# Got Milk?



## Ceicei (Jan 7, 2008)

This came from an article that showed up last Friday 1/4/08 on MSN website:  Does milk really do a body good? 

The reason why I brought this up is I've encountered several teenagers who complain "milk is too fattening", other people say milk isn't healthy anymore due to "additional chemicals".  I've heard some athletes say that milk is great after a workout, yet there are some that says water does better.

I thought it interesting how the article points out that calcium pills do not provide the same benefits as drinking milk does...  Maybe that is something more women should consider as I've met several other adult females who say they "don't drink milk because of the taste" so prefer the pills to add to their food?  :idunno:  Is this a female thing?  I haven't heard yet of a male making this complaint due to taste.

I am a milk lover and have always been so... I drink several glasses daily.  I prefer whole milk, but my husband insists on 2%, so that is typically what is available at our house.  I do try to bring at least one gallon of whole milk once a month, since all my children (who are into sports too) and I love how whole milk does for us physically.  I wonder if this article may allow my husband to think differently about whole milk?

Anyway, I thought this article would be interesting to discuss as there are apparently several viewpoints out there about milk.  What are your thoughts?  Do you drink milk, especially after you work out?  Why or why not?

- Ceicei


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## Catalyst (Jan 7, 2008)

I drink at least 2 glasses of milk every day. 
I have at least 1 glass with breakfast and 1 glass at dinner.
I don't specifically time my intake for directly after workouts.

I've always been told that milk is good for you, and I like the taste. 
We use the 2% milk (I don't like skim milk - it's just too "runny")

I think a lot of the results of any "scientific" study are determined by who is funding the study and what their agenda is.

If your local dairy farmers are funding the study - it will say milk is healthy. 
If another group that is opposed to milk funds a study, then it will say milk is unhealthy. 

I've seen the same scenarios with 
coffee
butter
etc.

You kind of don't know who to believe. I just trust my gut instincts (no pun intended) and drink milk.


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## ktaylor75 (Jan 7, 2008)

I am a milk lover myself!  However, I find that if I drink it before a workout of any kind, I find it impairs my breathing (I have asthma), so no more milk or coffee in the AM for me.  I drink skim milk, on occassion 1% milk.  I always drink a couple glasses near bedtime, as it helps with my acid reflux so that I don't have to take any pills for that.  I don't really know whether its helpful after workouts or not, I just drink it because it tastes good.  Sorry  I couldn't answer your questions though.


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## tellner (Jan 7, 2008)

I used to like it but lost the taste and lactase somewhere in my mid 20s.


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## Andrew Green (Jan 7, 2008)

I don't drink milk, at first it was the taste, now it also leaves me feeling not so good in the belly.  

Milk industry definatley makes it out to be much more important then it is, worldwide most adults are lactose intolerant, as are pretty much all animals.  Outside of folks coming from Europe, it's pretty uncommon to be able to digest milk into adulthood though.

Of course I still suck back the occasional milkshake... which I sometimes regret later on, but they are worth it


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## MA-Caver (Jan 7, 2008)

When I was a kid I drank milk constantly (thank goodness it was way cheaper than the average $5.00 a gallon today). Much of that was fresh milk (literally) from the cows with the cream still floating on the top.
Now, I've lost the taste for milk and don't like it straight like I used to. Chocolate milk yeah sure, and occasionally strawberry flavored Quik and they are used to mask the taste. Eating it with cereal (raisin bran, cheerioes, Apple Jacks, etc) yeah no problem but straight in a glass... nah, just grew out of it I suppose :idunno: But to date I haven't broken any bones, ever... cracked a rib and a thumb but broke it outright... nope. 

I've taken to drinking 2% because it's just as rich tasting (irony) as whole milk, though I wouldn't have a problem with drinking whole. I think the 2% is more psychological in that it's only 2% fat as opposed to whatever percentage whole milk fat is. As for 1% omigod who can drink that? It's just water with milk coloring. 
Now that your hubby has lost a lot of the (Pepsi) weight :wink2: and he is exercising regularly, I think he could handle the "extra fat" that whole milk provides because he'll work it off. This is true with any "fatty" food. Exercising via walks around a block or three daily goes a long way.
That's the key I found to _any_ (healthy weight loss diet. All that low fat foods with lots of exercise goes a long way. Once you're at your ideal-desired weight then keep exercising to keep it that way. 
People, lots of people, say I'm skinny... I'm not really. Slender yes but I've got muscular definition that one can see with my shirt off. All of it is because I do exercise on a regular basis.


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## Blindside (Jan 7, 2008)

Ceicei said:


> Anyway, I thought this article would be interesting to discuss as there are apparently several viewpoints out there about milk. What are your thoughts? Do you drink milk, especially after you work out? Why or why not?


 
Nope, lactose intolerant, nuff said.


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## shesulsa (Jan 7, 2008)

I drank whole milk as a child on up into young adult hood. I went vegan for about a decade but couldn't stand the taste of the milk alternatives - still really can't when it comes down to *drinking* a glass of milk.  Reverted back to milk at 2% and slowly worked my way down to nonfat milk - the whole family drinks nonfat. I supplement the fat in my kids diets through other avenues.

I have strong bones, calcium levels are normal.  

I prefer the taste of the milk ice cold and try to reserve drinking it for when I have heartburn.  I get better digestion with nonfat organic milk or milk from free range cows and no added hormones, pesticides or antibiotics than high-profile dairy milk.

I lean towards Catalyst's opinion on studies, though I think the factory farm industry has damaged the quality of many whole farm animal foods and by-products.


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## crushing (Jan 7, 2008)

I put milk on my breakfast cereal, but don't drink much milk other than that.  Sometimes I like a glass of it.  Part of me thinks that cow's milk is really for baby cows.  But, until the baby cow lobby prevails or I become lactose intolerant, I'll keep putting it on my cereal.


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## Kacey (Jan 7, 2008)

I have milk daily on my cereal, and use the excess in the bowl to take my vitamins.  Sometimes I drink milk at night - especially if I'm having trouble sleeping.

When I was a kid, my sister and I drank so much whole milk that we didn't eat; my mother took us to a doctor to find out why we weren't eating, and at a time when kids _only_ drank whole milk, he prescribe 2%.  Since I was about 2 1/2, I don't really remember drinking whole milk, and now it's too rich/thick for me, especially since at some point about 5 or 6 years ago I switched to 1%.


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## Shuto (Jan 8, 2008)

tellner said:


> I used to like it but lost the taste and lactase somewhere in my mid 20s.


 
Me too.  The thought of drinking a glass of milk is repulsive to me but I used to drink a lot of it as a child.  I wonder what happened?

I read the article but I didn't see anything about cheese.  I wonder if it is the same, better (no lactase issues) or worse (saturated fat issues) than milk.


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## Jade Tigress (Jan 8, 2008)

I love milk. I drink Skim. I used to drink it all the time, but not so much anymore. I don't know why. But anyway, milk actually helps you LOSE weight.


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## Ping898 (Jan 9, 2008)

I don't drink milk, I am lactose intolerant, so no cows milk and I am allergic to soy so no soy milk.  I use Lactaid when I do a recipe that requires milk, but I don't like it on it's own, so I don't drink milk....


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## jim777 (Jan 10, 2008)

I love milk, drink it all the time. My wife drinks the fat free, and the rest of us go with 2%. Once in a while my wife will get me a gallon of whole milk (4%?) to be nice  but it doesn't last long. It wouldn't be my first choice in 100 degree weather, but I love it and don't have any intollerance to it. I know it isn't considered a 'grown up' drink, but it has never bothered me.

jim


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## dungeonworks (Jan 12, 2008)

I like milk products such as yogurt and various cheeses (I LOVE ICE CREAM!!!).  I very rarely drink it straight but do use it daily every morning in my coffee too, so basically, I like milk by-products you could say.  A nutritionist as well as my old chiropractor (their was no affiliation between the two) said if calcium is what you are seeking, then eat raw spinach.  According to both, raw spinach is one of the very best sources of "absorbable" calcium you can put in your body.  Numerous studies show milk is of little/no use to most adults.  I tend to agree based on the number of people I know that are lactose intolerant.


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## Shuto (Jan 15, 2008)

link

They claim to have engineered carrots to contain more calcium.  The problem is, besides the GE aspect I hate carrots.  

I'll just have to stick with spinach and cheese for my calcium needs.

edit - 

It is not the first time the carrot has been tampered with. 

The orange colour we know is the result of Dutch cultivation in the 17th Century, when patriotic growers turned a vegetable which was then purple into the colour of the national flag. 

I find that interesting.  I just purchased some seed that produce a purplish carrot.  I thought they were a new variety but it sounds like they are based on older varieties than the typical orange ones.


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## kaizasosei (Jan 15, 2008)

> Me too. The thought of drinking a glass of milk is repulsive to me but I used to drink a lot of it as a child. I wonder what happened?



me three.  this is exactly my case. i don't know exactly when, but when i was around 6 or 7, i stopped drinking milk straight.  i found the taste to be revolting.  i still put it in cereals sparingly, later discovered johgurt and chocolate or other flavoured milk. i never had a problem with icecream.

still, this is the first time that i hear of people that describe exactly what i went through.  a strange relationship to milk. i have come to see many benefits of milkdrinking. im not sure if there are any really bad effect for people, but it's probaby the right thing to do to listen to ones feeling in most cases.  
it's just so weird that some people guzzle the stuff.  i could do that with chocolate milk, but not with pure.

btw, i just found this out recently.  a mystery solved.  if you drink milk that is too cold, the body is not able to digest it and it turns into something like soft cheese.


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## Shuto (Jan 15, 2008)

kaizasosei said:


> btw, i just found this out recently. a mystery solved. if you drink milk that is too cold, the body is not able to digest it and it turns into something like soft cheese.


 
Too much information!  ;-)


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## TheOriginalName (Jan 15, 2008)

Milk - yep i drink it. Not as much as i use too but i still love it. I've switched from full to low fat on dietician's advice.....but i'm naughty every now and then and go for the full. 

I once read that something like 50% of people have a lactose intollerance of some degree....which is perhaps why some people like it and others don't. Unfortunately i can't remember where i read that....so take it with a grain of salt. 

But at the end of the day it's a great source of calcium - not the only source by a long short, but a very good source. 

At the end of the day though, we as martial artists need to care for our bodies because they are our "weapons". Everyone is different, so we each need to care for our bodies in different ways. Some people may drink milk - others may not - but if we ensure we get all the nutrients\vitamens and the other stuff we need it shouldn't really matter. 

So find out what works for you - discuss it with a doctor\nutionist\dietician if you have doubts\concerns and then put it in place and don't worry about what others are doing.

Just my 2 cents.......


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