A new ad campaign from the dairy industry is stirring up quite a debate. The ads say that without the sugary flavoring in chocolate milk, some kids won’t drink regular milk and won’t get its nutrients. Critics say kids will drink white milk if it’s the only milk offered, and that they already get too much sugar, which is adding to the country’s obesity problem.

Should schools serve chocolate milk? What do you think?

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My jaw is still in the dropped position. I just saw that PETA wants Ben & Jerry’s to get milk for its ice cream from breast milk (as in nursing moms) instead of cows. Ummm… what???! Breast milk in Ben & Jerry’s???

Yes, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wrote the ice cream guys a letter asking them to make the switch because cow’s milk can cause health problems in us humans and the trade off would also reduce the suffering of cows and calves.

PETA says, “Because, like all mammals, cows only give milk during or after pregnancy, in order for humans to constantly milk them, they are forcefully impregnated every nine months. Many live in filthy conditions and are forced to give 10 times more milk than they would naturally. It’s truly an awful life.”

Apparently, PETA came up with the idea when the group heard that a restaurant in Switzerland has a new menu that includes soups, stews, and sauces made with at least 75 percent human breast milk.

Okay, I get the animal rights thing… and if you don’t want to drink cow’s milk, that’s fine, too. But seriously – breast milk? How would you get that much breast milk? How is that Swiss restaurant going about this?

Back to the PETA/Ben & Jerry’s issue…

Ben & Jerry’s response: “We applaud PETA’s novel approach to bringing attention to an issue, but we believe a mother’s milk is best used for her child.”

PETA’s response to the response: “Hey, guys, that’s our point: Cow’s milk is for baby cows.”

Ahhh. Now I get it – this is just PETA’s way to bring attention to the issue! I think it’s working.

Photo Credit: Ben & Jerry’s

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I just read that cloned food may already be in our food supply. The thought of cloned food bugs me – there’s just something about it that I think is wrong. But what really gets me is that there is no way to tell whether the food out there is from conventional animals or from the clones.

The Food and Drug Administration says it would be impossible to know whether food and milk from the offspring of cloned animals is in the U.S. food supply because there is no difference between cloned and conventional products.

In January, the FDA said meat and milk from cloned cattle, swine and goats and their offspring were as safe to eat as the meat and milk from traditional animals.

Critics argue we don’t know enough about the cloning technology to ensure the food is safe and that the FDA also needs to address concerns over animal cruelty and ethical issues.

I just want the cloned stuff labeled so I can avoid it. What do you think – should cloned food be labeled? Would you eat it?

Photo Credit: stock.xchng

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Here’s another sign of how childhood obesity is seriously hurting kids’ health. An influential doctors’ group now recommends some children as young as age eight take cholesterol-fighting drugs to prevent having heart problems when they get older.

When I first saw the new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), I thought I should be shocked, but the sad thing is I’m not…  just sad that it’s come to this.

The AAP says the new advice is based on growing evidence that shows damage leading to heart disease begins early in life. And recent studies show drugs that lower cholesterol (statins) are generally safe for children. But should kids really take statins? For how long? What about diet and exercise?

The theory is if doctors are more aggressive about cholesterol in childhood, it may help avoid heart attacks and strokes when they’re adults. But some pediatricians argue, there’s no proof it would work.

The guidelines say drugs would generally be prescribed for kids at least eight-years-old who have too much LDL – the “bad” cholesterol – plus other risky conditions, like obesity and high blood pressure. Again these are children.

For overweight kids who don’t have enough HDL – the “good” cholesterol – the recommendations say the first step should be weight loss, more physical activity and nutritional counseling.

The AAP says kids should be screened between ages two and 10 if they have a family history of heart disease.

Because of the obesity epidemic, the group is also now reversing its stance on milk, recommending low-fat milk for one-year-olds “for whom overweight or obesity is a concern.” The academy has long recommended against reduced-fat milk for children up to age two because they need saturated fats for brain development.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 32 percent of children are overweight or obese.

Okay, enough. Kids on pills and at risk for “adult” diseases just isn’t right. A few months ago, I did a story about preventing childhood obesity (and more are on the way, I assure you). It’s actually a video news story – take a look and let me know what you think. Anyone else disturbed by these new guidelines?

Photo Credit

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Do you drink milk every day? New research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds having as little as one glass of lowfat or fat-free milk could help protect your heart. Researchers found adults who had at least one serving each day had 37 percent lower odds of poor kidney function linked to heart disease compared to those who drank little or no lowfat milk.

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