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!
