“Got milk?” campaign, created by the Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the California Milk Processor Board in 1993, was launched to promote milk as a needed nutritious food option to help boost sales for dairy farmers. Today the new slogan should be “Need milk?”. Humans (besides domestic cats on occasion) are the only mammals in the world who drink milk after nursing regularly or use milk to make other dairy products (ex: cheese, ice cream, etc), so the real question is do we truly even need to consume dairy to meet our nutritional needs or can we consume other non-dairy items to meet those needs? One of the main propos for drinking milk, or eating dairy in general, is the amount of calcium (300mg per 1 cup of skim milk) it contains, which promotes strong healthy bones. This actually is a very true statement, but we as humans after infancy are not able to produce the enzyme, lactase, to break down the sugar, lactose, that is in milk (lactose intolerance). Recent studies have shown that about 60% of adults do not produce enough lactase! It is so crazy how we, as Americans, have such a high dairy economy and the majority of us cannot even digest it!
Keep in mind that if you are lactose intolerant or choose to avoid dairy all together, it is VERY important to make sure you are getting your daily requirement of calcium. Calcium’s purpose in the body is for contracting muscles, strengthening bones and teeth, blood clotting, conducting nerve impulses (which relates to muscle contraction), as well as a maintaining a few other processes. If you do not consume enough calcium a day your body with draw it out of your bones and send it to your organs (brain, heart, etc), which will result in the weakening of the walls of your bones. A lack or deficiency of calcium can result in osteoporosis (What commonly people think of older women when said, which is why women after menopause need more calcium). The amount of daily intake varies for all ages:
- Children (ages 6-11): 800-1200mg/day
- Young adults (ages 11-24): 1200-1500mg/day
- Men/Women (ages 25-50):1000mg/day
- Pregnant women (1200mg/day) & menopausal women (1300-1500mg/day)
- Men/Women (age 65 and up):1500mg/day
Now, I am not saying that the world should stop using dairy all together. I grew up loving milk, which I still do, and use to drive through Wisconsin to enjoy fresh cheese with my family once a year. What I am suggesting is that people consume dairy in MODERATION, as with all things. I will say this though, if you do drink milk make sure that it is fat free due to the amount of saturated fat in milk (4.6grams in a cup of whole milk). Keep in mind that there are so many other food sources that can support the amount of calcium: sesame seeds (1/4 cup = 351mg), spinach/green leafy vegetables (1 cup, boiled = 245-266mg), almonds (1oz = 75mg). There are SO many more options to choose from!
Jena Campbell
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