Why Is Dairy Milk Losing Customers? Is This A Healthy Trend?

Dairy milk, say Oklahoma State University scientists, "contributes a greater number of the essential nutrients for human nutrition than any other single food, some in relatively large amounts."  Yet, on April 8, 2014, the Chicago Tribune reported the following: in 2011 and 2012, the decline of dairy milk consumption in the U.S. was the highest in more than a decade.  Furthermore, milk consumption dropped about 1/3 from 1975-2012. What type of milk and what age groups have been losing the most customers? What are many people drinking instead? Are the newer products as nutritious for fetuses and young children?  Let's find out. 

The Chicago Tribune is just one of many news media sources that have covered this story.  The information originates from a 35-page USDA report: "Why are Americans Consuming Less Fluid Milk?  A Look at Generational Differences in Intake Frequency."

Where have the greatest declines in dairy milk consumption occurred?

• ŸMore recent generations are drinking less.  The USDA says, "The majority of Americans born in the 1990s consume fluid milk less often than those born in the 1970s, who, in turn, consume it less often than those born in the 1950s."  Based upon this evidence, the USDA says, "The population's average level of consumption [of cow's milk] may continue to decline."
• The biggest decline was among children and teens (younger children 2-11 and teens 12-19). Comparing 1977-78 statistics with 2007-8 statistics, the percentage of preadolescents who drank no milk on a given day rose from 1% to 24%, while those that drank milk 3 or more times a day dropped from 31% to 18%. 
• The type of milk that declined most: whole milk.  "Whole milk per capita consumption has tumbled by 78% since 1970 (from more than 1.1 cups per day to fewer than .24.)
• Drinking a glass of milk as an accompaniment to a meal has declined greatly.

What are Americans drinking instead of milk?

Alternative beverages include plain and flavored water, soda, and plant-based beverages such as Rice Dream, Almond Breeze, soy "milk," and milk alternatives made from hemp, flax, hazelnut, or coconut.  Some are sold in neighborhood grocery stores and supermarkets; others are available only at health food/natural food stores. 

Are the plant-based "milk" beverages as healthy as dairy milk?

• The Chicago Tribune quotes Deb Sheats, a nutrition and dietetics professor, who says that dairy milk is one of the best sources of calcium and vitamin D. 
• Plant-based "milk" substitutes are usually fortified with as much calcium and vitamin D as "real" milk. However, Shelf Life Advice reminds readers, the flavored plant-based ones (usually with chocolate or vanilla) tend to have a lot more sugar than unflavored dairy milk.
• For kids who don't like either dairy milk or plant-based milk, cheese is also a great source of calcium, but it doesn't have a lot of Vitamin D. Moreover, cheese is usually higher in calories and salt.

Why are young people turning away from milk?

Evidently, they prefer more trendy or tasty beverages, and their parents aren't insisting that they drink milk since calcium and Vitamin D can be obtained from other fortified sources, such as nutrition bars and health juices.  There's also the fact that some folks are lactose intolerant and have difficulty digesting milk, and vegans don't consume dairy products. In addition, many parents worry about human consumption of antibiotics given to cows.

What evidence is there that this trend away from cow's milk is a nutritional mistake?

There are many that argue we don't need milk, and many others saying we do. 

Here's what the University of Oklahoma, Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources says in defense of milk: "It is an outstanding source of calcium, which is needed all through life for healthy bones and teeth. One cup of milk provides 1/3 the recommended daily allowance of calcium and phosphorus. It also supplies riboflavin and, when fortified, vitamin D which helps structural and tissue development. The protein in milk is one of the best quality proteins that any food offers."

The article "Let's Learn About Milk" also points out that milk is a bargain because it's one of the cheapest forms of protein.

The USDA makes this comment: "Nutrition and health policy researchers have warned of the potential health implications of declining fluid milk consumption. If fluid milk consumption continues to decline..., then raising Americans’ dairy intakes and improving overall diet quality would require substantially greater increases in the consumption of non-fluid products in skim and low-fat form. Maintaining a focus on children may also be key to mitigating or halting the downward trend in fluid milk consumption because habit formation implies that childhood food choices can affect long-run behavior."

How much milk should children drink?

According to an article in Pediatrics (the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics), two cups of cow's milk a day seem to be sufficient to maintain healthy vitamin D and iron stores for most children. (This conclusion was based upon Canadian research involving children ages 2-5.)  However, in the winter, children with darker skin pigmentation need either 3-4 glasses of milk or Vitamin D supplements.

Will drinking milk help children grow taller than if they didn't drink it?

The website everydaylife.globalpost.com, in an article entitled "Does Milk Make Kids Grow Bigger?" says that studies in both the U.S. and Denmark confirm this idea. Children who drink 3 or more servings of milk per day between the ages of 2 and 4 seem to grow taller than those who don't, researchers say.  However, for older children excessive milk drinking has disadvantages.  It may increase their weight and lead to calcium leaching. 

[Editor's note:  Some anecdotal evidence to the contrary: Despite my mother's nagging when I was a child, I consumed milk only with my breakfast cereal.  Yet, I grew up to be 3'3", exactly my mother's height.  Likewise, my granddaughter Rachel rarely drank milk as a young child.  Yet now, at age 12, she's almost exactly her mother's height--5'7"!  Heredity seems too me to be a major determinant of adult height, assuming a young child is not malnourished.]

Will a child wind up taller if his/her mother drank milk during that pregnancy?

Yes, according to a study conducted in the U.S., Iceland, and Denmark.  Past studies have found that pregnant women who drink milk have stronger, bigger, and even smarter babies (this last benefit due to the iodine boost essential to fetal brain development). But this latest study goes further in terms of height.  The researchers measured 809 babies at birth and then again almost 20 years later as young adults. They found that women who drank at least a quarter pint of milk per day during that pregnancy had children that grew to be taller adults.  This was true for both boys and girls.  This is the first study that concluded that a woman's milk intake during pregnancy had a lifelong effect upon her offspring's adult height.  You don't believe it?  Check out these articles:  "Could Drinking Milk While Pregnant Make Your Kid Taller?" and "Milk Does a (Pregnant) Body Good?"

Tips from your Shelf Life Advice editor:

• Want to try a plant-based "milk"?  You'll find them refrigerated near cow's milk and on the shelves.  Whether they need refrigeration (unopened) depends upon the processing.  But, once opened, refrigeration is necessary.
• Before you switch your children to a plant-based "milk," check the nutrition facts and compare amounts of calcium, protein, vitamin D, sugar, and iron.  Also, ask your pediatrician if he recommends the change.
• Did you know that, contrary to conventional wisdom, you CAN freeze milk.  If you're taking a two-week vacation, save the remaining milk in your bottle by pouring the remains into one or two ice-cube trays.  You can use the cubes for making smoothies. As the Huffington Post explains, dairy products tend to separate when thawed. However, freezing milk doesn't destroy any of its nutritional value, so there's no reason not to freeze extra milk you can't use for awhile.
• When you open a container of milk or a milk alternative, mark the date on the carton or attach a piece of paper with the date to the container. Then, if your fridge is at the proper temperature, the contents should taste good for at least 7 days.  Further shelf life information (and a lot more about milk and milk alternatives) can be found at these locations on this site.
• Not all lactose-free milk is the same.  It's available as whole milk, low-fat, or fat-free.  Also, check the nutrition facts.  Some brands (with the same level of fat) contain more sugar and more calories than others.
• Lactose-free milk is ultra-pasteurized, so the unopened container may be dated as much as two months after you purchase it.  Therefore, I recommend purchasing some if you're taking a long vacation and want to come home to fresh milk in your fridge.  I should warn you: it's more expensive than regular milk.

For more information related to milk and milk substitutes, consult the following links:

ShelfLifeAdvice.com, "Milk Substitutes: Soy, Rice, and Almond Drinks"

EATBYDATE.com, "How Long Do Milk Alternatives Last?"

Also, go to "Milk" in the Products section of Shelf Life Advice to reach numerous Q/As about many types of milk.

Source(s):

usda.gov "Why Are Americans Consuming Less Fluid Milk?  A Look at Generational Differences in Intake Frequency"

http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1118789/err149.pdf

(You can reach this by putting the question the title begins with into Google.) 

Chicago Tribune "Glass half-empty as trendy drinks surge," April 8, 2014.

okstate.edu "Let's Learn About Milk"

http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-1604/N-151_web.pdf

(To reach this site, input the title into Google.)

washingtonpost.com "The mysterious case of America's plummeting milk consumption? 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/06/20/the-mysterious-case-of-americas-plummeting-milk-consumption/

pediatrics.org "The Relationship Between Cow’s Milk and Stores of Vitamin D and Iron in Early Childhood" 

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/12/12/peds.2012-1793.abstract

everydaylife.globalpost.com "Does Milk Make Kids Grow Bigger?" 

http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/milk-make-kids-grow-bigger-31119.html

mom.me "Could Drinking Milk While Pregnant Make Your Kid Taller?"

http://mom.me/in-the-loop/9066-could-drinking-more-milk-make-your-baby-taller/

parents.com "Milk Does a (Pregnant) Body Good?"

http://www.parents.com/blogs/everything-pregnancy/2013/09/05/healthy-pregnancy/pregnant-women-who-drink-milk-have-taller-children

huffingtonpost.com "The New Rules of Healthy Cooking" 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/23/new-ways-to-cook-healthy_n_5375519.html