Why No Milk with Meat?

[Metasequoia]

I lurve to drink a big fat pint of ice cold raw milk with my meals, but I saw a post that said you shouldn't drink milk with beef. Is it because calcium interferes with iron absorption? I'm confused, help a mama out. :

[425lisamarie]

I drink milk with everything. I eat so much of everything I don't worry about it. I don't really analyze my meals though.

[Gale Force]

There are studies that show drinking milk with a meal reduces the iron you would absorb from the meal. There is at least one study that shows there's no difference, but if you had a big iron problem, I would hedge my bets and not drink milk with a high-iron meal. Otherwise, I don't think it will be a big issue for you

[ConsCathMamma]

That is fascinating. I know little about kosher foods (I read the maker's diet), but I know that is a kosher thing. Maybe Ruthla has some insights?

Anyway, at Bible study we were discussing why God would provide such strict dietary laws, and I pointed out that is was to protect his chosen people by guiding them in the healthiest way to eat (and cleanliness in a time before knowledge of germs, hygiene, etc...). One lady there was a Jewish convert and spoke of how she is careful to not drink milk when eating beef (or any meat? don't remember) at her Orthodox Jewish friend's home.

Of course, most of the ladies there didn't understand the depth of health reasons a strict following of those guidelines would entail (most eat SAD), but I am always amazed when things like that prove to have real scientific backing even though they would have no real knowledge of iron absorption when they were written.

Still haven't given up bacon or Italian sausage, but there is a lot of wisdom, it seems, in the kosher diet.

[tamagotchi]

Originally Posted by ConsCathMamma

One lady there was a Jewish convert and spoke of how she is careful to not drink milk when eating beef (or any meat? don't remember) at her Orthodox Jewish friend's home.

Jews who keep kosher don't eat any dairy products with any meat products (poultry is also considered meat). There is a required waiting period between a dairy meal and a meat meal. Also, in a kosher kitchen, separate dishes and cooking utensils are used for dairy meals and meat meals.

Here's a brief summary of what it means to keep kosher:
http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm

[MaryCeleste]

Originally Posted by ConsCathMamma

Anyway, at Bible study we were discussing why God would provide such strict dietary laws, and I pointed out that is was to protect his chosen people by guiding them in the healthiest way to eat (and cleanliness in a time before knowledge of germs, hygiene, etc...).

There are a lot of different theories (among Jews as well as non-Jews) as to the reasoning behind the various kosher laws. It's by no means universally agreed that they were mainly motivated by a concern for physical health. E.g., see the link above, or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashrut

Still haven't given up bacon or Italian sausage, but there is a lot of wisdom, it seems, in the kosher diet.

Pork, in its various forms, was the principal meat of most Europeans (and many other cultures) for a very long time. I don't see any reason to avoid it, if it's not forbidden by your own religion. The WAPF web site has many pork recipes.

I find it somewhat funny that Nourishing Traditions discourages the use of pork, apparently because one of the co-authors is Jewish (or so someone said on this forum), but it includes recipes for such non-kosher foods as oysters, as well as dishes that combine dairy & meat products.

[tboroson]

I don't remember noting that NT discourages pork, it just doesn't include it very much. Did I miss something there? She does talk in EF/LF about pork from pigs that eat coconuts being high in lauric acid.

[plantmama]

A Jewish friend of mine said this was one of the kosher rules so as not to eat a baby in his mother's milk. This would make sense seeing as that would have been much more likely back in the day when people mostly ate from their own animals. Though this wouldn't apply to chicken I guess.
I kind of like that theory and it has made me think twice about it.

[Metasequoia]

Originally Posted by tboroson

I don't remember noting that NT discourages pork, it just doesn't include it very much. Did I miss something there? She does talk in EF/LF about pork from pigs that eat coconuts being high in lauric acid.

It's in there, I read it recently - if I remember, I'll try to find the page # for ya.

I asked Kathy S. just today why SF was against pork & she said that there was a study done that showed that people who consumed a fair amount of pork had cells that changed to "look like" cancer cells. They theorized that if the cells could change to "look like" cancer why couldn't they actually turn into cancer? *MY* question on that study is, how many of those study subjects were eating nitrite-free pork?

[kmamma]

fallon uses some studies that showed abnormal blood chemistry in people after consuming pork. I don't believe it though because pigs were the first domesticated animal (some theories), pork was consumed in quite large quantities by soviet georgians who enjoy great health and, though not scientifically based but merely an anecdote is that celtlic people believed pork/wild boar to be the food of gods and eating it brought your closer to the gods and made you very strong. Many people can't deny that pork tastes very good because of its sweetness, I think taste is a good indicator of health benefits.

[tboroson]

Pork is also consumed in huge quantities by the Okinowans, who are renowned for their health and long life.

[spughy]

NT doesn't have much pork in it out of respect for SF's co-author, Mary Enig, who is Jewish.

[tboroson]

I keep hearing that... but, pork figures more prominantly in EF/LF, and Mary Enig's name is more central to that book than it was to NT. :

[Ruthla]

The basic idea of keeping Kosher is to spiritually elevate the person who keeps Kosher, Jews don't follow the Kosher laws to be healthier- we follow the laws because G-d gave them to us to elevate ourselves spiritually. If it turns out that it also benefits us physically, then that's just a nice bonus.

In other words, I have no idea what specific health benefits there might be to separating milk and meat.

[Metasequoia]

Originally Posted by Gale Force

There are studies that show drinking milk with a meal reduces the iron you would absorb from the meal. There is at least one study that shows there's no difference, but if you had a big iron problem, I would hedge my bets and not drink milk with a high-iron meal. Otherwise, I don't think it will be a big issue for you

I have good iron levels, my iron actually *increases* when I'm pregnant!
I'm still enjoying my raw milk with my meat.