Up to what age should children drink milk

[Again]

I feel a little uncomfortable about children drinking the milk of other species. That said my 3 year old still likes cow's and goat's milk. He self-weaned at 2.4 yrs and has continued to have 'cravings' for cow's or goat's milk. Obviously he must still need it. I have a feeling though that drinking milk is not that healthy in adults (think there's some kind of evidence/anthropological reasoning for this) and would love to do some reading on this. Can't find it on kellymom. Can anyone help?

really? DS loves milk and would happily drink it all day if we let him. I feel that children should have (maybe not strictly need) milk as a regular, consistent source of calcium until fairly old - will watch with interest :)

I have never heard that theory and my children drink a lot of milk so will watch this thread with interest!

Again - are you raising your children vegan or is it just milk that you have concerns with?

It's just that drinking milk from other species is relatively new to humans. Traditionally all they would have had is breastmilk and I doubt very much that that continued on until adulthood!

Relatively new, maybe. Drinking milk from other species for the past two thousand years, depending on culture, yes.

No not vegan or vegetarian littledawley. Had a conversation with someone recently who said that across the globe most people become lactose intolerant as they grow older and that it is only in western societies where we have been farming for longer that milk is consumed past early childhood.

I had never thought about how long we, as a species, had been drinking milk. I thought that it had been thousands of years and had never considered that in other parts of the world, milk is not really consumed.

I only asked if you were vegan as the the phrase 'I feel a little uncomfortable about children drinking the milk of other species' made me think that you would then feel uncomfortable with eating the flesh of other species. (I'm a meat eater by the way, not being judgy, just fascinated!)

The book you want is The China Study, by Dr.T.Colin Campbell.

I view drinking milk in pretty much the same way as eating the meat.

DS1 likes milk, as do I, it is yummy, not for babies though in the same way as steak isn't.

Some people only have milk as a stapple. (think mongolia and similar).
I drank milk till I was 25 and had huge craving for milk during both my pregnancies.
Asian people seems to be lactase deficient but most scandinavian are fine, as are massai.
Let your DD drink milk as long as she wants (it is good for her bones) if anything else, she will stop herself when she had enough.

DD1 still at it a lot at 5.5, DN stopped at 1.

Sorry you have a DS, I don't know were I got it was a girl. {blush].

Actually, mamaloco, dairy LEACHES calcium from the bones, weakening the skeleton and leading to osteoporosis. Dairy milk also contains saturated fat. Therefore it is much healthier to obtain calcium from plant sources.

I also gave up dairy when I was 25 (over ten years ago)! Am currently pregnant, and have no craving for it at all. If you need calcium, you are better off getting it from dark green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, kale, watercress and cabbage; pulses (tofu, beans); dried fruits; tahini (sesame seed butter used to make houmous) and nuts and seeds (particularly almonds, Brazil nuts and sesame seeds); swede. Many soya milks and tofu are fortified with calcium.

LOL. Have you been to japan? The poor old ladies/men are creepled by osteoporosis... Are you a militant vegan for giving that answer?
Veg. and cereals have a higher content in calcium than milk. But milk still have a good calcium content and have some other good minerals too.
The only problem with it is the lactose which is not digested by about 50% of the adult population (if you are one of those you probably know it and should avoid milk, but not dairy).
The fat is not that evil either you need fat to fonction. You shouldn't have more than 3 glass a day.
I would say one and vary your other source of calcium.

I was craving milk not broccolli! Even if I stopped drinking it 15 years ago .

Europeans have been drinking milk for thousands of years. If he likes it and it isn't excessive (ie putting him off other food) then why is it a problem?

I would never drink milk as a drink although like it on cereal.