Hey kids, eat your meat!

[Tfbandie]

http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050221/full/050221-5.html



Meat is a vital part of a child's diet, according to a two-year study of Kenyan schoolkids. Without it, children grow up smaller, less strong and less intelligent, the results suggest.

So clear are the benefits, in fact, that denying children meat or dairy products in the first few years of life is unethical, argues Lindsay Allen of the University of California, Davis, who carried out the research.


I always figured kids who ate more meat as kids grew larger and stronger, but I'm curious as to the intelligence factor as well. I'd like to see a few more studies on this. I think one of the best things my parents did was have me drink milk at every meal. And in light of studies like this, or the recent ones condemning fruit juice (even 100%) makes that feeling stronger

[Jedidiah]

I always figured kids who ate more meat as kids grew larger and stronger, but I'm curious as to the intelligence factor as well. I'd like to see a few more studies on this. I think one of the best things my parents did was have me drink milk at every meal. And in light of studies like this, or the recent ones condemning fruit juice (even 100%) makes that feeling stronger
I won't say anything about meat per se, but . . .

Our bodies, are largely made of protein and a diet low in protein would, intuitively, be likely to have the very impact described. Reducing diets, equal in calories, will show a higher weight loss on a high protein diet than on a high carbohydrate diet. This suggests to me that even adults are generally not getting all the protein their bodies require. Offered more balanced protein the body utilizes, says my hypothesis, more of the protein for "routine maintenance" than it normally is allowed to get.

beeman

[Rubia Warren]

WHile I agree that people need lots of protein, I think drinking milk is generally not a good thing- especially for kids. Many many many people have trouble digesting milk (especially African Americans), and I just don't think it is necessary for humans. It's great for baby cows though. :teeth: I quit dairy months ago, and my mucous membranes are quite thankful for it. I feel tons better. I still do eat cheese once in a great while, but dairy is a special thing that I do while either not realizing that there is a dairy element in something I order, or something I order obviously has a small amount of cheese sprinkled on top- it's definitely NOT a part of my daily diet. Hopefully one day, I'd like to just say goodbye to it completely and never have it again- even in tiny amounts that I do now.
It isn't necessary for children to drink milk- I think that is a myth perpetuated by tradition. My kids don't drink it- they have water. See, milk was made for baby cows, water was made for everybody and we all need it. We're made of it, and we all need much more of it. We don't need juice and milk at each meal- especially little kids. My son has much less mucous and sinus trouble now that he is virtually dairy-free, and my daughter's asthma is less aggravated as well. We do eat meat, and I try to give them fresh fruit (even dried fruit) to snack on throughout the day, as well as lots of fresh veggies and yes, even meat. I try to stay away from instant stuff, processed junk, etc. If we ate the daily recommended amount of dairy every day..... let's just say the Kleenex company would be regularly sending me thank you cards. :shifty:

[Tfbandie]

I know when you're sick they advise staying away from dairy, I've never had problems with milk (and haven't noticed difference when dairy's absent from my diet like it has been for long stretches). I think milk, because it is very high in protein and calcium promotes growth both muscle growth and bone growth and strength. And there are also the recent studies showing dairy calcium to help increase metabolism

[Rubia Warren]

We've just had a lot of trouble with producing too much mucus due to the consumption of dairy. Not everyone is like that or has trouble, but African Americans especially have a lot of trouble digesting milk. I am going strictly from memory here, so I could be off, but the number of lactose intolerant AA's is staggering- it's like 95% if I am remembering right.... or maybe that is the number of Asians. I can't remember, but I know it is higher than 70%. That is a lot of people! It doesn't seem to be so hard on a caucasian's system, but I wonder if, due to the high level of dairy Americans eat, if more of us aren't just having digestive problems due to too much dairy when we are getting diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome? I don't think it's necessarily evil to drink a glass of milk once in a while, but Americans in general are really overdoing it on the dairy.
As far as calcium goes, yeah, we all need more of it, and you can get it through certain vegetables. Avocados have protein, and so do nuts- my kids love to much on them both. I think we'd all be able to retain more of the calcium we do get by cutting down or cutting out the sodas- even diet sodas. The high phosphorous content robs your teeth and bones of calcium. I don't think we all have to run out and become vegans or something (although I personally admire and even covet the vegetarian lifestyle to a certain degree), regardless of drinking milk and benefitting it or not, we have problems in this country in general with just eating too much crap. Eating way too much crap at times tends to cancel out the few good things we did manage to eat or drink in a day ( like the soda thing I mentioned).

[Rubia Warren]

Another thing that may affect the outcome in this study is what the Kenyan kids were used to eating before they were introduced to meat and milk:

Meat and other animal products such as milk contain nutrients that it is difficult to get elsewhere, Allen told the meeting. She pointed out that Kenyans' diet often consists mainly of starchy, low-nutrition corn and beans that lack sufficient iron, zinc, calcium, and vitamins A, E and B12.

I think that anybody who is eating corn and beans and not getting a well rounded diet with lots of green and orange vegetables, etc. is gonna be lacking some vitamins. The whole article is kinda sneaky- yeah, it is REALLY sneaky, but most vegans I have ever heard of are not eating like the Kenyans- they are eating much better. I would think that to compare a vegan diet to those kids in the study is like comparing apples and oranges.... unless there are some vegans out there who are actually only eating mostly corn and beans. :lol:

[IBreakCellPhone]

Ever notice that most non-European ethnic foods don't have milk or cream sauces?

[BeHereNow]

http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050221/full/050221-5.html

I always figured kids who ate more meat as kids grew larger and stronger, but I'm curious as to the intelligence factor as well. I'd like to see a few more studies on this. I think one of the best things my parents did was have me drink milk at every meal. And in light of studies like this, or the recent ones condemning fruit juice (even 100%) makes that feeling stronger

I only knew one person who was raised vegetarian. She's in the top 3 list of most intelligent people I know; just an impressively bright person. But, she often had health problems growing up, and was in the hospital a lot. She claims it was because of not eating meat, and now she eats it all the time and is generally healthy.

There have been studies that indicate vegan diets are healthier. The conflict of data leads me to believe that, like most things in life, diets aren't one-size-fits-all. You have to pay close attention to individual traits and tailor your diet to what you personally need.


Pearl to rubes for the good milk info. Word on the cow/baby bit.