We grew up with ads that touted the benefits of milk. We were fed billboards, magazines and commercials that told us .. “Milk, Does a Body Good.” Not only that, these ads chose the best looking, the most athletic, and the most outstanding and recognizable faces and names in Hollywood, sports and society. SO, why would milk now be an impostor in the realm of health??? A Harvard professor has picked apart the idea that milk is actually good for you. They now say that milk could be a contributing factor in the obesity epidemic.
According to the Journal of American Medicine Association (pediatrics), low fat milk could be a contributing factor in the childhood obesity epidemic says Harvard professor, David Ludwig.
One cup of 2-percent milk contains 12.3 grams of sugar, more than a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup and almost as much as a chocolate chip cookie. Consider that the recommendations for sugar intake call for just 12 grams a day (three teaspoons, at 4 grams each) for children. So one serving of milk a day would put a child over the limit, two cups a day would top a woman’s limit of 5 teaspoons, and three cups a day would top a man’s limit of 8-9 teaspoons (source).
Keep in mind that milk is not a “free food.” We were lead to believe that it was “healthy,” so we could drink as much as we wanted. As a kid, I remember drinking a jug every 3- 4 days (that’s by myself). However, the amount of sugar in milk (from lactose) also drives the calorie content up to 122 calories a glass. OUCH. If you have the 3 recommended daily servings, you would be drinking 366 calories! That’s almost a whole meal.
If you ask my clients, they’ll tell you that I think dairy is an unnecessary food group. I believe it’s hard to break down and it causes inflammation, allergies, and digestive issues. Ludwig, seems to be partial to my way of thinking and states that humans evolved on a diet free of dairy. Therefore its essentially an unnecessary food group. If you argue the calcium angel, then you may have been misinformed by advertising. You can get adequate amounts of calcium from sources such as seeds, nuts, leafy greens, bean, vegetables and fish.
The recent guidelines that were put in place by the USDA for 3 glasses of low fat milk per day is a horrible recommendation due to the fact that they aren’t keeping in mind the sugary beverages that kids are drinking on a daily basis. These guidelines were established to replace the bad beverages not add milk products on top of them. Make sure that if you feed your kids milk (it’s so passé I know), then keep these points from Doctor Ludwig in mind.
Long Live Dairy Free,
Adria
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