If you did not read part 1, find it here .
Milk has been promoted as being good for just about every aspect of our health. The “Got Milk?” website claims milk’s health benefits include: reducing the risk osteoporosis, hypertension, and colon cancer; improving hair, skin and nail health; helps build muscle and strengthen bones; prevents cavities, improves sleep and prevents PMS symptoms. The National Dairy Council is even planning on spending up to $1 million dollars to keep chocolate milk in schools because “If there’s even a chance chocolate milk might get taken out of schools, that really can do more harm than good,” said Vivien Godfrey, CEO of the Milk Processor Education Program, the industry marketing group that developed the campaign with the National Dairy Council.
The problem with chocolate milk is it contains over 6 teaspoons of sugar in a 8 oz serving. Doesn’t sound like much? Well it can add up to an extra 5 pounds of body weight over the course of a school year. Just what we need when we are already facing an obesity epidemic in our children! Watch this ABC video and you’ll get a great visual of how much sugar that really is! “Chocolate Milk: Is the Calcium Worth the Sugar?”
Researcher has also brought up the point that the sugar in milk increases calcium excretion. Sugar, when ingested turns into acid. To buffer the acids created by the sugar in milk the body releases alkaline buggering substances (calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, etc.) to restore the alkalinity of the body fluids. Drinking milk creates a negative balance of calcium in the body. But that’s not exactly the story the American Dairy Association is telling us!
The American Dietetic Association and American Diabetic Association agree that sugar consumption in American is one of the 3 major causes of degenerative disease because sugar is devoid of minerals, vitamins, fiber, and has such a deteriorating effect on the endocrine system.
What about strawberry milk? It not only has the added sugar of chocolate milk but also has the coloring Red 40 which has been associated with hyperactivity in children and is being smartly phased out in the UK. We don’t seem to have a hyperactivity problem in the US, do we?
If milk isn’t so great, where else can we get our calcium?
It has been shown that calcium absorption from milk is lower (between 32 and 46%) than calcium absorption from vegetables like broccoli , bok choy , brussel sprouts, mustard greens and kale (between 51 and 64%). Dr. Robert Young , who is an expert on acid/alkaline balance, had this to say about green foods and bone health :
Now research from Tufts University suggests that green foods like spinach (along with other veggies and fruit) may be helping them build stronger bones, too. The reason involves the body’s acid/alkaline chemical balance. As you get older, your kidneys don’t excrete dietary and/or metabolic acids as efficiently, so bones release alkaline buffering substances, as well as calcium, to restore the alkaline design of the body fluids. When you eat green electron rich alkaline produce, your body creates sodium and potassium bicarbonate, two compounds that counteract the high acid levels – so calcium is more likely to stay put, keeping bones stronger and lowering your risk of fracture or dis-ease conditions such as osteoarthritis or osteoporosis.
In the words of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center:
“The high incidence of hip fracture in Western countries is caused by the cumulative effects on bone of the body’s chronic high acid load. This high acid load is the result of disproportionate consumption of animal (acid) foods relative to vegetable (alkaline) foods. The body adapts through dissolution of bone. Over decades, blood that is chronically too acidic induces osteoporosis.”
And the New York Times article goes on to say…
Too much endurance exercise, it appears, may reduce bone density.
Dr. Barry says that it’s possible, but not yet proved, that exercise that is too prolonged or intense may lead to excessive calcium loss through sweat. The body’s endocrine system may interpret this loss of calcium as serious enough to warrant leaching the mineral from bone.
Why is this?
Exercise, as anyone who’s felt the “burn” knows, creates acid – lactic acid. That acid must be buffered with minerals like calcium to maintain blood pH levels. This means the longer one exercises the more acid is produced and if the proper minerals are not replaced, over time bone density will decrease. By the way – Gatorade and other drinks are not effective because they contain sugar which just creates more acid. High intensity anaerobic exercise also can lead to weaker bones because it produces large amounts of acid (ever ran a 400 meters?) that the body must buffer.
Do these vegetables offer any other added benefits?
As the Harvard School of Public Health says:
“It’s hard to argue with the health benefits of a diet rich in vegetables and fruits: Lower blood pressure ; reduced risk of heart disease , stroke, and probably some cancers ; lower risk of eye and digestive problems ; and a mellowing effect on blood sugar that can help keep appetite in check.”
Green foods contain chlorophyll, the benefits of have been talked about for years in natural health circles, is now proving to have cancer fighting benefits in research by Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.
“A new study just published in the International Journal of Cancer examined the activity of chlorophyllin and found that, on a dose-by-dose basis, it was 10 times more potent at causing death of colon cancer cells than hydroxyurea, a chemotherapeutic drug commonly used in cancer treatment.”
Gives you something to think about, doesn’t it?
If you did not read part 1, find it here .
Milk has been promoted as being good for just about every aspect of our health. The “Got Milk?” website claims milk’s health benefits include: reducing the risk osteoporosis, hypertension, and colon cancer; improving hair, skin and nail health; helps build muscle and strengthen bones; prevents cavities, improves sleep and prevents PMS symptoms. The National Dairy Council is even planning on spending up to $1 million dollars to keep chocolate milk in schools because “If there’s even a chance chocolate milk might get taken out of schools, that really can do more harm than good,” said Vivien Godfrey, CEO of the Milk Processor Education Program, the industry marketing group that developed the campaign with the National Dairy Council.
The problem with chocolate milk is it contains over 6 teaspoons of sugar in a 8 oz serving. Doesn’t sound like much? Well it can add up to an extra 5 pounds of body weight over the course of a school year. Just what we need when we are already facing an obesity epidemic in our children! Watch this ABC video and you’ll get a great visual of how much sugar that really is! “Chocolate Milk: Is the Calcium Worth the Sugar?”
Researcher has also brought up the point that the sugar in milk increases calcium excretion. Sugar, when ingested turns into acid. To buffer the acids created by the sugar in milk the body releases alkaline buggering substances (calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, etc.) to restore the alkalinity of the body fluids. Drinking milk creates a negative balance of calcium in the body. But that’s not exactly the story the American Dairy Association is telling us!
The American Dietetic Association and American Diabetic Association agree that sugar consumption in American is one of the 3 major causes of degenerative disease because sugar is devoid of minerals, vitamins, fiber, and has such a deteriorating effect on the endocrine system.
What about strawberry milk? It not only has the added sugar of chocolate milk but also has the coloring Red 40 which has been associated with hyperactivity in children and is being smartly phased out in the UK. We don’t seem to have a hyperactivity problem in the US, do we?
If milk isn’t so great, where else can we get our calcium?
It has been shown that calcium absorption from milk is lower (between 32 and 46%) than calcium absorption from vegetables like broccoli , bok choy , brussel sprouts, mustard greens and kale (between 51 and 64%). Dr. Robert Young , who is an expert on acid/alkaline balance, had this to say about green foods and bone health :
In the words of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center:
And the New York Times article goes on to say…
Why is this?
Exercise, as anyone who’s felt the “burn” knows, creates acid – lactic acid. That acid must be buffered with minerals like calcium to maintain blood pH levels. This means the longer one exercises the more acid is produced and if the proper minerals are not replaced, over time bone density will decrease. By the way – Gatorade and other drinks are not effective because they contain sugar which just creates more acid. High intensity anaerobic exercise also can lead to weaker bones because it produces large amounts of acid (ever ran a 400 meters?) that the body must buffer.
Do these vegetables offer any other added benefits?
As the Harvard School of Public Health says:
Green foods contain chlorophyll, the benefits of have been talked about for years in natural health circles, is now proving to have cancer fighting benefits in research by Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.
Gives you something to think about, doesn’t it?