What we are really eating... at least in the U.S.

[Monica]

Did you know in each glass of milk there is approximatively 6-9 drops of cow puss and traces of blood from infections caused by over-milking and growth hormones?

Oh my goodness. I have milk on my muesli in the morning. That statement has just thrown that on it's head.

I can sympathize! Nothing like a good dose of reality to put a damper on our favorite foods!

And that's not even counting all the antibiotics and hormones routinely injected into dairy cows (linked to ovarian and uterine cancers in women, breast cancer in both women and men, and early puberty in children).

The catch 22 situation is that soya production (for Soya milk in this context), is a rainforest killer.

Soy milk, although touted as a health food, is actually highly refined and of questionable health value. Soy is much easier to digest when it's fermented, such as in tofu, tempeh and miso, rather than in the form of soy isolate, as is found in soy milk.

A healthier (and more environmentally friendly) alternative is nut milk. Just take a handful of raw almonds, sunflowers, filberts, hazelnuts or cashews, soak overnight, then blend on high. If using a regular blender, you'll need to strain else it will be gritty. No straining necessary if using a VitaMix. Add honey and a dash of vanilla. YUM!!! Creamy, tasty, and oh so good for you! Rich in protein, calcium, magnesium, and essential fatty acids (the 'healthy' oils). MUCH healthier than either dairy or soy milk.

You can add bananas and strawberries and/or blueberries for a yummy 'milk' shake that even the kiddos will love!

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If it's really as bad as you advertise I should be a wreck.

I used to loooooooove milk and cheese. I drank a big glass or 2 of milk at least twice a day. I loved milk and cookies as a child. And as a teen, nearly every meal had a lot of cheese. Pizza, tacos, enchiladas...I live in a city with a large Hispanic population so Mexican food is an everyday thing. CHEESE! With every meal!

I suffered from chronic sinus headaches, and had cold several times per year.

When I gave up milk (at the same time I gave up meat and sugar), I didn't have a single cold or sinus headache for 10 years.

I never gave my son milk. He got mama's milk and later nut milk (and some soy milk before I knew better). He never had a single ear infection. Nearly every other mom I know battles ear infections in her children on a regular basis. I believe the milk has a lot to do with that (although there are certainly other factors too).

That's just my personal story, anecdotal of course. But in the wholistic community it's sort of common knowledge that milk is 'mucus-forming' meaning contributing to colds, sinus problems, constipation, etc. A nutritionist I once knew was fond of calling it 'cement mixer.'

Of course, it might not bother you as much as it did me.

If anyone is ever interested in trying an experiment, it might be fun to see if they notice any difference in their health (or digestion, heartburn, etc.) if they tried giving up meat and dairy for, say, a month.

In holland we had an saying that still goes around. Milk is good for anyone.. (Melk is goed voor elk) they had to rectify that of course. But going the other way and saying it's bad for everyone, well that's also not true. The dutch drink a lot of milk. And we're on the whole very healthy people.

Is that saying a recent saying or does it date back many centuries? Historically, humans drank raw milk. It's only relatively recently that milk has been homogenized and pasteurized. Raw milk and pasteurized milk are completely different. Raw milk has enzymes intact, important for digestion. Pasteurized milk has had the enzymes killed.

Dr. Mercola has some excellent info on the milk controversy:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articl...iquid.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articl...t-one.aspx

Disclaimer: I personally and vehemently disagree with Dr. Mercola's views on meat. But I consider him a valuable source of info. He does a great job of exposing a lot of the corruption in the food and medical industries.

In my opinion a healthy body is one that encounters a large variety of pathogens in regular doses and developed a healthy resistance against all of them.. A body that lives in a sterile environment tends to go to bits at the first sign of any pathogen.

I agree with you on this!

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And this little gem of wisdom is key to remember: "Everything in moderation."

I know that's a common 'gem' but I actually don't agree with it. It seems to imply that anything is ok as long as it's in moderation. I would agree that moderation is generally better than excess, but I don't agree that moderation necessarily makes something 'ok.' Maybe it's the word everything that doesn't resonate with me.

But that's a whole 'nother topic.

The point I was making was the ability of our body to withstand punishment.

I do see your point! My sister once told me, "If chemicals in the environment affected our health, then people would be dropping like flies." to which I replied, "They ARE!!! Haven't you noticed? Look around you! Take any 10 people and at least 8 of them will have either diabetes, cancer, heart disease, arthritis, or obesity. Look, even children are getting cancer!"

And yet, I continue to meet people who don't even do the basics...for example never drink any water but only sodas...and it amazes me that they still function. So yes, it is amazing that our bodies tolerate as much abuse as they do. At the same time, some people are much more sensitive to the abuse than others. And some are canaries in the coal mine. Some have developed sensitivities and can't even be around cell phones or computers, or eat a single bite of wheat or corn...