Staying off the white stuff
Every vegetarian has been asked, I'm sure, after telling someone that they don't eat meat: "But you drink, milk, right?" The inference is, you may be a bit weird, not eating meat, but don't tell me you're one of those freaks who doesn't even drink milk. As milk is not strictly against my vegetarianism, I usually say, "yes", just to keep the person from having to raise his eyes at me and suddenly find himself on a different place in time where he can no longer even speak to me, I'm so far out there.
But the truth is, I've hardly drunk milk at all since I was about 10. I mean, it's not the dreaded repulsive flesh of meat, and if I'm in a hotel or a friend's house and there's a particularly tempting bowl of cereal on offer and there's only cows milk available, I'll eat it. For sure. But generally, my mum gave it up for me when I was a kid, and now it just doesn't taste right.
We started on soya milk way back then because my brother had a bit of eczema. It cleared up pretty-much as soon as we stopped drinking milk and never came back. So we stuck to the soya stuff. Me and my brothers hated it at first, and I used to jump at any opportunity to pour cow's milk over my cereal, especially the creamy bit. But now it just tastes thick and a bit sickly.
My mum's rationale was quite simple (aside from the miraculous effect on my brother's eczema): cow's milk is designed for cows, she said. And it seems medical opinion is beginning to support her long-held suspicions about the white stuff, with a campign against milk by the Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation gathering pace.
But is campaigning against milk a step too far? Are we pounding regular people too hard telling them that milk is bad for them? I mean, it's not like they can just go and start eating tofu and chick peas to get their calcium - that's just for beardy weirdos. No, they're stuck. Isn't it better they drink milk than not drink it, if we're not to drive them into a corner where all that's left to eat is apples and potatoes and they freak out and go back to burgers and coke?
Heather Mills-McCartney, who is fronting the anti-milk campaign, doesn't seem too bothered about this possibility. And maybe she's right. I mean, if milk really is bad for you, shouldn't people know? I've also heard it said by conspiracy theorists that the milk industry has known for years that its product is not the superfood-that-every-child-needs it's trumped up to be, but has kept it quiet, for obvious reasons. If that's true, shouldn't it be exposed?
However, Mrs Mills-McCartney's insistence on supporting so many antagonistic causes is beginning to result in a noticeable backlash against her. So, to avoid such a fate, I'll stay down off my high horse (I wouldn't want to become unpopular, now, would I?), and conclude thus: milk is not very nice, it comes out of a cow and is designed to make baby cows grow big very quickly, bigger than humans. However, what else are you going to put on your cornflakes? At least we don't have to kill the cows to get it. And you've got to die of something, right? Right?
In case you're interested, sweetened soya milk is nice when you get used to it. Really.
But the truth is, I've hardly drunk milk at all since I was about 10. I mean, it's not the dreaded repulsive flesh of meat, and if I'm in a hotel or a friend's house and there's a particularly tempting bowl of cereal on offer and there's only cows milk available, I'll eat it. For sure. But generally, my mum gave it up for me when I was a kid, and now it just doesn't taste right.
We started on soya milk way back then because my brother had a bit of eczema. It cleared up pretty-much as soon as we stopped drinking milk and never came back. So we stuck to the soya stuff. Me and my brothers hated it at first, and I used to jump at any opportunity to pour cow's milk over my cereal, especially the creamy bit. But now it just tastes thick and a bit sickly.
My mum's rationale was quite simple (aside from the miraculous effect on my brother's eczema): cow's milk is designed for cows, she said. And it seems medical opinion is beginning to support her long-held suspicions about the white stuff, with a campign against milk by the Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation gathering pace.
But is campaigning against milk a step too far? Are we pounding regular people too hard telling them that milk is bad for them? I mean, it's not like they can just go and start eating tofu and chick peas to get their calcium - that's just for beardy weirdos. No, they're stuck. Isn't it better they drink milk than not drink it, if we're not to drive them into a corner where all that's left to eat is apples and potatoes and they freak out and go back to burgers and coke?
Heather Mills-McCartney, who is fronting the anti-milk campaign, doesn't seem too bothered about this possibility. And maybe she's right. I mean, if milk really is bad for you, shouldn't people know? I've also heard it said by conspiracy theorists that the milk industry has known for years that its product is not the superfood-that-every-child-needs it's trumped up to be, but has kept it quiet, for obvious reasons. If that's true, shouldn't it be exposed?
However, Mrs Mills-McCartney's insistence on supporting so many antagonistic causes is beginning to result in a noticeable backlash against her. So, to avoid such a fate, I'll stay down off my high horse (I wouldn't want to become unpopular, now, would I?), and conclude thus: milk is not very nice, it comes out of a cow and is designed to make baby cows grow big very quickly, bigger than humans. However, what else are you going to put on your cornflakes? At least we don't have to kill the cows to get it. And you've got to die of something, right? Right?
In case you're interested, sweetened soya milk is nice when you get used to it. Really.
posted by Adharanand Finn at 3:56 PM
1 Comments:
Despite the dairy industry's ad campaigns, milk is a poor source of calcium. The body requires calcium to break down protein. Most of the calcium in milk is used to digest its excessive protein. If the rest of your diet contains more protein than calcium, your body will end up leaching calcium from your bones. Osteoporosis is much more prevalent in people who regularly consume dairy than in those who don't. As for the 'normal' people who can't for whatever reason be bothered to eat 'tofu and chickpeas', perhaps you could suggest citrus fruit and leafy greens. Last time I checked, those weren't flagged as weird vegetarian food.
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