Do You Drink Bovine Infant Milk?
August 25, 2008 by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor
Filed under breast milk, breastfeeding, nutrition
The controversy over the California Milk Processor Board’s objections to the “got breastmilk?” parody of the “got milk?” campaign got me thinking about human consumption of cow’s milk. Then I read an email on Lactnet that referred to cow’s milk as “bovine infant milk” and that really got me thinking.
~ Is it cruel and unethical to separate calves prematurely from their mothers in order for cows’ milk to be collected for human consumption? Do you have a moral objection to it? Do you also object to eating meat or wearing leather, or are those entirely different issues?
~ Are humans not meant to consume milk specifically designed with particular proteins and antibodies for baby cows?
I am just raising the questions; I don’t know how I feel about the answers personally. I would love to hear your thoughts. Do you consume bovine infant milk? Do you think dairy is healthful for humans? Have you eliminated dairy from your diet for one reason or another? Leave a comment!
Yikes, those double-underlined ads are really annoying.
As a cheese-loving vegetarian, this is a topic that weighs on my mind. I don’t even find meat eating to be inherently unethical, but when you look at today’s farming practices, and really think about them, it’s hard to argue that it is the right thing to do. I don’t really have an answer, but I strive towards a diet that does not include factory-farmed milk. I wouldn’t want my children eating that, either.
I agree Jul – I wish we didn’t have those ads.
As for the dairy question, it’s a tough one isn’t it? Slowly I’ve transitioned to as many organic foods (produce, meat and dairy) as possible, and subscribed to an organic CSA when I could, and still there are things that bother me. It’s a continual process of evaluating what makes the most sense, both for my family and for the environment.
We were using only organic milk until prices started to go up. My husband just got a raise, though, so I think we might be able to go back to organic dairy, mostly. Organic cheese is hard to find and more expensive.
We’re not vegetarian, but eat very little meat. My goal is not to prepare meat at home, and we never eat beef. I struggle with the amount of dairy we eat, because of the ethical and environmental impact, as well as possible health issues. We were using soy milk for awhile, but I’ve read enough to make me hesitant there, too.
We do try to make the distinction, and refer to it as “cow’s milk,” because I believe the generic “milk” should refer to human milk.
Judy, I’m not a huge fan of soy either, mainly because it’s estrogenic and I’m not sure how it would affect my thyroid (I have been both hyperthyroid and hypothyroid and would rather remain stable!)
My dh and ds drink milk. I started avoiding dairy when my dd showed sensitivities to it through my breastmilk. I’ve been off dairy for 18 months now and I will probably not go back! I didn’t realize how dairy affected my system and I am much healthier now that I’ve eliminated it. I read that over 75% of adults worldwide have lactose intolerance and you can’t help but wonder if that’s just a sign that we shouldn’t be consuming cow products!
We drink organic milk. I’m not opposed to it at all, I think God created animals for humans to use for food (in this case, drink).
No, we don’t drink cow milk, and won’t be giving it to littlepixie. We don’t eat meat, eggs or wear leather either. I think many people are very disconnected from the reality of the dairy industry, the fact that male cows usually are slaughtered as a by-product is overlooked even by many vegetarians.
I also find it hard to understand how any mother who has nursed her baby can support an industry which rips babies away from their mothers and keeps the mothers in a constant cycle or pregnancy and lactation with regular mastitis and similar issues just so humans can have milk in their coffee or cereal. It’s very upsetting when you consider it from that point of view.
I know people have their reasons for drinking it, and there are always plenty of people who get milk from the “farmer down the road who loves his cows”. I guess it’s a choice we all have to make based on our own moral compass.
I’ve hesitated in replying because I am constantly battling this in my mind. We use less than a gallon of milk per month in our house. I, generally, believe it to be unnecessary (from a dietary standpoint) and continue to nurse my son, which in itself eliminates his “need” for cow’s milk. However, we do eat cheese, which we love. We don’t eat much meat at all (maybe 1x/wk at most) and participate in a local CSA.
When my son stops nursing, I will not be adding milk back in to our diet, and I am trying to find another food (other than cheese) for our family to enjoy. Hopefully it happens soon!
We do drink milk, I try to buy organic when I can afford it. I love cheese and ice cream. My daughter drinks soy milk because of a little bit of lactose intolerance. I occasionally drink some of her soy milk. I was curious about your comments regarding soy and thyroidism- I have Hashimotos and my mother in law has Graves. So my daughter has a really good chance of having some type of thyroid issue in the future. I thought soy was supposed to be so good for you? Enlighten me please!
I have been buying milk straight from the farm for the past couple of years and have seen several different arrangements for the way the farms are handling their milk cows. I prefer it when they aren’t weaning the calves to the bottle at a few days old but are keeping cows and calves together most of the time. In those cases, they either keep them separated all night and milk in the morning or separate all day and nurse in the evening. It is my understanding that they start this at a month or 2 old when the calves are old enough to eat some grass on their own. For some people this is probably still not acceptable, but it is for me. Cows aren’t human, and while I think we should interfere as little as possible with nature, it’s not exactly comparable to separating moms and babies at a young age, not even quite similar to separating babies from their moms for extended periods when the baby is eating significant amounts of food. Still, I think it’s best all around if we interfere as little as possible, even if getting cows milk does require some intervention on our part. We interfere at least a little to get any food that we eat, whether it is plant- or animal-based.
That said, I don’t buy any milk, meat, eggs from anyplace that is using “conventional” factory-farming methods, and I buy as little produce as possible from large faraway farms as well.
Yes, I think it’s cruel and unethical to separate calves prematurely from their mothers so we can have the milk. There are so many other sources of the calcium and vitamins we can get from milk; it just doesn’t make sense to rip a calf away from its mother. Too, I’m a vegetarian and don’t wear animals (I also don’t buy products from companies that test on animals), and I don’t really feel like they’re entirely different issues. For me, it’s all about not contributing to animal cruelty. Stressing out a cow family to get the mama’s milk, to me, is cruelty (not to mention some of the horrible conditions cows suffer in big farms).
On the matter of God, I don’t know whether he wants us to eat/wear animals or not, but I feel fairly confident in saying that he most likely does not smile upon the horrors of today’s animal food/clothing industry.
Milk is always good for any one, since it contains many natural immune boosting substances including calcium. Why then doctors provide many calcium supplements during one get’s old. Instead of taking such synthetic supplements which never improves one’s health, drink lots of milk, take milk products like curd, buttermilk which are natural immune boosters and calcium builders, if one is not suffering from lactose intolerace. For them they can dilute the milk with water and try. Donot take milk with any other drugs, since it interferes with each and every food ingredient
Two thoughts from me: 1) my grandfather made his living as a dairy farmer. I prefer to buy local goods when possible and support our local farmers, dairy and produce.
2) I’m not trying to be a Bible thumper here. But as a Christian, I believe that animals were given to us by God for our use (not abuse). I support the ethical treatment of animals, but they are still a food source for me and my family. So we do enjoy products made from cow’s milk (we also eat meat).
Just my thoughts…
I’ve been trying to switch to vegan diet for about a week now, though I AM a believer and trying to find some sense in what god gave us as a gift to use animals for food, and at the same time what some believe to be cruelty concerning the way we use them. I study agriculture and I’ve seen it with my own eyes the way they keep the tiny little calves in cages in just 2 hours after birth while the mother is still bleeding from her delivery, well that’s the worst way for it. But the morning or half a day type seems to be more tolerable, though I still don’t know if it hurts the calves to be separated from their mother in that way, but after all they don’t want to drink milk all the time, IF it doesnt result in lessening the milk the calves need for themselves, does it?