I've been reading a lot about milk lately....
In Sally Fallon's book Nourishing Traditions, the truth about milk(and nutrition in general) is explained thoroughly. A major issue with milk is that of the pasteurization process. We have been taught all our lives that pasteurization is a vital and beneficial method of protecting us from infectious disease. But this has been highly exaggerated. Nowadays, we have improved sanitary conditions, modern milking machines, stainless steel tanks, and efficient packaging and distribution which all make pasteurization for the purpose of sanitation unnecessary. Now you may think, "but pasteurization makes milk safe to drink, right? If it's not pasteurized, I will get e. coli or salmonella or something like that, right?"
WRONG.
Raw milk, or as like to look at it, real milk, contains lactic-acid producing bacteria that protect against pathogens. This good bacteria is destroyed when the milk is pasteurized. And if you actually look at the statistics of outbreaks of salmonella or E.Coli from contaminated milk, you will find that most of the problems occurred in our "safe" pasteurized milk.
But outbreaks don't just occur in milk. Just in the last couple years we have seen recalls of spinach, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, peanut butter and even dog food, due to salmonella or any other of the long list of now antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.
Outbreaks occur everywhere, not just in milk, and especially not just in raw milk. The dairy conglomerations want you to be afraid of raw milk because the livelihood of their business depends on it. As long as they can continue raising their cattle in cramped stalls, taking all measures to make sure the cows produce the most milk, feeding them the unhealthiest but cheapest of diets, they will continue to do so. Farm-raised, pasture-fed cows producing healthy real milk are a major threat to their money-centered industry.
Here are the benefits of pasteurized milk:
-It tastes good.
-It's cheap.
You tell 'em, Napoleon.
Now here are the drawbacks of pasteurized milk:
-Pasteurization destroys the vitamin content of milk: 50% of the vitamin C is lost and 80% of the other water-soluble vitamins, namely the B's, are destroyed.
-Pasteurization reduces the availability of milk's mineral components such as calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulphur, and other trace minerals.
-Pasteurization destroys ALL enzymes in milk. These vital enzymes help the body assimilate all body-building factors, inlcuding calcium. This is why those who drink milk all their lives still end up with osteoporosis. Without these enzymes, milk can pass through the digestive system without being fully digested, and can build up around the tiny villi of the small intestine, preventing absorption of nutrients. This phenomenon is called "leaky gut syndrome."
-Chemicals are added after pasteurization to suppress the odor and restore the taste. Gross.
-Synthetic Vitamin D's are added, which are toxic and difficult to digest.
-Powdered skim milk is added to 1% and 2% milk to give it the consistency that we are used to. Powdered milk is highly oxidative and contributes to clogging of arteries. All powdered dairy products(cheeses(parmesan), eggs like in cake mixes, baby formula, soups) should be avoided as they are extremely detrimental to your health.
-Homogenization, the process that accompanies pasteurization, is a process where fat particles of cream are strained through tiny pores under great pressure resulting in particles of fat that are so small they stay in suspension rather than rising to the top of the milk. This makes the fat and cholesterol more susceptible to rancidity and oxidation, and thus is linked to heart disease.
-Cows are injected with growth hormone(rGBH or rBST) to force them to produce more milk.
-Cows are fed grains, soy-bean meal and who knows what else instead of grasses. Grain feed is cheaper and more convenient and is thus the majority of the cows primary feed. Grass-fed cows produce milk that provides omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Grain-fed cows produce little to none of these.
"The defect in this batch is that it has been pasteurized."
Another major downfall of commercial milk is that the fat has been taken out. Consumers believe that they are helping themselves by eating less fat, so they buy skim or 1% milk. Our bodies need fat. Good fats. Fats do all sorts of good things like providing sustained energy, feeding the brain, and building cell walls. Raw milk, and even whole milk, gives you this fat. Eating good fats do not cause you to be fat like the media/diet dictocrats want you to believe. Excessive sugar consumption, carbohydrates from refined and processed sources, and damaged fats from vegetable oils and fast foods DO make you fat. The low-fat craze is the biggest load of crap and people are even more fat and unhealthy because of it. So do yourself a favor and start giving your body what it really needs....FAT!
Drink raw or whole milk, eat butter instead of toxic margarine, eat eggs to your heart's content, eat quality meat, use coconut or olive oil instead of canola or other polyunsaturated vegetable oils, eat your veggies, and go easy on sugar, refined flour and other grains(pastas, breads, and rice), anything that has been hydrogenated, and obviously junk food and fast food. For they cause major issues with blood sugar, metabolism, digestion, tooth decay, and degenerative diseases. Newfangled foods are plain and simple just bad for you and we should aim to eat as many whole, fresh, raw, REAL foods as possible.
Here is a quote from Nourishing Traditions:
"Technology is a generous benefactor. To those who have wisely used his gifts he has bestowed freedom from drudgery; freedom to travel; freedom from the discomforts of cold, heat, and dirt; and freedom from ignorance, boredom, and oppression. But father technology has not brought us freedom from disease. Chronic illness in industrialized nations has reached epic proportions because we have been dazzled by his stepchildren- fast foods, fractioned foods, convenience foods, packaged foods, fake foods, embalmed foods, ersatz foods- all the bright baubles that fill up the shelves at the grocery stores, convenience markets, vending machines, and even health food stores."
"Technology can be a kind father but only in partnership with his mothering, feminine partner- the nourishing traditions of our ancestors. These traditions require us to apply more wisdom to the way we produce and process our food and yes, more time in the kitchen, but they give highly satisfying results- delicious meals, increased vitality, robust children. and freedom from the chains of acute and chronic illness. The wise and loving marriage of modern invention with the sustaining, nurturing food folkways of our ancestors is the partnership that will transform the Twenty-First Century into the Golden Age; divorce hastens the physical degeneration of the human race, cheats mankind of his limitless potential, destroys his will and condemns him to the role of undercitizen in a totalitarian world order."
Enough said.
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32 weeks
39 cm in all her glory
