Dairy products: To consume or not?

Older men probably need it also. After age 40, I found I had nightly episodes with painful and sleep interrupting leg cramps. I did some research and found that blood calcium concentrations may play a role. Then I started tracking the amount of calcium I was getting in my normal diet, and outside of any supplementation.... I was at 60% RDA. I increased the amount of calcium with more dairy and some supplementation. My leg cramps went away.

Since that time, I have always consumed some dairy (and vegetable sources) for calcium along with supplements. I am not sure why my magic calcium consumption number is the equivalent of 200% RDA (2000 mg equivalent calcium)... but if I drop below that... say to 1500 mg nightly leg cramp incidence increases. Activity and water consumption within my normal limits, appear to have no correlation with my particular observations.

I just found it interesting that if I had gone to a doctor they probably would have given me some prescription drug for "restless legs" or something similar, and with a little effort of monitoring and adjusting my diet, the same (better?) result was achieved.

Counting all calories....

There has been recent evidence that casein (the protein in milk) actually robs the body of calcium, rather than increasing it. Much of this was discussed in the documentary "Forks Over Knives", as well as The China Study and Eat to Live.

Apparently, as the consumption of dairy in our diet increases, so does the rate of osteoporosis.

I personally eat cheese, butter, and yogurt occasionally, but stopped using cow's milk for cereal or cooking, instead using rice milk or almond milk. I can't say if it affects my weight or health - I have no studies on myself to determine. But I know I've read enough compelling evidence against drinking cows milk.

As for the antibiotics and growth hormones - this is true. It is a result of factory farming. Cows are fed antibiotics daily in their food to prevent widespread illness from their crowded and unsanitary living conditions. The growth hormones are given to ensure the cows grow at a faster rate to increase turnover. (Please see documentary Food, Inc.)

That being said, it is not hard to find hormone free milk. It will be labeled as being from cows who have not been administered the growth hormone. Organic milk will ensure the cows have not been given the antibiotics either. If you want to drink milk, organic should definitely be chosen over the cheaper varieties, both for health and ethical reasons.

Think about this.... We humans are the only species after that consume milk, as part of our regular everyday diet, from other animals. Yes, we have our mother's milk during infancy as do other animals but that's it. We don't need it. Why do you think so many people are lactose intolerant? Our bodies weren't meant to process it.

We're also the only animals that ship food internationally and make foreign food a dietary staple. Also the only animals to eat the variety of meat that we do.

Also only animal to use modern medicine and the internet and cars.

I don't get what you're arguing.

UMMM... the argument is that our bodies can't process bovine reproductive secretions for sh1t. It's hell on our systems. Just because you *can*, doesn't mean you *should*. Just a thought.