Type of milk you drink regularily

[shootingstar]

I'm drinking 2 litres of skim milk per wk. It's doubled in last 12 months. It shouldn't hurt me. I'm probably combining some of it incorrectly with certain things ie. tea, coffee. But I do put some in my daily oatmeal for breakfast.

What type of milk do you drink regularily?

Addendum: I apologize for putting this question in wrong section.

[badger]

I must say I don't drink any kind of milk much. I used to drink soy milk, but I sort of got bored of it. I'm lactose intolerant so I can't drink milk aside from a bit in my tea or coffee.

I have to admit milk grosses me out; it's coming from a different animal (cow, goat, sheep, etc) meant for their babies.

[OakLeaf]

I don't drink any, plain. Occasionally I'll make a recovery smoothie, and I often have milk on cold cereal for breakfast - I'll use hemp, rice and almond.

[shootingstar]

It is very rare that I just drink a glass of milk. It's usually mixed in with something else. This habit changed after my late teens. As a child I did drink 2 glasses of milk per day.

I did go through several years of hardly drinking any type of milk, ie. maybe averaging one-quarter of what I drink now. That was during university and first few years after graduating. I just wasn't thinking much about food and what I was eating at that time in life. As a result, I did become lactose-intolerant.

But then slid back slowly into milk, again without not thinking much about it. Hence, became more lactose-tolerant.

However if you were to offer me a glass of milk vs. glass of soda pop/soft drink after a ride: I would take milk. Pop gives me abit of gas anyway.

For instance, I can eat alot of cheese ..but I can't eat stuff with alot of butter. ie. a butter sauce doesn't help me in the washroom.
If I have 2 huge cafe au laits --again, it doesn't help in the washroom.

So the milk ingestion has to be over a course of several hrs. Not exactly like IV-drip..but you know what I mean..
For reasons, I can't explain, I haven't been attracted to drinking soy milk much. I can drink it but it doesn't interest me. (which might be surprising since I enjoy eating all sorts of naked tofu/beancurd dishes..where the taste of soy will be pronounced.)

[tulip]

Gotta have my 2% or whole. To me, skim milk is nasty--it's got a blue tint to it. My grandfather used to call it Blue Death.

I mix my 2+% with soy milk in my cereal.

[shootingstar]

Gotta have my 2% or whole. To me, skim milk is nasty--it's got a blue tint to it. My grandfather used to call it Blue Death.

I mix my 2+% with soy milk in my cereal.

I think the skim milk in the U.S. seems to be different than up here. I've had the milk at hotels while vacationing in the U.S. in past several years. It had a different taste quality than the skim milk brands I've had in B.C. and Ontario.

[badger]

a lot of soy milk these days isn't made of just soy so it's quite palatable (just soy is GROSS!!). I'm not sure how healthy it is, though, as it does contain added sugars and flavours. I do have to admit that Silk Chocolate is SOOOOO good. Love it both cold and hot.

[bmccasland]

I'm currently having schedule conflicts so I miss the farmer's market that's near my office. Which means I can't get the wonderful milk directly from the dairyman. His skim milk is nice and rich, doesn't taste like milk flavored water. And he makes wonderful chocolate milk too - hands out free shots at farmer's market. So I'm stuck with grocery store milk, but I do buy the organic. The less antibiotics and hormones the cows get, the better for me.

I may have to draft a colleague that regularily goes to market to buy my milk for me and leave it in my ice chest... That might work...:cool:;)

[Crankin]

I hate milk... any kind. It upsets my stomach and the taste makes me gag a little, though the Lactaid stuff does work. I use a little skim in my cereal. Other than that, I rarely will have a small glass with a soy nut butter sandwich. I started taking calcium + D supplements 26 years ago. I eat plenty of cheese and Greek yogurt.
Of course, despite the supplementation I have osteoporosis, but it's definitely genetic and not all dietary based.
My parents never served milk with meals, except breakfast or dessert. Seeing milk on the dinner table has always sort of grossed me out.

[GLC1968]

I don't usually just drink milk.

That said, we use it a lot in coffee, smoothies, cerela/granola/oatmeal, etc. Right now we are buying 1% organic because our goats are pregnant. Normally, we drink/use whole (3%) or skimmed (1%) raw goats milk.

If I had a source for raw skimmed milk (other than our own goats), we'd be drinking that exclusively.

[shootingstar]

a lot of soy milk these days isn't made of just soy so it's quite palatable (just soy is GROSS!!). I'm not sure how healthy it is, though, as it does contain added sugars and flavours.

As soon as I see soy milk with any form of sugar, no matter if it's a "natural" sugar added, I don't want to get into it. Forget it. For a daily drink, no.


from Crankin: My parents never served milk with meals, except breakfast or dessert.

Since my parents immigrated from China in the 1950's when milk and any form of dairy product was rare at that time in history in southern China (where there would be refrigeration problems in the rural areas), they obviously made a clear dietary /nutritional choice for their children: they had us drink milk daily from babyhood up. It was probably a good thing in the end for us, Crankin.

My mother did drink milk when she was pregnant with each of us, upon the doctor's advice, but afterwards she never got into it at all.

My father rarely drinks any form of milk. He will have abit in orange pekoe tea with no sugar. But he does like certain cheeses, abit of butter. It's not a daily thing for both of them. Probably couple times per month or less.

Yes of course, they like ice cream, gelatos. But not too sweet and not alot of it.

So an example where parents will make an overt lifelong nutritional decision for their children, but not for themselves.

GLC: What does goat milk taste like? Just last week at our favourite Italian gelato place, the guy had handmade goat's milk ice cream. It was nice.

[nscrbug]

I generally don't drink milk, by the glass. That said, I do consume fat-free, lactose-free milk on my oatmeal and cold cereal, and in protein shakes. Recently, I have discovered Blue Diamond Almond Milk (unsweetened original flavor) and I like it just fine, but use it sparingly mainly due to the 3 grams of fat it contains.

[Crankin]

Well, I think there was a cultural phenomena to the no milk thing. Although my parents (and my grandparents by the time I was born) were not Kosher, the idea of serving milk with a meal like dinner, when there's meat on the table sort of carried down. Really, the thought of eating chicken, fish, or beef and having a glass of milk with it really is nauseating to me. Funny how these things get carried on, despite the fact that it's probably been 75 years since anyone in my family actually observed these dietary laws.
One of my kids is a milk drinker and the other is just like me.

[tharley]

Oh my. I'm not a big fan of milk, nor is of me if I'm drinking it. I don't really eat anything besides occasional mac&cheese or soup that requires it. Ice cream on the other hand is fantastic! :p

[Blueberry]

I voted for my "milk version," but I rarely "drink" it. Usually, I just enjoy whole milk in tea. Once in a long while on a bowl of cereal. Most of my calcium comes from yoghurt (which I make) and cheese;)

[MommyBird]

We are big fans of blue milk. It seems to be colder than any other variety to us. The more fat the warmer it tastes which is a real turn off. Only 0% will do for my family.
I seldom drink milk with a meal but the guys will. My milk routine will change periodically. Sometimes I drink a glass+ each day and at other times I will go days without milk.

During the last summer Olympics I was on my elliptical watching one of the morning shows and they had a segment on a "Recovery" pack the athletes were using post event. The guy said each pack costs about $5. Then he said that store bought 1% chocolate milk had about the same nutrient makeup and would basically have the same benefit as one of these packs.
I put it on my shopping list. The guys felt so special. Then I told them about the show and now they expect it in the fridge at all times!

[pardes]

Half and Half here.

At 62 I said, "What the hell." A good cup and a half of Half & Half in my monster morning coffee I drag around all day.

If I want to just drink milk (which I have loved since the breast) I down a couple of cups of whole milk as rich and natural as I can find it.

[GLC1968]

shootingstar - fresh, unpasturized goat milk tastes like cows milk...but almost less 'milky'. It's hard to explain. Its so fresh and delicious and full of flavor. When we switch back to store bought milk, I can't get over how flat and blah it tastes.

That said, older goats milk can be NASTY. And we've never tasted any store bought goats milk that tastes good, either. I've heard that's from the pasturization process, but I don't know that for certain.

[shootingstar]

shootingstar - fresh, unpasturized goat milk tastes like cows milk...but almost less 'milky'. It's hard to explain. Its so fresh and delicious and full of flavor. When we switch back to store bought milk, I can't get over how flat and blah it tastes.

That said, older goats milk can be NASTY. And we've never tasted any store bought goats milk that tastes good, either. I've heard that's from the pasturization process, but I don't know that for certain.

Imagine asking a farmer after getting fresh milk: "Is this old goat milk?" :p
I would try the young goat milk in small steps.
By the way, the goats milk gelato: my dearie loved it. I didn't even ask what the flavour was: there was no flavour sign! So I was targetting all the other flavours because of the colours. I noticed the cafe had a large bin of it compared to the other flavours. I hope he does sell it. He likes making different flavours...fresh fig, pomegranate, etc.

When we go to Europe in a few months, this should be interesting, depending on where we go. I could never forget the time when we were in the Netherlands, it was a whole milk. Rich, tasty ...and slight yellow-tan colour.

As for the blue tinged skim milk (at least in some parts of the U.S.), wonder if there is pasteurization process that causes this or the regulations are different in U.S. compared to Canada? Really, the skim milk I have from a well-known chain dairy in our province, does not have this blue tinge at all.

[moonfroggy]

I voted almond but these days I drink pumpkin seed milk more. I rarely drink any milk like drink though. I always make it myself from raw nuts or seeds when I do drink it. I get my calcium and protien by eating plenty of vgetables and nut or seed milk is an ocasional treat.

[MommyBird]

Light scattering by fat globules and casein micelles causes milk to appear turbid and opaque. Light scattering occurs when the wavelength of light is near the same magnitude as the particle. Skim milk appears slightly blue because casein micelles scatter the shorter wavelengths of visible light (blue) more than the red.

[smilingcat]

my partner dictates what kind of milk we buy. Soo its fat free organic milk. I'm not finicky about milk for my chai. If it weren't for my chai, I wouldn't drink milk.

Cheese on the other hand. I luuvvve goat cheese in my omlette, on a hot toast, on my pizza, sprinkled on my spagetti... I also love hard cheese of all kind. I could go on and on... Pan seared goat cheese medallion...

There is something about goat cheese.

[badger]

I'm so curious to try fresh goat's milk. I want to know if I'll find it rather funky as I find goat's milk cheese and store bought goat's milk. To me I really taste the "farm" smell, if you know what I mean?

[MommyBird]

Yes! Leaves a strange, unpleasant sensation in my mouth and then makes me feel physically and mentally "off" for a while.

[Catrin]

My nutritionist and doctor has me take in a quite a lot of protein, and a lot of this comes from non-fat dairy. I made myself get used to the taste of skim milk and I do drink a lot of it. I have found that a nice benefit of this is that it seems to be the only way that I get enough calcium - I hate taking supplements. I buy them and don't take them :rolleyes: So I go through a lot of skim milk, no-fat cottage cheese and Chobani non-fat greek yogurt .

[Thorn]

We tried to strip the dairy in our diet down. Milk was limited to the standard recovery drink chai so we switched that out to soy milk.

When we switched to soy we tried various non-dairy milks. We liked oat milk, but it isn't high in protein. I don't like the "oh, but we need to make it taste like dairy milk"-soy milks. I now buy Eden Soy's basic soy milk. The ingredients are organic soy beans and water. No sugars. No binders. Just soy milk. It is actually good without all that stuff that's supposed to make it taste better.

[Ja Da Dee]

I rarely drink milk. If I had my way, I would drink 2%, but because it's such a rare occasion, if I have milk in my cereal or something it's skim because that's what my husband drinks. I do slip a little half and half in my coffee.

[GLC1968]

I'm so curious to try fresh goat's milk. I want to know if I'll find it rather funky as I find goat's milk cheese and store bought goat's milk. To me I really taste the "farm" smell, if you know what I mean?

Yes, that "farm" smell is actually a lovely smell to a goat. We call it 'goaty' and in extreme forms 'bucky' (because bucks smell extremely strong like it). My husband recoils at the smell out on the farm (it's rare on our farm since we don't keep a buck on site) but I don't mind it. I do HATE it in my milk though - and to be perfectly honest, I don't like goat's milk cheese either. :o Too 'bucky' for me. :eek:

I swear that fresh goats milk has NONE of that flavor/smell if it is processed correctly.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I love milk, always have, and I drinks lots of it. :)

[badger]

GLC, how do you process goat's milk properly? I hear pasteurization kills off most of the goodness, but I don't think I'd want to drink it straight out of the animal in case it's contaminated with something, you know?

And I'm glad to know that "goaty" is actually a term. Better than saying "farmy".

[Bike Chick]

I love milk, always have, and I drinks lots of it. :)

Me too! My post-run/ride recovery drink is a glass of chocolate milk or a Carnation Instant Breakfast with skim milk.

[Tri Girl]

I chose "other"
I drink raw milk (not pasteurized, not homogenized).
I buy it from a local farmer. His farm is nice and the cows are pasture raised without hormones or antibiotics. I've never, ever gotten sick from it.

I've tried to get rid of as many processed foods as possible, and sadly- milk is a processed food (skim milk is, sadly, a *highly* processed food).

I LOVE milk. For a time, I tried to cut out all milk- but I just can't.

[malkin]

1%
We are lucky to have a local dairy. Any other brand was christened "ghetto milk" by DD.

Most of the milk here is consumed as yogurt, but since my yogurt quarts are a little less than a quart there is usually a splash of milk around in liquid form.

[GLC1968]

GLC, how do you process goat's milk properly? I hear pasteurization kills off most of the goodness, but I don't think I'd want to drink it straight out of the animal in case it's contaminated with something, you know?

And I'm glad to know that "goaty" is actually a term. Better than saying "farmy".


Basically, there are two main factors. Cleanliness and speed of cooling. The faster the milk is taken below 40F after milking, the fresher it remains. Cleanliness means keeping the goat, the equipment and even the barn clean. Except for a simple filtering - you are kind of drinking it straight out of the goat!

I believe I did a post about processing milk in my blog back when we first started. It's not that detailed, but it gives you an idea.

http://simplemetamorphosis.blogspot.com/2008/08/milk-in-freezer.html

Basically, for us the steps are:
1) clean the udder/teets and our hands
2) milk the goat and then cover the bucket (one errant fly or leaf off a tree could ruin the whole batch)
3) dip the teets (to avoid mastitis)
4) strain the milk (through a milk filter into sterile glass containers)
5) chill it (ice bath combined with freezer)
6) wash and sterilize the equipment for the next milking

And if you want it skimmed - that's a whole long list of additional things to do! It's actually a major pain which is why I taught myself to tolerate whole goats milk in my coffee and on my cereal. Laziness. :p

[shootingstar]

I've tried to get rid of as many processed foods as processed, and sadly- milk is a processed food (skim milk is, sadly, a *highly* processed food).

True, about skim milk. But at this point in life, I don't feel like switching to whole milk. Or I cut out something else that is regular out of my diet. Certainly I can taste the richness of whole milk...it is abit much for me.

I'm still trying to figure our moonfroggy's milk from ..pumpkin seed?? :confused:

I have yet to consume goat milk or goat milk yogurt. But I love goat cheese compared to 10 years ago when I initially found it "strong".

[tctrek]

I don't really love milk, but I know I need it, so I drink skim milk, but I warm it up and put one of those International Coffee flavors in it, like Swiss Mocha or French Vanilla. That's yummy and great before bed to make me sleepy :-).

[badger]

wow, GLC, you're my hero! I would LOVE to take the plunge like you and get into a life more sustainable. My boyfriend and I often talk of having a plot of land and trying to live off it as much as we can.

Have you ever thought of making kefir with your milk? you can buy the grains, and have a constant supply of kefir that would be so amazingly healthy! I wish I lived near you so I can buy some milk off you and do that myself (or at the very least yogurt, I have a yogurt maker and use it regularly).



This thread actually inspired me to look into calcium supplements because as good as my vitamins are, it doesn't contain calcium or magnesium (hello, can anyone say "buy extra supplements, cha-ching"?)

I don't drink enough milk/soy or eat enough brocolli or molasses that I figured I should take some calcium supplements.

[bambu101]

I grew up on a dairy farm, and we drank raw, unpasteurized, unhomogenized milk for years. The milk would form a layer of cream on top, and you'd have to shake it up to mix it in with the rest of the milk. If one of my brothers accidentally left it sitting out on the counter all morning, it would not spoil.

I now drink 1% most of the time, and buy local milk from Jersey cows, which is much richer than Holstein milk. Skim Jersey milk is equivalent in taste and creaminess to 1 or 2% Holstein milk.

That's our milk lesson for today:)

[Atlas]

I don't drink any 'milk' straight up unless it's chocolate flavored. Mostly I drink soy milk, especially Organic Valley brand because I can look up what farm the beans came from. Sometimes I'll get almond milk if it's on sale.

[VeloVT]

Well, if it were up to me, I would keep skim milk in the fridge, and if it were up to my boyfriend, we'd keep 2% in the fridge, so we split the difference and buy 1%. Like many others, I rarely drink it by itself (although I will occasionally if I need a snack shortly before exercising), but I would say I probably consume 1-2 cups per day through adding it to tea, cereal, etc.

Although I don't keep it in the house, I love whole milk in coffee and it's usually my additive of choice at coffee shops if available. It softens the bitterness as much as half & half without the guilt factor.

[skhill]

It's whole milk, organic, plain pasteurized for me. But I rarely drink it straight-- it's on my cereal, in cooking, coffee, etc. If I could find a reasonably convenient (even if not legal) source for unpasteurized milk, I think I'd try it for a while.

Just a weird side-note, I dropped nearly 5 lbs in the first two weeks after switching from 2% to whole milk. Maybe it's coincidence, but I don't think so. Maybe I running too big a calorie (or fat) deficit on 2%, who knows?

[badger]

there's a farm about an hour away from Vancouver that lets you buy shares of a cow or a goat. I'd love to, but with me by myself I doubt I'll be able to consume a quart of goat's milk every week for $7/week. If my boyfriend were with me and he was into it, too, then I suppose it would make sense. They also sell organic raw butter and free range eggs.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I've gotten into making and drinking my own kefir, and I just love it!
I start with organic 2% milk, heat it to simmer, then cool to room temp, add the kefir enzyme powder, and let sit for about 24 hours. It's rather like yogurt you can pour, but to me is less sour tasting than yogurt.

Supposedly it's very nutritious. So yummy, I love it over my granola instead of milk, or poured over berries and fruit especially. It's refreshing and tangy to drink a cold glass- lots of calcium and easier to digest than plain milk- I read that it has less lactose or something. I don't have a lactose problem though- just love how kefir tastes.
I used to buy commercial bottles of kefir from the supermarket, but when they ran out i tried making my own with the powder- and found it to taste WAY better than the pre-made stuff. Doesn't take much effort. When made, I put it in the fridge in a half-gallon canning Ball jar with screw top.

[Catrin]

I've gotten into making and drinking my own kefir, and I just love it!
I start with organic 2% milk, heat it to simmer, then cool to room temp, add the kefir enzyme powder, and let sit for about 24 hours. It's rather like yogurt you can pour, but to me is less sour tasting than yogurt...

Hmmm, I love it as well, but stopped buying it due to the cost. I will have to try this out, thanks!

[Zippinalong]

I love milk. Oberweis milk is the best, especially whole. However, having to watch my cholesterol I had to give that up. So now I drink light soy. I love the taste and love the low cals and low fat. Only 2g's of sugar and get some protein too. I use it for my protein shakes too.

[tangentgirl]

I drink 1% milk in my coffee and in my cereal. After long rides, I'll mix up a recovery drink of milk, chocolate ovaltine and whey powder in the magic bullet. Every once and again, I'll have a glass of milk when I'm feeling hungry and shouldn't raid snackland. It's a decent, healthy filler-upper.

[Owlie]

I drink 1%, but I usually stick chai concentrate, cocoa powder or matcha powder and sugar in it. Not one for plain milk. (Or I microwave it with a little vanilla, almond extract and sugar. Tasty.) I do pour it over my cereal. If it's just me, I use 1% in my tea as well. If it's me and DBF, we use 2% in the tea--he drinks 2% exclusively and will go through a gallon in less than a week. :eek:

[Bethany1]

I love milk. Half and Half, cream, 1%, 2%,j chocolate, you name it, I love it. If I'm feeling naughty I'll add cream instead of milk to baking or cooking. My grandpa had dairy cows and I'd inhale the fresh milk and cream.

I have one small..err big problems though and it stops me from drinking milk. My brothers and dad would swig from the jug and it totally grossed me out. It's one thing to finish off the milk and another to just swig and put it back in the fridge.

When I had toddlers and we were literally starving it was "save the milk for the kids" and I never really touched it. Generally if I want milk, I go buy a small carton for myself now. My kids and DH don't swig so I'm not as leary but I still have that starving mentality of "save the milk for the kids" 15 years later.

[Titania]

I rarely drink milk. More often than not, it makes me sick. I do use it in my coffee, and I use skim.

[goldfinch]

When I started my weight loss journey I decided that I was going to eat foods that taste really good, but limit the quantity. However, I was cutting out most sugars and refined products, so sweets were out and also bread, except for very occasional treats. I began drinking whole milk. I drink a lot less of it than skim and it tastes 10 times better to me. Helps me stay with a low calorie program. Blueberries and whole milk with a stevia/plant based sugar substitute--my favorite breakfast.

[GLC1968]

My answer has changed since last year. Now we use nothing but raw, whole (~5-6%) goat's milk. We rarely drink it but it gets used in coffee or smoothies or in recipes.

No more skimming it, saving us a ton of time!

[Owlie]

GLC, I've been wondering: Does it taste like...well, goat? Goat and sheep's milk cheese (especially sheep) tend to carry a smell and flavor that is more reminiscent of the animal than cow's milk cheese. I wonder if it's present in the milk in a noticeable way, or the process of making cheese tends to magnify it.

[GLC1968]

GLC, I've been wondering: Does it taste like...well, goat? Goat and sheep's milk cheese (especially sheep) tend to carry a smell and flavor that is more reminiscent of the animal than cow's milk cheese. I wonder if it's present in the milk in a noticeable way, or the process of making cheese tends to magnify it.

It's not there at all in fresh, raw goat's milk if it is handled properly. You can even heat it without triggering it, if the milk is fresh. I didn't believe it until I tried it for the first time. I swear it totally tastes like super fresh, super rich, sweet, pure milk.

Actually, our new goat breed produces the BEST milk. So far, we've never had it go 'goaty' on us at all. The milk from our previous goat used to develop that smell/taste after about 8-10 days. This stuff doesn't seem to have that problem at all. I think it's the higher butter fat content, actually.

I don't like goat cheese at all, so trust me, I wouldn't be drinking it if there was even a hint of that flavor/smell!

[Owlie]

Hm, interesting. Can I come over?

I like goat cheese, but only in small quantities. Any more than one or two crackers' worth, and the smell starts getting to me.

[Shell]

I drink 2% regular cows milk. I just love it. I'd drink a half a gallon a day but limit myself to a glass or two a day. I also love cheese of any kind. I also limit that.

[spazzdog]

I generally use 2% cow milk, but on occasion get whole.

I drink it (with cookies) or put it on cereal.

I also eat yogurt (Stoneyfield) to give my vitamins a landing pad in my tummy :)

spazz