Children are routinely told to "drink their milk" but, in reality, they'd be far better off without it. If you have children, try this yourself: take them off all dairy products for 30 days and see if you don't notice dramatic results in their health. They will have fewer colds, fewer ear infections, and if they previously showed symptoms of asthma, those symptoms will frequently vanish. They will have easier bowel movements, improved immune system function and they'll be avoiding a liquid food that's nutritionally skewed. I've seen the avoidance of dairy products work miracles for children.
Worried about their calcium intake? The "good for your bones" myth about cow's milk is nothing more than marketing propaganda. In reality, children need more natural sunlight (since Vitamin D is critical for bones) and can get ample calcium from other sources such as green vegetables. A cup of broccoli juice has more calcium than a cup of milk. Also, make sure they supplement with magnesium, since most children in the U.S. are deficient in that mineral, and magnesium deficiencies inhibit the utilization of calcium.
Finally, make sure your children get plenty of physical exercise. The way to grow strong bones is to stress those bones through exercise. As bones are stressed, the body automatically deposits more minerals to make them stronger.
See, in the end, children don't need cow's milk at all. That is, unless your children are furry, walk on four legs, and moo.
Samir Ghadiali, professor of mechanical engineering and mechanics at
Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., thinks there is a better way to
tackle the problem.
Ghadiali, a member of Lehigh's Bioengineering and Life Sciences
Program, studies the biomechanical and biophysical properties that
govern the eustachian tube, which connects the middle ear to the back of
the nose and the upper throat and which helps to regulate air pressure
inside the ear.
In healthy adults, it opens and closes three or four times a day, and
more frequently when an excursion into higher altitudes causes a change
in air pressure and triggers the ears to pop.