I am a school assembly performer, on a tour across the U.S. to almost every state, presenting programs on fitness and health. At the end of one of my recent shows, a little boy, maybe a 2nd grader? came up to me and asked,
"Is milk healthy?" The question probably came to him after I explained in the show that the two healthiest drinks for people on the earth are good clean water, and freshly squeezed juice from fruit or vegetables.
On previous tours years ago, I was much more vocal and honest in front of my audiences about the unhealthy qualities of food from animals, even if it got me in trouble. I even went so far as to say, "The two most dangerous foods for people are cheese and butter, because of their high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol." You can guess that this did not go over well in Wisconsin! I did not mention that dairy foods can cause Crohn's Disease in humans, irritable bowel disease, colitis, can contribute to obesity, diabetes II, and that all foods from a cow contain cancer promoting substances called casein and estrogen. Excess estrogen is linked to prostate and breast cancer. I did end my negative dairy message years ago with a question: "What is the natural purpose of a mother cow's milk?"
(answer of course to feed its calf)
In North Dakota where the state drink is milk, after seeing my school program, some kids went home and told their parents that this guy suggested that milk is not healthy to drink. This upset parents, who may have been dairy farmers, who in turned complained to the school principals, who in turn complained to my boss, who in turn demanded I take this message out of my shows. So- from that moment on, I had to choose my job over telling the truth to students about milk.
Back to the 2nd grader who asked if milk was healthy- I was handcuffed.
As much as I wanted to tell him, I told him that he must study to find that answer, that I knew the answer but I could not tell him- that he must find the answer for himself.
Abraham Lincoln said, "The truth is your truest friend, no matter what the circumstance."
Well, Mr. Lincoln, in a perfect world, that statement would be true. Here are links that provide proof that dairy is unhealthy, unless you are a calf:
http://peopleforplants.blogspot.com/2011/10/this-is-must-see.html
http://peopleforplants.blogspot.com/2011/09/got-courage.html
http://peopleforplants.blogspot.com/2011/08/got-facts-on-milk-milk-documentary.html
http://peopleforplants.blogspot.com/2011/09/two-most-dangerous-foods.html
It is amazing to me, that even when people are presented the truth about the milk from a cow, they discount the information and continue to consume dairy products. If it's not broke, no need to fix it right? Well it IS broke. Did you know that cow's milk is infected with viruses such as bovine leukemia virus? http://greg-foodforthought.blogspot.com/2012/08/milkit-does-body-harm.html Maybe if someone gets sick, it'll be enough to change their minds. Maybe not. Some people resort to medication, mistakenly thinking it'll fix the problem, when in actuality the only way to heal or prevent a diet related disease is to turn to a healthy starch-based, plant-based diet- which does not include consuming the excretions/milk from another species.
In hind sight, the next time students asks me if milk is healthy, I'll give them a hint by leaving them with a question, "What is the natural purpose of a mother cow's milk?"
I could also tell them they can find the answer in the books "The Starch Solution" http://peopleforplants.blogspot.com/2012/05/from-atkins-to-dukan-fear-of-almighty.html, or "Eat To Live" http://www.drfuhrman.com/shop/ETLBook.aspx.
The titles are easy to remember.
Here in America, I cannot tell an elementary student the truth. I am sad.
