On Drinking Cows Milk

I had a friend email me today and asked me a sincere question with regards to giving her children cow's milk. She is reading a book called The China Study (great book but very frank about animal proteins) and she is now wondering if she should be giving her children cow's milk to drink.

I will explain my opinion on cow's milk, dairy, and drinking water.

I feel that humans are not designed to drink cow's milk or to use dairy. We are designed to nurse our children on their mother's milk and then be weaned to solid foods and pure water, not go from the breast to cow's milk. There is much science, to support my beliefs on this subject and one only has to google "is cow's milk good for you?" to see immediately that this is a hot topic and that there are many sites that will support the drinking of water over milk. There is also a huge (millions and millions of dollars worth) campaign yearly that educates us and our children to drink cow's milk...that would be the Dairyman's Association.

We live in a world and culture where never using any dairy is quite a task to accomplish. My friend is truly searching for answers and is concerned about her children and wants to ensure that they will ingest all the protein and nutrients that their little bodies need to be healthy and strong. I will use my family and my two youngest daughters as examples. We adopted out two youngest children, both girls. I was already nursing our youngest son who was 5 months old when we got Addy, so I chose to nurse her. I nursed them both for a year (I know I deserve a metal!) and then at one year old I moved them to solid food and water. I would have nursed longer if I only had one baby, but two and going a year was pretty monumental. After nursing, I did not move them to cow's milk, I moved them to water. I had read lots of information and I felt that they would be healthier not drinking cow's milk and just drinking water. This ended up being correct. (in another blog I will discuss juice in babies bottles...not good for the teeth or future teeth.)

Now my last daughter was not nursed at all, no breast milk there and so she had formula for about 10 months and was then put on solid food and water. She has never (to my knowledge) ever drank a glass of cow's milk in her 5 year old little life. She is tall, thin, healthy, and ENERGETIC. She loves all vegetables, loves beans, and nuts, and she has healthy teeth.

We don't eat much dairy. I did confess in an earlier post my love of ice-cream which we try to eat only one time per month. So my children do get some sugary dairy-goo in the form of ice-cream every few weeks or less. Sophie (our youngest daughter) never would think to ask for a glass of milk. It is not a part of her life or culture. She does drink water all day though in her own Dora cup.

I am not for juice, or pop, or smoothies either for that matter. I believe that food is best chewed, for many reasons, some physiological, some emotional. I also feel that juice is too much fructose at one time. We eat lots of fruit around here. Pop is obvious: no nutritional value at all, plus it proves negative on our health.

Cow's milk is for calves. In all studies, and in all countries where milk is drank often and in large quantities osteoporosis develops. I won't give a deep science lesson in full here, but these statistics are due to the way the milk is processed in the body and the way the bones leach out calcium to assist in the digestion of milk. The body actually ends up with less protein and calcium when the milk/dairy product is processed in the body than when it started out. We end up with a deficit of calcium in our body after eating dairy. This is why hip fractures are so prevalent in places in the world where milk is drank a lot.

I know this is a sobering and not too fun thought. Our culture uses dairy in just about every dish we eat or prepare. Most people love the taste of cow's milk. We drink it daily and we give it to our children because we love them and we are trying to keep their little bones healthy and strong. Sadly, this is not the case, milk does not provide the calcium our bodies need that will keep our bones strong. I did not want to believe this at all at first. I read many books on this subject and I was finally convinced it is true. I have proved it within the walls of my own family. I have eight children, and my last two have not had cow's milk to drink in their lives at all. We have been living without milk in our lives for over a decade now and we are fine. Please note that cow's milk does not naturally have vitamin D in it, this is added in the processing of it prior to giving it to the public.

The Dairyman's Association is huge and powerful and their advertising campaigns are very convincing. It does not matter though, the science stands firm, that we don't need to drink or use dairy in our diets to be healthy and have strong bones. Using dairy actually does the opposite of what we hope to accomplish, it weakens our bones.

So you might ask: "Where do we get the protein and calcium we need for our bodies if we don't use dairy products?" Great question! The answer may surprise you as it did me...PLANTS! This is where elephants, cows for that matter, and gorillas get their calcium and protein sources from. If we eat salads, dark green leafy vegetables, and nuts and seeds, we will have plenty of calcium and protein in our diets and our bodies will thank us for it!

To learn more on this subject I invite you to read:
The China Study by Dr. T. Collin Campbell
Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman His website is:
http://www.drfuhrman.com/
Also check out the articles on the website called notmilk.com

Some of the articles on notmilk.com come across a bit harsh, so I just watch what I read. I did learn a great deal of good information about the drinking or not drinking of milk though there on this site so it was worth it for me.

I hope this post helps your family at least think about milk in a new light. Our culture really does revolve in a large part around our eating. Changing something in our diet is hard. Best of luck. I am out there trying to eat healthy too.

Yours,
Chris

Healthy Whole Wheat Bread

One of my family's favorite things to smell when they walk through our front door is fresh baked whole wheat bread. I will share with you my recipe. I have tweaked it from a good friend's recipe (thanks Jenni!) and we love this. I hope you enjoy it too.


Whole Wheat Bread

4 cups very warm water
4 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup wheat gluten
2 Tablespoons yeast

Mix all these ingredients in your mixer until they are wet and well mixed (about 45 seconds - one minute). Let this mixture "sponge" (it will swell up in the bowl) for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, add the following:

1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup honey
1 Tablespoon salt
3-4 cups whole wheat flour...sometimes I have to add as much as 4.5 cups, to get it to where I wanted the dough. Dough is a funny thing, that each batch is a bit different.

Let this all mix for 6 minutes. Turn oven on to 320 degrees. After six minutes separate dough into 4 bread pans and allow to rise about 5 minutes, just make sure the dough doesn't raise above the pans, or your bread will get WAY too high.

Bake for 30 minutes at 320 degree....then eat and enjoy!

Save Guilt for Sin

A cousin of mine, Brenda used to have a sign in her kitchen that read "Save Guilt for Sin." I love this saying because it reminds me to keep things in better perspective, a problem for me most of the time. We women (and men too probably) spend far too much time feeling "guilty" about things that are just life or a part of it. For example, we just got through Christmas...did we all eat healthy the whole time? Probably not, but sitting around feeling guilty about meals eaten over the past month is sort of silly. Guilt should be saved for more serious issues in our lives.

I say like Brenda, Save Guilt For Sin, because what really motivates me to do better in my life is love, not guilt. If I love those around me, and love me, then I see things more clearly and I want to do better at living a healthy full life.

Be kind to yourself no matter what you ate, how much you didn't exercise in December (OK in November too), how much sugar you gave to your kids, and how little you flossed your teeth. Get rid of guilt and start working on loving you so you can get to the real important part of your day....LIVING IT!

Keep on Running Keep on Running

I ran into a very inspirational friend this past week. She has lost over 100 pounds this past year. She is now a runner. When I saw her I was shocked. I had seen her off and on this past year and I knew she was losing weight, but wow the end results were really something to see! She looks healthy, younger, and happy. We had a fun chance to talk and she inspired me to start running again.

To back up a bit, approximately 1000 years ago, I used to run in high school, and then I ran a lot on my LDS mission when I had a companion who would also run with me. I fell of the wagon when I got home though, dated a not so nice man who didn't treated me like he should have (dumb me) and then I gained a bunch of weight. After all these years and talking to my runner friend, she said something incredible to me that I must share with you: She said "Chris if you want to be a runner again, do it...your body will remember." That really struck a cord with me as this is something we talk about in midwifery...the body remembers from one birth to the next. She said a whole lot of other things that were so wonderful that day. This kind friend also offered to be a mentor to me to help me get some much needed weight off my body and to encourage me to keep on running. We have been talking on the phone and emailing a lot. It has been incredible and her support and encouragement is invaluable to me.

I have to say that I am loving running again. I am taking it slowly as I am not in high school anymore and my body knows this, even though I don't! Each morning before my family gets up and I study for midwifery, I get on my running shoes and I work up a nice sweat and do something hard for me. It is a wonderful feeling to be challenging my body in this way.

If you ever wanted to be a runner, or if you used to be one and you thought you were too old, or too fat, or too late, don't think those thoughts anymore. Take it slowly, don't go out there and kill yourself, but set small attainable goals and each day keep on running and you will be surprised how much fun this really is. You will love it and your body will thank you for it.

I read a book by John Bingham called The Penguiun. He also has a great website at JohnBingham.com. This site is filled with inspirational information and it is all encouraging to the person who may not want to be a competitor at running, but just wants to run for health and fun. His writing style is easy and refreshing. This wonderful man did not start running until late in life and has now gone on to do incredible things. I hope he will encourage you as he has me.

Have a great day, and run run run!

Living Without My Mother

I have not blogged here in quite some time. I lost my mother to cancer last month and our entire family have been consumed in the caring of my mother, then her funeral, and then taking care of her home, and her estate.

I have learned so many wonderful lessons during this tough time. I have learned that it would have been SO much harder to have lost my mom had we not been really close. As crazy as that sounds, it is true. Being close to someone is wonderful and it makes the separation of death bearable. I guess it is because there are not regrets. I can honestly say that I have no regrets where my mom is concerned. I know she loved me. She knows I loved and adored her too. I called my mom every single day at least once but generally three or ten times. She and I enjoyed talking on the phone together each morning. She only lived 2 blocks from my home, so in-between all of our phone conversations, I made sure to stop by her home a few times per week, just so she could make sure what I looked like I guess.

I have learned that grieving is not depression. It is just simply grieving. Tears and emotions come, and then they go and I am still here, and all is well. I have a strong belief system in my LDS religion that grounds me and saves me. For this great blessing I again have Mom to thank as she raised me in this wonderful religion.

Grieving does take energy. I have also learned that I need more sleep. I need more nourishing foods. I need to cry it seems each day. Not for a long time, but the tears do flow. Running on my treadmill daily is also therapeutic.

I am so grateful for my family. For a wonderful brother who has been right by my side this whole entire time. He has been ever faithful to me in all respects, in all decisions, in all ways. He is my friend, in every sense of the word. His wife is an amazing person who is my sister. I love her so deeply. I have a niece and four nephews who have made this all bearable too. My dear husband who is my best friend has been by me daily and always there no matter how late the hour to talk to me and listen to my tearful yet happy tales of my Mom. My children have also been beacons of energy and caring friends. When you lose someone as dear as a Mommy you realize how much you need your family around you. My close friends have also been so helpful and caring. My best friend from high school came and stayed with me during the week of Mom's funeral. She lives a long way from me and her love was remarkable. Her support impressive. My local friends are also so dear and caring and their love can not be underestimated in how deeply they have helped me get through this hard time.

Death once faced, is do-able. It seems that prior to actually going through this, that I would break apart or something. I don't want to diminish the intensity of the situation or be disrespectful of my mother's life and legacy. I adored her and I do miss her. It is a great thing though to have faced something so difficult and to be able to still see that life is very good. I have not just vanished into a place that is dark. My mother would want me to be as she would say "practical." Which I don't always tend to be for the record! My mother was a good woman who taught me to respect life, to love the Lord, and to live my life. One thing Mom did for me that I treasure is that she listened to me all the time. She loved my dreams and she would listen for long periods of time to me find joy in hearing about my goals and my life. She would say "Chris I am pleased you are becoming a midwife. It would scare me to death, but I am glad for you."

Because of my mother's teachings I feel a love and frankly a responsibility to live a full life. To really live my life and to move forward and to be happy. Grieving is not being unhappy. It is just grieving. My Bishop said something wonderful to me after my mother died, he said "Grieving is the highest level of love we have for someone." I think he is right.

I miss my mom, that is the hard part. I miss her wonderful smell of fancy perfume. I miss her home that was filled with lovely furniture, gorgeous flower arrangements, and lovely everything....my mother was an amazing decorator! I miss her pretty blue eyes and her lovely hands with long nails. I miss her laugh, her voice, her pretty face and hair. I miss her touching my face and saying "I love you Rosebud." These things choke me up. But, I also have a strong belief system and I am eternally thankful to the Lord, who lived and died for me that I may one day be in Heaven with not just my lovely mother, but all of my family, that I adore so much. My mother was a lady, and it is an honor to be her daughter.

If you have lost a loved one, my heart reaches out to you. The Lord is mindful of us, His love is what makes it all as I say do-able.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.