Raw Milk Does the Body Good

The public has many misconceptions surrounding dairy, especially milk. IS milk healthy? Is raw milk safe? These are common questions asked. It is important to understand the process of pasteurization and how it alters the final product. Instead of naturally turning into  sour milk,  pasteurized milk becomes rancid quickly due to a high amount of pathogens. Pasteurization is not making the milk safer rather it is destroying healthy components that would otherwise protect this whole food.  Discover the top 5 misconceptions about pasteurized milk and then learn about the top 5 reasons to drink organic, grass fed , pastured raw milk!

Top 5 Misconceptions about dairy

1 Calcium:

 The most common answer when people are  asked why they drink milk is ,”it is full of calcium.” Not only is this statement incorrect it is also harmful. The dairy council is an extremely large and powerful organization that contributes millions of dollars to its lobbying efforts as well as advertisements. They have tricked the public into believing the best way to get calcium into their diets, which is needed for strong bones, is through the daily consumption of milk.  Not only is the calcium in milk unavailable for the body to absorb the body also needs other minerals and vitamins to maintain a healthy skeleton.  Everything in the body works synergistically with other materials whether it is  vitamins, minerals  or other nutrients. There is never just one  solution , the body needs whole foods because they are complete. The calcium found in milk is not in a form that the body can absorb because calcium absorption takes place in the presence of other minerals like phosphorous  and magnesium. Furthermore, important enzymes are destroyed during the pasteurization process making absorption of Ca minimal.  Calcium is bioavailable in green vegetables , especially when you are eating local, organic vegetables. A diet high in raw veggies will provide more calcium to the body , in forms it can use, than pasteurized milk.

    

2 Vitamin D:

Milk is often fortified with Vitamin D. This means that they are adding in synthesized vitamins and they are not bioavailable .  Man made vitamins are not able to be absorbed by the body and are therefore a complete waste. The best way to optimize your vitamin D is to spend time in the sun. The body makes its own vitamin D in the skin ,kidneys and liver. This is the most natural way to get this very important vitamin necessary for a healthy skeleton and prevention of disease. Research shows that this vitamin may actually be a hormone an used in holistic cancer treatment. It causes apoctosis within days and has none of the negative side effects of conventional therapies. Pasteurized ilk is often fortified with vitamin A as well. These vitamins have to be added back in the pasteurization process because they have been destroyed. It seems ridiculous to destroy naturally occurring vitamins only to add back in their synthesized counterparts , which the body cannot use.  

3 Grain fed livestock:

The natural diet for livestock is not Monsanto corn. Cattle should eat grass and be able to exercise. All those key words like “organic”, “grass fed” and “ppastured”are important! Corn does not provide the nutrients to the cow especially when it is genetically modified corn. In addition to corn fed cattle they are also often injected with hormones and antibiotics. The hormones are used to triple the pituitary gland and cause the cow to produce more milk. Unfortunately all these chemicals from the hormone treatment and antibiotics end up in the milk and are then consumed. A cow raised in a feedlot or Contained Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) are more likely to get sick for several reasons, including they are not eating their natural grass diet, they have no room to move around, the Earth is overwhelmed with their waste products. The reasons lead to why farmers and ranchers are forced to give the antibiotics. Feeding the cattle grains such as corn causes them to grow faster but instead of lean muscle mass being built there is a lot of fat. Claims that people want marbling in their meat is just one of the justifications used when defending the use of grain based diets.  Feeding grain is completely unsustainable in the long run and creates more pollution overall. Grass is a naturally sustainable source of food for the cows and contains many important vitamins and minerals.

   

4Pastruzation makes dairy safer:

 When milks pasteurized all of the enzymes are denatured and good bacteria is killed. Enzymes are important to breaking down larger molecules in order for the body to use them. Without the natural enzymes the healthy products in the milk are unable to be used by the body. Furthermore, the good bacteria are destroyed at high temperatures. Good bacteria is critical to a healthy gut flora and optimally functioning immune system. The gut should contain 85% good bacteria and 15%  bad bacteria. 

5 FDA has public safety as their top priority:

Although it may seem like the Food and Drug Administration has public safety as it’s top priority this is simply untrue. The FDA has a revolving door with the top executives at companies like Monsanto which clearly care more about profit than quality and especially more than public health. Researchers have found pain killers and antibiotics in the milk of CAFO cows. It is obvious that drinking this milk is dangerous.

 

Top 5 reasons to go raw

1 Protein:

Raw milk contains ALL 20 standard amino acids. This not only means that the body does not have to produce additional  amino acids but it also proves how raw milk is a complete food.  Additionally, raw milk contains over 60 enzymes most found naturally others made by friendly bacteria. Because of all of these beneficial aspects of raw milk it gets better as it gets older rather than going rancid like pasteurized milk.

2 Fats:

Raw milk is made up of mostly saturated fat which helps the body in many ways. Saturated fats are critical components of the cell membrane, create important cushioning for organs and are building blocks for hormones. The body cannot survive without fat and the misconceptions around saturated fat in today’s society is causing far more health problems then anybody realizes.  This is also what makes raw milk a whole food or complete food.  Along with that water, protein and enzymes the fat can provide a person with everything they need to survive and be healthy.

Raw milk also contains up to 5x more CLA which is an Omega6 fatty acid. CLA is much higher in rass fed, pastured cattle than grain fed cows and therefore is increased in raw milk.  CLA increases metabolism and also has some anti-cancer properties. There is a lot of research taking place currently on the benefits of CLA as part of a daily diet. It is important to have as close to 1:1 ratio of Omega3 to Omega6 in your daily diet. Although CLA is an important Omega6 fatty acid most food has too much Omega6 in it. The average American is around 1:14 Omega3 to Omega6. This leads to chronic inflammation and ultimately chronic diseases including cancer and autoimmune disease. Raw milk has the perfect ratio of Omega3 and Omega6 therefore it is actually anti-inflammatory unlike pasteurized milk which often increases inflammation. The pro inflammatory compounds in pasteurized milk irritate the GI system and often lead to symptoms like bloating and pain.

Eating organic, raw cultured butter is far healthier than eating fake , plastic margarine. There are many misconceptions around saturated fat in America. It is not in fact linked to heart disease. Heart disease continues to increase as Americans consume decreased amounts of saturated fat, so clearly this is not the answer. These fats are also important for developing nervous systems in babies. The nervous system the most important system in the entire body as it controls every other systems in the body.  So supporting its development is critical.

  

  

3 Probiotics:

Probiotics are one of the most important components to a healthy immune system. They are often destroyed by antibiotics and other antibiotic laced products including milk. Besides drinking raw milk, which is rich in healthy probiotics, other fermented dairy products like Greek yogurt, cultured butter  and kefir are a wonderful ay to get probiotic into your daily life. Since these good bacteria naturally occur in raw milk many  people who think that they are allergic to dairy are able to digest the raw milk without problems.  Raw milk can actually help people suffering from IBS and other GI system problems by helping to create a healthy balance in the gut.

  

4 Vitamins:

Raw milk helps the body  absorb other vitamins and minerals because it contains Activator X. When cows are raised in a CAFO they are milked up to three times per  day. This is more frequent than a cow raised in the pasture , foraging for food. Although a grain fed cow produces more milk the quality is seriously compromised. Cows only have a certain amount of vitamins they are able to transfer into their milk so milking them more frequently waters down the product. This is why grass fed milk and other dairy products will have a more yellow color because of the high amount of vitamin content.  Since the cows are not milked as frequently grass fed  milk will be more expensive but it worth the price difference knowing you are getting real vitamins that are totally bioavilable for the body. When a cow is raised in a CAFO they may be fed hay. This dried grass loses much of its vitamin and mineral content during the drying process and therefore the cow is not getting as many vitamins from the start

 This is another reason that grain fed cattle is less healthy than a grass fed cow.

5 Hormone / antibiotic free:

Raw milk is free from  hormones. Not only has the cow enjoyed a healthier, more natural life, they are able to transfer this vitality into their milk. Recently researchers found over 20 pain killers and other drug when sampling the milk from grain fed cows.

  

It is important that you purchase certified organic food in general. Dairy products are best when they are raw and organic. Grass fed is best and looking for the word “pastured” is even more important. Just saying grass fed is not good enough in today’s world. Simply grass fed means that the last few months of the cow’s life they may have been grain fed to fatten them up. Pastured insures that they spent their entire life grazing on sustainable grass.  It is a lot to look for but well worth the effort and extra money. Consuming raw milk, cheese and other dairy products will help you live a much healthier life. Raw milk is rich in important vitamins, helps decrease systemic inflammation and promotes overall immune system health through its natural source of probiotics.

Remember, the first step to health is receiving regular chiropractic adjustments!