Does Milk Really Do the Body Good?

Dairy Under the Microscope

For generations, dairy has been promoted as a dietary cornerstone. Yet as nutrition science advances and food systems change, long-standing assumptions about dairy’s safety and necessity deserve careful reexamination.

The Case for Dairy, and Why It Persists

Dairy is commonly presented as an efficient source of calcium, protein, and several essential micro nutrients. Public health messaging has long emphasized milk for bone health, framing it as critical for building strong skeletons in youth and preventing fractures later in life. Dairy proteins, particularly whey and casein, are also promoted as high quality and beneficial for muscle maintenance, athletic performance, and aging populations.

More recently, certain dairy products, especially yogourt and cheese, have been portrayed as neutral or even protective for heart health, despite their saturated fat content. Fermented dairy is also marketed for gut health and weight management, and dairy’s affordability and cultural familiarity are often cited as reasons it remains embedded in dietary guidelines and institutional food programs.

These claims have helped establish dairy as both nutritionally “necessary” and broadly safe. However, necessity and familiarity are not the same as optimal health.

Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing: The True Motive in Service

"Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men, to be seen of them." Matthew 6:1, margin.

The words of Christ on the mount were an expression of that which had been the unspoken teaching of His life, but which the people had failed to comprehend. They could not understand how, having such great power, He neglected to use it in securing what they regarded as the chief good. Their spirit and motives and methods were the opposite of His. While they claimed to be very jealous for the honor of the law, self-glory was the real object which they sought; and Christ would make it manifest to them that the lover of self is a transgressor of the law.

But the principles cherished by the Pharisees are such as are characteristic of humanity in all ages. The spirit of Pharisaism is the spirit of human nature; and as the Saviour showed the contrast between His own spirit and methods and those of the rabbis, His teaching is equally applicable to the people of all time.

Minstry of Healing: The Helpless Poor

 

 When all has been done that can be done in helping the poor to help themselves, there still remain the widow and the fatherless, the aged, the helpless, and the sick, that claim sympathy and care. Never should these be neglected. They are committed by God Himself to the mercy, the love, and the tender care of all whom He has made His stewards.

The Household of Faith

"As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." Galatians 6:10.

In a special sense, Christ has laid upon His church the duty of caring for the needy among its own members. He suffers His poor to be in the borders of every church. They are always to be among us, and He places upon the members of the church a personal responsibility to care for them.

As the members of a true family care for one another, ministering to the sick, supporting the weak, teaching the ignorant, training the inexperienced, so is "the household of faith" to care for its needy and helpless ones. Upon no consideration are these to be passed by. [202]

Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing: The Spirituality of the Law

 "I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." Matthew 5:17.

It was Christ who, amid thunder and flame, had proclaimed the law upon Mount Sinai. The glory of God, like devouring fire, rested upon its summit, and the mountain quaked at the presence of the Lord. The hosts of Israel, lying prostrate upon the earth, had listened in awe to the sacred precepts of the law. What a contrast to the scene upon the mount of the Beatitudes! Under the summer sky, with no sound to break the stillness but the song of birds, Jesus unfolded the principles of His kingdom. Yet He who spoke to the people that day in accents of love, was opening to them the principles of the law proclaimed upon Sinai.

When the law was given, Israel, degraded by the long bondage in Egypt, had need to be impressed with the power and majesty of God; yet He revealed Himself to them no less as a God of love.

Beating the Freeze: Staying Warm When the Temperature Drops

Winter cold in Toronto and across Ontario is not just uncomfortable but can be life-threatening, especially for people who are homeless or underhoused. More than 80,000 people experienced homelessness in Ontario in 2024, and in Toronto 135 unhoused individuals died in the first half of the year alone, as shelter and warming spaces remain stretched beyond capacity. Cold-related illness often occurs before extreme cold alerts are issued, particularly when rain, snow, and dampness are involved, and the risk extends beyond those outdoors to low-income renters and seniors struggling with inadequate heat. While cold weather affects everyone, it is most dangerous for the vulnerable, making winter a season that calls for practical preparedness, compassion, and neighbourly care.