The Milk Diet is a diet that was promoted by Bernarr Macfadden in the early 1920's. His belief was that milk was a miracle food and could take the place of all other nourishment. It was touted as a miracle diet that would cure disease and illness, not cause a person to lose weight as is often erroneously believed.
The Milk Diet is definitely a fad diet, at least in my mind, because it promotes having only one food (or beverage in this case) and not having anything else for the duration of the diet which could range from several weeks to several months, even to several years according to the creator of the diet. The length of time the person needed to be on the diet varied according to how sick and diseased the person was.
And when I say milk was the only thing consumed during the course of the diet, I seriously mean it was the only thing consumed. Even water was not part of the diet except first thing in the morning. Acidic fruits like oranges and lemons could be juiced and drank, or the fruits themselves sucked on if a person got nauseous from drinking the large quantities of milk required on this diet. But a person could only do this if they got sick on from the milk (which I would think must have happened a lot!).
How large were the quantities suggested? It was about five quarts a day for the average woman and six quarts a day for the average man, although determinations of how much to drink were based on either a person's weight or their height. That means the person on this diet was drinking over a gallon of milk every day.
What kind of milk? Unpasteurized was preferred; as was cow's milk with certain breeds of cows being determined to have better milk than others.
Today I think it would be hard to find a weight loss expert or health care professional who would endorse a diet like this because of how it completely eliminates important food groups from a person's diet for a long period of time. Experts say the low carb diets many people went on a few years ago were too restrictive and those diets only restricted carbohydrates instead of completely eliminating them (although for some people on severely restricted low carb diets it felt like they weren't allowed any carbs).
People probably get confused about the 1920's Milk Diet being a weight loss diet because of the word "diet" being in the name of it. But, consider this: if a person drinks five quarts of whole milk a day, they are consuming almost 3,000 calories. If they drink six quarts, they are consuming over 3,500 calories a day. That is not a reduced calorie diet.
Milk has long been praised as a 'weapon' in the war against osteoporosis, but recent clinical research shows that it actually is associated with a higher fracture risk, and there's been no protective effect of dairy calcium on bone. Increasing your intake of green leafy vegetables and beans, along with exercising have been shown to help strengthen bones and increase their density. Dairy products are also a significant source of fat and cholesterol in the diet, which can increase your risk for cardiovascular disease. A low-fat vegetarian diet that eliminates dairy products, as well as adequate amounts of exercise, proper stress management and quitting smoking not only will help prevent heart disease, but could also reverse it.
Ovarian, breast, and prostate cancers have been linked to dairy product consumption. According to a recent study by Daniel Cramer, a Harvard doctor, when excessive amounts of dairy products are consumed and the body's enzymes are unable to keep pace with breaking down the lactose; it can build up in the blood and affect a woman's ovaries. Another recent study showed that men who had the highest levels of IGF-I, (insulin-like growth factor) which is found in cow's milk, they were at four times the risk of prostate cancer compared to those men who had the lowest levels of IGF-I.
In addition, milk may not provide a consistent and reliable source of Vitamin D in the diet. Milk samplings have been found to have inconsistent levels of Vitamin D, and some have been found to have as much as 500 times the indicated safe level. Excess Vitamin d in the blood can be toxic and can result in calcium deposits in the body's soft tissues.
Milk proteins, milk sugar, fat, and saturated fat in dairy products may pose health risks for children and lead to the development of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and formation of plaques in the circulatory system that can lead to heart disease.
By choosing to consume a nutrient-dense, healthful diet of grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and fortified foods including cereals and juices, you can help meet your body's calcium, potassium, riboflavin, and vitamin D requirements easily and simply, without the added health risks from dairy product consumption.
If you've made the commitment to becoming vegetarian yet finding it difficult to make the transition in your diet and your lifestyle, here's some suggestions on how to make the switch a smoother ride.
Start out with committing to be a vegetarian for three days per week for the first couple of weeks. Start substituting ingredients in your favorite dishes to make them truly meatless.
Throw in mushrooms to that marinara sauce to take the place of meatballs, or try some textured vegetable protein (TVP) in that lasagna recipe. Making simple replacements in your tried and true recipes can inspire you to stay on the vegetarian track once you see how delicious they can be.
Next, commit to five days per week for the next two weeks. Study the natural foods aisle at your local grocer, or make it a point to introduce yourself to the local health foods store.
Treat yourself to a few new vegetarian products and try them in your next meal. The internet can be a great source of vegetarian recipes. And don't limit yourself to being vegetarian only at home; most all restaurants offer delicious vegetarian entrees, so be sure to try them. You may even find inspiration for your home cooking by doing so.
Now all that's left to do is add two more days on your week, and you'll be a converted vegetarian all week long! After all, you've been doing it for a month now; you've become a seasoned rookie in the game. Take pride in your accomplishments, because not only have you made positive changes in your lifestyle and eating habits, but for the environment and animals as well. Remember it's not about being perfect; every animal-positive change you make it your diet has a great effect. By rewarding yourself for each vegetarian choice you make, and you'll be motivated to continue in the right direction.
Both Dorrie Ruplinger & Jasper Sayer are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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