I find that in general (well certainly with members of my family), that people don’t listen to any real health advice unless it comes straight from Oprah or Dr. Oz. That could be a scary thing, but the concerns with milk that I have had for years are being discussed like it’s new news. Why? Because Dr. Oz mentioned it. So, of course, it has to be true, right?
Not all milk is created equal
I don’t want to start this off like I am grouping all milk together under one umbrella. I’m just making reference to the “default” milk. The way in which the cows are treated, raised and medicated results in a “not so good for you” product, that we should be clear on.
The jury is still out for me whether goat’s milk from properly raised goats is appropriate. I’m leaning towards the “yes” side there. I know very little about milk from other animals, but of course I think that mother’s milk is appropriate. My son was given mother’s milk for the first couple years of his life, despite pokes from well meaning loved ones.
And, as controversial as I know it can be, I also find bovine colostrum (from Surthrival) appropriate for human health. I appreciate how the product was obtained and only after the calves had their share, and I love that it contains all essential fats, proteins, and sugars. It’s a perfect food as far as I can tell.
Then, of course we have nut and seed milks. Depends how they were prepared/stored, I think we have some very nutritious milk, or would it be mylk, to satisfy thirst and some nutritional needs.
No dairy for my kids
We have never been one to give our kids dairy products. Actually, to be completely transparent, my first daughter is on a fixed diet of Ensure-like dairy fed through a tube. I cringe at the thought of that being ALL she gets, but my concerns fell on deaf ears. No greens, no fruit, no vegetables, just some man made nonsense in a can.
My second daughter was given cheese slices a bit in the early days, and both my youngest get a very small amount of Feta cheese in a salad on occasion. I’m just happy they are eating the salad too.
But other than that, their milk is almond milk. They get hemp and coconut milks occasionally as well, but primarily almond. I do have slight concerns there because we don’t always make it fresh and the container is lined with “I have no idea” and there are some strange ingredients.
We still make our own nut and seed milks on occasion, but it hasn’t been a regular steady thing as of yet.
You don’t believe in calcium because you don’t give your child milk
My mother is appalled that our kids don’t get milk. Not directly to me, but she has shared with other relatives that “Keith doesn’t believe in calcium.” She says this because my kids don’t drink milk (you know, the default stuff).
And to be clear, I don’t suggest that nut milks replace their calcium, I look to the kid’s daily green smoothies for that.
What’s your take on being dairy free? What is your primary source of calcium?
