Editorial Bear

Oh, I know... It sounds crazy. But I'm increasingly believing that there is a conspiracy against milk - and diary products as a whole.

Now I don't actually drink that much milk. I certainly wouldn't normally drink a glass of it. I occasionally use it to make scrambled eggs or in a very rare hot chocolate, but I have my coffee black. In fact, we buy about two pints a week and often have to pour some of it down the sink before it goes bad.

But I like milk. What's more, I like butter and cheese. Having grown up on a farm, with happy, healthy cows, I like milk entirely and think it's a healthy food full of calcium and vitamins and a great source of calories for busy, growing people.

But milk is increasingly frowned upon as a foodstuff. Websites like Notmilk have even popped up. Here's what they have to say about the White Stuff.

"Among children [milk causes problems of] allergy, ear and tonsillarinfections, bedwetting, asthma, intestinal bleeding, colicand childhood diabetes. In adults the problems seem centered more around heart disease and arthritis, allergy,sinusitis, and the more serious questions of leukemia,lymphoma and cancer."

They even hit us with:

"More ominous is the fear of viral infection with bovine leukemia virus or an AIDS-like virus as well as concern for childhood diabetes."

This information comes from a letter written by Robert M. Kradjian, MD, a Californian Doctor. He cites 500 documents to support his beliefs - yet gives no reference in the letter to any of them.

The fact is, I think this is just another medical conspiracy coming out of California - the birthplace of quack science.

The fact is, Milk is a highly calorific food substance with plenty of life's building blocks in it. Milk is 'designed' for infants to consume, providing them with a huge wodge of essential energy and developmental materials quickly and easily.

In today's food-rich environment, we should be aware of how many calories we consume (the daily recommendation is 2,500) and how many of these we receive from fat, carbohydrate and protein. But we do need all three of these substances to function correctly - even fat. And milk is an excellent source of it. As long as it's consumed in moderation, milk is a good food substance, not the evil substance this ridiculous website claims it is.

But are the milk fascists furthering their ridiculous claims? This highly credible story was published today:

Milk cancels health benefit of drinking tea
Tuesday January 9, 05:47 AM

LONDON (Reuters) - Drinking tea can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke but only if milk is not added to the brew, German scientists said on Tuesday.

Research has shown that tea improves blood flow and the ability of the arteries to relax but researchers at the Charite Hospital at the University of Berlin in Mitte found milk eliminates the protective effect against cardiovascular disease. Full article here.