Before we start this (and you know I love controversy!).. I am *not* debating my views.

[conuly]

Sorry. If you wish to know my feelings on the dairy industry, there is one site on my links list which should make the point very clear, even if you never visit it.

I just have a question. Got that? No arguments over the merits of consuming dairy products or alternate sources of calcium or anything. Just a question.

How could anybody reasonably say that people have to drink milk to be healthy? No species could possibly evolve with a necessity for the milk of another species, or even their own species after a certain age. That's insane! We can't escape our evolution, and we haven't had domesticated animals long enough for us to evolve to need them. So, how is it justified to say we need milk? I'm actually curious here, not argumentative.

Comments

[fjorab-teke.livejournal.com]

I think you're right.

And now, there are TONS of calcium supplements that don't involve dairy.

If I could find a soy milk that was easy to obtain and didn't make me wanna hurl....

The American meat and dairy industries sicken me, and I continually debate if I would be able to go vegan in a healthy way to take one more person off the consumer list. My weakness for certain meats and other foods would take some very radical changes for me.

[conuly]

Forget "supplements". Try dark leafy greens. Do you realize that the WHO reccomends about 1/3 as much calcium as the FDA? Because, of course, the WHO doesn't expect most of your calcium to come from dairy.

Even if you can't go vegan, you can reduce the amount of meat/dairy/eggs you eat. Try only eating animal products once a day, as part of a side dish. Then switch it to once every other day, or twice a week. That's not as strong a moral stand, but it's still better than eating meat every day, at every meal, as the focus of every meal.

[fjorab-teke.livejournal.com]

I'm not much of a meat-eater in the first place, but woe when I'm in the mood for turkey or seafood of any kind! Every-so-rarely, I like steak, mostly from one restaurant I'm no longer near (I used to eat at Sirloin Stockade while at college and whenever I visit there), and occasionally chicken. I also drink a lot of milk (mostly with cereal) and am fond of cheese. Occasionally I like eggs. I don't like pork of any kind though...too greasy for me, plus I'm aware of how most pigs are treated...although many cattle and poultry are treated just as poorly.

And yes...thanks for reminding me of the greens! I'm embarrassed to forget some of my favorite foods. *mmmm raw spinach in a salad or cooked in pasta dishes!!*

[conuly]

Seems to me that your biggest problem cutting down, then, is in the dairy... and we know my beliefs on that, so it's important (assuming everyone agrees with me).

Hm. You could try 1. mixing the milk with soy, in varying proportions until you don't mind/like the soy 2. just using less milk each time you have cereal, and eating more other things at breakfast (fruit, pancakes, whatever) 3. a combination of the above.

As for the cheese... Just being conscious of when you're eating it is a good step, or cutting the cheese in various recipes down slightly, again until you are comfortable with much less than you have now.

[squittycat.livejournal.com]

I've found that the Silk and Vitasoy brands are most palatable to people who prefer the taste of cow milk, and both are available at many grocery stores. Make sure you get the Vitasoy that's marketed to "Westerners" ... the type marketed to Asians (You'll know it from the square boxy-box with Chinese markings all over to it) is probably of the type that "makes you wanna hurl." Remember, though, that many people feel like hurling when they drink cow milk! Anyway, Vitasoy in the tall, milk-carton-looking carton is nice and creamy; give it a try. Again, Silk is fine too, but there's a rumor that it's manufactured by the Dairy Industry so that they can continue to make money off people who don't buy dairy products. Dunno if it's true... I don't drink the stuff anyway. :)

[fjorab-teke.livejournal.com]

Silk turns my stomach. I was tempted to try their vanilla and other flavors, but their plain was unsettling enough. :-/

[squittycat.livejournal.com]

Hmm then. Don't know if Vitasoy will appeal to you then, because the Silk brand always struck me as less "offensive" than say, what you'd get in Chinatown, which had traditionally been my exposure to soymilk, being of partial Chinese descent. Hard to compare the Silk with the Vitasoy, though. Couldn't hurt to try, I suppose.

[fjorab-teke.livejournal.com]

I will have to ask my local favorite coffeeshop what brand they have. I tried a sip of it, and it wasn't that bad.