Cruel Dairy

Got milk?

You might want to rethink your dairy consumption after you see this video by Mercy for Animals - an animal advocacy group that recently conducted an investigation of an Ohio dairy farm:



Who wants to look -- right?

Yes, dairy consumers, the truth is ugly. What you see on this video is not new. These are common practices that have gone on for years. If you've watched "Earthlings" with, Joaquin Phoenix, you already know that animals suffer abuse like this, and worse, every day.

I hate to have to put images like this out there, but it's important to know the truth.

So what can we do to make a difference for these animals?

There is something we can do every day that will make a difference -- and it requires just a little change and adjustment on our parts.

Milk was a staple in my family's fridge growing up. I used to like to drink my milk "on the rocks" to make it even colder while enjoying a brownie or a cookie.

But, I've given up milk. I haven't had a drop in months.

I consume dairy products sparingly, but I chose to eliminate milk completely because I drank it regularly.

We don't need milk anyway -- cows' milk is for baby cows. Think about it.

What do I use instead? Here are a couple of options:

Soy milk. I can still enjoy it ice cold with a cookie and not have abuse on my conscience. Soy milk can be used in place of regular milk in recipes.

My brand of choice is Silk. Silk also makes a coffee creamer that I buy when I can find it.

Almond Milk: Some people react to soy. Fortunately, Silk also makes almond milk. Blue Diamond is an alternate brand.

Both soy milk and almond milk contain calcium and Vitamin D so there's no nutritional sacrifice involved.

Believe me -- your palate adjusts easier than you think.

Another easy thing to do is replace butter with margarine, or another vegan substitute, which many of us do already.

Just reducing the amount of dairy products we consume can make a difference. Why not alternate soy or almond with regular milk?

Try it -- you'll like it.

Soy incentive? Silk is currently running its "Green Caps for a Greener World" promotion. Buy Silk cartons with green caps. Then, go to SilkSoymilk.com and enter the 12-digit UPC code from the carton (it'll take a minute to register.) For each green cap, Silk will make a donation to one of two green causes to support wind energy or farm families. Coupons are also available at the site.