7/20 Milk, It Does a Body Bad
I read this breaking news on the Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine (PCRM) website and thought it was too important not to share. This is such a hopeful and positive step toward helping our children live better and healthier lives. It will also serve to educate and inform anyone that is unaware of the ill effects of dairy products, notably, milk on our bodies.
Until I became vegan, I had no idea how harmful dairy products, especially low fat dairy products can be for our bodies. Now that I know, I want everyone to know but it has been my experience that people can be suspect of that info coming from the vegan because they perceive me as only having a vested interest in protecting animals. Which of course is true, I do wish that people would stop consuming products that are a direct result of cruelties toward living things, but that doesn’t diminish the fact that dairy products are bad for your body. That is why I am glad that the petition is coming from PCRM and not an animal rights group or an organization that some could consider fringe.
Here is the article in its entirety from the PCRM website. I will keep you posted if I hear additional information.
WASHINGTON—A physicians’ group has petitioned the federal government to remove milk as a required food from the school lunch program. The nonprofit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine calls milk an “ineffective placebo” and says a large body of research shows that consuming milk does not improve bone health and does not prevent bone fractures and injury in children and adults.
Milk is also the number one source of saturated fat in children’s diets.
“Milk doesn’t make children grow taller and stronger, but it can make them heavier,” says PCRM nutrition education director Susan Levin, M.S., R.D. “We are asking Congress and the USDA to put children’s interests above the interests of the dairy industry. Focusing on milk as the single most important source of calcium in children’s diets distracts schools and parents from foods that can actually build bones, like beans and leafy greens.”
The petition, filed July 19, asks the U.S. Department of Agriculture to issue a report to Congress recommending an amendment to the National School Lunch Act. The amendment would exclude dairy milk as a required component of school lunches. Milk, the petition argues, does not improve bone health or reduce the risk of osteoporosis and can actually create other health risks, especially later in life.
“The promotion of milk ingestion in children is, in effect, the promotion of an ineffective placebo,” the petition states. It adds that other products, including calcium-enriched soymilk and rice milk, contain calcium but, unlike dairy milk, are low in sodium and free of animal protein that can cause calcium to be excreted from the body.
One in eight Americans is lactose intolerant. More than 1 million U.S. children struggle with milk allergies, the second most common food allergy.
The federal government spends more money on dairy than any other food item in the school lunch program.
Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a nonprofit health organization that promotes preventive medicine, conducts clinical research,and encourages higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in research.
Notes From The Juicer
Day three I thought I had Malaria or the flu. My head felt like it was being smashed between a semi truck and a guard rail. I barely had enough energy to hold up my digital watch. Luckily, day four came and I once again had boundless energy. Juicer still needs to be MacGyvered to work. Cramping my style but not squelching my enthusiasm. Saturday begins all juice all the time.
Have a delicious weekend.
Tags: adverse effects of dairy, compassionate eating, dairy free, ill effects of dairy products, PCRM petition, petition to remove milk from required food, vegan experience, vegan wannabe
