Milk, Butter, and Eggs

Got milk?

Most adults either love or hate milk.  

I never lost my childhood love of milk. I drink the 1% and I was wondering lately if I’m still drinking the one that is best for me. There are so many different types! And if you go beyond the cow’s product, there are also soy, rice, and almond “milks” to consider. And if you are lactose intolerant there’s a milk for that! And to be fair, goats give milk too.

Whole milk has about 4% fat, from the cream we love in other forms. 2% has half that. You see where this is going. From what I have read, if you are less than four feet tall you should always drink whole milk. After that it’s simply a matter of taste and weight control. Children need more fat and cholesterol than the rest of us. If you like 1%, as I do, you are saving a few calories. Personally I think skim milk is just wasted time and money.  And if you are drinking the “enhanced” skim, my question is “why?” Just drink 1%. An eight ounce glass of any of the white stuff provides about 300 mg of calcium, which is the primary reason most of us are still drinking it. Old women like me should probably be drinking three or four glasses a day, but I don’t think that’s necessary since calcium is found in and added to so many other foods and beverages.  

Of course there is also the current conundrum, of which milk is best- organic, hormone free, processed, raw? I will leave that to your own lifestyle and conscience. I’m not going to argue the merits and/or dangers of one over the other. I can only tell you that after watching my grandfather milk a cow and pour that milk from a metal bucket to the glass pitcher we used at the breakfast table, I was terrified of the germs that might be lurking in it! I wanted someone to homogenize and pasteurize it just like my teacher had explained to us so we wouldn’t all die. I still get that feeling when raw milk is mentioned.

Butter is another question on the table these days. I used to use butter because I didn’t want artificial this and that. I was told that all margarine was bad. But nowadays there are so many margarine options that it is mind-boggling to stand in front of the market case and try to choose one! The best plan is to read the label and buy a spread that is soft and doesn’t contain more than 1.5 grams of fat. I’m currently buying one made with olive oil. We don’t really use much of anything because I don’t cook with it and we no longer eat biscuits. Gary uses a little margarine on his toast, but I use peanut butter. We use a little on baked potatoes.

Oh, I do love eggs! So of course I was sitting at the table eating my Saturday ham and cheese omelet when the egg recall report came on the news!!  However, the latest recall is just that- the latest recall. While we have to use caution and pay attention to the carton numbers and demand better control of ALL of our food sources, I will bet that most of you have resumed eating spinach, the source of one of our past outbreaks of illness. Believe me, ANYTHING in your refrigerator or pantry has the potential to make you sick. Eating is a risk we all take.

Beyond the current danger, eggs have gotten a bad rap for years. Now the research says that a few eggs won’t hurt us and that the choline found in them is actually essential for controlling inflammation. Just be aware that the cholesterol level of eggs is high (200+) and should be considered in your daily planning. Some eggs are high in Omega3 and besides everything else, they taste good!

Now go eat breakfast!

Comments

[Retro Jordans]

Your blog are just brilliant, do you know this?

[Megan]

Milk is served at my house, but I rarely have any except for cereal. My children have been raised to favor it, but I tested allergic as a child and couldn't have it. Makes me sick now to have it and I've just not ever acquired the taste of it. I try to do weight bearing exercise (historically speaking) to counter my lack of consumption.

I'm a scrambled eggs girl and only use butter for baking.

I noticed you left off pork products for your meal breakdown. My husband would be so offended. : ) I just don't know that bacon or sausage has many redeeming qualities.

MMMMM biscuits. Thanks for the idea. Looks like I'm dusting your biscuit recipe off in the morning.