Yesterday, I wrote about what kids these days are drinking. The primary aim of the article was to address the sugar consumption. The feedback was great! I’m so glad that the awareness is increasing and that so many parents are paying attention.

As I wrote the article, however, I knew that I was casually brushing over something that was likely to get people’s attention. And I was correct.

I used the words: “cow’s-milk!” 🙂

For the purpose of that post, I was merely referencing an article entitled “New Kids’ Guidelines: Drink Milk, Water, Avoid Plant-Based ‘Milk’” which gave those recommendations regarding milk.

To be more clear, it suggested whole milk for kids 1-2 and slim/low-fat milk for children over 2. The reduction in fat content is because, by age 2, kids should start getting more calories from the food they eat. They shouldn’t require as much from milk.

The article referenced a much more comprehensive analysis which you can find here.

Now, for most reading this, avoiding sugar is one thing, but milk, especially cow’s milk, opens up a whole world of controversy.

Whole, 1%, 2%, skim, low-fat, pasteurized, homogenized, sterilized, organic, grass-fed, antibiotics, hormones, allergies, lactose intolerance, dairy sensitivity,… there are a lot of conversations to be had about cow’s milk.

And then there are the milk alternatives – soy, almond, cashew, goat, coconut, rice, hemp, etc. and all the questions about how they are processed, and their nutritional content.

My intent is not to write a dissertation here about milk, but let me give you some simple thoughts on this – then tomorrow I’ll explain what we do in my home.

First of all, if you can’t tell already from my posts, I’m not really big on hype, fear, and knee-jerk reactions. It doesn’t take long in medicine before you realize that one study says one thing and the next study says the opposite.

It is really hard to isolate and test variables in human populations that then allow you to make broad, generalized recommendations that apply to every person in every situation.

It’s nearly impossible.

So, guidelines are guidelines. Meaning, they provide a general framework – a good place to start. And a lot of the time they are built on “expert opinion,” which has its own drawbacks.

(Keep in mind, that I’m talking about controversial/debatable issues like milk – NOT the incontravertable things like kids drinking sugar, smoking, or sticking your finger in an electrical socket.)

But having a good starting place that is backed by reasonable science, investigation, and experience is quite useful.

In fact, if you haven’t really looked through the full article entitled TECHNICAL SCIENTIFIC REPORT: Healthy Beverage Consumption in Early Childhood, you might want to. It’s impressive work – quite comprehensive. I confess I haven’t even been able to get through it all yet, but I aim to.

I think that it’s a lot easier to move through the nuances of individual care once we have started with some clear guidelines – which is why I shared the article.

Not every child will fit perfectly into the recommendations. But that’s when it becomes helpful to have a professional that you can talk with and share your concerns with. Hopefully, they will be receptive to your thoughts and observations, and work with you to determine the right path for your own child.

I hope this is helpful. Tomorrow I will share about our milk/dairy approach – or, perhaps, our “Food Philosophy.”

Again, I appreciate your comments and feedback!