If you grew up in the 1990s and 2000s, you couldn’t turn on the TV or open a magazine without seeing these two words: Got milk? And let’s not forget about the milk mustaches.
Even supermodel Gisele Bündchen donned one in this 2001 ad, posing with a glass of milk in hand, next to floating text that reads: “Want strong bones? Your bones grow until about age 35 and the calcium in milk helps. After that, it helps keep them strong. Which means milk is always in fashion. Got milk?”
The iconic campaign was created for the California Milk Processor Board and was later licensed to other players in the dairy industry. But times have changed, and the public’s attitude toward milk has soured.
You’ve surely heard claims that cow's milk is unnatural to drink (especially beyond childhood), or that milk consumption actually does more damage than good. But are any of these true?
“What are the unique nutrients that dairy has that nothing else has? Nothing,” says Christopher Gardner, a professor and nutrition researcher from the Stanford Prevention Research Center. “It is true calcium is easier to get from milk than just about anything else. That is totally true. But you can get calcium from lots of other things.” And while not everyone should rush to dump their dairy, there are risks that come from drinking milk excessively.
