Avoid drinking cow’s milk and have a beer a day for good health. Here’s why

We bust myths and bring you the truth behind the health benefits of popular foods.

Food trends often come and go, and with them a lot of confusion about what we should and shouldn’t eat for a healthy, balanced diet.

Nutritional epidemiologist Karin Michels from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, USA, has spent much of her career studying how health can be optimised through a proper diet, and agrees there are many misconceptions around various foods. Believing that many people are not adequately advised on their diets by health professionals, which could have important outcomes for future well-being, she explains the truth behind some of the most common nutrition myths.

The iron found in red-meat promotes cardiovascular disease, according to an expert from UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, USA.

Myth: Red meat is a good source of iron

Although many believe red meat is important to avoid an iron deficiency, Michels says what many of us don’t realise is that the iron from red meat is very different from the iron that comes from vegetable sources, legumes and whole grains.

Alcohol cleans out your coronary arteries, but it may increase risk of cancer. Experts say limit alcohol consumption to one beverage a day.

Myth: Alcohol should be avoided

Alcohol is thought by many to be unhealthy, but the evidence is mixed. “Alcohol cleans out your coronary arteries, so if you have a strong family history of coronary artery disease, it may help you,” Michels says. “On the other hand, you have to balance that against the fact that alcohol increases the risk of many cancers. For most people, we recommend limiting alcohol consumption to one beverage a day.”

Myth: Top up your calcium levels

Calcium is often promoted to strengthen the bones, but Michels says most people get plenty in a balanced diet and don’t need to up their calcium levels.

The only two subgroups which she says need an increased amount of calcium are children and postmenopausal women, but even in these groups calcium-containing foods or small doses of supplements should be sufficient – too much calcium may raise the risk of coronary artery disease.

Myth: Milk is good for you

Although milk is widely accepted as a part of a healthy diet Michels, explains that, “Cow’s milk is not designed for humans -- its composition is completely different from that of human mother’s milk.”

Part of the problem she adds is that to increase efficiency cows are artificially inseminated to remain in a constant state of simultaneous pregnancy and lactation – which leads to significant doses of the pregnancy hormones estrogen and progesterone making their way into milk products, which can increase the risk for several cancers. Michels prefers plant alternatives such as almond and soy milk.

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