No milk, no problem

(Olga Lyubkina)

China continues to have problems with milk and milk-related products and according to the AFP on February 8 Chinese health officials were in search of over 100 tons of melamine-laced milk powder and closed two dairy farms. But the benefits associated with milk-products can be found in other nutritive foods.

On Harvard’s School of Public Health Nutrition Source webpage, researchers take a closer look at milk and calcium and conclude that while milk may be a convenient source of calcium, too much can cause serious increased health risks including high cholesterol, ovarian cancer and prostate cancer.

However it is essential to get calcium (and vitamin D - in the United States milk is fortified with vitamin D) and so here are some healthy alternatives to dairy: dark leafy green vegetables (kale and mustard greens), nuts and seeds (sesame and almonds), oats, rutabaga, soy-based products and many more.

Vitamin D rich foods include fish, liver, and egg yolk.

Harvard’s research findings on milk intake and calcium:

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/calcium-full-story/index.html

Full list of calcium and vitamin D-rich foods from HealthLink British Columbia, Canada:

http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthfiles/hfile68e.stm