Searcher Post in Response to Milk

In response to Manmit's post about milk consumption in America, I thought she really struck home about modern society’s obsession with milk consumption. When I think of my middle school cafeteria I can only picture the walls adorned with “Got Milk?” posters and the faces of famous athletes and stars donning the famous milk ‘stache. Not to mention, milk was the only beverage offered besides water. So what is it with this milk obsession? Is it really as healthy as we think it is?

While milk arguably has its benefits, Mark Bittman persuades otherwise. –-And I think that I may agree. One point that has always stood out to me about the unnaturalness of milk is the lack of milk consumption after infancy in other species besides humans (especially the consumption of milk produced another species.) Not shockingly, 50 million Americans are lactose intolerant, with milk being the second most common food allergy after peanuts. So although many modern humans have developed lactose persistence, many still haven’t. This makes me wonder how the lactose persistence evolution trend will continue.

Dairy is definitely a staple in the American diet but studies prove it may not be a necessary staple. In fact, Vitamin D from good old sunshine and some exercise seem much more responsible for healthy bones than the calcium from fat rich milk. (http://www.nbcnews.com/id/7115733/#.UQtB60pU5hM) Bittman states that there is a correlation between Type I diabetes and prostate cancer, although I could not find any other research supporting this. I do believe that milk was likely a source for not only his heartburn but the acid reflux of many Americans, due to the acidity of milk. From what I can tell, if you like drinking milk, there is no harm. With that said, I also believe that it definitely not as crucial to our health as we have been brainwashed to believe.