Michele Simon’s wrote a report about the whitewashing of America, or brain washing with milk and other dairy products. Dairy has been promoted as one of “natures” best foods. I think the take away here is yet again to always read the ingredients. Yogurt has been touted as a great probiotic, and it can be, but most of the yogurts should actually be called dessert with the amount of added sugar often included. Knowing where your milk comes from can bring peace of mind and benefit the cows as well.
A few interesting points she focuses on are that half of the milk from dairy cows is consumed as flavored milk (think chocolate milk), with cereal or in a drink (like coffee). That’s a lot of milk just used to sweeten or wet dry foods. And 11 percent of all sugar goes into dairy products. America has a sweet tooth, and in order to promote “adequate calcium intake” we’ve been taught to eat desserts for breakfast and for snacks any time of the day. And you know something’s not quite right when chocolate milk is touted as “the perfect balance of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and protein- a combination that can’t be found in any other beverage.” There’s marketing, and then there’s lying. We’ve lost sight of the line between the two. Know your facts and get past the idea that milk is the only thing that will make bones strong.
Dairy itself doesn’t have to be demonized as you can find quality, unsweetened healthful dairy, but the extraneous sugar and additives aren’t helping solve any of the obesity, diabetes, or osteoporosis problems. Making your own cheese and yogurt from quality milk is easier than you might think.
Read her full blog post here: Whitewashed