In the massive 20-year, 80,000 woman Harvard Nurses Study, those who consumed the most dairy had the highest rate of bone fractures.

A meta-analysis, published in Pediatrics, of all adequately controlled studies of dietary calcium intake and bone health showed no clear relationship between the two.

Typical finding: The Penn State Young Women’s Health Study tracked 80 12-year females for 10 years and found that a 600mg daily calcium supplement had negligible effect on bone health but exercise had a substantial effect.

In general, controlled studies of total calcium intake show that calcium intake above about 500mg per day are not correlated with, or a predictor of, bone mineral density or fracture rate in children or young adults.

It’s actually absurd to think that our bone health is dependent on drinking another species’ mother’s milk long past the time when we stop drinking our own mother’s mik. Even calves stop drinking milk once they’re about a year old. Lactose intolerance – a normal condition – may be nature’s warning that it’s time to wean.

Dairy has also been repeatedly linked to obesity. Typical finding: a study of 11,000 boys linked milk consumption – including skim milk – to obesity. This is not surprising considering that cow’s milk is designed to help baby calves gain hundreds of pounds in a short amount of time.

Studies also link dairy to arthritis, colic, canker sores, diabetes, and a host of other problems. The famous baby doctor Benjamin Spock advised parents not to give milk to their children, as did Frank Oski, MD, former director of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University.

Dairy milk is also exceedingly cruel: On nearly all dairies, cows are kept constantly pregnant and lactating, their calves are pulled from them when only hours old, many of the male calves and “excess” female calves are sent to horid veal pens, and the mother cows are killed at around 5 years old – young adulthood. Cows may be legally transported in blistering hot weather for over 24 hours with no food, water, or rest. A Washington Post investigation revealed that some cows are still alive and conscious as their belies are ripped open and their limbs are sawed off. Some cows are killed while pregnant; their milk, and the blood of their fetus drips on the slaughterhouse floor.

There may be substantial health benefits to drinking nondairy milk. In a study of over 12,000 Seventh Day Adventist men, those who regularly drank soymilk instead of cow’s milk had a 70 PERCENT reduction in prostate cancer risk. Studies in both Asia and the West show that consumimg moderate amounts of soy (e.g., two glasses of soymilk a day) may reduce the risk of breast cancer as well as the risk of recurrence of and death from breast cancer. (Some of the misinformtion about soy is based on highly contrived studies on rodents, producing effects not seen in humans.)

In summary — Dairy is an unhealthy product, derived by cruel methods, that is not even digestible in its natural form by a majority of humans. Most nondairy milks are fortified with calcium and vitamin D, contain fiber (unlike cow’s milk), have healthier fats, are not aassociated with the myriad health problems of dairy, and are cruelty-free. Schools should offer soy, almond, coconut, and other plant-based milks and ditch the dairy. They should also encourage more physical activity.

I am trying to understand a few aspects of a higher quality nutritious school lunch program that you may have at your fingertips.

What would be a well portioned salad bar lunch as defined by weight? Defined by weight and variety of vegetables? This would vary by age I would imagine so would you please provide your bracketing?

What is it costing today for an average school lunch of processed foods? Are you able to provide guidelines for the salad bar lunch costs recognizing local pricing differences?

If the salad bar program were to be extended to food pantry applications, assuming that produce would be packaged and not prepped in a salad bar, would you be able to offer some guidelines for the proper portioning per family member?

I know I am asking a lot but your answers will help my mind churn through some ideas.

Thank you Ann.

Our school desperately needs this salad bar program but we are beyond the 50 mile limit by 30 miles. Are we out of luck?

Sugar IS Sugar. HFCS does not exist in nature it takes several processes to produce. If they were the same something in nature would be using HFCS as energy.

HFCS is NOT Sugar.

Thanks for posting the wonderful information about the concept of salad bar. Until i read this post i never believed that salad vegies can be presented in such a refreshing and fun way. Salad vegies besides having fiber content also are laden with anti-oxidants that can help keep many life-style diseases at bay.

This book talks about the correlation between dairy proteins, Casein, and cancer. Basically, claiming Casein is a stimulant to carcinogens and increases the chances of cancer developing. It suggests sticking to a completely plant based diet with whole grains and vegetables.

Anyway, I wish you the best with your friends. We’ll some how figure this oil spill problem out at a tragic cost to future generations. I hope we can fight the child obesity epidemic better. I’m creating a social and educational networking website called http://plantingprogress.org/ to bring together school gardens, local farms and schools and school lunch reform. I love the work you do. Keep it up!

Best,

Jennifer

Also some good work happening in Santa Barbara

King corn was another one that just made me shake my head. And this is a government that allows this type of thing to go on with and to our food. It is a disgrace.

Thanks.

see the section on “bonus foods” followed by “schools are not dumping grounds for Government foods”

New slogan idea:
“Don’t let them put a government bureaucrat between our children and their lunch!”

Just found your article after seeing the end of Jamie Oliver’s food revolution. its the first time I heard about the USDA food dumping. I was trying to find out how the gvt was involved in food dumping.

So it’s about price controls. Reminds me of when I used to listen to Radio Moscow on shortwave in the 70s, adn they’d be talking about national tractor production. How can it be the all those Republican “small government” administrations have lorded it over basically the worst possible version of nationalized economy.

Obama must end this. Michelle Obama telling children to move around is not the solution. Stop the problem at it’s root. Stop the USDA dumping on children, and change the regulations of what counts as a nutritious meal from bread sticks, to what we KNOW is a nutricious meal.

Thank you for coming to Boulder Valley to effect change in our school food. Supporting you in your good work is an honor.
Maela

I’ve heard excuses like… the kids won’t eat it if it’s healthy. Well IMHO, if you start the kids young they will eat it and why not offer a healthy snack if you are worried they are not eating and hungry (like peanut butter and apples or yogurt or whole fresh fruit for snacks while kids adjust) offer incentives (stickers, extra recess time) for kids to try new menu items… etc.

Anyone skeptical about the value of food science should check out Cookwise, a textbook of the science of food. It is incredibly interesting and helps people understand the chemistry and biochemistry of cooking.

Beyond this, an excellent piece.