Was September really the last time I blogged? I have truly missed writing! I am hoping the holidays help me slow down and free up my time because I have a couple of blog topics I would like to get posted in the next couple of weeks and I hate going months without sharing stories about the farm!
Today’s post is not about our farm but it is about an agriculture topic I am very passionate about! I just uploaded a post on our Linn County Farm Bureau Education Outreach blog called Prairie Point Students Explore Milk and Milk Substitutes but I wanted to jump on my personal blog Picking Wildflowers and discuss the topic in greater detail.
“To begin the lesson, we asked the following questions; where does milk come from, what is the definition of milk, what products are made with milk, and what kinds of milk can we buy from the grocery store? Students then had the opportunity to compare and contrast five samples of milk (whole, rice, almond, coconut, and soy milk) based on taste, nutritional value and route from farm-to-plate. Students discovered that there are many milk substitutes for those who have a milk allergy, don’t like the taste or choose not to consume dairy products but they also learned that the nutrition value varies from milk to milk meaning they can’t be 100% interchangeable” (Straight from LCFB post).
So what is all this hype and how can we know what nutritional value we are getting from milk and milk substitutes? I personally love cow’s milk! I love the taste and I love how it fuels my body. I bet most people believe I am biased being that I am so passionate about the agriculture industry but guess what? Almonds, soybeans, coconuts and rice are all agriculture crops! Meaning how can I be biased towards dairy cows when all of the others come from agriculture too? Now I am a strong believer that even though all five beverages belong on our grocery shelf, I do not believe they stack up in nutrition. Let’s look at the facts:
Fat
Protein
Calcium
Vitamins and Minerals
Consumer trends show increased sales of plant-based milk substitutes between 2009 and 2015. Students discussed the possible reasons for the increase. We wrapped up the lesson with a question to ponder; does the word milk, a white fluid rich in fat and protein secreted by female mammals, mislead consumers if labeled on a plant-based substitute? And would we view the drink differently if it was labeled juice or beverage? #FoodForThought!
Picking Wild Flowers 