Drinkin' more milk

[OakLeaf]

In the US, I used almond or coconut milk on my cereal instead, but those are so insanely expensive down here

Are coconuts plentiful there (generally - I know it's probably too early for them to be ripe this year)? I wonder if you could make your own coconut milk.

[Crankin]

Actually, I knew that.
With my family hx, osteoporosis was a given (thanks, mom).
Milk was never served with meals in my home. I think it was a vestige of my parents growing up in homes that were nominally (and I mean nominally) Kosher. I had milk in cereal, in hot chocolate, and with dessert. Maybe at breakfast. The thought of milk with meat actually feels quite disgusting to me.
I eat lots of plain, non fat yogurt and tons of cheese. I drink coffee black, with the occasional cappuccino with skim milk, or a mocha latte. Both require me taking a Lactaid tablet before. I don't eat cereal anymore, so no milk there. I've been taking calcium supplements for 27+ years (in preparation for getting pregnant with child #2).
I find it interesting that many of the posters mention brothers who drank gallons and gallons of milk a week. I wonder why guys do this, and women don't? My brother is just like me and hardly ever has milk. One of my sons is a big milk drinker and the other one is not. The big milk drinker started this after he left home. I have never bought more than one gallon of milk a week, even when there were 4 of us living in the house.

[shootingstar]

2% or 3% milk tastes too heavy for me. It is bordering on cream for me.

I don't mind.

I've had the skim milk in the U.S. and it seems quite different from the skim milk here in Canada ...to me.

[Anelia]

I drink milk as a recovery drink. Yesterday I drank a pint after the ride. Also I was hungry and instead of loading carbs, I ate the cream of the milk. I know about avoiding fats after physical exercise because they slow down the absorbtion of other things but this time I listened to my body.
I buy the milk from someone who raises cows in a village near my place, milks the cows and sells it out of his car in the morning. It's whole milk and not pasteurized. Still, we boil it at home and a very delicious and fatty cream skims at the top
I like all kinds of milk: sheep's, goat's...but they are difficult to find.

[Owlie]

Don't they taste kind of...goat-y and sheep-y? I know goat's- and sheep's-milk cheese can taste kind of like the way wet wool smells, if that makes any sense.

I've been drinking 1% for a while. DBF drinks 2%. I can't drink it plain. It goes in tea, or I make it into hot chocolate or something where that extra fat translates into extra creaminess. Higher-fat milk is better for cooking, as far as I know, though. Maybe I'll get some for when I make mac and cheese.

[limewave]

For me, milk has always caused a gagging reflex. My parents used to try and force me to drink it and I just could not get it down, no matter what they threatened me with.

I use almond milk, sometimes soy milk to make smoothies or when cooking. Occasionally I use milk or cream for special recipes. My kids don't drink milk, other than chocolate almond milk for a special treat. So far they're healthy.

[indysteel]

Don't they taste kind of...goat-y and sheep-y? I know goat's- and sheep's-milk cheese can taste kind of like the way wet wool smells, if that makes any sense.

That reminds me a story that my dad likes to tell. He went to Xavier University in Cincinnati for college. This would have been in the mid-1950s. A friend of his was visiting from home and my dad and his college buddies took him to a local diner for dinner. Before they ordered, my dad tells his friend that goat's milk is pretty common in Ohio and that his friend should specify to the waitress that he wants cow's milk instead. His trusting friend complies. Of course, the waitress looks at him likes he's nuts and my dad and his friends bust out laughing.

I love this story. Not because it is that funny (although it does make me giggle), but because what passed for fun in the 1950s seems so innocent now.

[GLC1968]

Don't they taste kind of...goat-y and sheep-y? I know goat's- and sheep's-milk cheese can taste kind of like the way wet wool smells, if that makes any sense.

No, it doesn't. Fresh goat's milk (I can't speak for sheep's milk) tastes as sweet and delicious as cows milk. In fact, it's better. I does somewhat depend on breed, what the goats eat and how the milk is processed, but if it's done right, it's not goaty at all. I don't like goaty cheese even a little bit, but I do like the fresh milk. Store bought stuff tastes like dirt...it's gross.

I grew up with a gag reflex for whole milk. As a small child, I wouldn't drink it. My doctor told my mom to try 2% or skim and it worked. I grew up on 2% and switched to skim in college (where 2% wasn't available and whole milk seemed like paint to me). Up until a year ago, it was the only way I could handle milk...even in coffee.

Now I use whole goat's milk in my coffee and smoothies and in recipes, but I don't drink it as a beverage. Different goat breeds have different fat content in their milk. Ours is richer than whole cows milk which is generally 4% butterfat. Our goat's milk is about 6%. It is downright amazing what you can get used to! Now skim milk seems so blah, flat and boring to me.

And we drink our milk raw, too.

[indysteel]

No, it doesn't. Fresh goat's milk (I can't speak for sheep's milk) tastes as sweet and delicious as cows milk. In fact, it's better. I does somewhat depend on breed, what the goats eat and how the milk is processed, but if it's done right, it's not goaty at all. I don't like goaty cheese even a little bit, but I do like the fresh milk. Store bought stuff tastes like dirt...it's gross.

I grew up with a gag reflex for whole milk. As a small child, I wouldn't drink it. My doctor told my mom to try 2% or skim and it worked. I grew up on 2% and switched to skim in college (where 2% wasn't available and whole milk seemed like paint to me). Up until a year ago, it was the only way I could handle milk...even in coffee.

Now I use whole goat's milk in my coffee and smoothies and in recipes, but I don't drink it as a beverage. Different goat breeds have different fat content in their milk. Ours is richer than whole cows milk which is generally 4% butterfat. Our goat's milk is about 6%. It is downright amazing what you can get used to! Now skim milk seems so blah, flat and boring to me.

And we drink our milk raw, too.

Yum. Do you make your own cheese, too? I love goat's milk cheese.....

[emily_in_nc]

Are coconuts plentiful there (generally - I know it's probably too early for them to be ripe this year)? I wonder if you could make your own coconut milk.

Been there, done that. Is delicious but takes way too long to make for daily use. Getting the coconut water out is a breeze, but chipping all the coconut meat out of the hard shell is tough. Then it has to be blended and strained through cheesecloth. Life is just too short, even for someone retired with time on her hands!