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Got Milked?: What You Don't Know About Dairy and the Truth About Calcium
Refuting the milk industry’s overwhelmingly popular campaign—“Got Milk?”—which has convinced us that milk is essential, this scientifically based expose proves why we don’t need dairy in our daily diets, how our dependence on it is actually making many people sick, and what we can do to change it.
Bolstered by the dairy industry and its successful “Got Milk?” advertising campaign launched in California to help declining milk sales, as well as the government’s recommended dietary guidelines, many Americans view cow’s milk as an essential part of a daily diet, unequaled in providing calcium, protein, and other nutrients and vitamins. Cow’s milk has been promoted as a food without substitute, as being necessary and not interchangeable with foods outside the dairy food group. But as food processing and marketing expert Alissa Hamilton reveals, cow’s milk is far from essential for good health, and for many, including the majority of American adults who can’t properly digest it, milk can actually be harmful.
In Got Milked, Hamilton turns a critical eye on the Dairy Food Group and the promotional programs it supports to dispel misconceptions about milk and its crucial role in our health. Interweaving cutting-edge science in a lively narrative, Got Milked opens our eyes to the many ways in which dairy can actually be harmful to our bodies. In addition, the book offers simple and tasty food and drink swaps that deliver the same nutrients found in milk products, without all the sugar, saturated fat and negative side effects.
Complete with delicious dairy-free recipes and full meal plans for “Making it Without Milk,” Got Milked is a unique, substantive, and important look into an industry that has hugely impacted our diets and our lives.
Bolstered by the dairy industry and its successful “Got Milk?” advertising campaign launched in California to help declining milk sales, as well as the government’s recommended dietary guidelines, many Americans view cow’s milk as an essential part of a daily diet, unequaled in providing calcium, protein, and other nutrients and vitamins. Cow’s milk has been promoted as a food without substitute, as being necessary and not interchangeable with foods outside the dairy food group. But as food processing and marketing expert Alissa Hamilton reveals, cow’s milk is far from essential for good health, and for many, including the majority of American adults who can’t properly digest it, milk can actually be harmful.
In Got Milked, Hamilton turns a critical eye on the Dairy Food Group and the promotional programs it supports to dispel misconceptions about milk and its crucial role in our health. Interweaving cutting-edge science in a lively narrative, Got Milked opens our eyes to the many ways in which dairy can actually be harmful to our bodies. In addition, the book offers simple and tasty food and drink swaps that deliver the same nutrients found in milk products, without all the sugar, saturated fat and negative side effects.
Complete with delicious dairy-free recipes and full meal plans for “Making it Without Milk,” Got Milked is a unique, substantive, and important look into an industry that has hugely impacted our diets and our lives.
336 pages, Paperback
First published March 3, 2015
14 people are currently reading
354 people want to read
About the author
Alissa Hamilton
7 books2 followersAlissa Hamilton holds a Ph.D. from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a J.D. from the University of Toronto Law School. She has been a Graham Research Fellow in International Human Rights at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. She is a former 2008-2009 Food and Society Policy Fellow with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP). She lives in Toronto.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
November 22, 2015
3.5 stars
A good book with a great topic!
Hamilton writes about the milk industry, health claims regarding dairy, and our (historical) cultural connection with milk. However, I kept wanting Hamilton to write more. More on the dairy lobby and how they influence the U.S. and Canadian food guides, more on the health claims, more on the health differences between milk and cheese, more on the environmental impact of dairy farming, more on the conditions dairy cows are kept in. I really felt that this was a book that skimmed the surface of this debate and could have gone much much further.
Having said all that - this was still a great book! For those who have never read anything on this topic before it will be eye-opening. Hamilton tries to tread the fine line in non-fiction writing between being readable and being factual, but it isn't always successful. There are a great many anecdotes in Got Milked? that I didn't feel were all that helpful to her message.
At the end of the day the takeaway message is that dairy products are not the be-all-end-all of calcium intake. Many vegetables, seeds and nuts offer far more calcium without all of the sugar you can find in dairy. Although I wouldn't want to encourage people to be distrustful and cynical of our food guides and health services, there is something to be said for a food system that seems so out of whack.
Despite my issues with the book it was still a great read. I would highly recommend this!
Some other books that may be of interest to those who like Got Milked?:
Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health
Death by Food Pyramid
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
Food Inc.: A Participant Guide: How Industrial Food is Making Us Sicker, Fatter, and Poorer-And What You Can Do About It
The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food
Super huge thanks to Rosalyn at Harper Collins for the copy! :)
A good book with a great topic!
Hamilton writes about the milk industry, health claims regarding dairy, and our (historical) cultural connection with milk. However, I kept wanting Hamilton to write more. More on the dairy lobby and how they influence the U.S. and Canadian food guides, more on the health claims, more on the health differences between milk and cheese, more on the environmental impact of dairy farming, more on the conditions dairy cows are kept in. I really felt that this was a book that skimmed the surface of this debate and could have gone much much further.
Having said all that - this was still a great book! For those who have never read anything on this topic before it will be eye-opening. Hamilton tries to tread the fine line in non-fiction writing between being readable and being factual, but it isn't always successful. There are a great many anecdotes in Got Milked? that I didn't feel were all that helpful to her message.
At the end of the day the takeaway message is that dairy products are not the be-all-end-all of calcium intake. Many vegetables, seeds and nuts offer far more calcium without all of the sugar you can find in dairy. Although I wouldn't want to encourage people to be distrustful and cynical of our food guides and health services, there is something to be said for a food system that seems so out of whack.
Despite my issues with the book it was still a great read. I would highly recommend this!
Some other books that may be of interest to those who like Got Milked?:
Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health
Death by Food Pyramid
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
Food Inc.: A Participant Guide: How Industrial Food is Making Us Sicker, Fatter, and Poorer-And What You Can Do About It
The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food
Super huge thanks to Rosalyn at Harper Collins for the copy! :)
September 11, 2019
*guzzles a whole carton while looking this author right in the eye*
May 29, 2015
Good book, well researched and written. The only issue I had was that she didn't go after the dairy industry as viciously as I would have. At the end I sorta thought she left the door slightly open to drinking whole milk. Regardless, the food examples she gives for calcium intake(other than milk)are great. Who would've thought dried basil would have more usable calcium than milk!
August 22, 2015
In northern Europe, lactose tolerance runs at about 70%-85%, way ahead of the global human average. That's the advantage of having cattle nomads for ancestors going back several millennia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corded_...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22...
If you like it, drink it. If you don't, don't.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corded_...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22...
If you like it, drink it. If you don't, don't.
July 1, 2015
Dit boek was voor mij een stereotype bevestigend voorbeeld van 'heel Amerikaans'. Het verhaal spreekt in constante absoluten en geeft een verschrikkelijk eenzijdig verhaal. Daarnaast is óf de vertaling heel erg slecht óf simpelweg gruwelijk slecht geschreven. Ik heb er geen goed woord voor over.
November 12, 2015
A bit long and a bit dry, but still packed full of compelling information. I do wish the ideas and facts presented in this book were made more known and widely accepted.
February 19, 2016
An eye opening read about the way government and industry are pushing dairy, as well as the environmental and health consequences. Need calcium - have some broccoli!!
November 20, 2018
Niet overtuigend genoeg om een lactofiel te bekeren, maar je houdt er op z'n minst enkele inzichten aan over:
1) de macht van elke voedsellobby
2) alternatieve bronnen van de vitamines waaraan melk rijk is. Yup, brocolli voor iedereen!
3) overdrijf niet met een liter per dag (been there)
1) de macht van elke voedsellobby
2) alternatieve bronnen van de vitamines waaraan melk rijk is. Yup, brocolli voor iedereen!
3) overdrijf niet met een liter per dag (been there)
May 4, 2017
"Śmieci w paszy, śmieci w mleku... jak ze wszystkim w rolnictwie, im szybciej coś produkujemy, tym więcej i szybciej zarabiamy więc eksploatujemy je do cna... krowy są chodzącymi aptekami napędzanymi tą samą kukurydzą, którą przerabiamy na etanol wykorzystywany jako paliwo napędowe do większych pojazdów"
November 3, 2015
The takeaway message is that dairy products are not the be-all-end-all of calcium intake due to overprocessing and sugar content. Many vegetables, seeds and nuts offer far more calcium without all of the sugar you can find in dairy. Hamilton repeats that over and over. Hamilton did some research but I didn't think the research was particularly deep, a rather shallow scratch at marketing and lobbyist movements really.
July 28, 2018
I think this was a pretty good introduction to the topic. I learned a lot and got some really good ideas for where to go next in my research.
I didn’t really love her writing style, though conversational and easy to read, I often felt like it was too familiar and personal with the reader. An example: “If Satran were as much of a lover of plants and their natural-born pigmentation as I am, my habit of gorging on the color spectrum while viewing his posts would have bordered on sadistic.” I really don’t care about what her plate looks like, especially at this point in the book. The chapter that includes recipes was pretty nice actually, though it comes about 12 chapters later. I was also annoyed by long chunks of text with nutrition fact percentages and extended lists. It was informative and drove home the point, but maybe a table or something would’ve been more informative and easy on the eyes.
The other really big problem with this book? I was totally on board with almost everything she was saying, she does a good job of balancing all the things wrong with milk and the dairy industry but still allows for people who want and choose to drink milk just as we do with soda or any other unhealthy food choice, but she lost me completely when she tried to say that kids, high schoolers even, are commonly bullied and beaten for not liking milk or being intolerant to it. I almost stopped reading when she described black eyes and social isolation of kids who feel uncomfortable drinking milk. It’s just not THAT serious and if high school football players make a habit of finding out their peers’ milk preferences, that is completely news to me. I had a friend growing up whose family put ice in their milk, that is so much more deserving of scorn than choosing not drink it at all.
As a preschool teacher, I’m really interested in the idea that too much dairy can cause fatigue and fussiness in toddlers and young children! I’ll definitely be looking more into that.
I didn’t really love her writing style, though conversational and easy to read, I often felt like it was too familiar and personal with the reader. An example: “If Satran were as much of a lover of plants and their natural-born pigmentation as I am, my habit of gorging on the color spectrum while viewing his posts would have bordered on sadistic.” I really don’t care about what her plate looks like, especially at this point in the book. The chapter that includes recipes was pretty nice actually, though it comes about 12 chapters later. I was also annoyed by long chunks of text with nutrition fact percentages and extended lists. It was informative and drove home the point, but maybe a table or something would’ve been more informative and easy on the eyes.
The other really big problem with this book? I was totally on board with almost everything she was saying, she does a good job of balancing all the things wrong with milk and the dairy industry but still allows for people who want and choose to drink milk just as we do with soda or any other unhealthy food choice, but she lost me completely when she tried to say that kids, high schoolers even, are commonly bullied and beaten for not liking milk or being intolerant to it. I almost stopped reading when she described black eyes and social isolation of kids who feel uncomfortable drinking milk. It’s just not THAT serious and if high school football players make a habit of finding out their peers’ milk preferences, that is completely news to me. I had a friend growing up whose family put ice in their milk, that is so much more deserving of scorn than choosing not drink it at all.
As a preschool teacher, I’m really interested in the idea that too much dairy can cause fatigue and fussiness in toddlers and young children! I’ll definitely be looking more into that.
February 26, 2024
Het boek begint met de duidelijke stelling dat we melk helemaal niet nodig hebben als mens, het wordt vooral gedronken voor onze calciumbehoefte, maar in een beetje bonenpoeder of basilicum zit meer calcium. Het wordt de lezer aan de hand van voorbeelden en onderzoeken duidelijk gemaakt dat melk eigenlijk zelfs ongezond is. Tot zover top, duidelijk. Maar langzaam aan komt er steeds meer onduidelijkheid in het boek te staan en gaat het over magere melk ten opzichte van halfvolle melk en daar achteraan dat volle melk gezonder zou zijn dan deze light varianten. En veelk blabla over suikerdrankjes, de schijf van 5, scholen en meer onzinnige informatie. Het boek had 4/5 dunner mogen zijn, gewoon met duidelijk beschreven onderbouwde standpunten en voorbeelden. Dan was het een heel stuk leesbaarder geweest en was de boodschap duidelijk overgekomen. Nu is het maar een beetje halfbakken boek en staan er achterin ook nog eens 63 (!) bladzijden recepten zonder melk. Leuk, maar het is gen kookboek, recepten kun je overal wel vinden. Dus jammer, hoopvol aan het boek begonnen, maar het is niet wat ik ervan gehoopt had. Echt een gemiste kans van de schrijver. 3 sterren omdat het in elk geval een poging is om de boodschap over te brengen en de mensen laten nadenken over de vraag waarom we (melk-)koeien houden in kooien, aan kettingen en na een paar jaar afgedankt, gedood, eindigend op ons bord als niet te vreten ongezonde hamburgers.
January 28, 2020
What a terribly written book. First few chapters she attacks doctors intelligence and then dietitians intelligence. Working in nutrition myself all the nutrition mumble jumble a normal person wouldn't understand wasn't very appropriate.
She went on and on and on about the same thing over and over again, it was probably the most boring book I have picked up, thank god I got it at a used book store for only 10 cents. I read half of the book and had to stop.
I'm plant based myself, I know about dairy products and why it's bad, this book really should have just been printed on a one page brochure because the amount of stuff she repeated wasn't necessary and the way she wrote felt like she was just attacking and not teaching.
I highly recommend not reading this book, a total waste of time and my 10 cents.
She went on and on and on about the same thing over and over again, it was probably the most boring book I have picked up, thank god I got it at a used book store for only 10 cents. I read half of the book and had to stop.
I'm plant based myself, I know about dairy products and why it's bad, this book really should have just been printed on a one page brochure because the amount of stuff she repeated wasn't necessary and the way she wrote felt like she was just attacking and not teaching.
I highly recommend not reading this book, a total waste of time and my 10 cents.
July 25, 2022
I read this for research for my podcast, but it is way, wayyy, too long. I felt like I was reading the same few chapters on repeat. It was also quite preachy. I could tell this was written by a vegan (no offense to vegans, ya'll are great, doing great things, but there are those vegans and she was very much on the border of that), and at points it's downright patronizing. It did have some really good points and made for great research, but there was too much personal opinions thrown in to be a "good" nonfiction book.
This took me way too long to read and I need to go write this podcast script...
This took me way too long to read and I need to go write this podcast script...
June 25, 2019
If you understand that the point of this book is that dairy is not an essential food, then you will get why Alissa goes to such lengthens to make you aware that all the nutrients in dairy are available in other foods. She is incensed that the dairy industry in conjunction with government agencies are determined to tell you that milk is absolutely necessary. Her message is if milk is making you sick just don't drink it, eat other things instead.
March 21, 2020
This book was confusing. There were so many mixed messages, yet not necessarily followed through: milk is bad, but if anyone should drink it, it should be whole milk... an entire chapter on this! I would've liked more time spent on fermented dairy products and how lactose intolerant bodies can handle them. And so many personal rants. Seemed like more work from an editor was needed.
I did appreciate what I learned about other sources of calcium.
I did appreciate what I learned about other sources of calcium.
June 18, 2022
To be fair, I skimmed this. It was everything against milk, which is fine, but it didn't interest me as much as I had hoped. Read more like a super long editorial. I was expecting less opinion and more substance. Also found the recipes to be incredibly complicated and required all kinds of ingredients I didn't know or have. Thought some might be like that but there might be some offered for newer minds to those who were giving up milk.
June 30, 2017
Książka może i zawiera kilka ciekawych informacji, ale dla nie do czytania. Dosłownie. Z miesiąc się z nią męczyłam, chociaż wcale nie jest długa. Składa się za to z koszmarnej ilości powtórzeń. Jest napisane w nudny sposób. W dodatku dane, które są tam podawane są oparte na sytuacji w USA i Kanadzie, więc dla nas nie aż tak istotne.
May 7, 2017
Quick, easy and enjoyable read. Lots of great information on the truth behind the health properties of milk, the development of milk's identity in the public perception, and how you can remove milk from your diet. I will definitely be trying out some of the recipes included in the book.
August 1, 2019
I couldn’t get through this book. I was hopeful for information about dairy as nutrition or dairy as an industry. Maybe if I would have kept reading it’s there but I just couldn’t get past her dry drawn out rants about the politics of farming.
February 17, 2020
Excellent, I finished in 3hrs.
At the least, you'll intend to reduce your dairy intake perhaps to zero. At best , you may be inspired to go out and tell this story so many will know of the corruption and insanity of diary industry.
At the least, you'll intend to reduce your dairy intake perhaps to zero. At best , you may be inspired to go out and tell this story so many will know of the corruption and insanity of diary industry.
March 17, 2017
Interesting, for sure.
August 9, 2017
milk isn't good for you and alissa hamilton has got (some of) the citations to prove it!
3 stars
3 stars
October 8, 2021
Helder boek wat fijn is geschreven met allerlei duidelijke info. Leuke tips en zelfs nog recepten erin.
Read
April 12, 2022i enjoyed reading it
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2015
There were parts about this book that I really enjoyed, but as it came to a finish I couldn't help but feel like it wasn't that great after all. Throughout the book, Alissa Hamilton constantly reminds readers how many foods have more calcium than milk. Great point to make, but by the fourth time I was thinking, "Okay, okay I get it I will eat dried basil!"
In comparison to other nonfiction "food" books I have read, this was a bit too much nutritional jargon for me.
I still understood it all but I found myself wanting to skim over sentences crowded by too many acronyms and numbers that I knew I wouldn't remember. I'm sure some readers will appreciate these details, I on the other hand, prefer something more simple.
Another problem I had is that Alissa often went off into what seemed like useless (and confusing) tangents. During the last chapter, for instance, she spends several pages discussing how whole milk tastes better than it's imitations (fat free, 2%, etc.). While I understand she was making a point about the added sugars in the fat free milks, it didn't seem necessary to spend so much time on it and for a moment I became confused about her point of view on milk.
As another reviewer has mentioned, Hamilton really did not go after the dairy industry as much as I believe is warranted. She repeatedly reminded readers that their recommendations were off and that they were feeding us nonsense but she treaded very lightly on the "why" of it all.
I have to say that this book is well researched and I like that there were pages of recipes included, but at the end of it all it felt "less than". I would have liked something much more persuasive- more this is what's really bad, this is what will happen if you don't drink milk (which I honestly only found on the back cover), and this is why you should be angry at the dairy industry. I am disappointed to say the least.
In comparison to other nonfiction "food" books I have read, this was a bit too much nutritional jargon for me.
I still understood it all but I found myself wanting to skim over sentences crowded by too many acronyms and numbers that I knew I wouldn't remember. I'm sure some readers will appreciate these details, I on the other hand, prefer something more simple.
Another problem I had is that Alissa often went off into what seemed like useless (and confusing) tangents. During the last chapter, for instance, she spends several pages discussing how whole milk tastes better than it's imitations (fat free, 2%, etc.). While I understand she was making a point about the added sugars in the fat free milks, it didn't seem necessary to spend so much time on it and for a moment I became confused about her point of view on milk.
As another reviewer has mentioned, Hamilton really did not go after the dairy industry as much as I believe is warranted. She repeatedly reminded readers that their recommendations were off and that they were feeding us nonsense but she treaded very lightly on the "why" of it all.
I have to say that this book is well researched and I like that there were pages of recipes included, but at the end of it all it felt "less than". I would have liked something much more persuasive- more this is what's really bad, this is what will happen if you don't drink milk (which I honestly only found on the back cover), and this is why you should be angry at the dairy industry. I am disappointed to say the least.
November 10, 2015
I might not be the right target for this, as I am either lactose intolerant (sorry, lactase impersistent, as she prefers)or allergic or for some other reason feel gross after consuming milk, I've long since stopped doing so. Yogurt and cheese ok, but not milk.
as such, telling me over and over and over that I don't need to hit the consumption levels Big Dairy recommends, and that there are many other ways to get enough calcium and other nutrients that will leave me less fat, less on my way to anemia, cancer, type II diabetes, etc. was overkill. Throwing in a chapter of recipes she likes, the common denominator of which is just that they don't use milk, was an awkward graft onto the book, most of which had an investigative journalism tone.
don't really disagree with any of it, just sort of a boring one-note exposition. However, if you think the only way to have functioning bones and teeth is to drink a lot of milk, and you persuade your kids to like it by doling out the chocolate milk all day, then you should do yourself a favor and check out the history, science, and politics of dairy contained in this book
as such, telling me over and over and over that I don't need to hit the consumption levels Big Dairy recommends, and that there are many other ways to get enough calcium and other nutrients that will leave me less fat, less on my way to anemia, cancer, type II diabetes, etc. was overkill. Throwing in a chapter of recipes she likes, the common denominator of which is just that they don't use milk, was an awkward graft onto the book, most of which had an investigative journalism tone.
don't really disagree with any of it, just sort of a boring one-note exposition. However, if you think the only way to have functioning bones and teeth is to drink a lot of milk, and you persuade your kids to like it by doling out the chocolate milk all day, then you should do yourself a favor and check out the history, science, and politics of dairy contained in this book
October 25, 2016
"I'm lacto intolerante" - I overheard recently. The response - "Of course you are. Cow's milk is for baby calf not for you." I laughed.
If you come from a family that long before you existed were already living "outside the box" I bet you won't need to read this book.
However if you ever heard "you gotta drink milk to grow stronger" maybe you could spare sometime to inform yourself about the lies that have been told by the consumption of diary products (or milk for that matter).
This book is in no way preaching veganism before you presumably think that way however it is mainly based on what the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) perceive to be a healthy way of growing "your bones" while they make "their money."
Repetitive sometimes but I'd say very eye opening too specially if your still drinking what's certainly not made for you.
If you come from a family that long before you existed were already living "outside the box" I bet you won't need to read this book.
However if you ever heard "you gotta drink milk to grow stronger" maybe you could spare sometime to inform yourself about the lies that have been told by the consumption of diary products (or milk for that matter).
This book is in no way preaching veganism before you presumably think that way however it is mainly based on what the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) perceive to be a healthy way of growing "your bones" while they make "their money."
Repetitive sometimes but I'd say very eye opening too specially if your still drinking what's certainly not made for you.
May 23, 2016
Well, I picked up this book because I have lactase issues. I was interested to see what the truth was about milk and calcium and boy did I have my eyes opened. Apparently we are really being "milked" by the powers that be in the food industry. I am definitely going to pay more attention to how I consume food and at how we are being manipulated by our own government.
There are lots of science facts to back the authors claims. I looked up and checked on some of them. I read enough to change my way of looking at my calcium intake and I will be changing a few things in my diet. The recipes at the end of the book are interesting and sound pretty good. This was a must read for me and I may have to tell everyone I meet about it.
There are lots of science facts to back the authors claims. I looked up and checked on some of them. I read enough to change my way of looking at my calcium intake and I will be changing a few things in my diet. The recipes at the end of the book are interesting and sound pretty good. This was a must read for me and I may have to tell everyone I meet about it.
June 15, 2016
Although I enjoyed Got Milked's eye-opening information and important message, its aggressive, snide tone turned me off. The attitude will not help sway milk-lovers opinions.
Style-wise Got Milked repeats itself over and over - vegetables are nutritional powerhouses that outshine milk, the FDA's nutritional guidelines are inept, milk drinking is a recent, lobby-backed phenomenon.
As an added bonus there's a recipe section with a bunch of easy, health, dairyless dishes to try.
Chock-full of information and data Got Milk challenges the "Got Milk" establishment. If only it it took a gentler tone and more concise approach.
Style-wise Got Milked repeats itself over and over - vegetables are nutritional powerhouses that outshine milk, the FDA's nutritional guidelines are inept, milk drinking is a recent, lobby-backed phenomenon.
As an added bonus there's a recipe section with a bunch of easy, health, dairyless dishes to try.
Chock-full of information and data Got Milk challenges the "Got Milk" establishment. If only it it took a gentler tone and more concise approach.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews