Eating For Health

Odd that so many people are choosing plant-based beverages labeled as “milk” over real cow’s milk.   Most people do this thinking these plant-based “milks” are nutritionally superior to real cow’s milk.   Is it?   If one replaces real milk with plant-based milks, are they missing out on important nutrients?   Yes.   Yet the popularity of these plant-based milks continues.   A recent article in the paper, Stop Milking it, farmers tell plant-based competitors ” describes how dairy farmers are concerned as to why   plant-based beverages can be labeled “milk” when they contain no milk at all.    What has happened to real cow’s milk?   Dairy farmers across the country are pushing to have “milk” mean from a “cow” and not the plant-based milk – oat, almond, soy and other plant-based beverages labeled “milk”.   North Carolina has led the states in legislating what can be called “milk”. The farmers aren’t trying to restrict producti...

Milk at meals is a healthy choice for kids over one year of age.   Children need milk for calcium and vitamin D for healthy bones.   Milk is also an excellent source of protein and provides many other nutrients important to good health.   Most parents give their kids cow’s milk every day, but for many reasons, some parents are choosing to give their kids non-cow milk alternatives like Almond Milk or Soy Milk.   A new study looked at the growth of children receiving cow’s milk, almond milk, soy milk, or rice milk.    Study:   the researchers studied over 5,000 children ranging in age from 2 -6 years.   They looked at daily intake of cow’s milk and non-cow’s milk alternatives such as soy milk and almond milk. Findings:   Compared with children who consumed cow’s milk, those who drank non-cow’s milk were shorter than average for their age .... For each cup of cow’s milk a child drank, they were 0.2 centimeters taller.   Some ki...

Have you heard of fa!rlife (the brand uses all lower case letters and an exclamation point for the “i”) Milk?   My daughter asked me if I had heard of it and a friend of hers read about it in a Men’s Health magazine.   The friend really liked the taste of it.   So, what is it and how does it differ from regular cow’s milk?   Is it healthier, does it cost more?   What is Fairlife (intentional cap) milk? It is cow’s milk that is altered in a number of ways.   One it is it ultra-filtered and two a lactase enzyme is added.   Like regular skim or fat-free milk, it is fortified with vitamins A and D. How is Fairlife milk different from regular cow’s milk, from Almond milk? Ultra-filtered – you may have seen other milks labeled “ultra-filtered”.   Ultra-filtration creates milk that has a longer shelf life.   Pasteurized milk means it is heated for 15-20 seconds to kill off some of the harmful bacteria.   Ultra-filtered milk ...