End of July the 31st, 2009 Last Ditch Effort

My wife, my oldest son, and I just returned from a lecture at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCA). There were two lectures, one about the history of machine guns and one about the great experimental filmmaker, Stan Brakhage. Stan Brakhage was my late father's mentor and life long friend. I remember visiting Stan and his many kids from my own childhood. When art people think of avant-garde and experimental films they first think of Stan and then my father, Paul Sharits. The Brakhage lecture was incredibly enjoyable. The machine gun lecture was led by a historian from the Air Academy. He gave the history of the machine gun. It was also very informative and also interesting. It was very funny when both lecturer's were teaming up on questions from the audience. It was a sold out event.

Final day of July. I thought it would be great if I lost 20 pounds in July. I weighed in at 331.6 this morning, but around 328 when I returned from my last bike ride. Tomorrow morning is the final tally, but I'm sure I made it. Thursday was a challenging day as far as exercise, but today was insane. First, I went to the pool and swam 55 laps (1 hour), then lifted weights for an hour, and then, I rode from Morrison to downtown Denver. We refilled our water at MCA and got to meet and take pictures with the Denver Nuggets' "Birdman" (Chris Anderson). He is totally cool. He even stopped his giant vehicle to say goodbye to me. I'll post pictures on FaceBook. After we met Birdman, we headed back to Morrison. In all, it took Greg and I 3.45 hours to travel the 35 round trip miles. Boy, I am sore (mostly saddle sore). When we got home, but then I took a couple of Tylenol and took a half hour nap before the lecture and I felt much better. Along the way, I developed a wobble in my rear tire that was hitting my brake pads. It added to challenge. So did the rain and wind, but it is an excellent series of trails. While my mountain bike is in the shop, I am going to pull my very favorite road bike out of storage.

In the past week I rode 80 miles, swam for 5 miles, and lifted weights for 4 hours. Not a bad week. I hope to top that in the coming weeks. I am setting my goal for 20 more pounds in August. I figure that if I'm eating well and exercising like a mad man I should be able to reach it. I want to thank all of you that visit my blog. I had over 400 page impressions (visitors) in my first month online. Thanks; tell your friends, and visit some of the Google ads. I do get paid for click throughs.

Thursday July 30th, 2009 One more day left

I suppose I'll take my final end of "July" weight on Saturday. It will be okay if I miss 20 pounds because I am in so much better shape, I'm eating healthy, and I've lost inches anyway. I was thinking that I should set a modest goal for next month, but that just wouldn't be me. I know that I can increase my exercise and I'm in a real nice groove with my calorie intake. Sooo, we'll set a goal of another 20 more pounds in August.

Yesterday, I had my first "5" on my calorie scale. I ate all my meals, but they were completely within my calorie intake goal and my calorie burn rate was awesome. This morning I weighed in at 332.8. That's down from 350 at the beginning of July. I tend to be very muscular and I like that, so my ideal weight is 200-210. If I reached that goal in one year, it would be the same as the bariatric surgery claims of weight loss. And, that would be 250 pounds from November 2007. My calorie burn rate surley out paced my calorie intake by more than 3,500, but I did eat well today. Try Red Robin's veggie burger. It's that best I've tasted and they serve it on a whole wheat bun. Yumm.

This morning was rainy, so I held off my bike ride with DW. Around 10am I felt guilty and went to the gym. I will now try to hit the gym everyday or as much as humanly possible. While at the gym, I rode this "virtual" bike that had a screen in front of you and you get to ride with other virtual rider on different courses. It is so cool that it has horses, birds, and all kind of realistic scenery. It has different skill levels. When I used to ride it, I usually killed myself on "moderate." Today, I was feeling gutsy so I went for an "extreme" 10 mile ride. It was 80% up hill. Every time you thought you were at a crest, more hills would appear. I was completely drenched with sweat when I finished and thought I was done for the day. However, the sun came out in the afternoon and I called my buddy DW and scheduled a 4pm ride. We did 11 miles of up and down, but not as silly as the virtual bike. So, I rode 21 miles today. I need to use longer trails. If time permits, I would like to start hitting 40-50 mile trails this month.

I remember when I started this quest in April. I could barely make 5 laps in the pool and I could only ride about 2 miles. Now, I'm going to beef up and do no less than 66 laps in the pool, increase my weights and sets, and increase the miles on the bike. I am also going to start playing Frisbee golf up in the mountains and probably sneak some basketball in. And, of course, stay on the vegan diet and watch my calories. Soon, it will be football season and I can go out and "play" with my friends.

July 29th, 2009 Mid-day

This morning's weigh in was great. 333.6. I found an awesome calculator for calories burned. It counts every thing from exercise to house chores to sex (I think that one's off a bit). You can find it at http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc . I figured out yesterday's bike ride and such and came up with 6,985 calories burned. You need to burn 3,500 more calories than you eat to lose one pound. That would explain the weight loss. Having been boosted by this morning's weigh in, I went for the monkey at the gym. I swam my first mile in about 46 minutes (fair), but I swam the second mile in 44 minutes. I guess I caught my stride. Afterwards, I lifted weights for an hour. Combined with the other daily activities, I should burn 7,479 calories today. So far, through lunch, I've eaten 1,200 calories. I feel confident that tomorrow's weigh in will be great!

Tuesday July 28th, 2009 redemption

This morning started out well with a scale of 334.6. I did go on my 12 mile bike ride. There was a lot of mud in the beginning, but it was cloudy and cool. It makes a huge difference. Not only was the ride easier, I did the weigh in after thing and I only lost one pound of water as opposed to two pounds when it's hot and sunny. Tomorrow is swim and weight day. Thursday, I'm planning on riding with my friend DW on a new trail. Maybe Conifer, Waterton Canyon, or something fun.

I will have lost at least 15 pounds this month and maybe I can lose another 4.6 pounds and close out the month at 20. Considering how hard I've been working out and the subsequent muscle build up, I pretty satisfied with this month's weight loss. I am particularly happy that I only had to change to vegan and watched my calories. I did not miss a meal and I've never eaten this healthy in my life. It really beats changing the size of your stomach and only being able to eat 1/4 cup of food three times daily for the rest of your life. I do like food and I love cooking and the vegan diet gives me the chance to eat well and be happy. Of course, like any successful diet for an obese person, the vegan diet has to be for life.

Sunday the family had hamburgers and I had a grilled portobello sandwich. I always eat with the family. I just eat some of the food or I substitute. On Monday I made vegan chili con chili and it rocked. Tonight, I made four calzones; ham-pineapple, pepperoni, veggie, and vegan. They were good, but I may have over cooked the whole wheat crust. Today, I ate granola cereal (with soy milk), had a small vegan sub, ate some fruit and nuts, and then the vegan calzone. Great healthy and satisfying food. The vegan diet really is not bad; low fat, low cholesterol, no antibiotics, and less pesticides (if you wash well and buy organic). I feel great.

Monday July 27th, 2009 "Back on Schedule"

I weighed in this morning at 339.2 which I knew was wrong. Too much beer and salt over the weekend. I went and swam my 33 laps (1 mile) and worked out with weights. I felt like I had cleared a lot of the garbage through exercise and water. When I got back from the gym my weight was 335.3. Somewhere in there is my accurate weight. Tomorrow's weigh in should be accurate. I'm planning on taking a nice long bike ride tomorrow. Over the weekend, my food and calorie quality was a 2. Today looks like a 4. Mental health good; give it a 3. I'm still tired from the weekend.

I'm starting research on my next article about bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor said to leach from polycarbonate plastics (typically marked with the recycling code #7). The BPA from most water bottles may interfere with hormones and nervous system. Maybe I'll call it Bad H2O or Bottled Water: Dangerous?.

The morning; no, the afternoon later 7-26-09

Went to my little brother's bachelor party yesterday after noon and just got back late this afternoon. It was a good thing I took some vegan snacks. They had fried chicken and a very big sub. I don't think Guinness is on my diet, but it was for the last 24 hours. We'll have to see how it affects tomorrow morning's weigh in. And yes, we had fun, we had drama, and we had more fun.

Quick post July 25th 2009

Yesterday's calorie count must have been good. I weighed in at 336.2. This morning I swam my mile and rode my 12 mile bike ride (1.12.33 hours). I lost 2 POUNDS of water. When I got back I weighed 334.2! Much easier to exercise with a light fruit breakfast.

I have to run to setup my brother's bachelor party. I got a hotel room for my brother and me. No DUI's here. Besides, I'll probably milk a beer for a few hours.

The Friday before the party July 24th 2009

Tomorrow is my little (6'4") brother's bachelor party. I'm going to have a good time, but I also want to keep him safe. Tomorrow night's post will most likely be through a text message. If I can get up early enough tomorrow, I'll try to swim and then I have a 10am mtn biking date. Today, I swam a mile (33 laps) in 45.2 minutes. It was after lunch and I just couldn't get my groove on. I really want to break 40.

Yesterday started out as a 4 on the food scale, but ended up a 3. I weighed 337.4 this morning. Again, either I'm retaining water from the nuts I ate yesterday or it's new muscle weight. My wife keeps telling me that my body is rapidly changing shape and I am losing inches from my waist, but I'm not losing as much weight as I wanted. I was hoping to lose 20 pounds this month, but I'll probably only lose 15. Of course, that's okay especially if I lose 10 to 15 pounds a month until I reach my goal weight. Once, before children, I was at my "ideal" weight (somewhere around 180), but I felt horrible. I tend to be pretty muscular, so I prefer 200 pounds. The most important thing to remember is a diet should be a change in thinking; a change in life style. I have to remember to look at my weight loss over the long run. I am determined to remain vegan for the rest of my life. Hopefully, it will be longer life than my life expectancy as a fat man.

I've done some research on vegetarians and vegans. Who said, "Nothing will benefit health or increase chances of survival on earth as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."? Answer: Albert Einstein. So was Abe Lincoln, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Doctor Benjamin Spock. Their are literally hundreds of famous vegetarians. However, vegans take it one step further and abstain from dairy products as well. Many stars and athletes are vegans. Just to name a few...Paul McCartney, Carl Lewis, Carrie Anne Moss (Matrix chick), Ellen Degeneres, Grace Slick, James Cromwell, Joaquin Phoenix, Moby (musician), Vanessa Williams, Pamela Anderson, Lenny Kravitz, Bryan Adams, and Weird Al Yankovic are all vegans. Side note: I actually met Weird Al in a vegan restaurant in Buffalo, New York. One of the "cheerleaders for the vegan diet is Kansas City Chief Tony Gonzales.

Final Draft of "Milk: The Perfect Food?

This article has gone through many changes and edits. This is the final draft that was submitted for publication.

Milk: The Perfect Drink?
by Christopher Sharits
re-submitted on 7-24-09

The one phrase that adults always tell children regarding strong bones, healthy teeth, and strong bodies is "Eat your vegetables and drink your milk." From the Food Triangle to high school health sciences, milk is pushed without question. "Milk; it does a body good" is a highly orchestrated myth. While milk may have been considered a wholesome drink around the turn of the 20th century, draconian advances in hormones and the institutional mechanized dairy farms of today have mutated a perceived staple. The dairy products of today likely contain a wide variety of harmful contaminants. The masquerade begins with the USDA recommendation that people drink three one-cup servings of dairy per day (that includes cheese and butter that have a concentrated equivalent). In the U.S., the average person drinks 23 gallons of milk per year (that does not include cheese and other dairy products). With a U.S. population of over 300 million people, that's more than 7 billion gallons per year.

In the early 1980's, the production of milk exceeded our demand due to competition from soda and bottled water, decreased consumption, and inflated government price support. In an attempt to correct the surplus, the Government passed the "Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983" that required milk producers to allocate 15 cents per hundred weight or $75 million dollars for a national campaign to teach and promote milk consumption. In 1990, the Government passed "The Fluid Milk Act" which increased the generic marketing campaign to around $200 million per year (Blisard, 1999). The most successful generic milk ad campaign, and what is possibly the best ad campaign ever, is the "Got Milk?" campaign created by Jeff Manning from the Goodby, Silverstein & Partners ad agency in 1993. The campaign was originally targeted towards the California market, but it quickly went national, international, and even won the 1994 Cleo "Best in Show" award for advertising.

According to the International Dairy Foods Association, today's U.S. dairy market is estimated to be $70 billion dollars per year. In an attempt to protect that market, most commercial milk is pasteurized in order to kill off harmful bacteria like Campylobacter, E. Coli, Salmonella, and Listeria. The heating and cooling process of pasteurization, first developed by Louis Pasteur in 1864, should kill most of the harmful organisms responsible for such diseases as listeriosis, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, diphtheria, and brucellosis. Still, there is a strong potential for cross contamination from unsanitary production and packaging facilities.

Even with pasteurization, U.S. commercial milk still contains dangerous contaminants . In 1937, the bovine hormone was recognized as an agent to increase a cow's milk production. In 1993, the FDA approved the sale of the synthetic bovine growth hormone, rBST (aka. rBGH), to increase milk production by 10% to 15%. The U.S. Dairy Association and U.S. Government agencies argue that the cows that are injected with rBST still produce safe milk. While independent tests have been inconclusive, it is widely believed that rBST may increase the risk of mastitis and foot problems in cows and certain cancers in humans. Many insightful countries including Canada, the European Union, Australia as well as New Zealand have outlawed the sale of rBST. In addition, Dean Foods, Kroger (parent of King Soopers), Kirkland (parent of Safeway), Lucerne, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Costco, and even Starbucks have discontinued the sale of rBST milk. In an attempt to turn the tide on the resistance towards rBST, Monsanto, the producer of rBST and rBGH, has, up to this point, successfully lobbied and curtailed the labeling of dairy products containing the synthetic hormone, thus, making it impossible for consumers to distinguish between rBST dairy or non rBST dairy products.

According to the USDA, today's dairy farms have to use antibiotics to protect their herds from mastitis and lameness. The USDA's list of various antibiotics used to treat dairy cows include Aminocyclitol, Aminoglycoside, Noncephalosporin beta-lactam, Cephalosporin, Florfenical, Lincosamide, Macrolide, Sulfanamide, and Tetracycline (Antibiotic Use on U.S. Dairy Operations, 2002 and 2007, 2008). Regardless of a dairy cow's health, it is fed antibiotics through the cow feed. While the FDA claims that the antibiotic traces in milk are at acceptable levels, opponents fear that this practice may also increase human resistance to antibiotics and result in increased allergic reactions. In regards to dioxins, a 2003 USDA research project concerning polychlorinated dioxins, furans, and biphenynls, reported that these toxic contaminants are concentrated in animal products and ultimately consumed by humans. The study determined that dairy cows fed contaminated feed excreted 30% of the digested dioxins in their milk (Dioxins and Other Environmental Contaminants in Food, 2003).

Milk can be contaminated with a variety of environmental infectious microbes including Bacillus cereus, Brucella, Campylobacter jejuni, Coxiella burnetii, E.Col 0157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Samonella, Staphylococcus aureus, and Yersinia enterocolitica (Koo, 2008). While pasteurization kills most of these microbes, cross contamination, process packaging, confined and horrid dairy cow living conditions can contaminate the general milk supply.

Clearly, our idealistic visions of happy fat cows grazing in rolling hills of tall grass, has been shattered by the horrendous living and sanitation conditions on the vast majority of dairy farms. In the early 1900's, over half of the dairy milk was consumed on the dairy and most, if not all, lacked the artificially injected bovine hormones and didn't have the need for so many antibiotics. Today, only 3% of milk is consumed on the host dairy. We are so disconnected from the realities of milk production, that we have turned a blind eye to the truth. Much like meat or poultry products, we prefer to purchase these nicely packaged foods without thinking about their origins. The contaminated dairy milk is basis for many foods like dry milk, butter, ice cream, cheese, yogurt, and many manufactured baking goods. One important point that people tend to overlook is the fact humans are the only species to drink another species' milk and we are the only species that consumes milk beyond infancy. Our delusional desire for milk is not only un-natural, it's dangerous.

References:

"Antibiotic Use on U.S. Dairy Operations, 2002 and 2007." (November 2008). USDA/APHIS: info sheet PDF. Retrieved July 20, 2009. From http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ceah/ncahs/nahms/dairy/

Blisard, Noel. (July 1, 1999) "Advertising's Influence: The Case of Dairy Products." Frozen Food Digest. Retrieved July 20, 2009. From http://www.allbusiness.com/manufacturing/foodmanufacturing-fruit/286506-1.html

"Dioxins and Other Environmental Contaminants in Food." USDA/ARS 2003 Annual Report. Retrieved July 20, 2009. From http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/projects/projects.htm?ACCN_NO=404375&showpars=true&fy=2003

Koo, Ingrid, PhD. "Got Milk Microbes." (2008). About.com: Infectious Diseases. Retrieved July 20, 2009. From http://infectiousdiseases.about.com/od/g/a/milkborne.htm

Thursday July 23, 2009

Today went well. I finally submitted my "Milk: The Perfect Drink?" article. It should be published next week. I believe I updated the previous post to the submitted state. I had some good help editing and formating the article until it really conveyed my hypothesis.

Every once in a while I run into friends that don't really understand vegan. It is a very strict diet, but not as bad as the post-bariatric surgery diet. The vegan diet is a little different than the vegan "life style" which includes a lot of political activism against cruelty to animals. It's not that I like what happens with farm animals, but it's just not my focus. My vegan diet consists of no meat of any kind including my favorite, Lobster. As opposed to vegetarians, vegans do not eat any dairy or byproducts. I also severely restrict my caffeine and alcohol. I don't eat anything with processed sugar or corn syrup and I don't eat bleached flour. Sounds strict, but it's actually quite easy if you shop at a good health food store. You would be surprised at how many vegan foods you can find in King Soopers. I do take special vitamins aimed towards vegetarians and vegans and I monitor my food ingredients closely. For instance, today I had fruit and nuts for breakfast; pinto beans, salsa, and corn chips for lunch; and finally, for dinner, a lot of veggie rich salad with vinaigrette, some rice, and lots of broccoli. No butter; however, I do have some vegan butter that is quite good, but it doesn't melt as easily as dairy butter. If I really need desert, I have some vegan oat and raisin cookies or even a vegan "ice cream" sandwich. If I want milk in my cereal, I use regular soy milk. It's all vegan and it makes you feel great.

This morning I had my oncologist appointment. I had some time before the appointment to workout. I knew I was going to cut it close, but I rode my bike on my favorite BC reservoir loop. I really put the metal to the peddle to make sure I could get back on time to take a quick shower. With that motivation I rode as hard and as fast as I could. I believe my previous benchmark for this ride was 1.22.24 hours. Today, I plugged out a 1.04.10 hour time. It was a pretty serious 11.13 miles of hills and I feel it now. Tomorrow morning I'll swim some more laps and work out my upper torso with weight training. The oncologist appointment went as well as could be expected. My platelet count still hovers around 70-80,000. No real problem as long as I stay above 50,000. I did get my monthly B-12 shot.

I was tired this afternoon and needed to chill (aka. nap) for about an hour. I would still say my mental health is good. Probably a 4 out of 5. My calorie intake was fair yesterday. I'd give it a 4 out of 5. This morning I weighed in at 337.2 before my bike ride. As usual, I lost 1.2 pounds of water weight on the ride. I suppose that you could double that if I didn't push water so much during the ride. Boy, it was hot out there this morning. I have lost about 14 pounds this month, but I'm as concerned with my weight because I'm still building some great muscle tone. I'm actually caught up tonight. Maybe I'll watch an hour of "on demand."

Late in the day. Wednesday July 22, 2009

Finally ready to submit the Dairy sucks article below. With constructive criticism, I think I have revised the article so it flows better.

Yesterday turned into a great day. Due to extreme fun at Eliches, I didn't get to write much and I didn't get to exercise. Well, maybe walking around all day counts for something. My food calories was good. Maybe a 3 on the food quality/quantity scale. My mood was stable and I was energetic until I fell asleep in Ice Age the movie. This morning I weighed in at 336.2.

Today was exhausting. I wrote in the morning and did laundry. After I dropped my son off at work, I headed to the Carmody rec center. I swam 66 laps in 1.25.29 hours. The first mile was done in 40.14 minutes. After swimming, I went to lift weights concentrating on my torso and arms. Pretty tired; might be real sore in the morning. I hope to ride in the morning and swim after my oncologist appointment. I'm trying to get as much swim time in as possible before they have to cut away more skin from the melanoma. One other note: I haven't drank in some time, but tonight I decided to have one glass of red wine. Unfortunately, it had sulfides and I got a raging headache. Live and learn. Be sure to check out my dairy sucks article previewed in the previous post. thanks.

Milk: The Perfect Drink? preview July 22nd, 2009

Hello,
The following article is one that I am about to send to the publisher's. Regardless of your political view, I would deeply appreciate your opinion on the piece. My goal was to write a truthful research article on U.S. milk and dairy. If you find grammar errors or parts that don't flow, please either post a response to the blog or email me at csharits@comcast.net.


Milk: The Perfect Drink? (revised 07-23-09)
July 22nd, 2009
By Christopher Sharits

Milk: The Perfect Drink?

One phrase that adults always tell children regarding strong bones, healthy teeth, and strong bodies is “Eat your vegetables and drink your milk.” From the Food Triangle to high school health sciences, milk is pushed without question. “Milk; it does a body good” is a highly orchestrated myth. While milk may have been a wholesome drink around the turn of the 20th century, draconian advances in hormones and the institutional mechanized dairy farms of today have mutated a perceived staple. The dairy products of today likely contain a wide variety of harmful contaminants. The masquerade begins with the USDA recommendation that people drink three one-cup servings of dairy per day (that includes cheese and butter that have a concentrated equivalent). In the U.S., the average person drinks 23 gallons of milk per year (that does not include cheese and other dairy products). With a population of just over 300 million people, that's almost 7 billion gallons of milk alone (Allshouse and Putnam, 2003).

In the early 1980's, the production of milk exceeded our demand due to competition from soda and bottled water, decreased consumption, and inflated government price support. In an attempt to correct the surplus, the Government passed the “Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983” that required milk producers to allocate 15 cents per hundred weight or $75 million dollars for a national campaign to teach and promote milk consumption. In 1990, the Government passed “The Fluid Milk Act” which increased the generic marketing campaign to around $200 million per year (Blisard, 1999). The most successful generic milk ad campaign, and what is possibly the best ad campaign ever, is the “Got Milk?” campaign created by Jeff Manning from the Goodby, Silverstein & Partners ad agency in 1993. The campaign was originally targeted towards the California market, but it quickly went national, international, and even won the 1994 Cleo “Best in Show” award for advertising (Holt, 2002).

According to the International Dairy Foods Association, today's U.S. dairy market is estimated to be $70 billion dollars per year. In an attempt to protect that market, most commercial milk is pasteurized in order to kill off harmful bacteria like Campylobacter, E. Coli, Samonella, and Listeria. The heating and cooling process of pasteurization, first developed by Louis Pasteur in 1864, should kill most of the harmful organisms responsible for such diseases as listeriosis, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, diphtheria, and brucellosis (The Dangers of Raw Milk, 2006). Still, there is a strong potential for cross contamination from unsanitary production facilities and multi-use packaging systems.

Even with pasteurization, U.S. commercial milk still contains disturbing substances. In 1937, the bovine hormone was recognized as an agent to increase a cow's milk production. In 1993, the FDA approved the sale of the synthetic bovine growth hormone, rBST (aka. rBGH), to increase milk production by 10% to 15%. The U.S. Dairy Association and U.S. Government agencies argue that the cows that are injected with rBST still produce safe milk. While independent tests have been inconclusive, it is widely believed that rBST may increase the risk of mastitis and foot problems in cows and certain cancers in humans. Many insightful countries including Canada, the European Union, Australia as well as New Zealand have outlawed the sale of rBST. In addition, Dean Foods, Kroger (parent of King Soopers), Kirkland (parent of Safeway), Lucerne, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Costco, and even Starbucks have discontinued the sale of rBST milk. In an attempt to turn the tide on the resistance towards rBST, Monsanto, the producer of rBST and rBGH, has, up to this point, successfully lobbied and curtailed the labeling of dairy products containing the synthetic hormone, thus, making it impossible for consumers to distinguish between rBST dairy or non rBST dairy products (Fox, 2008).

According to the USDA, today's crowded and unsanitary dairy farms have to use antibiotics to protect their herds from mastitis and lameness. The USDA's list of various antibiotics used to treat dairy cows include Aminocyclitol, Aminoglycoside, Noncephalosporin beta-lactam, Cephalosporin, Florfenical, Lincosamide, Macrolide, Sulfanamide, and Tetracycline (Antibiotic Use on U.S. Dairy Operations, 2002 and 2007, 2008). While some cows may be healthy, they still receive the antibiotics because they are in the cow feed. While the FDA claims that the antibiotic traces in milk are at acceptable levels, opponents fear that this practice may also increase human resistance to antibiotics. In regards to dioxins, a 2003 USDA research project concerning polychlorinated dioxins, furans, and biphenynls, reported that these toxic contaminants are concentrated in animal products and ultimately consumed by humans. The study determined that dairy cows fed contaminated feed excreted 30% of the digested dioxins in their milk (Dioxins and Other Environmental Contaminants in Food, 2003).

Milk can be contaminated with a variety of environmental infectious microbes including Bacillus cereus, Brucella, Campylobacter jejuni, Coxiella burnetii, E.Col 0157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Samonella, Staphylococcus aureus, and Yersinia enterocolitica (Koo, 2008). While pasteurization kills most of these microbes, cross contamination, process packaging, confined and horrid dairy cow living conditions can distribute these microbes back into the general milk supply.

Clearly, our idealistic visions of happy fat cows grazing to rolling hills of tall grass, has been shattered by the horrendous living and sanitation conditions on the vast majority of dairy farms.In the early 1900's, over half of the dairy milk was consumed on the dairy and most if not all lacked the artificially injected bovine hormones and didn't need so many antibiotics. Today, only 3% of milk is consumed on the host dairy. We are so disconnected from the realities of milk production, that we have failed to conduct our own due diligence process. We simply see milk and dairy as cleverly packaged groceries. Our dairy cows are so contaminated and weak that we need to pasteurize their milk, genetically increase their production, and fill them with antibiotics. Opponents to todays milk production claim that the increased antibiotics in cow feed will create our own resistance to those antibiotics. Keep in mind that dairy milk is also used for cream, butter, ice cream, cheese, yogurt, and too many manufactured foods to list. Also, consider some simple logic; humans are the only species to drink another species' milk and we are the only species that consumes dairy beyond infancy. Need milk? Try organic soy milk.

References:

Allshouse, Jane and Judy Putnam. (2003). “Trends in U.S. Per Capita Consumption of Dairy Products, 1909 to 2001.” Amber Waves. Retrieved July 18, 2009. From http://www.ers.usda.gov/Amberwaves/June03/DataFeature/

“Antibiotic Use on U.S. Dairy Operations, 2002 and 2007.” (November 2008). USDA/APHIS: info sheet PDF. Retrieved July 20, 2009. From http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ceah/ncahs/nahms/dairy/

Blisard, Noel. (July 1, 1999) “Advertising's Influence: The Case of Dairy Products.” Frozen Food Digest. Retrieved July 20, 2009. From http://www.allbusiness.com/manufacturing/foodmanufacturing-fruit/286506-1.html

Fox, Colette. “Got rBST-Free Milk?.” (February 28th, 2008). ABC's Channel 7 News NYC's Green Living. Retrieved on July 20, 2009. From http://www.greenrightnow.com/wabc/2008/02/28/got-rbst-free-milk/

“Dioxins and Other Environmental Contaminants in Food.” USDA/ARS 2003 Annual Report. Retrieved July 20, 2009. From http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/projects/projects.htm?ACCN_NO=404375&showpars=true&fy=2003

Holt, Douglas. “Got Milk?.” (2002). Advertising Educational Foundation. Retrieved July 20, 2009. From http://www.aef.com/on_campus/classroom/case_histories/3000

Koo, Ingrid, PhD. “Got Milk Microbes.” (2008). About.com: Infectious Diseases. Retrieved July 20, 2009. From http://infectiousdiseases.about.com/od/g/a/milkborne.htm

“The Dangers of Raw Milk: Unpasteurized Milk Can Pose a Serious Health Risk.” (October 2006). U.S. FDA. Retrieved July 20, 2009. From http://www.foodsafety.gov/~dms/rawmilk.html

Six Flags "Eliches" July 21, 2009

We survived the tornado last night, but there were branches and leaves stuck to our cars and the walls of the house. We, meaning my aunt and middle son, had a lot of raking to do this evening. People were out raking and sweeping the streets because they were covered with debris. We faired better than some of the neighbors that had their windows blow out. People tell you about the strange roar that a funnel makes, but words really can't describe it, but I'll try. It sounded like super high winds that were making a freight train-jet engine roar. It sounds like a pun, but it really did sound like something metal was twisting. I never actually saw the funnel because it was pitch black and the hail was too big and furious to go outside.There was a tornado warning for our area. No duh. We did go down to the basement.

Today was fun. I took my two younger "men" and one friend to Six Flags Eliches today. It has been a very long time since I was on roller coasters. There was one I could fit on because I'm still too big. That was sad. Also, went to down town Denver's 16th street mall and saw "Ice Age." Actually, I kept falling asleep. It was a great movie like the previous one's, but I was tired. I ate fruit for breakfast, small veggie sub for lunch, and vegan spaghetti for dinner. My mood was great today. The day started out great when I weighed in at 336.0. I didn't work out today, but I'll double up tomorrow. I would rate my mood a 4 and my calorie intake a 3. We'll see.

I've said before that mental health is extremely important, especially when you're dieting. I may not have mentioned that I am bipolar with a sleep disorder. My meds have been very balanced for the last year and I am sleeping. However, the vegan diet, like any other, requires regular vitamins. I spoke to my doctor about the vegan diet and he suggested certain food groups and mineral replacing supplements. I went to GNC and bought a couple of months of these veggie/vegan vitamin packs. They are from Maximum Greens and they are called the "Ultra Mega Green." They are jammed packed with everything except for iron which suits me fine because I get monthly B-12 injections anyway. Some of the main vitamins and minerals are flax seed oil (high in Omega-3 fatty acid), calcium citrate, and digestive enzymes. Later this week I get to visit my Oncologist and find out how my platelet count is doing.

TORNADO! Monday July 20, 2009

Well, that was scary. About a half hour ago I was just sitting here writing an article when there was an instant downpour, continuous lightening, quickly followed by marble sized hail, and whipping winds. The TV showed the heart of the Tornado warning right over our neighborhood. The tornado siren went off and the hail beat on our windows. I don't know how bad the damage is on our cars. They look okay now, but we'll have to wait until daylight. Now, we can see the stars and the storm went southeast.

Today was a great day. Swam the mile; 42.56 minutes. I got a lot of writing done. This morning I weighed in at 337.4. Today's diet consisted of muslix cereal with soy milk, a black bean burger for lunch and wild rice and salad for dinner. Looking for some end of the month results.

Sunday July 19th 2009: Larry & Pam BBQ

This was another beautiful day in the rockies. Sunny and hot during the day and cool and cloudy this evening. I went on the reservoir ride this morning with my oldest son. then I quickly showered and went to Larry and Pam's BBQ in Castle Rock. It was nice to the Romeo side of the family. I weighed the same today; 338.4, but I can tell my body shape is still changing. I am losing more inches than I am pounds. The funny part is that as I build up muscle in my torso, the fat seems to be gravitating down my belly. It's starting to look like I have a kids life preserver on.

This evening I tried to work on the "dairy" piece, but I didn't complete it. One of the problems I had with yesterday's work was using PETA as a resource for mega-dairy living conditions. They just go a little too far to be considered reputable. I'm trying to keep the resources restricted to U.S. government and university articles. I'm also trying not to politicize the article too much, but it's hard when you find the vast amount of information is inflammatory. Maybe some of the problem is that there is so much information out there that it is hard to stay focused. Tomorrow, I should have time for the gym, a swim, and completing the article.