In Defense of Milk
Guest blog: Sarah Hubbart is the communications director for the Animal Agriculture Alliance.
Popular food writer Mark Bittman penned a 900-word diatribe against milk – of all things! – over the weekend for the New York Times.
Over the past couple of years, Mr. Bittman has devoted countless column inches to criticizing all things animal agriculture. But this particular post seems to cross a line. In it, he attacks every aspect of milk, from farm to supermarket, and says that people shouldn’t drink milk, period.
To back up his claims, Mr. Bittman cites Dr. Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, as saying that a glass of milk contains just as much sugar as a can of soda. (To his credit, Mr. Bittman later reluctantly mentions that milk does in fact contain many important nutrients, so a direct comparison to soda is not accurate.)
But who is this Dr. Barnard?
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a bit more complicated than it may seem. PCRM is an organization that was created by PETA, the radical vegan group, in 1985 to be the “scientific voice” of the animal rights movement. While it appears that PCRM received direct funding from PETA until 2005, Dr. Barnard is still recognized by PETA as its “chief medical advisor.”
And tellingly, just 6 percent of PCRM’s membership is comprised of physicians. Dr. Barnard himself is trained as a psychologist, not a medical doctor.
And surprise, surprise: PCRM has long had an anti-milk campaign. And an anti-meat campaign, for that matter.
Dr. Barnard is quite outspoken about his vegan views. In his 1994 book, Food for Life, he writes: “To give a child animal products is a form of child abuse.” He often compares “the dangers” of eating meat to smoking tobacco.
Wondering how extreme his group really is?
Jerry Vlasak, a radical activist and former PCRM spokesman encouraged attendees of the 2002 National Animal Rights Conference to embrace violent tactics. “Get arrested. Destroy the property of those who torture animals,” he said. “Liberate those animals interned in the hellholes our society tolerates.”
So, it is safe to say that PCRM is probably not the best source of balanced information about meat, milk, and eggs.
But back to Mr. Bittman. Elsewhere in the column, he explains that his sensitivity to milk caused him to suffer from long-term heartburn. When he eliminated dairy products from his diet, he started to feel a lot better.
It’s a good idea to take Mr. Bittman’s nutrition advice with a grain of salt. (Although he is not a big fan of salt, either!)
The plural of anecdote is not data. Extreme changes to your diet should only be made after careful consultation with your doctor or a nutritionist. What works for one person might not work for another. No one is trying to force anyone else to drink milk or eat cheese, but there are many people who happily (and healthfully) choose to include dairy in their diets.
That is the beauty of consumer choice.
Posted by FFC on July 23rd, 2012 :: Filed under Activism,Food,milk,Vegan
Tags :: activists, diet, food, Vegetarian
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