This information is from a PETA campaign that had to be pulled because of protests from MADD.

1. Beer has zero fat; milk is loaded with fat.

2. Beer has zero cholesterol; milk contains 20 mg of cholesterol in every 8-oz. serving.

3. Beer doesn't contain hormones or antibiotics, while milk contains an ever-increasing variety of the pesticides and antibiotics fed to cows, including rBGH, the notorious growth hormone that can give guys breasts.

4. Beer has half a gram of fiber in every cup; milk has no fiber whatsoever.

5. Beer has only 12 mg of sodium per cup. Milk is sky-high in the stuff.

6. Beer has 3 grams of complex carbohydrates in a 12-oz. glass; milk has no complex carbohydrates.

Yes. But, beer doesn't have as much calcium, and it destroys your liver.
Just listing the good points of something, doesn't make it better for you.

Plus, having beer before driving to work each morning (depending on the amount) can have other consequences.

Beer is good, but so is milk, and PETA's claims are inaccurate and deceptive.

  1. Whole milk is 3% fat or more, depending on the cow. However, most people buy milk which has had some or all of the fat removed. Skim milk has almost no fat.
  2. Again, whole milk has 20mg of cholesterol per serving. Skim milk has around 5mg of cholesterol. Both of these are rather small amounts.
  3. rBGH is not present in the milk of cows treated with it. At present, no test can discern between milk from rBGH-treated cows and that from cows who have not been treated. If you are concerned, though, look for organic milk, cheese, and milk products.
  4. Half a gram of dietary fiber is damn little, considering that you should be getting around 25 grams daily. Stick to whole fruits and grains for fiber.
  5. Milk, even skim milk, does contain 125mg of sodium per serving. That really isn't very much, given that 2000mg is considered a healthy daily intake of sodium. Ramen and McDonald's food are "sky-high" in sodium; milk is not.
  6. "Complex carbohydrate" is a technical term for starch. 3g of starch is 12 calories' worth -- a minuscule amount. Incidentally, the fermentation of beer involves a conversion of starch to sugar, and thence to alcohol.

In addition, milk contains a large quantity of calcium, and is usually fortified with vitamins. Calcium -- which you can also get from eating dark-green vegetables such as spinach and broccoli -- is necessary for healthy bones and teeth. Beer contains no calcium, and not much in the way of vitamins. Indeed, the metabolism of alcohol depletes certain vitamins, particularly B vitamins; this is one of the factors in hangover.

Actually, cow's milk isn't all that good for humans. Yes, it does have calcium, we all know that from the dairy industry advertisments. What most people are not aware of is that what the dairy industry tells people is not based on science or fact, but on assumptions.

Do you know of those commercials on TV and advertisments in magazines for milk (Got milk?) And you know how in those commercials and advertisments they say, "Drinking milk may help prevent osteoperosis." Well, guess what? That claim is not based on any studies or science at all! It's propaganda. The dairy industry spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year to get this false message as far as they can. But the dairy people don't want you to know that it is not based on scientific evidence, because you'd probably reconsider drinking it. And that would be bad for their profits.

Luckily, there are studies on cow's milk and human consumption of it. They aren't very reasurring either. Harvard did a study on 78,000 nurses who drank at least three glasses of cow's milk a day. Here is a quote from the PCRM (Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine):

"Don't count on milk to beat osteoporosis. In a Harvard study1 of 78,000 nurses, drinking three or more glasses of milk per day did not reduce fractures at all. An Australian study2 showed the same thing. Still, you do need calcium, and good non-dairy sources include fortified orange or apple juice, green leafy vegetables, beans and calcium supplements. The amount you need is less when you reduce sodium and animal protein in your diet. Exercise and vitamin D (from the sun or a supplement) are also key."

In fact, the women who drank the most amount of cow's milk showed greater risks for bone fractures than those who got calcium from other sources. This is being shown as a link between animal protein and loss of bone mass in other studies.

So, in conclusion, beer is better for you than cow's milk. Remember, next time you see one of those "Got milk?" ads, be skeptical and realize it is propaganda for profits and not based on any studies.

By the way, your body only absorbs 30% of the calcium in cow's milk -- not very efficient.

There is lots more science on how cow's milk is not good for humans, but it's too much to put here. Two good web sites with evidence based on actual scientific studies are:

www.pcrm.org
www.notmilk.com


1: The Harvard Nurse's study - Cumming & Klineberg, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
2: Australian study - Feskanich, published in the American Journal of Public Health.

FAX your request for these studies to: Dairy Education Board - 201-871-9304.

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