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It might not look like it, but this family is in the middle of
a food war.
Not very fond of milk just because I hear so many things
about what's added in milk.
I love milk.
I've been drinking it my whole life.
I have it with every single meal.
[Asha] Individually Jimmy and Gina can set aside their
differences.
You want to practice boxing?
[Asha] But the debate really heats up when it comes to their
kids, 5-year-old Eden and 2 year old Aria.
They had a glass of milk yesterday too.
Yeah, but that's yesterday, what about today?
We'll give them milk later if they ask for it,
they're not asking for it right now.
They're always asking for it.
But they didn't ask for it now, so we can give it to them later.
I don't see the big deal of it.
I feel like they should have milk any time,
if they want it, they can have it.
Some days when he's had a long day,
it just gets kind of heated.
I think that's actually a pretty nice version of the
conversation.
How about you show me a pull up?
[Asha] The Kims are not alone.
Seems many Canadians are avoiding milk for lots of
different reasons.
For Gina it's because she's seen headlines like these.
But they add all these stuff in there,
right, so that's why I'm concerned about it,
like antibiotics, growth hormones,
that's not good for the kids.
[Asha] And the new food guide doesn't help to clear up the
debate.
Where's the dairy?
-The dairy? -Would this be it?
-Yeah. -This is like yogurt.
-But no milk! -No milk.
Yeah, there's no milk on there.
[Asha] It's a stark change from the previous one.
[Jimmy] Like if you look at this one over here right?
This little rainbow looking thing,
milk actually has its own rainbow.
[Asha] Jimmy and a lot of us grew up seeing lots of milk ads
brought to us by the multi-billion dollar dairy
industry.
So, who's right?
To drink milk or not to drink milk?
That's the ultimate question.
I think that's the first time I've seen you eat the yellow.
[Asha] To get the answer we need to break into the Kims' food
diaries!
Did you fill in that food diary this morning?
Not yet.
[Asha] We're asking them to track everything they eat for 3
days.
I didn't snack at night, did you snack at night?
Did I have like a granola bar?
Granola bar.
Or chocolate bar.
Chocolate bar, that sounds about right.
[Asha] For anyone thinking about avoiding milk,
you gotta ask yourself can you meet all your nutritional needs
without it?
And can the Kims?
This is gonna be fun.
It is gonna be fun.
We're gonna meet this family and they've been doing these food
diaries.
To find out, we're bringing in dietician Andrea Miller.
She's reviewed their food diaries and she's going to end
this family's food war.
- [Everyone] Hi. -Welcome, welcome.
[Asha] Everybody's here!
Thank you.
Based on their food diaries, this is what they eat in a day.
There's the milk.
So, a glass a day, that sounds about right for you?
Yeah. For sure, for sure.
At least a glass a day.
[Asha] And Gina, no milk on your plate.
No milk.
[Asha] But both their kids drink milk daily.
They ask for it, so I can't always say no,
I try to direct them to something else.
[Asha] Taking a look at what they would eat in a day,
how do you think this family did nutrient wise?
So, there are some really wonderful things about these
plates you're making food from scratch,
you're eating together, that's all amazing.
[Asha] Gina and Jimmy are looking pretty confident.
But what's the truth?
So, let's talk about that biggest concern with the way
they're eating, calcium.
[Asha] Health Canada's current guidelines say adults and kids
need 1000mg of calcium a day while toddlers need 700 for
proper bone development.
So how do the Kims stack up?
So, the kids are getting about half and you two are getting
about a third of what you need daily.
[Asha] What do you guys think about that?
That's a pretty low percentage.
That's pretty low and it's concerning because my family has
history of osteoporosis.
I just assumed I'll drink a glass of milk a day,
I'm fine, but to hear that I'm only 30%,
I'm consuming 30%'s worth, it's shocking.
[Asha] Remember, mom and dad need 1000 milligrams of calcium.
About 3 cups of milk.
That's equal to about three bunches of broccoli,
20 cups of chopped kale or two and a half cans of sardines with
bones.
So, to increase their calcium without adding dairy,
how much more food does this family need to eat?
This is Gina's plate.
[Asha] Gina would need to eat this much extra food.
This is Aria's.
Aria needs this much.
Jimmy's.
Jimmy, this much more.
And Eden's.
And Eden, he needs to eat this much.
Oh my.
This is all in addition to what we're--
-In addition to. -Wow.
[Asha] Do you think that's doable?
It's gonna be a huge adjustment.
Just because the portion is so much bigger now.
I'll be honest I don't know if I could eat this and on top of
this, it almost looks like another daily meal.
[Asha] You'd be eating all day.
Yeah.
But it is possible to do this without including dairy,
it just means some really deliberate choices about what
foods you choose
[Asha] Seems like Jimmy is winning this family food war.
But Gina's not sold yet.
Remember she's worried about all those extras she thinks are in
our milk.
The things that I hear about milk,
the growth hormones and antibiotics,
things like that.
So that makes me a little bit concerned.
So those are really valid points.
But in Canada we do not allow hormones in our milk supply
at all.
And if a cow does become sick on a dairy farm and does need
antibiotics, that cow is pulled from the milk chain supply.
Canada has very rigorous standards around dairy products
so that's something we don't need to worry about.
[Asha] What do you think about that?
That's a relief.
Makes my life a little easier.
[Asha] Well, did we settle the food war at this house?
I don't want to admit it but the glass of milk.
And adding some yogurt would definitely be easier.
And gives me the nutrients that I need as well.
Absolutely.
[Asha] I think Aria's already getting a head start.
[Laughter]
[Asha] The battle is over at the Kims,
but some of you might still be wondering about all those other
milks.
To check out how they rank next to cow's milk,
visit our website cbc.ca/Marketplace.
And are you in the middle of a family food war?
Join the conversation on Twitter,
Facebook, or email us.