Milk

  Today we're going to look at Using Food For Purposes Other Than Its Intended One.  I've got a problem with cow's milk; you could say I'm a recovering cow's milk addict.  I used to joke that I could be quite happy with a cow and a straw.  Cow's milk is yummy and sweet and has calcium.  It's wholesome.  I was happy to drink it instead of water. 

  Let me make one thing clear.  This isn't about the ethics of drinking cow's milk; this is about my body and my addiction. 

  From as far back as my single-digit years, I've loved drinking cow's milk.  After t-ball and softball games, I'd ride my bike home and proceed to quench my thirst straight from the plastic gallon jug.  I'm sure that I must have been conscientious enough to only do that when there was little enough in the jug that I could finish it; but, still, let's not tell Mom.  (Hi, Mom!)

  In high school, peer pressure led to my conversion to skim milk.  Skim milk is lower in fat and calories than its 2% counterpart.  Since I was lowering calories in the milk, I had room for, say cookies.  What goes better with milk than cookies, cereal, and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches?  As a matter of fact, sometimes it was nice to eat extra cookies or brownies just to make myself thirsty for more milk.  Talk about comfort!  Make thirst -> Quench thirst.  See the red flag?

  At some point I heard that water is for hydration and that calories belong in food, so I made heroic efforts to up my water intake.  But I didn't stop my milk-n-goodies minimeals.  Now, the milk on its own would have 90 calories per cup.  But think how many cookies or graham crackers you can enjoy with a cup of milk.  And if there were cookies on my plate but no milk left in my cup, well then!, it was time to refill the milk cup.  Oh, the calories!  Oh, the fat!

  Recognizing the tremendous hold this duo had on me, I literally prayed for help in breaking this addiction.  And, true to the form of "be careful what you wish for," I began to suspect that my innards were beginning to boycott cow's milk.  So I began to experiment.

  I tried – and my taste buds hated - soy milk.  But my innards were okay with it.

  I tried – and my taste buds tolerated – almond milk. And my innards were okay with it.

  I tried – and was utterly repulsed by – coconut milk.  But my innards were okay with it.

  While somewhere between blech! and repulsive on their own, these three varieties of milk tasted okay in a bowl of cereal or hidden in a dinner recipe.  And it struck me.  Haven't I just ended up where I wanted to be?  I've wanted to use milk as a source of nutrients rather than as a cookie conveyor.  And so it's happened.

  Since the spring, I've been retraining my taste buds.  At dinner last night I craved milk, so I poured a cup of soy milk, I drank it, and I liked it.  Am I in danger of slipping down a soy milk & cookie slope?  Absolutely not.  It's satisfying on its own – it doesn't need the sweetness of cookies! Besides, it's far too expensive for my taste.

  When it comes to drinking (along with swimming and bathing), it'll be water for me! With water, I don't run the risk of drinking it for the sake of flavor or texture.  It doesn't pair well with comfort food.  The only risk is drinking too much of it, and that's not even a realistic risk for me.

  To misquote a Garth Brooks song: Some of God's greatest gifts are mis-answered prayers.

~Karin