You’ve seen the notices on milk regarding hormones – particularly from producers who pledge not to use hormones in the production of their milk. You may be well familiar with the controversy surrounding the use of rBST (recombinant bovine somatotropin). You may also be part of the wave of consumers who have (at least partially) switched to any number of milk alternatives. As both a consumer and a dad, I find this an important subject to become clear on. While consumption of milk in the U.S. has been steadily decreasing since the beginning of the 20th century, Americans still consume about 22 gallons of milk per year on average.
The hormone that has caused concern for many consumers is rBST. It’s a synthetic hormone originally designed by Monsanto in 1994 and marketed as Posilac. It increases milk production in cows but also causes negative health consequences to the animal which has caused concern. As a result, the use of rBST is banned in every developed country besides the United States and Brazil. The Food and Drug Administration, World Health Organization,American Medical Association, American Dietetics Association, and the National Institute of Health have independently confirmed, however, that dairy products and meat from rBST treated cows is safe for human consumption.
Because of the safety findings, the FDA has concluded that it does not have the authority to require special labeling for milk and dairy products from rBST-treated cows. They also have ruled that producers cannot make claims that milk from cows not treated with rBST is safer than the hormone-induced variety. This is why milk that carries the hormone-free notice or “pledge” are also required to state the FDA’s findings regarding its safety.
Due to consumer demand, many producers have eliminated the hormone from their milk’s production and several large retailers have insisted on non-rBST milk for their shelves. As of October, 2010, approximately 60 percent of milk in the U.S. is rBST-free at this point according to the Center for Food Safety – an environmental advocacy group.
For those who want to avoid cow milk altogether, there are a number of alternatives which have become more accessible than ever before. Thanks to many high value coupons, we commonly list half gallons of other types of milk at two dollars or under on SavingsAngel.com. Occasionally, I’ve seen prices dip below a dollar. These varieties include soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, and coconut milk.
Each of these alternatives can carry a number of great health benefits – but generally don’t measure up when it comes to protein and calcium present in cow milk – unless specifically fortified. Many of these milks can also be fortified, however, with sugar – so make sure to read the label and decide what works best for your eating plan – as well as your children’s.
– Rice milk is generally very low in calories and fat – but contains little nutrition and protein – unless fortified. It’s a good choice for those allergic to dairy and nuts.
– Soy milk is the highest in protein among the milk alternatives and contains a number of health advantages – but some have concerns over the high levels of phytoestrogens in soy.
– Almond milk is made from ground almonds and filtered water. It’s low calorie, contains plenty of vitamin E, calcium and healthy fats.
– Coconut milk is made from pressed coconut meat thinned with water to make a creamy, white beverage. It’s higher in saturated fat – but tastes very good if you enjoy coconut.
An important factor is taste. I’m partial to almond milk – particularly for my morning oatmeal, (yes even more so than cow milk). All varieties have made improvements in taste over the past few years – so if you didn’t like soy milk when you were first introduced to it, give it another try.
My recommendation is to do your research on nutritional qualities of the various varieties of milk alternatives if you’d like to try them. At $1 to $2 per half gallon after you’ve applied your coupons to a local sale price, you can sometimes get a better value than the cow milk variety… with or without the rBST.