It is a mistake to link it to poor health, says THE GLOBE AND MAIL's dietitian, Leslie Beck ( Milk (cow) is a convenient way to get nutrients vitamin D and calcium and protein)

It is a mistake to link it to poor health, says THE GLOBE AND MAIL's dietitian, Leslie Beck

Harvard professor of pediatrics David Ludwig, MD, points out that milk – even unsweetened milk – is high in sugar. But it’s a mistake to link it to poor health, says the Globe’s dietitian, Leslie Beck.

While she agrees with Harvard professor of pediatrics David Ludwig, MD, on the calcium front – we don’t need milk to get our daily dose of calcium – she cautions about getting too concerned with fat content when it comes to kids and milk. “What kid is going to eat cooked collard greens to get calcium?”

“Dairy provides calcium and protein, and most kids will drink it,” she says. “There are bigger fish to fry: Instead of worrying about that glass of milk, let’s take a look at their meals and snack foods, cereal bars, goldfish crackers, cookies – things that kids are eating that spike their blood sugar and increase premature hunger.”

Beck also cautions against looking at sugar as a dietary thermometer for health: I was shocked to read my tiny carton of fat-free skim milk had 11 grams of sugar.

“That’s naturally occurring – that’s lactose, not added sugar,” she says. “Most people read the labels on milk and yogurt and say ‘oh my god!’, but you’ve got to think that’s naturally occurring. You’re getting so many other nutrients along with that sugar.”

As for cow milk’s place in the human diet, Beck says, that’s a different kettle of fish – or, er, cattle.

Cow’s milk has been so culturally accepted – but wouldn’t my colleagues have shunned me if I opted for a carton of say, horse milk – or worse, human milk? To Ludwig’s point – why is cow milk, or any animal milk, acceptable?

“That’s pretty controversial, isn’t it?” says Beck, who says she sticks to a plant-based diet. “You can get a lot of nutrients from cow’s milk – vitamin D, calcium, protein – but you don’t need milk to have a great diet, that’s for sure.”

For details see http://m.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/got-milk-this-study-may-make-you-rethink-that-choice/article13012218/?service=mobile

Sent from my iPhone