meals to elderly and disabled citizens, is cutting individual cartons
of milk from its meals to save on costs, PETA is offering to lend a
hand. The group is sending single-serve cartons of nutritious and
delicious vitamin D–fortified soy milk that will help recipients get
the calcium and other nutrients they need without the artery-clogging
cholesterol and saturated animal fat found in cow's milk. Several
studies, including the Harvard-based Nurses' Health Study, have shown
that consuming dairy products offers little to no protection against
bone fractures.
"The last thing elderly people need are dairy products, which are
linked to cancer and heart disease," says PETA President Ingrid E.
Newkirk. "Leaving cow's milk off the tray makes room for delicious,
calcium- and vitamin D–fortified soy milk and lets baby cows keep the
milk that nature intended for them."
As far back as 2005, the Harvard School of Public Health warned
against the U.S. Department of Agriculture's recommendation that year
to include milk and other dairy products in one's diet: "This
recommendation ignored the lack of evidence for a link between
consumption of dairy products and prevention of osteoporosis. It also
ignored the possible increases in risk of ovarian cancer and prostate
cancer associated with dairy products."
Up to 50 percent of cows used for their milk are afflicted with udder
infections. They also commonly suffer from painfully swollen knees and
hoof disorders—including foot rot, ulcers, and abscesses. Newborn
calves are traumatically torn away from their mothers so that their
mothers' milk can be sold. Many male calves are destined for weeks of
intensive confinement to cruel veal crates before they are killed.
Most females are condemned to the same sad fate that their mothers
endure.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
