Madeline+K's+Op-Ed+Article

"Milk is good for your bones-The biggest lie in America." by **Madeline K**

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What I'm about to tell you is probably going to repudiate what you've learned from TV, magazines, your parents, and the government.

I think we can all agree that osteoporosis is not good. Brittle bones, porous marrow, and hip fractures are things that no one looks forward to. And we don't have to. The idea that osteoporosis is 'just part of being old' is something that should be modified to 'just part of being old, and have lived an unhealthy milk filled life for the past 50 years.' This entirely counters the idea that milk is good for you that is so ingrained in to American society. European countries on average drink the most milk, ranging from the average Slovakian drinking 1.5 cups of milk a day to the average Finn drinking 4.3. America follows in milk consumption with an average of 3.06 cups per day.So according doctors and diet experts we should be the strongest, healthiest, and most osteoporosis free countries, right? Well if that were true then why does Europe account for 34% of all cases of osteoporosis? And 55% of American are affected by osteoporosis? And the Japanese, who don't even drink one cup let alone the American recommended three, yet live longer than anyone else? And the lactose intolerant people who don't drink any? And the cave people we evolved from, who never ever drank milk because honestly milking a cow is not exactly something instinctual. While milk does not necessarily cause osteoporosis, it is very clear that the relationship between milk and bone health is not the one that the milk companies claim.

The main problem with milk is not that it's bad for you, but rather the fact that people are convinced that it good for you. Ice cream is just milk and then a bunch of sugar, in no way shape of form does it have health benefits, but no one is claiming that it does. Nobody eats a hot pocket thinking they are getting their daily vitamins. Everyone knows gluten sucks. Yet vegetarians continue to inflict a sense of health superiority over you when, if they're still eating dairy, they could easily be on the same unhealthy level as everybody else. Yet people continue to drink milk while reciting health "facts" they've heard in 'Got Milk?' ads justifying their consumption of infant cow food.

Additionally the California Milk Processor Board, the people in charge of all the "Got Milk?" ads, has recently started a crusade on dairy milk alternatives, such a hazelnut, almond, and soy. They make very well-backed arguments against this so called "imitations" such as "What's that stuff at the on the bottom? Yikes" in reference to the separation that happens with hazelnut milk similar to any juice. They also note that almond milk has a "pretty funky color." and criticize soy milk with the question "This came from a cow? Please." as if that were something to be commended.

However the milk consumers are not really the ones to blame, because not only are these ads entirely misleading, they are supported by our government and enforced in our schools. Basically from when we are born we are fed milk and its supposed health benefits. The American Academy of Pediatrics even "advises parents to not give up on feeding dairy products to lactose-intolerant children and teens."

Humans can clearly live very easily without dairy, as seen through countries who don't consume any dairy, vegans, and our evolutionary roots so it is astounding that 'health' organizations not only encourage milk at all, but even recommend ignoring a biological intolerance to it. So while, on the surface, this may seem like a simple case of advertising embellishing everything (doing their job more or less), it runs much deeper. This is a clear reflection of the fact that our government is willing to lie due to the influence of large corporations and businesses and we should be more concerned about this. If you walk into the black box of our public government funded high school, lining the halls are "Got Milk?" ads. Not only is it ridiculous that we have any advertising in our school, it is blatantly targeting and lying to high school students while trying to sell them something.

Now that I've bombarded you with facts, let’s just really think about this; we are not cows so does it seem healthy for us to drink their infant food?