Posted on 08/24/2004 3:48:46 PM PDT by Still Thinking
Washington, DC -- Attention parents and teachers! The food police have added whole and two-percent milk to the list of "poor nutritional quality" beverages in their crosshairs, recommending that they be removed from American's schools. This and other ridiculous assertions are contained in a report being circulated by the self-described "food police" at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). The draft report, rumored to be released this month, bears the name of CSPI's activist coalition, the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (NANA). NANA is part of an anti-soda crusade which advocates taxing sodas and restricting their availability in order to eliminate fizzy drinks from the diets of both children and adults.
"Anyone who would suggest that milk is unhealthy for kids is out to lunch," said Richard Berman, executive director of the Center for Consumer Freedom. "CSPI once boasted that it was 'proud about finding something wrong with practically everything.' Now it's proven it."
The report concludes that school districts and local, state and federal governments should banish beverages and snacks that CSPI claims are contributing to the nation's obesity. But evidence linking childhood obesity to sodas and snacks is utterly lacking.
Suggesting a causal link between soda consumption and childhood obesity, the CSPI/NANA report relies solely on a flawed study by Harvard University researcher and "fat tax" advocate David Ludwig. Ludwig admitted in his own conclusion that, "there is no clear evidence that consumption of sugar per se ... causes obesity." The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention echoed Ludwig's conclusion: "There are no data from the Harvard study that allow us to make an estimate of what proportion of obesity might be accounted for by changes in soft drink consumption."
This is not the first time the anti-soda movement has relied on faulty science to make their case. In 1998 CSPI issued a report titled "Liquid Candy," which claimed that some teenagers get up to 25 percent of their calories from soda. Just one week later, following massive media attention, CSPI admitted that it had overstated this figure by a whopping 100 percent. In fact, American boys drink less than half the amount of soft drinks initially claimed by CSPI. While CSPI quietly made a correction (after the media fracas died down), it still heavily promotes its "Liquid Candy" report.
"NANA should rename itself NANNY," added Mr. Berman. "Nagging Americans with a finger-wagging 'no no' won't shrink anyone's waistline. This is just another attempt by CSPI's Puritans to restrict foods they don't like. And as usual, there's no science in the public interest to back them up."
On one hand, NANA's position that milk is of "poor nutritional quality" is absurd on its face.
But on the other hand, milk is undeserving of its mystique as an absolutely essential substance kids must have every day (a quart, if you believe the dairy lobby).
Milk is a good food. But it's not the must-have that has been drilled into the heads of parents for decades.
As life-long nonmilk drinker, you can survive without dairy products.
WARNING! EATING FOOD MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH. Avoid consuming proteins, carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, and water.
Thinking's corollary to Republic's law: "Excessive worrying about what causes cancer, causes cancer."
Do you really want to know?
Calcium-enriched juices, tea and coffee, and soy milk.
People also forget that milk is NOT supposed to be white.
Really? Because we had a jersey that we milked and it gave white milk, though I guess we wanted chocolate!
Well, I'm not quite in your age bracket, but I've been drinking milk my whole life (guys in trucks used to deliver it to the house - those were the days). Mom started me out on skim until a cousin came to visit and she had bought, because he had requested, whole milk for him. I got a taste of that and haven't been back to watered down milk since. And my bones are doing quite well. Of course the milk we had back then didn't have all the growth hormones and other stuff milk has today.
My oldest son drinks milk and water. Sometimes a Capri sun drink every now and then.
Youngest son drinks orange juice, water, Capri sun drinks. (refuses milk)
I don't buy sodas to drink at home. While eating out the kids will drink milk or Sprite *points to above preferences*
Now go take a look at my profile page to see pics of my skinny kids *LOL*
I honestly believe that beer, cider and wine are better for kids then milk. I'm totally serious. Not jesting at all. In moderate amounts, of course.
100% pure white?
I'm just saying this because "raw" milk has a yellowish tinge to it... not the snow/chalk white we see today... I guess your cow might've been a special breed...
Yes, I think Jersey and Guernesys vary from the Holstein. Maybe it's a higher fat content or something, and undoubtedly is also affected by what they get to eat.
Many stores sell organic milk, allegedly free of hormones and other additives,
that got rave reviews from some Freepers on past threads.
Oh, and it's all Bush's fault.
LOL. Yes, I try to buy that kind.
Hell will freeze over before I drink that fat-free "milk." My kids won't touch it, either.
As for the schools deciding that they won't sell whole milk anymore...I suppose that is their decision, though unless there is refrigeration available to the kids, they won't even be able to bring it from home -- and I DO have a problem with that.
Regards,
For dinner tomorrow night I am going to feed my children veal with a big glass of milk. Nothing like baby cow and milk. Hopefully, the poor baby cow was stuck in an industrial farm, in a small stall and unable to move its entire life. So Yummy, and at the same time if pisses off those eco-wacko, tree hugging, twig eating liberals.
Social engineering using the tax code is un-American.
You never see other species drinking milk after they have been weened.
Or driving cars, either.
Beer.
Having said that, I drink whole milk only, pure butter (salted) and use bacon fat in a lot of my cooking, same as both of my granpas and my father, who all lived well into their late 80's, one GP until 96. That's long enough for me on this globe, for I know it is but a passing through on a journey to somewhere far better, and I'll enjoy my life here eating and drinking what pleases me.
These cradle to grave people can kiss my ass.
FMCDH(BITS)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.