cross post -- is dairy good or bad?
 

This is a cross-post from the Nutrition forum. I'd appreciate the view of vegetarians. :)

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First, let me say that having grown up in Wisconsin, I know that discussions about dairy can become political, and that's not my intent with this thread. I've heard various opinions on whether dairy products are, as far as nutrition is concerned, good or bad. I'm curious what other people think and know.

On one hand, milk has a lot of calcium, and is supposedly a good source of calcium. Milk has protein, and it has vitamins in it when milk producers add them. The sources for this information include the dairy industry
and the USDA. Obviously the dairy industry is biased. The USDA is supposed to educate Americans on nutrition, and it is therefore a better source than the dairy industry. But I know from my studies in administrative law and dairy politics that the milk industry plays a large role in U.S. policy toward dairy.

On the other hand, combining calcium with animal protein supposedly blocks the absorption of calcium and may cause other problems. Sources for this opinion include animal rights organizations and medical research. Obviously animal rights organizations are biased. Medical doctors and researchers are, IMHO, the most reliable source on this topic.

In my case, after suffering a nasty kidney stone, I started learning about calcium. Kidney stones are often the result of calcium build up. My doctor told me that I should not reduce calcium intake, but instead that I should get calcium from sources other than animal products. The reason is that apparently calcium binds with animal protein, and therefore a lot of the calcium in dairy products ends up being processed through the kidneys, rather than used by the body for a nutrient.

I did some more research, and discovered that a lot of health professionals share the same opinion.

The animal rights organizations, which are IMHO as biased as the dairy industry, claim that milk is unhealthy for the same reason, plus they claim that dairy products contain mucus and harmful hormones that farmers give to cows in order to increase milk production. I don't know about the mucus issue, but there is support for the harmful hormones opinion.

What do you all think? What other knowledge do you all have about this topic? I'm not trying to start a debate, I just want more knowledge on this topic.

Thanks!

I have heard that non animal calcium is not as absorbed. Can you tell me where you found the info on it being false??? I'm just curious.

I think milk is a joke personally. I started researching it when my dd was found to be lactose intolerant at a few days old when my dd supplemented my breastfeeding with a couple bottles of formula to let me sleep. Her dr. showed me the difference in lactose in breastmilk and "cows milk" formula and said to use soy if we continue to supplement. Ever since then I have been researching and reading up on cows milk. I also read and hear that soy isn't so good either. I think someone out there can find something wrong with EVERYTHING we consume but I really do believe that cow's milk is not "great" for us. Especially since from what I've read the human body stops producing latace needed to digest it at 2 years old. Of course some hold onto enough to do okay with it.

I myself am also mildly lactose intolerant and get upset tummy and gas pains from what little I do consume at this time(mostly ice cream and cheese).

*Edited to remove some links I dunno if they were against the rules.*