“The time will come when we may have to discard some of the articles of diet we now use, such as milk and cream and eggs; but my message is that you must not bring yourself to a time of trouble beforehand, and thus afflict yourself with death. Wait till the Lord prepares the way before you.” (CD 206) This is God’s counsel to His people written in 1901.

Today we know that cow’s milk poses many health problems including allergies, elevation of triglycerides and cholesterol and possible increases in certain forms of cancer; and God has prepared the way with soy, rice and nut milks to take the place of cow’s milk with its high bacterial count and fat content. But is dairy important in weight loss? A year or so ago this was the latest weight loss craze. Commercials and tabloid articles touted the benefits of dairy in weight management. But an article in the journal Obesity Research August 2005 revealed the fallacies of this belief.

Dr. Warren Thompson of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota reports on a study showing that high calcium, high dairy intake did not contribute to weight loss any more than other diets. So don’t believe everything you hear, but do believe God’s counsel to His people! Continue the beverage advice mentioned in this month’s Pearls for Health and complete the table below.