Mar 30, 2007

No Milk Please!

I am finally starting to catch my breath at the end of this crazy, stressful week. Tuesday Max decided to wean himself. From everything. He wouldn't nurse, wouldn't take formula, and wouldn't take cow's milk (he despises all things dairy). After two and a half days of his milk strike, I rushed him to the pediatrician. I was in a major panic because I thought he was going to die. They carefully examined every inch of his body and pronounced him to be in perfect health.

The doctor gave me a very interesting speech stating that cows are a different species than us and we really don't need to drink their milk. He went on to say that we are the only country that gives cow's milk to our children after they are weaned, and that most humans on the earth don't drink it. All we need is food and water. He also said that American children drink too much cow's milk and that it causes a lot of problems such as anemia, ear infections, asthma, diabetes, etc. Who knew?

I have been doing research about milk since and it turns out that there are lots of problems with it. What concerns me most is that 89% of the dairy herds in the United States have cows infected with leukemia. The infected milk is pooled with non-infected milk, but luckily the leukemia virus is rendered inactive by pasteurisation, if done correctly. Don't drink raw milk!

Today I made pesto for lunch in celebration of the end of this miserable week. It could quite possibly be my favorite food. It reminds me of the summers of childhood when we would go out to the garden to pick basil so we could eat fresh pesto for lunch. Max(he who eats only oatmeal) gobbled up the pesto as I watched with my jaw hanging open in shock and awe. I guess it makes sense, I ate so much of it during pregnancy that he was probably swimming in it in utero.

5 comments:

Alicia Leppert said...

I think I've actually heard this about cow's milk, too. My kids' pediatrician told me that my kids were drinking too much milk, and I said, "What the heck does that mean? You can drink too much milk?" And she said too much milk can cause (I believe it was) liver problems.

Natasha said...

Max went cold turkey on you? Ouch!Post your Pesto recipe. Does it have pinenuts, because I've got some to use up.

[M] said...

Pesto Recipe: Put a handful of fresh basil, some olive oil (1/3 cup?), and garlic into the food processor or mortar and pestal. You can also chop it. Pour it on fresh pasta and use a lot of fresh parmesan or asiago cheese to serve it. The cheese is a must. My grandma always puts pinenuts in it. You can also put walnuts in it (in the sauce). You can put some cheese in the blender too. I usually do. You can add more olive oil to toss if needed.

Shells said...

I had no idea about cow's milk. Thanks for sharing.

Aaron & Sara Warren said...

My comment has to do with neither milk nor pesto. I just want to thank you for the comedian link you had on your site! Aaron and I got a kick out of the guitar jokes bit. Very funny! Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to seeing you this Saturday!