National Dairy Council: increased dairy consumption fights obesity?

I couldn’t help but feel a healthy amount of disbelief when I read the National Dairy Council‘s findings on the connections between dairy consumption and healthy weight.  They have the audacity to suggest that what obese children need to do to conquer their weight problems is to eat more dairy – three servings a day, to be exact – because it is nutrient-rich and part of a healthy diet.

The National Dairy Council and all who follow in their wake continue to ignore the research that shows that, contrary to what every doctor will tell you, consumption of dairy milk actually speeds up the process of osteoperosis.  The body does not make good use of the calcium in milk.  We know this.

They also continue to ignore the fact that, while dairy allergic folks like me make up a small portion of the population, a full 60% of the world’s adult population is unable to properly digest dairy.  I suppose they want to tell those 60%, or at least those among the 60% who are obese, “Buck up! Profound gastric distress and horrible diarrhea are a small price to pay for a healthier overall body!”

Meanwhile, the rest of us know what common sense tells us.  Many of us hear our bodies screaming loud and clear that we are not meant to be putting this stuff into our bodies.  All of us know that in reality abstaining from dairy products and eating more leafy green vegetables and legumes will simultaneously provide our bodies with calcium and other minerals it can actually use and help us with our national problem of being overweight.

My favorite part of the Dairy Council’s findings is this paragraph:

Today, many Americans are overweight and undernourished and are missing out on key essential nutrients because we are not choosing to eat nutrient-rich foods first. For example, many people fail to consume recommended amounts of calcium, mainly because of their low intake of dairy foods.

It’s almost as if they are suggesting that our low intake of dairy is to blame for our obesity.  I would hesitate to think that there is even one person among all the obese in our country (those without dairy allergies of course) who hasn’t had milk in their coffee or eaten a cheeseburger or indulged in a serving of ice cream for so many days in a row they would not be able to tell you when the last time was that they didn’t.  Many have probably experienced all three or the equivalent thereof today and for many days previously.

As for me, I can’t blame any weight problems I might have on dairy.  I have to take this problem up with the fellow I see in the mirror every morning.