This Everyday Grocery Staple Was A Major Phobia For Jesse Eisenberg
Soon after sitting down with actor and filmmaker Jesse Eisenberg, "Hot Ones" host Sean Evans confronted the Academy Awards nominee with an overheard childhood anecdote. "I've heard you mention a milk phobia when you were a kid," said Evans in the June 18 episode. Because drinking milk is one proven method to dampen the heat after consuming spicy foods, Evans wondered, "What's going through your head as you prepare to take on the 'Hot Ones' gauntlet?"
"I finally overcame it and have successfully forgotten it. Thanks for bringing that up right before something even scarier," Eisenberg answered. He then added, "For some reason, when I was, like, 12 years old, I for some reason just had this block of, like, I can't drink milk. It's so gross. It's so gross. I can't drink milk."
He also went on to say he was "convinced" that this lack of milk-drinking is the reason he isn't taller (the actor is 5 feet, 7½ inches) and joked that lack of height may have held him back from greatness. "I think if I was 5'10," he said, "I think maybe I'd be the president."
Why some people don't drink milk
There are many reasons why some people might not drink milk. They may have a milk allergy, be lactose-intolerant, or have galaphobia — the irrational fear of milk — which can develop for any number of reasons. One person on Reddit linked their milk phobia to a specific childhood incident, writing, "I'm pretty sure it started when I was in pre-k and my teacher handed me a cup of spoiled milk ... I tried to drink it, but I gagged."
Another Reddit user posted that they developed their fear of dairy after learning that "cheese targets the same receptors in your brain as hard drugs" (as discussed in a 2015 study conducted by researchers at Mount Sinai). One way to avoid negative milk experiences is to carefully consider the type you're consuming. Drinking raw, unpasteurized milk, for example, can increase your risk of illness, per the CDC.
The idea that drinking milk will make children grow taller than if they abstain is one of several popular milk myths. Although milk does contain nutrients that support healthy growth, these also appear in other foods that are part of a nutritious diet, such as beans and leafy greens. Genetics are the dominant factor determining a person's adult height.