simply to lose weight.

I also know someone who gets there quota of clcium from a 250g cadbury block everyday!

These people aren't getting enough, and they aren't taking a calcium supplement either!

Some diseases we cannot prevent, but some we can try and fight, such as brittle bones, strong teeth, healthy hair and skin, and by eating dairy foods (they dont have to be full fat if you are worried about calories or fat) we can improve and maintain our health.

I dont particularly like the taste of most low fat dairy products, so I enjoy the regular products, but do watch how much I consume.

I also know people who mistakenly believe that just because its got low fat on it, they can eat as much as they want, and most of them overdo it.  The calorie content isn't that low that you can overeat them.

I say - LONG LOVE DAIRY.  I love it..

I too love dairy and make sure I get my calcium daily but as someone who is on a "healthy life plan" I am careful about the amount of fat and sugar I have on a daily basis.  

The best thing is to "READ" the labels on everything and you might be amazed how much fat and sugar is in everything - even low fat products.  

Once you start looking it easy to find great low fat cheeses, skinny milk or light yogurt - you need to take the time to investigate the products. Some are much better than others it just depends on your taste buds.

Just say "Cheese" but make mine low fat.

You are right about reading labels.  I mentioned above about people thinking low fat products are low in calories and therefore overeat.

One friend says she can have 2 Nestle diet yoghurts for 1 of my regular ones.

This is incorrect, as its too much food.

A lot of products that claim to be low fat, infact have more sugar than the regular products.

So we need to be really careful, read our labels, undertand the labels more importantly, watch how much we consume, but overall enjoy our food.

Some low fat and no fat products taste terrible, so I wouldn't dream of buying them.  Others are good, so I' happy to buy them.

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Snakeau,  Thank you for your reply.  I do now understand what you are saying.  Thanks for clearing that up.  But I still think that milk is a good way of getting the calcium that we all need but I guess there are vegetables out there that can provide some of that too.  As you said, each to their own.  You do have good logic behind what you have said.  

Goodness me, what a stir this has caused. Everyone has their own expert opinion. It is their right to have an opinion.

Do not change your eating habits because of something you read here. Nutritionists say we need calcium. Dairy is a good source.

If you think you have an intolerance see a health professional.

My children consume dairy. My son is 6'3". Hasn't hurt him.

i try to get low fat dairy products because i prefer them, not because of health reasons. i like dairy products a little less creamy

Thanks for your kind comments Michelle.