I've been reading a lot of controversial things about milk lately. That you shouldn't drink your calories but rather eat them. The only liquids you should be ingesting are: water, tea and black coffee.

I'm a milk drinker, always have been. I drink skim milk but my question is this: how much is too much? I've tried soy, rice and almond milk and can't get past the taste. Skim milk is 90 calories per 8 oz. glass and I'm in maintenance now so I'm concerned about my caloric intake. Also, I don't want brittle bones and calcium is needed for a strong skeleton.

Can someone shed some light on this because there's so much conflicting information floating around?

I don't have any better info than you do, but I'll tell you my solution: I only drink water. Milk has too much sugar. Because I went from drinking milk to not, my nutritionist suggested taking a calcium supplement, which I do. But I thought you could only build bone density until about age 30 - does having a high calcium intake matter later in life?

My boyfriend struggles with this a lot. He normally drinks at least a gallon of skim a week and averages 6 or so 8 oz glasses a day. He's been trying to stay with just 4 servings a day but that's still almost a whole meal of calories he's drinking instead of eating. It's something non-negotiable for him to cut out so he works out just a little bit more to try to offset it. My advice is that you definitely work it in your plan if you really love it.

The way I see it is you need to take everything with a grain of salt; advice, studies, etc are all great resources but at the end of the day you have to sort of decide what you can and can't live with. Anything in moderation is what I've taken away from my diet journey so far

Not drinking calories usually comes from the school of thought that most calories...when they are in liquid form... aren't as filling/satisfying as are solid foods.

This is 100% up to the individual.

Are you perfectly happy drinking a glass of milk and using your calories this way? Then keep doing it for as long as you're content with it.

Or are you saying you'd rather use those 90 calories for something solid? You could always eat more yogurt and cheeses.

Thanks for the responses. Some good points were brought up like: moderation, maybe working a glass or two into my caloric intake and taking these studies with a grain of salt.

I do eat a ton of cottage cheese so it's not like I'm getting no calcium in my diet. Brittle bones does concern me b/c I have a few risk factors so I don't think I would completely cut skim milk from my diet. Maybe cut down and just be more conscious of liquid calories. I rarely drink juice anymore and that's helped me to be more aware of my daily calories. It's just all I heard when growing up was "drink your milk", it's hard to wrap your head around a new way of thinking overnight.

A quick note about the calcium thing - Recent studies have shown that people who drink 2 glasses of milk a day have TWICE the risk of bone fractures as people that drink a glass or less a week. Calcium is what gives bones their hardness, and when they become too hard, they become brittle. Some calcium in the diet is important (it also helps to regulate the ph of the blood) but too much can pose a risk later in life. Just my two cents!

I'm lucky in that I don't have to worry about that, as I don't regularly drink milk. When I do, my soundtrack turns to the sound of gas masks overlain by the lamentation of women.

If you can work it into your plan, and it satisfies you, do it. If it wouldn't satisfy you any more than water, don't do it. If your milk must necessarily be accompanied by either Oreos or Captain Crunch, really don't do it.

As for me? There oughta be a law.

YES, You do need Calcium throughout your life, along with weight-bearing exercise to keep your bones strong and free from osterporosis. I think the "milk" thing is that moderation is what is recommended. If you eat yogurt, cottage cheese & other calcium containing items, you should not overdo the milk. Remember that Vit D is very important, esp if you live in the NE or NW where the sun is not plentiful and mild and cereals are fortified with this essential vitamin, so bottoms up in moderation!

Much of it is personal preferance I heard a chiroparctor give a talk one time,he has two young children , they have never tasted cow's milk. I , personally drink non fat milk or almond milk, I drink about a quart a day. My doctor has reccommended that I also take calcicum pills. I plan to keep on drinking milk. It took me awhile to learn to like nonfat milk, but now I prefer it.

If you work it into your calories and enjoy it, I think that's great. But I would encourage you to buy organic if you are not already to avoid the hormones and antibiotics in the regular stuff as I have heard all kinds of bad things about non-organic milk lately. Also, make sure the milk you drink has Vitamin D and Magnesium as that helps the body to actually absorb and benefit more from the Calcium.

I agree with this, 100%.

- L89

Don't forget that calcium is in a lot of other foods, not just dairy. There are plenty of vegans or people that are dairy-intolerant that get all the calcium they need just from vegetables Leafy greens, broccoli, figs.. there are a lot of surprising sources of calcium out there.

You could get super technical…My doc has me on Vitamin D pills since it is supposed to increase positive mood receptors in the body AND help the body absorb calcium. She said that it is key for the body to have Vitamin D for calcium absorption but so many people are Vitamin D deficient. So don’t just focus on your calcium alone. To each his own!

Bottom line: If the milk is an important part of your day then work it in…if you don’t have the calories/points then don’t drink it.