Every new diet and trend comes with its own complicated set of instructions. Whether it’s eliminating all forms of sugar or tracking daily intake on an app, the complexities of choosing what and when to eat have grown into a tangled web of information. Honestly, the tips and tricks are more confusing than they are helpful.
With each new craze that comes out in the modern-day media, part of me is brought back to when I was a kid. We ate the vegetables on our plate when we were asked, maybe had a dessert afterward if we were lucky, and there was a glass of milk with every meal. It may seem crazy, but that’s how it always was — at least one glass of milk per day.
Many social influencers or modern news articles have claimed that cutting out dairy is beneficial, but I would argue the opposite way. In my opinion, a glass of milk a day really does keep the doctor away.
It could be because that with every 8-ounce serving of milk, you’re consuming 13 essential nutrients. There isn’t another natural food product on the market that can provide you with that extensive list of vitamins and minerals with one drink.
However, I would argue that the best part about milk is that it isn’t anything more than what it claims to be: it’s just milk. Having been consumed for thousands of years, people around the world have enjoyed this classic drink because it’s nothing more and nothing less than what it is. Plain and simple, down to the last drop, milk is milk.
Drinking milk alternatives has circled the dairy industry in popularity for the past 10 years and longer, but the truth comes out with these beverages. They’re not milk. As much as they claim to be healthier, or are created to have less sugar and calories, they will never be milk. No matter the style — almond, oat, or otherwise — these milk alternatives won’t have the same list of nutritional benefits that a plain glass of milk does.
In true dairy kid fashion, I stick to one glass of milk (or more) a day. Not only does it give me the same nostalgic taste every time I drink it, but it’s a glass full of vitamins and minerals that I need every day.
Morgan Oliveira was the 2024 Hoard’s Dairyman editorial intern. She grew up working on her family’s dairy farm near Hilmar, Calif. As a student at Cal Poly University, Oliveira is majoring in agriculture communications.
