The Great Milk Debate

11 Months, Week 4

I’ve been having an internal battle lately around milk.

Those who know me know I believe in the power of veggies and clean, whole food, pasture-raised meats, organic options, etc. I read up a lot on nutrition and how food lobbyists and marketing makes us believe nutrition claims that aren’t true - milk is one of them. 

I won’t get into the thick of it, but the bottom line is - humans don’t need dairy and aren’t truly built to process it [lactose intolerance anyone?]. It’s constructed to feed baby cows. Dairy has been linked to numerous health problems [allergies, acne, ear infections, etc] and I don’t want to push it onto Nora, not to mention I’m considering cutting out a lot more for myself [maybe I’ll stop having zits at age 32?]. Tim can decide for himself, but I always try to educate my lovies : )

I’m not eliminating ALL dairy from our household, I still use butter and give Nora some hard cheese and cottage cheese [organic if I can]. But I don’t want it to be a major source of calories for her. 

I’m continually doing research on this because there’s still a part of me that thinks maybe I should at least give her some organic whole milk - which is my back up - but from what I’ve read, she can get all the nutrition she needs in other food forms and I’m not harming her development. Soy milk is not good for females, so I’ll probably try almond milk for half the time.

I’m nervous about bringing it up with the Pediatrician - I’ll probably get a tongue lashing, but Pediatricians don’t necessarily have Nutritionalist training. I’m going to have to put on my brave face when we have our 1-yr check up on Tuesday. [I’d rather have a holistic doctor but that’s for another post.]

The subject is similar to when someone asks why I’ve cut out most meat. It’s too long of an answer so I simply say “health and ecological reasons.” 

Call me anal or a little health-nutty, but food nutrition and it’s effects on us is a passion of mine. So that’s why I’ll probably steer [ha] Nora away from drinking solely cow’s milk: health reasons. It’s a personal choice that I hope is accepted  : )