New research published in the latest issue of the journal Pediatrics finds many mothers are feeding infants solid food too early, reports the New York Times.
Read More:Got Milk? Babies Should Avoid Solid Food for First 6 Months, Many Don’t
Got Milk? Babies Should Avoid Solid Food for First 6 Months, Many Don’tMarch 29th, 2013 - Jill EttingerArtificial Sweeteners in Kids’ Milk? Dairy Group Hopes SoFebruary 25th, 2013 - Jill Ettinger
Facing a decline in milk consumption in our nation’s schools, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) is hoping to add artificial sweeteners to boost its flavor appeal and increase sales. Read More:Artificial Sweeteners in Kids’ Milk? Dairy Group Hopes SoHigh-Calorie Beverages Still Widely Available in U.S. Elementary SchoolsNovember 1st, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago conducted a nationally representative survey to examine the availability of high-calorie and sugar-sweetened beverages for sale in elementary schools during lunchtime, in vending machines and snack bars, and in school stores. They also examined the types of milk available in school cafeterias: low-fat, whole-fat and flavored milks (right). While 16.1% of students could purchase only those beverages recommended by Institute of Medicine guidelines during the 2008–2009 school year, 44.7% could purchase beverages that the guidelines frown upon. This pattern applied to both public and private school. Read More:High-Calorie Beverages Still Widely Available in U.S. Elementary SchoolsDairy Cows Produce Fewer Greenhouse Gas Emissions Than Previously ReportedOctober 20th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
A 2006 United Nations report stated that livestock were responsible for 18% of these emissions. To be fair, this statistic also included land use and degradation, deforestation, pesticide use and water pollution. Cow flatulence, however, continues to incur blame (not to mention really dorky jokes). Fear not, bovine lovers: Researchers at the University of Arkansas and Michigan Technological University have found that the dairy industry is responsible for only about 2% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Using 2007 and 2008 data from more than 500 dairy farms and 50 dairy processors, as well as data from more than 210,000 round trips transporting milk from farm to processing plant, Arkansas researchers examined the trail of carbon emissions—from dairy farms to the milk in your coffee. They concluded that total greenhouse gas emissions associated with the fluid milk Americans consume were lower than previously reported. Read More:Dairy Cows Produce Fewer Greenhouse Gas Emissions Than Previously ReportedMilk Recalled on East CoastSeptember 10th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
Menands, NY-based Midland Farms is voluntarily recalling certain milk products because they may have been improperly pasteurized. Pasteurization heats milk to eliminate pathogenic bacteria like listeria and salmonella. The recalled products are sold in plastic containers and are marketed under the brand names Midland Farms, Corrado’s Market, Jersey Dairy Farms and Trade Fair Premium. Each has the plant code 36-1661 and a date code near the top of the container. Read More:Milk Recalled on East CoastGrass-Fed Cows Make More Heart Healthy MilkJune 7th, 2010 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
Hopefully you picked the latter. Lots of organic farmers believe food from free range livestock is better and healthier – they’re probably right! And now a new study says milk from grass-fed cows is healthier for the heart than conventionally produced milk. Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition researchers found milk from cows allowed to graze contain more conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, than cows fed processed grains. CLA is an unsaturated fat that can protect the heart. Given this health effect, the scientists suggest more attention should be paid to feeding practices for cows. Milk from a cow allowed to graze – like they naturally do – just sounds better, especially since some feedlots, in an attempt to cut costs, mix rejected M&Ms and potato chips with their cows’ regular cud. M&M’s? Does that mean they make chocolate milk? Coffee HorchataMay 15th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
Horchata is a traditional Hispanic beverage made with water, milk and rice, with all of the delicious flavors of a traditional rice pudding. Here in Southern California, it’s often served at popular Mexican restaurants and cafés. Kern’s, best known for its canned nectars, has been selling horchata and similarly refreshing aguas frescas (lemon, tamarind, hibiscus) in mainstream supermarkets for several years, but the products are not organic. Enter Maria Elena’s Aguas Frescas, which sells a 10-oz. Certified Organic Horchata Mix that may be purchased online. Today’s DIY recipe adds coffee and orange zest to the mix for a great spring or summer beverage. All of the ingredients should be available at a well-stocked natural and organic food store. Coffee Horchata1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
Recipe and photo courtesy of Starbucks/ARA. Photo: Ken Yasuhara/Flickr Read More:Coffee HorchataPost-Exercise Protein PowerJanuary 10th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
Do you rely on popular sports drinks for a boost after exercising? If so, you may want to switch to a bowl of whole-grain cereal and skim milk. Researchers at the University of Texas, Austin, have found the latter choice is easier on the wallet and equally effective. “The milk provides a source of easily digestible and high-quality protein, which can promote protein synthesis and training adaptations, making this an attractive recovery option for those who refuel at home,” says UT exercise physiologist Lynne Kammer, whose study of cyclists was published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. Kammer and her coauthors encourage amateur athletes and those who engage in moderate physical activity to pop into the kitchen for this quick-fix breakfast combo after a workout. We, of course, recommend organic cereal and milk to reduce your exposure to pesticides, chemicals, additives and hormones. Read More:Post-Exercise Protein PowerChocolate Milk: Halloween’s Official Drink?October 30th, 2009 - Barbara Feiner
When we started our blog in November 2005, my very first post examined a new trend in organic food: flavored milk. Dietitian Julie H. Burns, a nutrition consultant for Horizon Organic, noted:
A day later, we published Organic Flavored Milk: Pros and Cons, in which Chef Ann Cooper, the “Renegade Lunch Lady,” told us:
Now, the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), creators of the got milk? advertising campaign, are promoting chocolate milk as the “Official Drink of Halloween.” The newest print ad, which debuted in the Oct. 16 issue of People magazine, features actress Angie Harmon (Law & Order, Women’s Murder Club) and her daughters, all sporting milk mustaches. “At Halloween and throughout the year, my girls love the flavor of chocolate milk, and I love knowing it contains the same essential nutrients as white milk like calcium, vitamin D and other nutrients kids need to build strong bones,” Harmon states in a MilkPEP press release. “As a mom, it’s important to me that my kids learn healthy habits early—and drinking three glasses of low-fat or fat-free milk each day is one of the best habits I can pass on to them.” Pediatrician Tanya Remer Altmann, MD, is also supporting MilkPEP’s efforts. “With Halloween snacks all around, low-fat chocolate milk is something moms can feel good about sharing with their kids,” says the author of Mommy Calls: Dr. Tanya Answers Parents’ Top 101 Questions about Babies and Toddlers. “Here’s a spooky fact: Two out of three kids fail to get enough calcium, which is critical to build healthy skeletons,” Dr. Altmann adds. “And studies show that kids who drink chocolate and other flavored milks have higher calcium intakes than those who don’t drink milk. Milk drinkers also tend to drink fewer sugary sodas and fruit drinks and are more likely to be at a healthy weight compared to kids who drink little or no milk. “Encouraging kids to drink more low-fat milk is a great way to steer them from the nutrient-void temptations at Halloween and beyond,” she concludes. “Chocolate milk and white milk contain nine essential nutrients and are a key component in building strong bones during childhood. Moms can benefit from the calcium and vitamin D in chocolate milk, too.” How do you feel about flavored milks, including the organic kind? Please share your thoughts. Photos: Horizon Organic, MilkPEP Read More:Chocolate Milk: Halloween’s Official Drink?Organic Cows Deserve Grazing – not Hazing!September 8th, 2009 - Laura Klein
One major cheater: Aurora Dairy, the nation’s largest organic milk producer and supplier to Wal-Mart, Target, Safeway, Costco and others, is still not playing by the rules. This week, the Cornucopia Institute, an organic industry watchdog group, filed a formal legal complaint with the USDA alleging that one of the five industrial-scale dairies operated by Aurora is failing to graze their dairy cattle as required by the federal organic standards. Aurora’s bad behavior includes…
Not the First Time In response to a previous legal complaint filed by The Cornucopia Institute, in 2006, career staff at the USDA found that Aurora was in violation of 14 tenets of the organic regulations including confining their cattle to feedlots, instead of grazing, and bringing thousands of illegal conventional cows into their organic operation. Killing the Competition The above is not only bad for consumers, who are buying an organic product that doesn’t meet organic standards mandated by law…it hurts small farmers too. Competitors to Aurora and Dean Foods, another ‘big organic’ dairy company (makers of the popular organic brand Horizon), have been forced to lower prices paid to family-scale farmers, institute cut backs on production or even cancel their contracts with some dairy producers. “This is an unmitigated disaster for many family farmers who are now facing no market for their organic milk and possibly losing their farms because of the softening economy and the overload of milk coming from these giant factory farms,” said Kathie Arnold of Truxton, NY, an organic dairy farmer milking 130 cows. The Bright Side According to Cornucopia, 90% of all name brand organic dairy products on the market are produced with true integrity. “No matter where someone lives in this country there are many wonderful brands of organic milk, cheese, butter, yogurt and ice cream that conform to not only the letter of the law but the spirit of what has made organics such a successful and fast-growing segment of our nations’ food supply.” Use the Cornucopia Institute’s recently updated online scorecoard can help you make smarter consumer choices when buying your organic dairy products. Spoiler alert: organic dairy props go to Organic Valley, a farmer-owned cooperative that garners a four-cow rating in the Cornucopia scorecard. Other blogs on organic milk: Organic Food Supermarket Trends: Got Milk? |
High-calorie beverages that have been disallowed by 
Much has been written about cows’ role in producing greenhouse gas emissions. (Think burps and farts.) 
What would you rather drink? Milk from a cow chained up in a barn eating slop through a hole, or a cow allowed to graze in a field?
It’s been awhile since I blogged about the 
