* Trust Scientific Research, Don't Drink Milk

First of all, it’s good to be back in the blogosphere. I took a little break and tried to implement some of the tricks I learned from my research in hopes of moving my family further away from animal products.

I didn’t eat any animal products for one week. It was not that hard. The hard part was convincing my husband that it was a good idea. I had him fooled with vegetarian versions of chili and lasagna, until he complained that his pants were too baggy, and demanded we eat some meat with our next meal. Personally, I felt great and I didn’t mind that my clothes were looser.

Then I did a little back slide. We went to some Halloween parties that had more food than we knew what to do with. Until then, I had managed to steer clear of the category 4 foods (all animal products, alcohol and drugs [of any kind]).

Once I wasn’t presented with the scientific facts on a daily basis, it was easy to forget about the negative affects of dairy and meat. I resumed eating cheese (I love cheese), chocolate and meat.

So I decided more research was in order to get back on track. This is when I found The Milk Letter written by Dr. Robert Kradjian in 1995. Dr. Kradjian is a breast cancer specialist and wrote the best-selling book Breast Cancer.

Before writing the letter, Dr. Kradjian reviewed research data from 1988 – 1993. He found 2,700 scientific studies, and of that 1,500 related specifically to milk. After reading 500 of the articles, he felt it was his duty as a physician to warn his patients about potential health concerns related to milk and dairy product consumption. None of the articles said milk was an excellent source of nutrition or a ‘perfect food’, free of side effects, as we have been led to believe by all of the dairy industry studies that influence our school lunch programs.

Now I challenge, Newport-Mesa Unified School District and Superintendent Dr. Jeffery Hubbard to read The Milk Letter and open the door to the possibility that we need to make a stand against or at least offer alternatives to milk. Our children’s health depends on it. If we all work together to educate teachers, students and parents we will be the road to a healthier lifestyle.