Kids Never need Milk! Or juice!

[Rosa]

The thing about just cutting dairy out of your diet is that just taking milk out of the standard white American diet takes out a lot of the fat, calories, vitamins and minerals. It's not the same as switching to a Chinese, Japanese, mediterranean-Italian, or other kind of diet that has lots of sea vegetables or dark greens or whatever in it.

It's totally possible to have all of those things in a dairy-free diet, but sticking with the meat, grain, dairy & a side of veg diet minus the dairy is going to leave a big deficiency. That's the thing these cheapass fundie moms seem not to notice.

(adults in my house don't drink much milk or juice but since I have an underweight kid who won't eat if he's distracted -as in a school lunch room - we fill him up with homemade or commercial dairy & fruit smoothie pretty often. Got him up to the 7% of weight-for-age this year!)

[Italymylove]

Just read the OP.

I run a daycare and we run a food program through USDA. According to USDA, a child needs milk daily (we serve it at least twice daily).

Juice however is not the best form of fruit nutrients, as a child is physically able, actual fruit should be added to the diet. Most juices have extra sugars, and all juices lack the fibre content and several nutrients whole fruit has.

[Guest Anonymous]

Most juices have extra sugars, and all juices lack the fibre content and several nutrients whole fruit has.

I'm curious: where do you live that your juice has extra sugar added? In the UK we have labelling requirements and so it is easy to tell the difference between products that are labelled, say, "100% pure orange juice" and "Orange Juice Drink". Is it not the same with the suppliers you use?

Not that I think juice is a necessity, but it can play a pleasant part of a balanced diet.

[Cran]

I've been taught (in Germany) that one portion of the recommended five per day (3 vegs, 2 fruit) can be replaced by juice, and I think that's a good rule of thumb.

On the other hand, I can't recall milk being pressed so much upon children as it seems to happen in the US. I drank hot chocolate made with milk for breakfast as a child, but many of my friends did not drink milk at all, and at the primary school I used to teach, the children were offered water to drink.

Perhaps other interests than heath alone play a part in this...

[LilMissMetaphor]

As long as I can keep sending juice and milk to my kid's school, whether or not anyone there is allergic to it, I don't give a rat's bunghole.

Come on people! Let's make this thread the new Peanut Butter War. It's been dull around here lately.

ETA: Goat cheese tastes like ass. Really assy ass.

Edited again because there was too much ass.

[Dutch Cookie]

They don't need milk. No humans need cows milk, no other species drinks milk after they are weaned. (Except domestic house cats, and you really shouldn't. Cats are lactose intolerant.)

The milk lobby is the reason everyone thinks that kids need milk. Big money to promote their product + advertising = people drinking way more milk than they need.

EDIT: I sound like Zsu. Um, I don't think it's bad if anyone else gives their kids milk, but I don't think it's doing 1/2 of what people claim it does, and the milk you buy at the store is jam packed with chemicals. Americans drink more milk than other countries, and we still have a really high rate of osteoporosis. I don't think it's horrible - it does have a lot of things that are good for people - but I don't think that it's required.

Very true. Most people don't know this. All marketing activities of the government and farmers because of the too high milk production.

[Joan of Snarc]

snip, snip, snip

Am I significantly older than you, or do you remember the crates of 1/3 pint bottles being delivered to the school by the milk van? We used to have a rota for who got to poke the straws in the top and hand it out before morning break. It was delicious except for hot summer days when it had turned warm before break time. :mrgreen:

I have seen cutesy little faux-replica bottles online (http://www.dotcomgiftshop.com/school-milk-bottles-crate) but they are not like the proper, dairy stamped, thick little stubby bottles that used to come with about 30 bottles per crate.

OMG those little bottles are adorbs and I totally want some! I don't recall anything in the U.S. ever coming in 1/3 pint containers. We did have 1/2 pint cartons of milk, which I remember were 3 cents, in elementary school.

:character-oldtimer: :twocents-mytwocents: :twocents-mytwocents: :twocents-mytwocents:

THe consistency of milk makes me gag. Ugh. I remember being told I had to drink all of my milk at lunch as a kid. I was sick the rest of the day.

Me too. I have always thought milk was the grossest thing; I don't see how people drink a big glass of it. I remember my mom bitchin at me to drink my milk when I was little. One day she forced me to drink it along with the ravioli she fed me for lunch and as soon as I got it down it came right back up all over the table. She never made me drink my milk again. :pray:

I have no problem with other dairy products, though. I'll happily eat cheese or yogurt or cottage cheese, etc. But I cannot abide milk. Just something about it. It's making me nauseated just to think about it, honestly.

I just found a smoking crack smiley:

WTF? Okay then.

[OkToBeTakei]

As long as I can keep sending juice and milk to my kid's school, whether or not anyone there is allergic to it, I don't give a rat's bunghole.

Come on people! Let's make this thread the new Peanut Butter War. It's been dull around here lately.

ETA: Goat cheese tastes like ass. Really assy ass.

Edited again because there was too much ass.

:lol:

Can't stand the stuff. Certainly not as popular here as in the US where it appears as important as owning a gun :P

[PokaDot]

They don't need milk. No humans need cows milk, no other species drinks milk after they are weaned. (Except domestic house cats, and you really shouldn't. Cats are lactose intolerant.)

The milk lobby is the reason everyone thinks that kids need milk. Big money to promote their product + advertising = people drinking way more milk than they need.

EDIT: I sound like Zsu. Um, I don't think it's bad if anyone else gives their kids milk, but I don't think it's doing 1/2 of what people claim it does, and the milk you buy at the store is jam packed with chemicals. Americans drink more milk than other countries, and we still have a really high rate of osteoporosis. I don't think it's horrible - it does have a lot of things that are good for people - but I don't think that it's required.

Well, humans do a lot of things that "no other species" does. Like go to school, cook food, wear clothing, use a vehicle to get around.

I guess we should stop doing that too.

Anyways, I was under the impression that the reason so many parts of the world is lactose intolerance isn't because of genes, but rather because the enzymes to help digest dairy go away. By drinking milk and eating other dairy products, you keep these enzymes around and are able to enjoy the wonders of ice cream into a ripe old age :-D.

But seriously? If someone wants to drink milk (or not drink milk) why do people give a damn so much about it? Milk isn't illegal, so if I want to provide it to my family, that's my business. From the fights I've seen on FB over this, you'd think drinking milk is a sin that will send you to hell.

[Turtle]

Well, humans do a lot of things that "no other species" does. Like go to school, cook food, wear clothing, use a vehicle to get around.

I guess we should stop doing that too.

Anyways, I was under the impression that the reason so many parts of the world is lactose intolerance isn't because of genes, but rather because the enzymes to help digest dairy go away. By drinking milk and eating other dairy products, you keep these enzymes around and are able to enjoy the wonders of ice cream into a ripe old age :-D.

But seriously? If someone wants to drink milk (or not drink milk) why do people give a damn so much about it? Milk isn't illegal, so if I want to provide it to my family, that's my business. From the fights I've seen on FB over this, you'd think drinking milk is a sin that will send you to hell.

Dude. I have seen some craaazies on Facebook go nit about "cows milk for cow babies". Typically, they are also the ones who push breastfeeding as the only ONLY option. Sometimes they switch it up and argue that anything other than raw milk is poison and that drinking raw milk will cure any problem ever.

My kids get juice if they need to poop or as a yummy treat if they are staying with Grammy and Gramps. We don't care for milk, so we don't drink it. My kids love cheese and yogurt, so they get their calcium that way. We also like chocolate almond milk/banana smoothies. Yum.

[Boogalou]

Well, humans do a lot of things that "no other species" does. Like go to school, cook food, wear clothing, use a vehicle to get around.

I guess we should stop doing that too.

Anyways, I was under the impression that the reason so many parts of the world is lactose intolerance isn't because of genes, but rather because the enzymes to help digest dairy go away. By drinking milk and eating other dairy products, you keep these enzymes around and are able to enjoy the wonders of ice cream into a ripe old age :-D.

But seriously? If someone wants to drink milk (or not drink milk) why do people give a damn so much about it? Milk isn't illegal, so if I want to provide it to my family, that's my business. From the fights I've seen on FB over this, you'd think drinking milk is a sin that will send you to hell.

That's kind of both true. Your genes determine if you will produce lactase (the enzyme that digests lactose) after you are weaned. So the enzymes that digest dairy do go away but its determined by your genes, not your diet.

[browngrl]

Meh. You don't really need milk or juice (although if you like them and portion control I can't really think of an evidence based reason not to use them). You can get the nutrients provided in milk and juice from alternative sources and filling up on milk/juice may prevent children from eating a balanced meal at a meal time.

Fundies irritate the hell out of me so I am happy to snark at the slightest provocation but in this particular instance - I'm giving this fundie a pass.

[Muriel]

I think that in France they eat a lot more real cheese and yogurt, at least that was my impression when I visited. They do have milk, but it's in the shelf stable boxes. (they also use milk, butter and cream in cooking) So I don't know that they eat less dairy, just in different forms.

Yes ! That's very true. In my family we eat cheese, our cheeses are very different from the American ones, they are made of raw milk, from cow, goat or ewe and we don't get sick with them ;)

My children started eating cheese and yoghurt very early and those are a staple food for us. We don't drink much milk, in France we are used to UHT milk which is disgusting IMO... I prefer to buy fresh milk but we don't use it for drinking, only in for baking crepes, flan, rice pudding...

[Wolfie]

Aero bars as in the chocolate bars with bubbles in them? Where are you that these aren't on the shelf everywhere?

The US. I know a couple places where I can get them, but not everywhere.

[PokaDot]

The US. I know a couple places where I can get them, but not everywhere.

Hershey made a knockoff Aero bar. I don't know if it's still around, but it's really bad. Real Aero bars are awesome.

That's kind of both true. Your genes determine if you will produce lactase (the enzyme that digests lactose) after you are weaned. So the enzymes that digest dairy do go away but its determined by your genes, not your diet.

Oh that makes sense. My mom is lactose intolerant, but only so as an adult because she stopped eating dairy (or so she tells me).

[argypargy]

They don't need milk. No humans need cows milk, no other species drinks milk after they are weaned. (Except domestic house cats, and you really shouldn't. Cats are lactose intolerant.)

The milk lobby is the reason everyone thinks that kids need milk. Big money to promote their product + advertising = people drinking way more milk than they need.

EDIT: I sound like Zsu. Um, I don't think it's bad if anyone else gives their kids milk, but I don't think it's doing 1/2 of what people claim it does, and the milk you buy at the store is jam packed with chemicals. Americans drink more milk than other countries, and we still have a really high rate of osteoporosis. I don't think it's horrible - it does have a lot of things that are good for people - but I don't think that it's required.

I haven't read all the responses, but I agree with all of this. My 2yo gets maybe one glass of milk a day. He doesn't get juice, either. There is no nutritional need for a human to drink cows' milk. There is no nutritional value in juice, either. I'd rather give my child an apple rather than apple juice. He drinks water most of the time.

[NurseNell]

Aero bars as in the chocolate bars with bubbles in them? Where are you that these aren't on the shelf everywhere?

The US. I know a couple places where I can get them, but not everywhere.

I LOVE Aero bars, especially the chocolate mint ones. I always bring a bunch back from Ireland. I would love to find a source for them in the U.S. I normally don't even like chocolate or candy but I'd just about kill for an Aero bar.

[skeptifem]

I bet everyone was disgusted with the very first milk-drinker.

I drink soy/almond milk. It tastes better than dairy.

[NurseNell]

Come on people! Let's make this thread the new Peanut Butter War. It's been dull around here lately.

Can't stand the stuff. Certainly not as popular here as in the US where it appears as important as owning a gun :P

Peanut butter is to the U.S. what Marmite (?sp) is to the British Isles. Peanut butter got me through childhood Fridays because I do not and will not eat fish.

[PokaDot]

I LOVE Aero bars, especially the chocolate mint ones. I always bring a bunch back from Ireland. I would love to find a source for them in the U.S. I normally don't even like chocolate or candy but I'd just about kill for an Aero bar.

If you live in the area of a Giant/Stop & Shop, they sell Aero bars in the international section. Wegman's also sells them.

[NurseNell]

If you live in the area of a Giant/Stop & Shop, they sell Aero bars in the international section. Wegman's also sells them.

No, but when I drive out east this summer I'll look for some and will stock up.

[OkToBeTakei]

Peanut butter is to the U.S. what Marmite (?sp) is to the British Isles. Peanut butter got me through childhood Fridays because I do not and will not eat fish.

:lol: I hate Marmite! We had a funny advert campaign called 'love it or hate it' somebody uses a knife that had been used for Marmite and gags. That would be me :lol: I don't think it is as commonly used as you might think. When trying to remember childhood packed lunches I recall mainly cheese. I would imagine everybody is different?

[OkToBeTakei]

I bet everyone was disgusted with the very first milk-drinker.

I drink soy/almond milk. It tastes better than dairy.

I can't imagine they were too enamoured with the first person who ate the unhatched young out of a chicken's bum either.

It tastes better to you.

[PokaDot]

No, but when I drive out east this summer I'll look for some and will stock up.

They are insanely overpriced. You might have better luck off amazon.

[NurseNell]

:lol: I hate Marmite! We had a funny advert campaign called 'love it or hate it' somebody uses a knife that had been used for Marmite and gags. That would be me :lol: I don't think it is as commonly used as you might think. When trying to remember childhood packed lunches I recall mainly cheese. I would imagine everybody is different?

I only know about it because I read a lot of books set in England, marmite is mentioned in practically every book. But most of the books are set in WWII or earlier so that might explain the marmite. I've never had it but would like to try it.