Real Milk

The Benefits of Real Milk
by
Kelly Harrison, M.S.

Let's Talk Milk!

For our nutrition discussion today, I think we should talk about milk. The first question I will address is what is milk?

(I’m pulling a lot of this information from http://www.realmilk.com/ because I’m freaking lazy but I do have other sources I can give you if you’re interested. I am a biologist and I have read a lot of this information and verified it and I drink raw milk myself so I am not blowing smoke up your ass ;-) )

Yes I’m sure you all know it’s that white stuff that comes out of a cow. But what are you drinking? The source of most commercial milk is the modern Holstein, bred to produce huge quantities of milk three times as much as the old-fashioned cow. Look at that udder on her. Seriously…that shit isn’t normal!!!! Holstein cows need special feed and antibiotics to keep them well. Their milk contains high levels of growth hormone from the pituitary gland, even when the cow is spared the indignities of genetically engineered Bovine Growth Hormone to push her to the udder limits of milk production.

This is a Jersey cow. See how much smaller her udder is and more normal looking?

Then there’s what they feed the cows. Real feed for cows is green grass in Spring, Summer and Fall; green feed, silage, hay and root vegetables in Winter. It is not soy meal, cottonseed meal or other commercial feeds, nor is it bakery waste, chicken manure or citrus peel cake, laced with pesticides. Vital nutrients like vitamins A and D, and the "Price Factor" (a fat-soluble catalyst that promotes optimum mineral assimilation) are greatest in milk from cows eating green grass, especially rapidly growing green grass in the spring and fall. Vitamins A and D are greatly diminished, and the Price Factor disappears, when milk cows are fed commercial feed. Soy meal has the wrong protein profile for the dairy cow, resulting in a short burst of high milk production followed by premature death. Most milk (even most milk labeled "organic") comes from dairy cows that are kept in confinement their entire lives and never see green grass! AND, let’s not forget that soy in fact mimics estrogen and therefore is probably activating the estrogen receptors and causing more hormone imbalance in these cows. We’ll have to talk about soy next week but let’s get back to the milk for now…

I know it’s all been pounded into your head that pasteurization is good. The fact of the matter is that milk is a living substance. Pasteurization destroys enzymes, diminishes vitamin content, denatures fragile milk proteins, destroys vitamins C, B12 and B6, kills beneficial bacteria, promotes pathogens and is associated with allergies, increased tooth decay, colic in infants, growth problems in children, osteoporosis, arthritis, heart disease and cancer. Calves fed pasteurized milk do poorly and many die before maturity. Raw milk sours naturally but pasteurized milk turns putrid; processors must remove slime and pus from pasteurized milk by a process of centrifugal clarification. Inspection of dairy herds for disease is not required for pasteurized milk. Pasteurization was instituted in the 1920s to combat TB, infant diarrhea, undulant fever and other diseases caused by poor animal nutrition and dirty production methods. But times have changed and modern stainless steel tanks, milking machines, refrigerated trucks and inspection methods make pasteurization absolutely unnecessary for public protection. And pasteurization does not always kill the bacteria for Johne’s disease suspected of causing Crohn's disease in humans with which most confinement cows are infected. Much commercial milk is now ultra-pasteurized to get rid of heat-resistant bacteria and give it a longer shelf life. Ultra-pasteurization is a violent process that takes milk from a chilled temperature to above the boiling point in less than two seconds. Clean raw milk from certified healthy cows is available commercially in several states and may be bought directly from the farm in many more. Pasteurization laws favor large, industrialized dairy operations and squeeze out small farmers. When farmers have the right to sell unprocessed milk to consumers, they can make a decent living, even with small herds.

Then there is homogenization. Homogenization is a process that breaks down butterfat globules so they do not rise to the top. I mean really…is it that hard for you to turn the carton over a few times to mix up the cream that rises to the top? In addition to that, homogenized milk has been linked to heart disease.

Average butterfat content from old-fashioned cows at the turn of the century was over 4% (or more than 50% of calories). Today butterfat comprises less than 3% (or less than 35% of calories). Worse, consumers have been duped into believing that low-fat and skim milk products are good for them. Only by marketing low-fat and skim milk as a health food can the modern dairy industry get rid of its excess poor-quality, low-fat milk from modern high-production herds. Butterfat contains vitamins A and D needed for assimilation of calcium and protein in the water fraction of the milk. Without them protein and calcium are more difficult to utilize and possibly toxic. Butterfat is rich in short- and medium chain fatty acids which protect against disease and stimulate the immune system. It contains glyco-spingolipids which prevent intestinal distress and conjugated linoleic acid which has strong anticancer properties. Powdered skim milk, a source of dangerous oxidized cholesterol and neurotoxic amino acids, is added to 1% and 2% milk. Low-fat yogurts and sour creams contain mucopolysaccharide slime to give them body. Pale butter from hay-fed cows contains colorings to make it look like vitamin-rich butter from grass-fed cows. Bioengineered enzymes are used in large-scale cheese production. Many mass produced cheeses contain additives and colorings and imitation cheese products contain vegetable oils.

So yeah, don’t you feel good about drinking that Grade A pasteurized, homogenized with Vitamin D added milk from the grocery store? Mmmmmm…milk…it does a body bad is more like it when they do all that to it. I don’t know why it’s so hard to just get the stuff that comes out of the cow. I mean really…stay clean and milk the damn cow. How hard is that??? But everyone has their hand in the cookie jar when there’s money in there now don’t they. It really sucks we’re being screwed when it comes to our food because someone wants to make more money and they go about it the cheapest and most profitable way possible. Anyway, drink real milk would ya. It’s actually good for you and it makes my lungs feel better :-) I actually get sick when I don’t drink it. I like the Claravale milk myself. It’s from Jersey cows…it’s really good :-) Jersey cows are toally cuter anyway aren't they? haha The organic pastures stuff is ok in a pinch but it’s from a mix of cows and it tastes like cow because it has Holstein milk in it. Blech. You can get both at Mother’s Market here in CA. Here’s where you can find milk near you: http://www.realmilk.com/where.html

Be good to your bodies!