Milk does not quench my thirst. If I eat ice cream, I need a glass of water afterwards. I hate the slimy coating too.

Turning me into a beast!

can anyone say obesity. chocolate milk has got to be the best and they even advertise its benefits !!

@tsjames, not sure if you're for or against what I said but the milk has enough carbohydrates, fat, and protein for a calf, which is significantly higher than a human needs at any stage of life. What do you think happens when you consume that?

@Zoidburg Just for the record , there are completely vegan "beasts" out there ...

@DreadlySmart You're dead on. Take a census at any local hospital to find out ...

@evergreen I didn't imply it was necessary, it's just a good way of getting down quality protein and minerals/cals, I also like it! lol

@DreadlySmart So is every other high calorie food bad, too, then? Just because you don't know how to control your diet doesn't mean everyone doesn't. If you don't want to drink it or can't fit it in your calorie count, don't? That is not an argument for it being bad or unnecessary.

@Zoidburg , "high calorie food bad" on average yes, and not just because of your waist line, but as @tsjames pointed out there are also carbohydrates, fats(lipids if we're to get scientific) and proteins; which I know go to the calorie count but the calorie system is kind of BS since your body may not even use those calories right then even if they're the only calories you consumed recently, and some of the components of the calorie count your body won;t use at all for energy e.g. fiber and proteins.

"Just because you don't know how to control your diet doesn't mean everyone doesn't"
Could be argued that if you drink cow's milk you're not in control of your diet =D.

But on a serious note your body obtains energy through glycolysis, and the only form of sugar that works in that cycle is glucose. Fats, some proteins(maybe...) and polysaccharides(from carbohydrates) contain large glucose chains that have to be broken down into their individual components to be used.

Glycolysis doesn't do the breaking down of larger sugars, I know one is an anaerobic cycle which will only engage during intense workouts because of the lactic acid and the other(s) are when you're starving and there's no glucose readily available. In the meantime all of that instantly gets stored away in preference of the simpler sugars already available.

If you get stuck looking at just one aspect of it, i.e. calories, may as well take this shot of arsenic or chew a stick of lead, those calories will fit right in, never mind the depth of "What they're trying to do to you or how they're actually used once consumed".

@zeliasgrand, though yes a calf can/should/will drink a gallon(4 quarts) a day for 8-10 weeks, the calf eventually stops drinking its mother's milk where as milk drinking humans drink it regularly for most of their life... a 200 lbs man is 1/6 the weight of a calf, so 2.5 cups a day puts him drinking the same equivalent amount, man also only has 1 stomach but I don't know if the other cow stomachs break stuff down from the milk as a calf.

On average 44.7 gallons of milk are consumed per person, per year(2 cups a day), the calf drinks 56-70 gallons in 2-2.5 months.

I would say once you look at the bigger picture, a human drinks WAY MORE milk than a calf.

Just FYI, there are many other foods containing calcium. Sardines, Edamame and tofu, and my favorite; almonds to name a few.

I love milk and dairy products.

consume unpasteurized milk and the lactose thing is gone

@markdevenish what gave you that idea, unpasteurised milk contains lactose as well but may also contain a number of pathogens which can make you ill. that is why we pasteurize milk these days.

@twshield not sure what your point is. At no time in history was food as safe as it is now in most western developed countries and in those countries food is much safer than in the rest of the world. We know pretty much about how often and how food causes health problems and we know about the trade-offs there are countless scientific studies on impacts of various diets and food consumption on people's health. Different countries still have differing regulations and there is obviously room for improvement. But overall there is no need to panic or question in general if people should consume milk.

@twshield well my government is different one, and it is not really the government that is responsible for the laws and regulations that are in place to protect consumers, it is the parliament. But anyway, it is not hard to find the evidence that in most countries I know of, and definitely in all of the European Union, those regulations are sufficient and there is no need to panic.

@CMilena not at all to be antagonistic. I just don't understand why any farmer would deny the calf the appropriate amount of milk to make it grow up healthy. That would lose that farmer way to much money to validate selling the milk in the first place. The full of pus statement is also a bit over the top. I won't disagree with trace amounts but if that's a fear then don't handle money, use the same toothbrush more than once or twice, or ask what is normally on the front of your smartphone. Peanut butter typically has so many rat hairs per batch. There's a lot of things that sound gross but aren't realistic to be afraid of. However, I absolutely respect your milk abstinence because that's more for me

@CMilena I did not know that about the calfs. Absolutely a process that needs to change. I wouldn't say giving up dairy would be the only way to change it though.

I make my own butter.

I use a mixer. Once the cream ‘whips’, just let it keep going. Though churning can be relaxing. @twshield