The average person faces a lifetime of countless decisions, and nutrition is just one of them. If a person does not understand how certain foods work at the same time, the terms calories, carbohydrates, cholesterol, high fiber and low fat, present on the product packaging, are of little use. Media advertising and the convenience of fast food chains can easily deviate you from a healthy lifestyle, but when there are so many food choices, how do you know you've made the best decision? Worse yet, what if the information the media provides to the public isn't accurate? Each year, according to the executive director of the California Milk Processor Board, Jeff Manning, approximately “27 million dollars goes into marketing milk.” (Innovator, 1999) Most television viewers or magazine readers are familiar with the famous milk mustache advertisement and the slogan "I got the milk," but the potential health risks of consuming milk remain unknown. Since prehistoric times, milk has been part of the human diet and has never posed a health risk. In fact, through generations, it was taught that milk was necessary to maintain and develop bone density, especially for calcium intake. However, the concept that milk is good for the body is challenged by more recent clinical research revealing a link between dairy products, such as cow's milk, which consist of genetically modified growth hormones; contain harmful nutrients; and lead to various health risks. As these risks add up, the theory that milk is good for the body is crumbling, just like the bones of those who drank milk with false expectations. Before we dig too deeply into the dangers of milk with… middle of paper. .....Snyderman, Netherlands (2009). The diet myths that keep us fat and the 101 truths that will save your waistline and maybe even your life. New York: Crown Publishers. Supermarket news. (2011). Data: milk consumption decreases. Supermarket News, 59 (45), p. 11.American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (1994). Effect of whole milk and skim milk consumption on blood lipid profiles in healthy men. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 59 (3), p. 612. US Department of Health and Human Services. (2011). What is iron deficiency anemia? Retrieved from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/ida/USDA. (2011). Food groups. Retrieved from http://www.choosemyplate.gov/foodgroups/dairy.htmlWhitaker, J. (1998). Milk: Good or Bad? - Nature's perfect food: a second opinion. Retrieved from http://www.gotohealth.com/articles/read.cfm?article_id=30