There are some mighty impressive names on the Wall of Fame section of the official Body By Milk website.
These are the stars who have posed for the campaign, and among the milk-mustachoied athletes you'll find David Beckham, Mia Hamm, Andy Roddick, Sasha Cohen and Alex Rodriguez.
The high-profile celebs include an array of superstars that appeal to teens, including Beyonce, Misha Barton, Carrie Underwood, and even that Fantastic Four character who really needs a facial.
One of the key messages that those ads seek to communicate is this: Three servings of dairy products a day help with weight loss and maintenance.
Unfortunately, research doesn't back up their claims. And now, the National Dairy Council -- under pressure from the Federal Trade Commission -- just announced that they'll stop the ad campaign and remove the weight loss claims from their site.
So, should we drink milk or not? According to a New York University nutrition professor, dairy is not required for a healthy diet, though she herself includes daily servings in her diet. As for the Body By Milk messages, she called the campaign "ridiculously misleading."
Meanwhile, I have to admit that I'm enjoying the public squabble between the between the Dairy Council and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, an advocacy group that promotes a diet free from animal products. They originally petitioned the FTC to investigate the claims in the ad campaign.
The PCRM advocates told the New York Times that the dairy industry is a "huge commercial entity that will exaggerate to sell its products." The dairy industry fired back, calling them a "vegan group that doesn’t want anyone to eat dairy.” Is it just me, or does it sound like those pro-dairy folks think the word "vegan" is an insult?
In any case, I stopped drinking milk when I was about 12 years old, so I can't claim a "Body By Milk." I can however claim a "Body By Cheese and Half-and-Half." But I doubt we'll ever see an ad promising that they do a body good.
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Me too. I put cheese in my coffee and half-and-half on my hamburger.
This feud reminds me of the tension PETA had with Al Gore about his latest (and must I mention great and inspiring) documentary.
Most of these fueds are completely biased and selfish, ultimately it all comes down to two organizations fighting to prove their theories and just claiming that they are doing it for the sake of society. It's always entertaining.
I rarely drink milk though, so this is not such a hot topic for me. If anything I'm glad that I didnt have to drink milk all this time, and I can't help but feel bitter towards everyone that forced me to drink milk as a child, claiming it was essential and necessary, bah.