Hello everyone I'm Monica Reinagel, the nutrition diva here with your quick and dirty tips for eating well and feeling fabulous.

This week's show is a bit longer than usual because we're tackling a big topic.

Whether it's unnatural for humans to drink the milk of other animals or to drink milk beyond infancy.

I recently got a note from Diane who was upset with me for supporting the consumption of dairy products.

No human should be consuming milk after they've been weaned from their mother's breast, she wrote.

It is completely unnatural.

Cow's milk is intended only for baby cows,

and it's cruel to take the milk away from the calves

for whom it is clearly intended.

Need calcium, she continued, milk, which may contribute to osteoporosis and numerous other health issues, is the last place you should be getting it.

Now before I respond to Diane's remarks, I first just want to repeat something that I've said many times before.

Drinking milk is not necessary for good nutrition or for strong bones and I completely support anyone who decides for

whatever reason that they don't want to consume it.

If you've decided you don't want to drink milk, I'm not going to try to talk you into it. If on the other hand you

ask me about the benefits or the risks of dairy or of any other food, I will try to give you a balanced and evidence-based answer so that you can base your decision on good information.

Now I've certainly heard these arguments against drinking milk before.

Maybe you've heard them too.

Maybe you've made these arguments.

Often there's a lot of emotion involved in this discussion,

which can make it hard to have a productive conversation about this issue

but I'd really like to try. Although they are often all jumbled together there are actually

three completely different arguments being presented here.

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