green is universal

Uncovering The Milk Story

Posted at 03:05 PM on March 03, 2008 comments (0)

By Nicole Ohebshalom, Radiant Living Wellness

Humans have tended sheep, goats, and cows for their milk for over thousands of years. Historically, milk has always been a luxury and important part of a diet. Milk has been shown as an essential and honored food in many cultures such as the Sumerians, Sanskrit writing, the Bible, and nomadic armies of Khan from Iran. The cow was the center of all these domestic economies through the creation, usage and transaction of milk and cream as well as being an important part of keeping the doctor away.

Today, all milk we see and drink is not created equally. Some milk is better than others; for the cow, the environment, and human health. Modern industrial milk is not the same as the traditional milk we used to drink ten thousand years ago or even fifty years ago. Industrial milk comes from cows raised indoors and fed mostly on a corn, grain, and soybean diet. These cows are given a dose of synthetic hormones to boost milk production and antibiotics to keep them well. Then the milk is pasteurized and homogenized. The pasteurization removes all the valuable enzymes. Without the essential enzymes, milk is very difficult to digest. Pasteurization is a destructive process that distorts the physical structure of proteins in the milk that could be harmful to your body. Additionally, this process eliminates any good bacteria normally present in the milk.

Through the research, I have to believe that the butterfat of milk is there for an important reason. In the process of industrialized milk the butterfat is homogenized. Without the butterfat your body cannot absorb and utilize vitamins and minerals that is contained in the water fraction of milk. Along with valuable trace minerals and short chain fatty acids, butterfat is important because it also contains acids that hold strong anti-carcinogenic properties.

Industrialized pasteurized milk is the number one allergic food in this country. You or someone close has more than likely experienced one form of reaction to dairy. Why is this important for your health? A reaction can occur and come to surface in a form that you do not have the education to clearly recognize and identify in the manner that a skilled health professional has the ability to do. Perhaps your condition of diabetes, acne, gastrointestinal bleeding, skin rashes, diarrhea, infertility, cramps, ear infection, bloating, gas, iron-deficiency anemia, and atherosclerosis has occurred and has become prominent in your health due to build up of industrialized dairy food.

Industrial milk also contains a protein enzyme called Xanthine Oxidase. Normally, proteins are broken down once you digest them. When milk is homogenized, small fat globules absorb intact Xanthine Oxidase into your blood stream. There is strong research stating that this enzyme leads to an increase risk of heart disease.

The 1% and 2% industrialized milk is contained with non-fat dried milk. The cholesterol in this non-fat milk is oxidized and contains cholesterol that is rancid, which promotes heart disease. On the other side, the cholesterol from traditional raw milk plays a variety of health promoting roles in the human body.

As you can see there are many benefits and dangers of milk, which is beginning to be recognized by society. Have you noticed that since the spring of 2007 you have not seen the Dairy Council ads that promote weight loss? The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ended the ads because the research did not support the claim. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) brought the complaint to FTC because the ads were based largely on small studies conducted by a University of Tennessee nutrition professor whose funding came from the dairy industry. The PCRM further states on industrial milk that "Independent research has found that dairy product consumption either has little or no effect on weight loss or actually increases body weight." Physicians, researchers and the government are beginning to support and see the difference in health when one eats clean raw milk from a healthy cow versus a crowded, poorly fed, and weak cow that is more susceptible to disease. As we've seen, the cow's ideal habitat is outdoors and her best diet is grass.

All food should be clean to support your healthy body, but modern mass production methods make this impossible. Traditional raw milk enhances health and flavor since it comes from cows mostly fed on fresh grass and hay. This raw and unhomogenized milk is free of synthetic growth hormones. A well-cared-for cow that is grazing on pasture and fed quality hay produces milk that contains an array of important enzymes and antibodies. These make raw milk completely digestible and directly support the immune system, which are claims that cannot be made for commercial milk. When food is locally produced on a more human scale, clean practices can reliably be maintained.

Traditional raw milk is free of synthetic growth hormones but there is a different story for industrial cows. To boost milk production, industrial milked cows are injected with genetically engineered bovine growth hormone called rBGH, which increases the risk of mastitis and shortens her life dramatically. When you drink a glass of milk from a cow treated with rBGH you are having a dose of a powerful insulin-like hormone that prompt cells to grow and proliferate. This is linked to cancers of the reproductive system.

Dairy food from grass-fed cows contain more omega-3 fats, more vitamin A, and more beta-carotene and other antioxidants. CLA is a good fatty acid from Omega-6 in the milk of grass-fed cows. In general, we get too much Omega-6 fatty acids, making us gain weight and develop other "too much fat" related health issues. However, the CLA in cow's milk is only found in whole milk, and mostly so from grass fed cow. CLA prevents heart disease, fights cancer, builds lean muscle and aids in weight loss by decreasing the amount of fat stored after eating and reducing the number of fat cells.

Why Your Mom Said Milk Is Good
- Vitamin A for healthy eyes, teeth, skin, and bones
- Vitamin B6 to build body tissues, produces antibodies, and prevents heart disease
- Vitamin B12 for healthy red blood cells, nerves, digestion, and to prevent heart disease
- Vitamin D to aid calcium and phosphorus absorption and for bones and teeth
- Thiamine to help turn carbohydrates into energy and aid appetite and growth
- Zinc for tissue repair, growth, and fertility
- Complete protein to build and repair tissues and bones

So, what is a person to drink to get all these nutrients? Grass-fed raw milk is ideal and organic milk is second best. Unfortunately, most commercial organic milk is cows that are fed on grains, not fresh grass. The cows producing commercial organic milk have "access" to pasture, but spend little time outside on the pasture. The best choice is grass-fed milk because cows are fed on grass and hay. Farmers who supply two organic brands, Organic Valley and Natural by Nature, raise cows on pasture.

I recommend experimenting by discontinuing all industrialized pasteurized milk products for several weeks and reevaluate how you feel at that time. If you feel better after several weeks you can attempt to rotate small amounts of one form of milk every four days.

Your best source for milk is to find a local farmer who sells raw milk to you. Clean whole raw milk from certified healthy cows, preferably from grass-fed cows of old-fashioned breeds that produce high-fat milk, such as Jerseys and Guernseys. I have seen so many clients improve their health after switching to raw milk. It is one of the healthiest foods you can consume. It has more nutrients, more health benefits and taste better as well. To find high quality, unprocessed milk in your area, visit Real Milk.

Nicole Ohebshalom, RN,CHHC, AADP
Radiant Living Wellness