Nature's Perfect Food

Foroveracentury,America'snutritionauthoritieshaveheraldedmilkas"nature'sperfectfood,"as"indispensable"and"themostcompletefood."Thesemilk"boosters"haverangedfromconsumeractivists,togovernmentnutritionists,totheAmericanDairyCouncilanditsubiquitousmilkmoustacheads.Theimageofmilkaswholesomeandbody-buildinghasalonghistory,butisitaccurate?Recently,withinthenewestsocialmovementsaroundfood,milkhaslostfavor.Vegananti-milkrhetoricportraysthedairyindustryascrueltoanimalsandmilkasbadforhumans.Recently,bookswithtitleslike,"Milk:TheDeadlyPoison,"and"Don'tDrinkYourMilk"haveportrayedmilkastoxicandunhealthy.Controversiesovergenetically-engineeredcowsandquestionsaboutantibioticresiduehavealsopromptedconsumerstoquestionwhetherthemilktheydrinkeachdayistrulygoodforthem.InNature'sPerfectFoodMelanieDupuisilluminatesthesequestionsbytellingthestoryofhowAmericanscametodrinkmilk.Welearnhowcow'smilk,whichwasassociatedwithbacteriaanddiseasebecameastapleoftheAmericandiet.Alongthewayweencounter19thcenturyevangelistswhowereconvincedthatcow'smilkwastheperfectfoodwithdivineproperties,brewerswhosetaintedcowfeedpoisonedthemilksupply,andinformalwetnursingnetworksthatweredestroyedwiththeonsetofurbanizationandindustrialization.Informativeandentertaining,Nature'sPerfectFoodwillbethestandardworkonthehistoryofmilk.