Milk?

[Drip Curl Magic]

I think about it everytime I drink milk. I have no idea if this is true or if I just made it up in my head for some quirky reason.

 

I *think*someone told me that Milk is vital is maintaining a good serotonin balance.

 

For some reason, I associate milk with happiness. I'm pretty sure I heard this from someone else.... but I may just be insane.

 

I need to know if this is true, for the sake of curiousity and trivial knowledge!

 

Anyone ever heard anything about this before? Milk and happiness?

[Mercedes Benzene]

One explanation could be that milk has fairly significant levels of the amino acid tryptophan in it. Tryptophan and serotonin work closely together in the brain to affect sleep patterns and mood.

That's all I can think of, but then again, I'm not a milk expert. :xx:

[Celeste]

Anyone ever heard anything about this before? Milk and happiness?

 

Yes, like Mercedes said, high levels of the amino acid tryptophan, helps you produce the "happy hormone” serotonin more quickly. No other food offers quite the same nutrients as milk and dairy products.

 

Other foods that help produce serotonin: turkey, eggs, nuts, beans, fish, hummus and complex carbs like popcorn. Dark chocolate also activates the feel-good chemicals in your brain. :)

[Turtle]

Then there is the side that says milk is an unnatural food for humans. We don't have a proper digestive chemical mix for it or some such.

In my local area recently a dairy that sold shares in cows to provide whole milk (unpasteurized) to people caused an E. Coli outbreak. Some milk enthusiasts insist on whole milk.

Then there is the matter of all the hormones in the milk & whether it is causing early onset of puberty.

I use very little milk; just in recipes & a dribble in my coffee. It is 2% homogenized. I do however eat a lot of cheese & I don't know how that affects the milk chemistry in terms of humans digesting it.

That's all that comes to mind at the moment. Great topic Drip!:)

[Mercedes Benzene]

Personally, I LOVE milk.

Cheers :)

[HydrogenBond]

Culture has gotten weird. Something like milk that is used to feed babies is all of a suddenly toxic to adults. This shows the type of strange and often irrational results that pop out of statistical studies.

[Michaelangelica]

Culture has gotten weird. Something like milk that is used to feed babies is all of a suddenly toxic to adults. This shows the type of strange and often irrational results that pop out of statistical studies.

 

I concur with all the previous posts except this.

Milk didn't become 'suddenly toxic'

It is just that some adults loose the ability to break down lactose.( a sugar in milk)

This is most possibly genetic as it seems to be more common in Asian races who have little historical exposure to cow's milk.

[Chacmool]

One explanation could be that milk has fairly significant levels of the amino acid tryptophan in it. Tryptophan and serotonin work closely together in the brain to affect sleep patterns and mood.

That's all I can think of, but then again, I'm not a milk expert. :hihi:

Very interesting. I suffer from bipolar disorder, and my psychologist insisted that I had to eat yoghurt each morning to boost my serotonin levels. I'm not very fond of milk and yoghurt, but I love cheese and cream - in fact, I often crave these. Could this possibly be linked to my brain chemicals?

[Racoon]

I drink Soymilk, which is basically soybean water sweetened with Vanilla.

I prefer it really.

 

Milk made here is made with methods I don't approve of. They give cows too many hormones, antibiotics, and BTH (or something) that makes them produce more milk. :evil:

 

As for Chacmools comment:

Yogurt has some gut-friendly bacterias in it, you know , acidipholus (sp)

 

But I admit I am a sucker for cheese. (PIZZA!! :) :xx: :hihi: )

Mozzarella especially!

 

Be weary of claims being made;

In the old Food Pyramid Guide, they always say 3+ servings of dairy a Day!

and in the fine print at the bottom: made by Dairy Farmers Association..

 

Heres an interesting thing I learned in Food and Health at school:

They figured Americans and Europeans would have stronger bones because of all the Calcium from Milk and Dairy -- as opposed to Asian cultures (Chinese Japanese) which hardly drink milk..

Right?

WRONG!

Asians get their Calcium from eating leafy Greens like Bok Choy. the Calcium is more readily absorbed than it is from Milk and dairy!!

about 50% as compared to 35% (roughly)

 

:D

 

Vanilla Soy Milk for me! it tastes yummy! :)

[Michaelangelica]

Very interesting. I suffer from bipolar disorder, and my psychologist insisted that I had to eat yoghurt each morning to boost my serotonin levels. I'm not very fond of milk and yoghurt, but I love cheese and cream - in fact, I often crave these. Could this possibly be linked to my brain chemicals?

I once went to an orthomolecular psychiatrist.

He said some people cannot divide milk and beef protein into its component parts. Assume, for arguments sake, a normal person digests a milk protein molecule into three amino acids. A person with a milk/beef intolerance (NOT allergy) might only divide it into two parts. The two linked amino acids build up and can become toxic. You get adrenal exhaustion and develop chronic fatigue type symptoms.

 

Wheat is another problem for many. Its man's first GM crop has heaps of genes it never had in the wild. The orthomolecular psychiatrist said some cases of Autism and Down's syndrome can be helped by a wheat free diet. (Not necessarily a gluten free diet)

He claimed that if a Downs syndrome child is kept of wheat ( and mothers milk -where the mother has eaten wheat) the child will not develop mental retardation. Quite a claim.

 

Yeast puts me into a brain fog. I can't think straight and can't spell.

 

Large doses of MSG act on me like speed. For about 12 hours I am hyper and agro.

Then I have two days collapsed & prolapsed & in a total brain fog.

 

With manic/depressive psychos, sorry BPs old name, you can get similar symptoms with hypo and hyper-glycemia and food allergies.

 

 

Chocolate and walking boost serotonin levels. Doing both at the same time could be more fun than a tub of Yougurt.;)

[Drip Curl Magic]

Chocolate and walking boost serotonin levels. Doing both at the same time could be more fun than a tub of Yougurt.;)

 

I dunno, man..... a tub of yogurt sounds very appealing. :)

[Jay-qu]

we would have to be the only mammel that drinks another mammels baby milk as full grown adults... kinda weird

 

I heard about a study that was done, apparently the milk we drink (homogenised and pastureised) was fed to calves instead of milk direct from tits and they all died!

 

I drink soy.

[Drip Curl Magic]

This one time... me and orby were "sold" on this new kind of milk that we found in a grocery store... it was organic milk... or something like that. It tasted really good with our cereal. The end.:)

[Drip Curl Magic]

Other foods that help produce serotonin: turkey, eggs, nuts, beans, fish, hummus and complex carbs like popcorn. Dark chocolate also activates the feel-good chemicals in your brain. :)

 

I always thought all chocolate was good at bringing your spirits up.

[Michaelangelica]

Contrary to popular belief-

Cats can't drink milk either.

It gives them diarrhoea

They have to be given "Lactose Free" milk.

(Always cheaper in the people, rather than the pet, section of the supermarket)

[Drip Curl Magic]

Contrary to popular belief-

Cats can't drink milk either.

It gives them diarrhoea

They have to be given "Lactose Free" milk.

(Always cheaper in the people, rather than the pet, section of the supermarket)

 

I didn't know this until about 6 months ago when my mom yelled at me for letting my cat drink the small amount of milk left in my cereal bowl.:confused:

[ronthepon]

I'ts a pity that as one grows up the mild digesting ability reduces.

Milk's such a complete food thing.

 

Anyway, evolution-wise it can be explained (and I'm too young to do the explaining and feel moral)