Striving4Zen

A recent study claims that young adults are not drinking enough milk -- that is, if you read what the media reports. But if you really read the study according to the lead author Nicole Larson, it's calcium they're lacking.

Labels: calcium, Collard Greens, cows, eating healthy, green leafy vegetables, Green veggies, healthy food, milk, sesame seeds, turnip greens

Although the evidence is strong that dairy-product consumption doesn't prevent osteoporosis, simply eliminating dairy products does not ensure strong bones.

It pays to put some thought into keeping your bones healthy. Studies have shown that the following factors are helpful in building and maintaining strong bones:

• Getting plenty of exercise. Studies have concluded that physical exercise is the key to building strong bones (it's more important than any other factor). For example, a study published in the British Medical Journal that followed 1,400 men and women over a 15-year period found that exercise may be the best protection against hip fractures and that "reduced intake of dietary calcium does not seem to be a risk factor." And Penn State University researchers found that bone density is significantly affected by how much exercise girls get during their teen years, when 40 to 50 percent of their skeletal mass is formed.

• Getting enough vitamin D. If you don't spend any time in the sun (about 15 minutes on the face and arms each day is enough), be sure to take a supplement or eat fortified foods.

• Eliminating animal protein. For a variety of reasons, animal protein causes severe bone deterioration.

• Limiting salt intake. Sodium leaches calcium out of the bones.

• Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. They contain vitamin C, which is essential for building collagen, the underlying bonematrix.

• Not smoking. Studies have shown that women who smoke one pack of cigarettes a day have 5 to 10 percent less bone density at menopause than nonsmokers.

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Labels: bones, Dairy, exercise, fruits and veggies, healthy diet, milk, osteoporosis, strong bones, Vitamin D

Yoplait, one of the largest yogurt manufacturers in the U.S., has announced that it will now only use milk products from cows that have not been treated with recombinant bovine growth hormone, or rbGH, reports Civil Eats. All of Yoplait's dairy products will be rbGH-free by August of this year. Yoplait says it's the first major yogurt manufacturer to go rbGH-free, though companies like Stonyfield, Nancy's, Cascade Fresh and Brown Cow have been using rbGH-free milk for years.

The use of rbGH has been linked to increased rates of infections in dairy cows, necessitating greater antibiotic use and furthering cycles of antibiotic-resistant disease. Some studies have shown that rbGH raises the level of a hormone called IGF-1 in cows's milk; higher than normal levels of IGF-1 in humans may raise the risk of breast cancer, though the link is far from clear.

Consumer demand has forced major grocery chains like Wal-Mart and Safeway to phase out the hormones in their own dairy products - some 70% of consumers say they are concerned about consuming synthetic growth hormones.

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Labels: antibiotics, Dairy, hormones, milk, rbGH, synthetic growth hormone, Yoplait

The belief that pizza, chocolate, and other teen-favored foods can cause acne has persisted for decades, even though most dermatologists maintain it’s a myth. But a new study suggests that some foods really do promote this scourge of young and old alike—only they’re not the usual suspects.

In a recent review of the dietary history of more than 47,000 women, it was “nature’s perfect food”—milk—that was linked to higher rates of teenage acne, not pizza and chocolate. The study found that those who drank more than three glasses a day as teens were 22% more likely to report severe acne than those who drank much less. The rate was even higher (44%) for women who had favored skim milk. (The researchers aren’t sure why skim milk would be more likely to cause pimples, but say that processing may cause certain problem components to become more active in the body.) They also found a link between acne and several other dairy foods, such as sherbet, cream cheese, and cottage cheese.

How does milk wreak havoc on your skin? The study authors think hormones may be the culprit. Most milk comes from pregnant cows, they say, which produce a laundry list of hormones that make it into their milk, including some that are known to trigger acne.

So what to do if you’re a pimply teen in need of calcium for healthy bones? You don’t need to swear off milk entirely, says Clement Adebamowo, study author and research associate at the Harvard School of Public Health; just get to know—and use—alternative sources of calcium. He also says the study found no connection between acne and yogurt and cheeses other than cottage and cream cheese. If you do cut back on dairy, be aware that it can take a few weeks for any improvement to show up.

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Labels: acne, Dairy, eating healthy, hormones, milk, skin care

So let's see if we've got this straight: the Monsanto company produces a synthetic growth hormone called Posilac, used by some dairy farmers, which juices cows to produce more milk.

Lots of people don't want this in their milk, for compelling reasons. Dairy farmers that do not use the recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) almost invariably state that on their milk carton labels. You, the consumer, get useful info. But since the FDA would not allow Monsanto to ban rBGH labelling nationally, the dirtbags have been going state-by-state to pass legislation that would ban the labelling.

They're now trying to do it in New York; they need to be stopped.

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Labels: fight back, hormones, milk, Monsanto

According to a review of the published scientific literature, claims that low-fat dairy products or calcium can help people lose weight are untrue. Neither dairy products in general nor calcium intake promote weight loss.

Out of 49 clinical trials, 41 showed no effects of diary or calcium on weight, two showed an increase in body weight with a dairy regimen, and one showed a lower rate of weight gain. Only five showed weight loss.

An association between calcium or dairy intake and weight loss has been seen in some "observational" studies, possibly due to other factors such as increased exercise, cutting out high-calorie foods with little nutritional value, or other diet changes.

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Labels: health information, milk, myths, nutrition, study, weight loss