re: milk, excess protein, and type ii diabetes

[Guest guest]

hi dave,

 

thanks for your support!

 

anyway, as far as health issues are concerned, milk mainly provides two

things: calcium and protein. unless you take only skim milk, it is also

high in saturated fats, something to be very wary of, particularly if you are

prone to heart disease. calcium is available in many different sources aside

from milk, and despite this is, unfortunately, severely lacking in most

american diets (veg or non-veg). this is due in part to the fact that it is

not always easily absorbed in the body. i am not a big supporter of

supplements, but depending on their lifestyles and diets, i generally

recommend to my clients to take a calcium citrate supplement as well as

vitamin d (or 15 minutes in the sun) and magnesium, and to make sure they get

plenty of leafy greens and cruiciferous veggies. i could go into my long

spiel about the pros and cons of milk, but in the interest of space and time,

i'll direct you instead to a good, non-biased source of information through

harvard university: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/calcium.html

 

as far as the protein aspect, it is VERY difficult to be deficient in

protein, and it's really not something you need to worry about supplementing.

even " complete " proteins are kind of a myth-- your body will generally

complete any incomplete proteins for you. if you are eating a whole lot of

protein, however, you should make sure that you also drink a whole lot of

water-- particularly if you are prone to kidney stones. excess protein can

bind with calcium in your kidneys and cause stones. not fun.

 

from a health perspective, is milk necessary? absolutely not. is it more

convenient than finding substitutes for all milk based products? much,

especially in mainstream restaurants. so it really, i think, comes down to

the question of convenience, and how willing one is to give up that

convenience.

 

hi, mindy! welcome to the group, and congratulations on starting on a much

healthier you! have you checked with your doctor yet about how much of your

diet should be carbohydrate? let me know, and i'll be able to help you much

more.

 

hope this helps!

 

take care and keep smiling,

 

melody

http://www.melodysmusic.net