Nutrition and healthy eating

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• July 10, 2012 1:14 p.m.

  Thanks for the article. The kid's band director claims that milk will "curdle in the stomach" during hot weather, and tells all the kids to avoid milk for the weeks leading up to band camp and on through the marching season. I've found this claim is pretty common on band advice websites, even though I can't find the information supported on nutrition or health websites.

  - Marie

• April 17, 2012 5:17 p.m.

  It makes sense that our bodies would need some protein to rebuild immediately after a hard workout, so I'm happily drinking some milk for recovery immediately after my workouts.

  - Bruce

• February 20, 2012 11:07 p.m.

  Thank you for your article. I've always used milk as my base for my post workout protein drink. I mix my protein powder with a banana, frozen fruit, coupled with a tuna sandwich, soup, salad, or small serving of a healthy meal.

  - Ray

• October 7, 2011 11:45 p.m.

  I notice milk being hailed as a miracle food,yet asian countries dont really drink it and theyre doing better healthwise. Ok, if you have nothing else to eat, go ahead and consume yoghurt, milk and cheese, but otherwise, it is kind of weird how we think its normal to drink another creatures milk intended for that creatures development. Also, you dont need that much calcium and there are other minerals which are important for bones. Excess calcium strains your kidneys and forces your bones to use up osteoblasts(bone building cells) to restore normal blood ph (too much calcium makes your blood too alkaline). Because the osteoblasts we have are limited, if you use them up when youre young and trying to prevent osteoporois, then you actually will get osteoporosis. The countries that consume the most dairy products have the highest levels of osteoporosis. High impact sports, like running, do make your bones stronger. Furthermore, because cows have a growth hormone pretty much identical to ours, milk contributes in cancer development. Ive tried to stop consuming it, except on special ocasions because it is included in a lot of desserts, which makes it dificult to avoid sometimes. Now, back to the subject. For sports recovery, I think its better to make a diluted smoothie, banana and orange for example, with a little salt. Afterwards you can have a snack. Sportsdrinks also work and theyre eay to carry around, but they do have artificial aditives which I dont really trust.

  - Veronica

• July 25, 2010 12:57 p.m.

  DO NOT DRINK MORE THAN A GLASS (250mL) OF MILK A DAY!!!!! Possible Increased Risk of Ovarian Cancer High levels of galactose, a sugar released by the digestion of lactose in milk, have been studied as possibly damaging to the ovaries and leading to ovarian cancer. Although such associations have not been reported in all studies, there may be potential harm in consuming high amounts of lactose. A recent pooled analysis of 12 prospective cohort studies, which included more than 500,000 women, found that women with high intakes of lactose—equivalent to that found in 3 cups of milk per day—had a modestly higher risk of ovarian cancer, compared to women with the lowest lactose intakes. (15) The study did not find any association between overall milk or dairy product intake and ovarian cancer. Some researchers have hypothesized, however, that modern industrial milk production practices have changed milk's hormone composition in ways that could increase the risk of ovarian and other hormone-related cancers. (16) More research is needed. Probable Increased Risk of Prostate Cancer A diet high in calcium has been implicated as a probable risk factor for prostate cancer. (17) In a Harvard study of male health professionals, men who drank two or more glasses of milk a day were almost twice as likely to develop advanced prostate cancer as those who didn't drink milk at all. (18) The association appears to be with calcium itself, rather than with dairy products in general: A more recent

  - Jeff

• July 22, 2010 10:34 p.m.

  This is a great article: a straight forward commons sense approach to refuel and build muscle. The only thing I'd be careful with is the chocolate milk. Whereas some generic brand of low fat chocolate milk are no doubt great for you I would remain skeptical of your sugar-laden icecream shop variety.

  - Nootrients Blog

• March 19, 2010 3:11 p.m.

  This explains all the chocolate milk ads that have taken over at my gym!

  - Ruth

• March 9, 2010 10:50 a.m.

  Terry: Two studies that I reviewed reported best outcomes with 500 mL of low fat milk (that is just over 2 cups or 16 ounces). The amino acids (building blocks of protein) in soy milk differ from those in cow's milk. One study suggests that the soy protein is digested more rapidly than a cow's milk protein. This rapid digestion results in the soy protein being broken down by the body and not be used by the muscles as seen with the cow milk protein.

  - MayoClinic.com Staff

• March 7, 2010 8:26 p.m.

  I find that a glass of chocolate milk after a heavy work out refreshes me a lot. I never liked power drinks anyway!Great article!!! April

  - April

• March 4, 2010 11:29 p.m.

  I'd like to point out to Donald that milking cows is quite beneficial for the cow itself. This reduces stress on the udder and helps prevent disease/infection like mastitis in the udder for the cow. Also, there is milk that is lactose-free for anyone that is lactose intolerant.

  - Jill

• March 4, 2010 10:17 a.m.

  As a nurse and a mom, I try to promote healthy eating/living. I have twin sons that, until Nov. of their Junior year as 17 yr olds, were similar in body stature, ht./wt. At the end of the 2008 football season, the son that plays FB decided not to go out for basketball so he could lift weights to get bigger for his senior season. He began lifting weights Nov. 2008 at 157#. He lifted 4-5 days weekly doing ciruit training with free weights. On August 1st, 2009 he had gained tremendous strength and weighed 187#. He has faithfully poured himself a tall glass of milk, mixing in 1 scoop of whey protein to maintain/prevent muscle breakdown. His twin brother also works out on a bowflex and treadmill, is very fit and weighs 160-165#. He is a milk drinker but does not consume milk (or whey protein) immediately following his workouts. On Nov. 20th, weighing 180# after the 2009 FB season, my son faithfully returned to lifting, again following his workouts with MILK and whey protein. He tipped the scale last evening at 197.5#. I have to believe the milk and protein are beneficial!

  - Barb

• March 3, 2010 3:26 a.m.

  does SOY milk (silk brand) contain the necessary benefits that cows milk contains following the cardio/streength training workout?...thanks

  - terry

• March 3, 2010 3:22 a.m.

  does anyone know how many ounces of milk should be drunk following a one hour cardio/strength training exercise daily routine?...thanks

  - terry

• March 2, 2010 7:50 p.m.

  Does anyone else ever think about the fact that milk (Cow's, goat, etc) is another animals breast milk? I run into so many people who shouldn't drink milk because they are intolerant to lactose and/or intolerant/allergic to milk protein(s). Milk is not the pancea for all and probably creates more health problems than we realize.

  - Donald

• March 2, 2010 5:05 p.m.

  Raw organic milk also contains beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilus. It is important that the milk is raw because pasteurization destroys the beneficial bacteria along with beneficial enzymes needed to assimilate the many nutrients in milk.

  - Heal From the Ground Up

• March 2, 2010 4:35 p.m.

  As someone who was reared happily on raw milk, I'm pleased to see this. Any information on the quality of the chocolate used... is there also the bonus of significant quantities of anti-oxidants?

  - Rose

• March 2, 2010 12:48 p.m.

  I heard about that somewhere else, too. I have tried drinking chocolate milk and feel that it is a great recovery drink. It is something my body seems to crave after a workout now . . . and it tastes great, too!

  - Joel

• February 28, 2010 10:17 a.m.

  I was wondering if you could review a new sports drink called Thirst and let me know what you think. I am eager to hear your thoughts.

  - Len