Why do people still eat dairy?

laoch na mona · 03-12-2014 8:54pm

ch750536 wrote: »

What does milk give you that you can't readily get elsewhere?

I like to eat as much locally produced food as possible (mostly down to environmental concerns), and grow as much of my own as I can. I don't seen the possibility of going vegan without relying on imports to get as much protein I need.

I did give some thought to this when a friend of mine became vegan on animal rights grounds, and I can not see any cruelty in Irish dairy farming, the cows are grass feed and there's virtually no existent veal industry here, so I don't see why I should forgo a huge part of the Irish diet

Mountainsandh · 04-12-2014 1:00am

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

For the record I'd totally eat bugs if they could mash them up with something so the texture was nice and they tasted good. I think we're gonna see a lot more developments in food technology that allow just this in the future.

Prawns are a lot like insects and they are lovely tasting. It's just all down to what you are culturally used to.

No there's nothing in milk that can't be got elsewhere with a bit of effort, but why should I go to the effort when milk is:

1. Tasty
2. Easily available and very sustainably farmed in this country
3. Nutritious

I would survive no problem if I couldn't drink milk. But I don't have to avoid it so I don't.

+1

OP, I consume dairy because it is tasty and nutritious, and readily available.
Humans have survived by being opportunistic and resourceful, opting for the easiest, nutritious and healthy foods, with little or no compuction on its provenance.
It is great imo that we have, over millennia, developped a somewhat universal (but not quite yet) moral code, to exclude from our diet or regulate use of some animal species, ie pets, other humans, regulated hunting, farming and slaughter...

I am not prepared to push the moral code so far as to exclude milking an animal for my part, I am quite happy and comfortable with that aspect of farming, and I am surrounded by dairy farmers and it appears to me that Irish farmers take great care of their animals.

Incidentally, farmer ants keep herds of aphids and procure care and treatments to harvest a sugary substance they produce. I guess ants are as opportunistic and resourceful as we are, and by golly do they thrive ...:)

shruikan2553 · 04-12-2014 1:15am

Why do I eat dairy? Because cheese is dilicious. Melted cheese is like bacon, everything is better with it. Well, maybe not cornflakes or ice cream but lots of other food is.

Really want something with bacon and cheese now.

ford2600 · 04-12-2014 10:04am

laoch na mona wrote: »

I can not see any cruelty in Irish dairy farming, the cows are grass feed and there's virtually no existent veal industry here, so I don't see why I should forgo a huge part of the Irish diet

I eat plenty dairy, but dairy farming is a ruthless enough set up.

In New Zeland many bull calf holsteins/friesans are killed at birth; Very hard/uneconomical to fatten.

Nothing can make a racket like a shed full of drop calves screaming for their Mamies and the milk you pour over your cornflakes! They are usually separated after a few days.

High output of milk per year with a calf every year leads to high burn out/cull rate of dairy cows.

None of the above bothers me but don't paint it rosy when it isn't

ch750536 · 04-12-2014 10:11am

laoch na mona wrote: »

I like to eat as much locally produced food as possible (mostly down to environmental concerns), and grow as much of my own as I can. I don't seen the possibility of going vegan without relying on imports to get as much protein I need.

I did give some thought to this when a friend of mine became vegan on animal rights grounds, and I can not see any cruelty in Irish dairy farming, the cows are grass feed and there's virtually no existent veal industry here, so I don't see why I should forgo a huge part of the Irish diet

Question was about milk, you can eat meat and not drink milk.

Alf Veedersane · 04-12-2014 10:20am

ch750536 wrote: »

What does milk give you that you can't readily get elsewhere?

Out of curiosity, what are the alternatives you would choose to give you what milk gives you?

Blackhorse Slim · 04-12-2014 10:59am

For Lloyd

http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nfl/colts/2014/11/09/indianapolis-colt-eats-plants/18779971/

This is just one NFL team...

mickman · 04-12-2014 11:12am

Blackhorse Slim wrote: »

For Lloyd

http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nfl/colts/2014/11/09/indianapolis-colt-eats-plants/18779971/

This is just one NFL team...

That sounds like complete nonsense

"A favorite dish that Jackson makes for Whalen is a kale salad with chopped onion, guacamole and lemon juice for dressing"

The meal above is a few hundred calories at an absolute maximum. No way does an NFL player survive on a meal like this

Puibo · 04-12-2014 11:14am

FluffTheDog wrote:

Really? You don't think it's weird to drink breast milk from another animal? Milk that is obviously made for that animals offspring?

ive been saying the same thing for well over a year now.

mickman · 04-12-2014 11:16am

his whole diet is about 2000 calories. Sounds very very hard to believe

"As he likes to describe it, it's flat soda with no sugar," said Osadetz. "But it kind of wakes up your system and gets your metabolism going."

Breakfast: Engine 2 cereal (shredded wheat, rolled oats, whole grains) with almond milk, banana, chia and flax seeds. Smoothie with fruits, veggies, nuts, spinach and kale.

Snack: Apple, pear, orange or carrots.

Lunch: Vega protein smoothie with kale, spinach, banana and other assorted fruit.

Dinner: Baked sweet potato with red lentil pasta and kale salad.

Bedtime snack: Two pieces of Ezekiel 4:9 flax bread, toasted, with almond butter and banana. He adds cinnamon and cocoa power. Apple.

Drinks: Green tea, almond milk or water.

bradlente · 04-12-2014 11:19am

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Jesus wept.

Would you drink his tears though?

laoch na mona · 04-12-2014 11:35am

mickman wrote: »

That sounds like complete nonsense

"A favorite dish that Jackson makes for Whalen is a kale salad with chopped onion, guacamole and lemon juice for dressing"

The meal above is a few hundred calories at an absolute maximum. No way does an NFL player survive on a meal like this

I'm almost certain you can get vegan whey protein, If there can be a vegan strong man there can be a vegan footballer

there's more than one way to skin a cat

generic2012 · 04-12-2014 12:41pm

ford2600 wrote: »

I eat plenty dairy, but dairy farming is a ruthless enough set up.

In New Zeland many bull calf holsteins/friesans are killed at birth; Very hard/uneconomical to fatten.

Nothing can make a racket like a shed full of drop calves screaming for their Mamies and the milk you pour over your cornflakes! They are usually separated after a few days.

High output of milk per year with a calf every year leads to high burn out/cull rate of dairy cows.

None of the above bothers me but don't paint it rosy when it isn't

You're talking about New Zealand when it 'Irish milk' was specifically stated, nothing as extreme as New Zealand Dairy practises going on in Ireland. The calves don't lose their 'mammy's milk', each calf is bottle fed their own mother's milk to increase the quality of their immune system, regardless of sex.

Not making a go at you but Irish dairy has the lowest carbon footprint in the EU and the second lowest (after New Zealand) in the world, but it is far more ethical and less water intensive than New Zealand. It is also largely based on co-operative systems and is a model that all of Ireland should be very very proud of.

generic2012 · 04-12-2014 12:41pm

laoch na mona wrote: »

I'm almost certain you can get vegan whey protein, If there can be a vegan strong man there can be a vegan footballer

there may ways to skin a cat ect

Do you know what whey is?

ford2600 · 04-12-2014 1:03pm

generic2012 wrote: »

You're talking about New Zealand when it 'Irish milk' was specifically stated, nothing as extreme as New Zealand Dairy practises going on in Ireland. The calves don't lose their 'mammy's milk', each calf is bottle fed their own mother's milk to increase the quality of their immune system, regardless of sex.

Not making a go at you but Irish dairy has the lowest carbon footprint in the EU and the second lowest (after New Zealand) in the world, but it is far more ethical and less water intensive than New Zealand. It is also largely based on co-operative systems and is a model that all of Ireland should be very very proud of.

They get Beastings for first few days which, baring death or udder infection, will generally get their mothers. After that they get milk for a coupleof months.

I grew up on a dairy farm;the co op was a great initiative with it's roots in late 19th century. While some, like Drinagh, have their members interests at heart the larger groups are most certainly more share holder orientated.

Ffs cut me some slack I'm doingmy best to think like a vegan!

[Deleted User] · 04-12-2014 1:06pm

Mammal schmammal!
You don't eat dairy, you don't eat meat, you don't use anything other than organic.......

Go outside, get run over by a granny in a Prius.

laoch na mona · 04-12-2014 1:39pm

ford2600 wrote: »

I eat plenty dairy, but dairy farming is a ruthless enough set up.

In New Zeland many bull calf holsteins/friesans are killed at birth; Very hard/uneconomical to fatten.

Nothing can make a racket like a shed full of drop calves screaming for their Mamies and the milk you pour over your cornflakes! They are usually separated after a few days.

High output of milk per year with a calf every year leads to high burn out/cull rate of dairy cows.

None of the above bothers me but don't paint it rosy when it isn't

Irish dairy farming is much better (very little veal) which is the point I made, I would never eat veal. All I was doing was pointing out one of the main reasons why I still drink milk, much like avoiding non free range meat it comes down to animal welfare

laoch na mona · 04-12-2014 1:41pm

generic2012 wrote: »

Do you know what whey is?

sorry my mistake

I meant vegan protein powder, which I would assume is much more complex to make then whey but hey it's their choice

Allison91 · 04-12-2014 1:42pm

'Cause it's NYOMMY!!

generic2012 · 04-12-2014 1:53pm

ford2600 wrote: »

They get Beastings for first few days which, baring death or udder infection, will generally get their mothers. After that they get milk for a coupleof months.

I grew up on a dairy farm;the co op was a great initiative with it's roots in late 19th century. While some, like Drinagh, have their members interests at heart the larger groups are most certainly more share holder orientated.

Ffs cut me some slack I'm doingmy best to think like a vegan!

Ah sure I was milking this morning! Just after reading a book about Lakeland Dairies co-op chronicling 1896-1996, the introduction is a great read on the history, mythology and cultural importance of milk in Ireland and the lakelands region.

3rd century quote from Soleinus - 'Ireland has such excellent pastures that cattle there are brought to the danger of their lives by over-feeding...'

There may well have been a taboo against beef consumption in Ireland - 'There are no beef-eating heroes in Irish literature', and there was pagan rituals to protect milk, butter and cows up until the tenth century.

This combined with the skill, efficiency and ethics in Irish milk (and butter) production makes Ireland a world leader, something very hard for a small country to achieve! Riles me no end!

You're first mistake in trying to think like a vegan was thinking! No one can be a vegan! There is animal products in practically everything, not only food!

So you'll have to quit that thinking craic if you wanna come across like a true vegan!

El_Dangeroso · 04-12-2014 4:28pm

generic2012 wrote: »

There may well have been a taboo against beef consumption in Ireland - 'There are no beef-eating heroes in Irish literature', and there was pagan rituals to protect milk, butter and cows up until the tenth century.

That's supposedly the ban on eating beef in hinduism comes from, cows were way too valuable alive as working animals and for dairy to eat them, so it became taboo and then enshrined as doctrine.

Most hunter-gatherer tribes will not eat the female of a species for similar reasons, common sense really.

Have a nice day · 04-12-2014 5:40pm

I think I eat too much dairy. Lots of milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, cream etc but I haven't seen any real health issues (unless large noisy farts in the morning are a result).
How could I give up toast and butter?

ch750536 · 04-12-2014 8:20pm

mickman wrote: »

his whole diet is about 2000 calories. Sounds very very hard to believe

"As he likes to describe it, it's flat soda with no sugar," said Osadetz. "But it kind of wakes up your system and gets your metabolism going."

Breakfast: Engine 2 cereal (shredded wheat, rolled oats, whole grains) with almond milk, banana, chia and flax seeds. Smoothie with fruits, veggies, nuts, spinach and kale.

Snack: Apple, pear, orange or carrots.

Lunch: Vega protein smoothie with kale, spinach, banana and other assorted fruit.

Dinner: Baked sweet potato with red lentil pasta and kale salad.

Bedtime snack: Two pieces of Ezekiel 4:9 flax bread, toasted, with almond butter and banana. He adds cinnamon and cocoa power. Apple.

Drinks: Green tea, almond milk or water.

More 'I know I'm right so he must be lying' nonsense then...
:rolleyes:

ch750536 · 04-12-2014 8:24pm

laoch na mona wrote: »

sorry my mistake I meant vegan protein powder, which I would assume is much more complex to make then whey but hey it's their choice

Hemp protein for example.

mickman · 04-12-2014 8:27pm

ch750536 wrote: »

More 'I know I'm right so he must be lying' nonsense then...
:rolleyes:

Yes. A smoothie with kale and a banana is the lunch of champions

Sonic Death Monkey · 04-12-2014 8:48pm

mickman wrote: »

Yes. A smoothie with kale and a banana is the lunch of champions

Well, yeah. He plays in the NFL.

Festinatio Cursor · 04-12-2014 9:27pm

Sonic Death Monkey wrote: »

Well, yeah. He plays in the NFL.

As of 2 weeks ago that is not exactly true, he has been put on the practice squad so is not actually able to play.

Sonic Death Monkey · 04-12-2014 9:33pm

Festinatio Cursor wrote: »

As of 2 weeks ago that is not exactly true, he has been put on the practice squad so is not actually able to play.

Yeah. What a loser.

INPUT INNPUT · 05-12-2014 3:13am

OP needs Muufri.

modernfarmer.com/2014/12/coming-soon-3-vegan-scientists-lab-grown-milk/

mickman · 05-12-2014 10:38am

Sonic Death Monkey wrote: »

Yeah. What a loser.

prob dropped due to lack of energy from a silly diet

Why do people still eat dairy?

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