Re: Does milk really do a body good? Advocate, Jan. 11
It is beyond the scope of a letter to address the blatant nutrition misinformation contained in this article. As registered dietitians, we deal with these urban myths based on pseudo-science regularly.
Nutrition myths and misinformation are so prevalent in the media today that one of the Dietitians of Canada’s goals is to help Canadians make informed food choices by having ready access to truths about common food and nutrition myths.
One source of misinformation is the strong American media influence in our culture. For example, in columnist Kristin Fraser’s article there is confusion over the use of hormones in the Canadian dairy industry. Food regulations in the United States differ from those in Canada. The belief that artificial growth hormones (for example, rBST) are used to increase milk production in Canada is false.
In fact, artificial growth hormones are not legal for sale or use in Canada and are not present in Canadian milk, despite being legal in the United States and possibly present in U.S. dairy products.
Fraser suggests: “If you’re drinking milk ... know your source.” Rest assured that milk production in Canada is highly regulated and these high standards ensure that it is of the highest quality, and is free from added hormones or antibiotic residues.
For more information I encourage your readers to visit credible nutrition websites such as:
l Dietitians.ca for accurate scientifically based nutrition information provided by Dietitians of Canada;
l Moreaboutmilk.com for credible dairy nutrition information written by registered dietitians at Alberta Milk;
l Dairygoodness.ca for the truth behind the myths about milk.
Canada’s Food Guide suggests that dairy products are part of a well balanced diet. So I think the question is not whether milk does a body good, but rather, are you getting enough?,
Lee Finell, MHSA, RD
Edmonton