"Milk is good for you,

IF you are a baby cow."
Alright. Quitcher-bitchen. If any of you readers are dairy farmers or pay your bills thanks to the consumers of dairy products, I apologize for this posting. But if you put can put your $$ based bias aside, please read this and enter a comment below. In a way, I AM trying to stir up debate, and in another, I am not. I just need to get this off my chest.
(Why do men have nipples?) No, that isn't it. But it is related. Kinda. Whatevs.
If you live in America, you have NO DOUBT seen ads in print and on TV like this one:

(As an aside, except for the obligatory cleavage shot (milk?), she kinda looks like a dude in a wig in this shot, doesn't she??)

Anyway, point is, these ads are everywhere. Why? (hang on here while i do some research and MATH).
Because in 2004 (these were the most recent, complete stats i could find), the sale of milk (not milk PRODUCTS, just liquid milk) was nearly $67.38 BILLION. yep. $67,382,000,000. WOW. I suppose that if I were in an industry that raked in that kind of dough, I would be peddling it like snake oil, too. I mean, seriously. According to the cartel's  Got Milk website, milk "Milk provides 9 essential nutrients your whole family needs, including calcium and vitamin D for strong bones, high-quality protein for lean muscles." Also from the site, "The recommended 3 glasses of lowfat or fat free milk each day helps supply calcium, vitamin D and a host of other essential nutrients -- including many of the nutrients that Americans frequently lack like potassium, magnesium and vitamin A." Note how it specifically says AMERICANS, as opposed to PEOPLE. Probably because people from other countries (where the dairy cartel  industry isn't as influential important) get their 9 essential nutrients from other sources.
Here is a brief exerpt from an article published online by the Harvard School of Public Health. Yes. Harvard. As in "I pahked my cah in Hahvid Yahd." Where was I? oh, the exerpt. Please forgive me. I started writing this at 2am.
To quote: "Calcium-rich non-dairy foods include leafy green vegetables and broccoli, both of which are also great sources of vitamin K, another key nutrient for bone health. Beans and tofu can also supply calcium."
And another thing. Milk is often (always? I dunno) fortified with Vitamin A. Too much of it is not a good thing. "Be careful about getting too much retinol (vitamin A). Don’t go overboard on fortified milk, energy bars, and breakfast cereals, all of which can be high in bone-weakening vitamin A. Many multivitamin makers have removed much or all retinol and replaced it with beta-carotene, which does not harm bones."
Hmmm...."Drink our milk to get strong bones, to which we've added Vitamin A." Do you see the set up for a perpetual 'need' cycle, or do i have to map it out? No? whew........thank you.
And the Vitamin D? I'll get mine for FREE, thank you very much, from the SUN. Perhaps you've heard of it? For those of you living in Ohio, here is a reminder of what it looks like (har har har):


Yes, just 15 minutes a day, 3 days a week, provides MOST people with the required amount of Vit. D. Give it a try. Go for a walk. Do some gardening. Lounge. Bask. Soak up some FREE Vitamin D.
 
I guess that my biggest complaint is that the consumption of milk is being crammed down our throats by the industry. The other complaint is that we are lead to believe that it is ESSENTIAL to consume diary products. HA. It is, I am willing to bet, essential, if you are a baby COW. Huh? Yep. I said it again.
Humans are the only species on the PLANET, to my knowledge, that make a point to consume the product of mammary glands from a COMPLETELY UNRELATED SPECIES, (and call it essential). What the heck is THAT all about?
And then, because we can, we label people who can't handle the impact of this unrelated specie's milk on our digestive systems as lactose intolerant. And this is a BAD thing? Ummm...seems like it is biologically ACCURATE and appropriate. Unless you are in the drug industry.
To wit, there are many, many products available for purchase that will allow you to purchase and enjoy dairy. Keep those dollars coming from both faucets! Nice.
 
In short, if it isn't too late, our wallets are the real things being milked. I encourage you to find alternatives to milk for your "9 essential nutrients". Try the produce department. And the backyard. Just sayin'.