Practicum #6 Kristine

I keep learning more information from the Vegan and Vegetarian support groups. Many of the users post factual and valuable information. Here is a quote from vegtalk.org: "Animal products and other sources of high protein are very acidic, and the blood stream must balance this acidic condition by absorbing alkaline minerals such as calcium from the bone structure. Therefore as your body is trying to assimilate the protein in the cow’s milk it is actually pulling calcium out of your bones to do this. Many people believe that cow’s the best way to get calcium. This is not true. The best way to add calcium to your diet is to eat more fresh green vegetables. Cow's milk is high in calcium; the problem is that it is in a form that cannot be assimilated very well by humans. " While I was somewhat aware of this information, I do not think most people are. Our society is brought up to think that we need milk for calcium. However, while we need calcium, milk is not the best way to get the vitamin. I feel like our society is being tricked by the dairy and meat industry into thinking that certain things are healthy for us when they are not. For example, I personally need 40 grams of protein, most people are around this amount as well. In one glass of milk there is about 8 grams of protein, that is about 20% of the protein you need for one day! Then think of all the other types of protein you eat each meal. Yeah, most Americans eat too much protein, which is very bad for your health and increases the risk of many diseases. Anyways, I think the support group blogs are a source for real information. You should still fact check what you read (you should do think for everything). I think that the forums are a good place to start to get information, just as Wiki is a good place to get info when doing a school project.