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I use almond milk because I can't stand the taste of cows milk. I only use it on cereal or baking, so one carton lasts ages. I eat plenty of cheese, kefir & yogurt, so I think my calcium levels should be fine.
I guess I'm one of those European 'mutants'. I always thought it was because I've always drank a lot of milk. A lot of people that I know who don't like milk or say that they can't drink it, were not given that much milk as kids. We were. I thought that might have something to do with it, along with being a 'mutant'.
However, you may not be wrong about the osteoporosis part. The last time I had a full check up, probably 67 vials of blood taken by Nurse Dracula (only a very slight exaggeration), the doc discussed all of the results with me. My blood work showed that I had every thing I needed to have...except enough Vitamin D.
I was floored. As I said earlier, I literally drink a gallon of milk almost every single day. A full gallon. And still, I didn't have enough Vit D.
He said I have to go outside and be in the sun. I hate the sun. That's why I don't go outside.
I do walk my dogs, and he said "10 minutes should be enough", but apparently it's not. Either way, 30 gallons of milk a month, give or take a few gallons here and there, I couldn't believe I didn't have enough Vit D. So, I guess we are 'mutants' because that makes no sense.
I believe it, because my experience is that people vary greatly in their ability both to absorb and synthesize vitamin D. This idea that 10 minutes of sunlight is enough for everybody is complete nonsense, in my opinion. What's the latitude? What's the time of year? What's the time of day when you're outside? How much of your skin is actually exposed? All of that matters. Take a 10-minute walk before 10 AM or after 4 PM, or any time at all between October and April, or while wearing long pants and a sweatshirt, and it's pretty useless for vitamin D production.
And, how much D is in your gallon of milk (I'm assuming it's fortified)? Say it is 100 iu/cup. A gallon per day would give you 1600 iu. That sounds like a ton, but I personally have to take 2000 iu/day in supplementation just to stay above the deficient level. This has been shown with numerous blood tests over a 10+ year span. And, I am of European heritage with light skin, live in Southern California, and am out in the sun more than people say you should be, so I am getting some D that way too, but apparently not enough.
If I were you, I'd add a 1000-2000 iu supplement to my diet. It can't hurt, and might help.
...If I were you, I'd add a 1000-2000 iu supplement to my diet. It can't hurt, and might help.
The concern about Vit D by the docs has been a fad for the last 10 yrs or so. Many studies show those with chronic diseases have lower Vit D levels than those who are healthy. The problem is, no study has yet shown there's any improvement in those conditions by taking supplements to raise levels...More probable explanation is that sick folks don't go out in the sun as much as healthy ones.....In 3 Wolve's case, maybe Vit D levels are low due to negative feedback of high Ca intake?
Quote:
Originally Posted by LordSquidworth
We have more osteoporosis because the human population is getting older and older...
That's certainly one of the factors; also that we're looking for it more, so we're finding it more. ....Another important factor is the role of weight bearing exercise (or heavy work) in preventing osteoporosis....But the fact remains, it's much more common in Caucasian women than others.
I'm suggesting we need to be taking Ca supplements or more dairy throughout life. Once the condition develops, It's hard to reverse. Our Ca metabolism/bone deposition changes with age, so supplements later In life are virtually useless, and the Rx drugs involved make poor, brittle bone, not normal bone.
Yea, I had intended it to be a discussion of the ecological impact of dairy farming vs that of its alternatives, like that of the palm oil industry on the rainforests of SE Asia....But conversations among intelligent people drift where they will.
The concern about Vit D by the docs has been a fad for the last 10 yrs or so. Many studies show those with chronic diseases have lower Vit D levels than those who are healthy. The problem is, no study has yet shown there's any improvement in those conditions by taking supplements to raise levels...More probable explanation is that sick folks don't go out in the sun as much as healthy ones.....In 3 Wolve's case, maybe Vit D levels are low due to negative feedback of high Ca intake?
That's certainly one of the factors; also that we're looking for it more, so we're finding it more. ....Another important factor is the role of weight bearing exercise (or heavy work) in preventing osteoporosis....But the fact remains, it's much more common in Caucasian women than others.
I'm suggesting we need to be taking Ca supplements or more dairy throughout life. Once the condition develops, It's hard to reverse. Our Ca metabolism/bone deposition changes with age, so supplements later In life are virtually useless, and the Rx drugs involved make poor, brittle bone, not normal bone.
The vitamin D issue--it's an issue for older people not because they don't go out in the sun but because they do not absorb it as well no matter how much they go out in the sun.
Why would calcium supplementation be useless later in life? For those of us who can no longer drink milk but are unable to, we have to take something. I take calcium citrate because it is most easily absorbed. I would never, under any circumstances take some kind of Rx drug for bone health. They tried that on me once and then it was recalled from the market. It's calcium citrate, K2, D3, and magnesium for me--also a tiny bit of boron in my multi. People who can't drink milk would have a terribly hard time trying to get enough from their food.
There's a local dairy here that does milk in bottles - regular milk and then flavored milks. I have tried all of them when they had a tasting at the store. I have purchased their chocolate and strawberry because holy cow...and I really didn't mean for any puns...it is so much better than any other flavored milk.
I prefer non fat milk, and right now they don't have that, but even their regular milk tasted better than the stuff in plastic jugs by other dairies.
Unfortunately, they don't deliver to the door - because, like you, I would probably sign right up for that. So, I still have to go to the store to get it. PLUS, if you bring the bottle back to the store, you get $2.00 for each one. They return the bottles to the dairy, the dairy cleans and sanitizes them, and then they re-use them. So, not only is their milk fantastic, they understand how real recycling works.
My dairy has the flavored milks too--they're wonderful. I have to order those sparingly. It's a bit easier to pace myself on their chocolate milk--it's great, but it is rich, so I can only take so much at a time. But their strawberry milk is easy to suck down and not realize how much you've really had.
The dairy will take the empty bottles back every week--I just put them in the cooler and the milkman picks them up when he makes the weekly delivery. Then, like the one you described, they sanitize them and reuse them. They also participate in a 'cash for caps' program--schoolkids collect the bottlecaps and turn them into their school, and the schools take the bottlecaps back to the dairy and get 5 cents a cap. They advised they average about 40,000 caps back a year because of this.
It is hard to separate green living from eating based upon "green" precepts. It is also difficult to delve into reasonings without touching upon food science, ethical considerations, religious mores, and idiosyncratic requirements.
The thread could be moved, but for now at least, it needs to remain here. The health impacts, environmental impacts, motivations behind various responses all speak to the greater impact of milk and why we respond to it the way that we do.
BTW, the tops of milk bottles are pogs. Some of them from the 1950s are valuable now. The ones I used to toss from Winnisquam Farms could probably buy me a few good meals now. Who knew?
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