Milk is a good source of calcium and protein. It also unfortunately contains saturated fat! Full fat milk is what it says on the label - skimmed milks are better, but do still contain some saturated fat. My personal feeling is that milk is fine in moderation, and that its other nutritional values justify that fat content. I eat lots of reduced fat cottage cheese and yoghurt - partly for the protein (as I am strength training), partly because I love it! However, should I need to cut calories again, then I will reduce the dairy products.

As for alternatives - soya milk is far too dodgy to contemplate. I would rather stick with cow and goat milk.

I love milk, but water is way better for you. At school, I get a small container of skim milk every day simply because it already comes with the meal. At home, I drink water.

Speaking of the "cereal is good for you" thing... are there any cereals that are really good for you?

Ahhhh thats an easy one! PORRIDGE! (USA English = Oatmeal I think). I absolutely love porridge, its my favourite meal of the day. My favourite brand here is Flahavan's organic oats. You want more oaty health facts? If you want good porridge, just buy a good brand that contains nothing but oats - no salt, preservatives etc - just simple plain milled (rolled etc) oats. I cook mine with semi skimmed milk. I also add whey protein, and either or a mixture of: chopped banana, pumpkin seeds, almonds, honey, flax oil, bran flakes etc. The Scots traditionally cook theirs with water and a little salt. It takes only three minutes on the stove to cook - I don't understand why people buy that inferior quick-cook stuff?

I breakfast like a king

I simply couldn't read this without putting in my two cents, I'm sorry.
I raised dairy cows all throughout high school and have definitely seen the good and bads of the dairy industry. Though agricultural law is becoming more strict in regards to what can and cannot be given to any food producing animal, it is hard to enforce any policy. Regardless, the products we get from them are very rarely affected.
If you like milk, drink it in moderation. If you think you are going to get cancer from it, don't. Just like most foods, you are going to find biased studies with conflicting "facts". I hate to think people are afraid of milk because it does have benefits.

im really confused Exclamatio said that mil's no good!!!! how can that be?? Does this mean that all those (maybe the whole world) consuming milk are in danger or somethin???

Individual foods are not good or bad, black or white. Life is full of gray. Milk has a lot of protein and calcuim. It also has some saturated fat, cholesterol and sometimes antibiotics and growth hormones. Red meat is full of protein, iron and other nutriets. It also has a lot of saturated fat and cholesterol and can be a source of mad cow disease. Broccoli is chock full of vitamins, minerals and fiber, but can have a lot of pesticides, and the vitamin K in it can cause problems for people on blood thinners. Water is excellent for you, but it too can contain pollutants or bacteria. Drinking excessive amounts of water is also bad for you.

There are a couple points here. There is no perfect food. There is no perfect diet. We all have to make choices about what to eat on a daily basis. We make these choices based on what we know, however imperfect our knowledge may be. The best advice is to not mindlessly shove food in our mouths based on what we see on TV, or some random comment on a message board. You don't have to have a degree in nutrition to use google to find out more information about the foods you eat. The important thing is mindfullness. Worried about the sat. fat in milk? Switch to soymilk. Too much cholesteral in that steak? Eat chicken or some dried beans instead. Pesticides in broccoli? Buy organic. Do the best you can and don't worry about the rest. Stress shortens your life, too. *grin*

A few years ago my dad turned to soya milk after researching cow's milk. Apparently the molecules in cows milk are much bigger than ones we are able to digest, he also turned vegetarian for a while (but isnt anymore) and him and my stepmum lost considerable amounts of weight without doing anymore exercise (I don't think they did that much anyway, maybe a walk every now and then) I have never been a big dairy fan-don't eat eggs, cheese etc but I occasionally have milk. I don't think its dangerous at all but I think water is probably best for losing weight from what I've heard. You do need calcium from somewhere though so skimmed milk would obviously be the best choice.

milk (low-fat) is part of my regular diet but it does not seem to have any noticeable effect on my weight.