I find it disturbing that there are people who are working really hard to prevent the truth about the dairy industry from getting out. There are people who say there is no difference between conventional dairy and organic dairy. There are people who say that drinking milk does a body good, no matter what kind you buy. And there are people who say there’s no difference if the cow ate GMOs, grass or grain. I personally like to know the truth about what I am eating. That is why I spend so much time researching the facts about our food system and why I have dedicated my life sharing the information I uncover. I know many of you are buying dairy products (billions of gallons are sold every year), and feel it is crucial you know the main reasons why to only choose organic milk if you do choose to consume dairy. These guidelines apply to all dairy products, like butter, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, and whey protein. It is shoved into our minds since infancy that “Milk Does A Body Good” and that we need 3 big glasses a day for calcium and strong bones. But, is that really the case?
7 Reasons To Choose Only Organic Dairy Products:
1. To avoid ingesting growth hormones that are banned in over 30 countries.
Some big conventional dairies in the U.S. are still injecting their cows with synthetic growth hormones (invented by Monsanto) to increase milk production, despite evidence that it may lead to higher levels of the cancer-causing hormone IGF-1 in our bodies. Growth hormones have also been shown to cause mastitis in cows (udder infection), requiring the use of antibiotics. The Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare in the European Union reported that growth hormones cause foot problems, mastitis, and reproductive disorders in cows, and concluded that hormones should not be used. These hormones are banned in Europe, Norway, Switzerland, New Zealand, Japan, and Canada, and the Cancer Prevention Coalition filed a petition with the FDA requesting a ban of them in the U.S., but the FDA has done absolutely nothing.
Why Organic Is Better: Growth hormones aren’t permitted to be given to cows that produce organic milk. (source: USDA)
2. To curb the overuse of antibiotics, which is causing a health crisis.
Can you believe that almost all of the antibiotics in the U.S. (about 80%) are fed to farm animals? And, this isn’t because the animals are sick. Many conventional farmers feed their animals constant low levels of antibiotics just to fatten them up. Dairy cows are commonly given antibiotics to treat mastitis (udder infections), and conventionally raised cows are more likely to get these infections than organically grown cows, especially when they are given growth hormones. This mass overuse of antibiotics in farm animals is contributing to increased antibiotic resistance, and creating a major human health crisis. The World Health Organization warns that the “overuse and misuse of antibiotics in food animals” is a major source of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria that’s affecting humans, leading to infections that are difficult to treat and sometimes impossible to cure. According to Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, Director of the CDC, “If we don’t act now, our medicine cabinet will be empty and we won’t have the antibiotics we need to save lives.”
Why Organic Is Better: Organically grown cows are less likely to get mastitis. Antibiotics are not given to healthy cows that produce organic milk. If an organic cow gets sick and needs antibiotics, it receives this treatment and is removed from organic production, so it’s milk will not be sold as organic. The regulations require that sick cows are not denied treatment. (source: USDA)
3. To stop funding pro-GMO anti-labeling campaigns.
Every time you buy a carton of conventional milk you are helping to line the pockets of biotech companies – which is why I call conventional milk “Monsanto Milk”. A whopping 90% of all genetically modified (GMO) soybeans are fed to farm animals. The major biotech companies (Monsanto, DuPont, Dow) are spending record-breaking amounts of money to deny our right to know if GMOs are in our food, and any time that you buy a product that was produced with GMOs you are helping to fund their campaigns. I believe that buying Monsanto Milk is no different than buying a box of GMO General Mills Corn Chex (another company funding anti-labeling campaigns).
Why Organic Is Better: Cows that produce organic milk only eat 100% organic food, which prohibits GMOs. (source: USDA)
4. To protect the health of cows.
Most dairy cows live their lives on a GMO diet, which isn’t healthy for them. Animal studies (not funded by the biotech companies) have shown that GMO feed damages intestines and peripheral immune systems, and can cause reproductive problems and tumors. Farmers that have switched to non-GMO animal feed are reporting that their animals are healthier and that grass-fed cows are the healthiest overall, requiring less drugs to treat disease. A cow’s gut is best suited for a grass diet, and starchy grain diets upset their stomachs by making it acidic. This acidic environment fosters the growth of disease and animals are given more drugs to compensate. As put by Michael Pollan, “A corn diet can also give a cow acidosis… causing a kind of bovine heartburn, which in some cases can kill the animal but usually just makes it sick. Acidotic animals go off their feed, pant and salivate excessively, paw at their bellies and eat dirt. The condition can lead to diarrhea, ulcers, bloat, liver disease and a general weakening of the immune system that leaves the animal vulnerable to everything from pneumonia to feedlot polio”.
Why Organic Is Better: Cows that produce organic milk only eat 100% organic food, which prohibits GMOs, synthetic pesticides, plastic pellets for roughage, and by-products from slaughter houses. Organic cows are also required to graze on organic pastures for the entire grazing season (at least 120 days a year) and to receive at least 30% of its feed from the pasture. (sources: USDA and Organic Trade Association). Some organic dairies feed their cows 100% grass, and all you need to do is ask them to find out!
5. To contribute to a healthier environment.
Grassy pastures are better for the topsoil than GMO crops like soy and corn. These GMO crops have shallow roots that are depleting topsoil faster than the earth can replenish it. Grass often has deep roots (10 feet deep), which help to draw nutrients up into the topsoil. Cows raised in factory farms on a diet of mostly grains produce unmanageable amounts of manure that pollute water and air.
Why Organic Is Better: Grass-fed cows produce manure in amounts suitable for fertilizing the land. This improves the quality of our air and water, and when cows are fed grass you greatly reduce the transportation costs for feed. (source: Union of Concerned Scientists)
6. To avoid drinking herbicide and pesticide residues.
Conventional dairy cows are often fed crops that have been genetically engineered to resist the spraying of herbicides, and the use of these chemicals has gone way up in recent years. According to a report by Food & Water Watch, the total amount of Roundup applied to GMO crops increased 10 times from 1996 to 2012. Residues from these herbicides are ending up in our food, including the food of dairy cows. The primary ingredient in Roundup – glyphosate – has been found in the breast milk of lactating women. This suggests that the glyphosate eaten by cows also ends up in their milk. Recent research found glyphosate residues in the urine of GMO-fed cows and it’s been shown that drugs fed to dairy cows end up in their milk – yet I doubt that the industry is regularly testing milk for herbicide residues. If milk isn’t tested for glyphosate residues, it’s anyone’s guess how much of it ends up in the milk we drink from the store. Ingestion of glyphosate residues have been linked with kidney disease and shown to contribute to gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, autism, infertility, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
Why Organic Is Better: Synthetic pesticides and herbicides (such as Roundup) are prohibited on the 100% organic feed that cows graze on that produce organic milk. (source: USDA)
7. To get more nutrition.
You are what you eat, and most conventional cows aren’t fed diets that produce the healthiest milk. A diet of excessive amounts of corn leads to an unhealthy amount of omega-6 fatty acids, which carries over into their milk. It’s important to have a the proper balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, and most processed diets contain mostly omega-6 fatty acids throwing this ratio way off. Per Dr. Artemis Simopoulus, “excessive amounts of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and a very high omega-6 to omega-3 ratio… promote the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases”. Several studies have found healthier fat ratios in organic milk, as well as more antioxidants. Higher levels of beneficial fats like conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) have been shown to reduce body fat, and lessens your risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
Why Organic Is Better: Organically grown cows are required to graze on grasses at least 1/3 of the year, which improves the nutritional quality of their milk. Dairy products from grass-fed cows have been shown to have an improved omega-3 to omega-6 fat ratio, higher levels of beneficial fats such as CLA, and more antioxidants. (sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
How To Choose The Best Organic Milk
Some of the organic milk in the grocery store is ultra-high temperature pasteurized (aka “UHT”). You’ll find this labeled on the carton of milk, so it’s easy to spot. UHT milk has been so heavily heated that nearly all of the health benefits are lost – so why drink it? I believe that 100% grass-fed raw dairy is the best choice, if it’s available to you locally. Raw dairy products are “alive” and have all of their probiotics, vitamins and enzymes intact, including phosphatase, which is necessary to properly absorb the calcium in milk. You can find sources for raw milk on the Real Milk website. If you can’t get raw, look for the USDA organic symbol and grass-fed. If you don’t have grass-fed, go at least certified organic.
The best way to make sure that you are getting truly organic milk is to only buy directly from local dairies. It’s important to get to know local dairy farmers in your area and ask them questions until you find a dairy that you trust. You can find local grass-fed dairies on the Eat Wild database (not all listed are organic).
I personally eat dairy like a condiment.
I eat very limited dairy products because of health and environmental reasons, as well as, for the reasons mentioned above. When I do eat dairy, I always buy organic – no exceptions. When I go out to eat at restaurants that may not use organic or local dairy products I try my best to avoid them. It’s that simple.
A recent published paper written by Harvard pediatrician David Ludwig said that “humans have no nutritional requirement for animal milk”. You can get plenty of absorbable calcium from leafy greens, nuts, seeds and beans. The vitamin D in milk is only there because it’s fortified with it, so it’s no different than taking a vitamin supplement and vitamin D is naturally prevalent in salmon, egg yolks, hemp seeds, some mushrooms and of course sunlight – which is the best most efficient way to get it.
Please share this post with your conventional dairy eating friends and family!
Do you have family or friends still eating and buying conventional dairy products? Help them make the switch and share this post with them! If we vote with our dollars and choose organic over conventional we will have an everlasting impact on our health, our environment and for our future children.
Xo,
Vani
P.S. I’m going to be sharing a major report on some popular dairy products soon. Please stay engaged and join us here to be the first to know!
One of the number one reasons isn’t even listed here – the cruelty towards dairy animals. If most people really knew and understood the suffering and cruelty that dairy cows endure, I doubt there would be as many milk drinkers (and cheese eaters).
A female cow can only produce milk when she is pregnant. Therefore, dairy cows are kept impregnated their entire lives to keep the milk production flowing and their babies are taken away to be slaughtered for veal or raised to become factory farmed meat – which causes great distress to the mother (and the baby for that matter). Once the cow is “no longer useful” she is slaughtered. So in this case, organic still isn’t doing any favors. In my eyes, organic milk still isn’t a viable option. The market is filled with a large variety of plant based milks, there’s just no reason to perpetuate the cruel cycle of dairy farming, no matter if it’s conventional or organic.
I’ve seen these exact words all over the internet in the cases of drinking dairy milk. could you please reveal your sources so i can find if this is exact or not? thank you.
http://www.chooseveg.com/animals
http://www.ourhenhouse.org/why-2/dairy-production/
http://vegan.org/for-the-animals/
There’s also countless documentaries with insider accounts. Most notably is “Earthlings.” It’s almost unbearably painful to watch. http://earthlings.com
I have given up dairy, which I dearly loved…Many health issues have cleared..My mother died at 90 many years ago now…He doctor told her that no adult should ever drink milk…My mother was the first health nut I knew and gave us whole wheat bread in the 50’s…Of course I am unable to tolerate gluten, so there you are…
I had constant terrible sinus infections. I do not anymore giving up dairy…I was full of mucous and now I am not…I had cottage cheese the other evening and got quite ill fromit..The more I stay clear of the bad food, the worse reaction I get if I eat them..Not worth the pain….
Amen!! After being a vegetarian for 20+ years, in which I was only consuming organic dairy, I altered my diet to ‘freely’ vegan. Converting to a 100% plant-based, Earth Diet-like lifestyle, cured my migraines. No joke. It’s changed my life.
That being said, I’ve always been an animal advocate. It’s true that unimaginable torture is a daily experience for these animals. And transporting the animals to slaughter? Adds to pollution.
I’m passionate about all of this, so I could go on & on…. Thank you, VANI, for especially including the info about non-dairy sources of absorbable calcium!! 🙂
Have you actually visited a dairy farm and talked to a real farmer about how they raise the food people eat or are you doing your “research” entirely via the internet?
Sue, no, I haven’t. Have you? That doesn’t make this situation go away, or mean it’s not real. There’s plenty of things going on in the world that we only know about from what we’ve seen and read. That doesn’t make it untrue, just because we’ve never personally experienced it ourselves.
I know there are good people out there with their little family-owned farms who might not practice this way. But for the majority of this country, the milk comes from a giant factory farm – and it’s not the cute little farm down the road.
I don’t mean to personally attack anyone, I’m just adding to the information. There’s no harm in that.
Yes, I have been on many dairy farms, and I can tell you that none of the cows were being mistreated. I’ve been on small sized farms, as well as farms that milked large amounts of animals and I was relieved to say that the animals in both scenarios were content and well cared for.
I find that it is so interesting to actually visit places that make the food that we eat. I’ve visited cranberry marshes, dairy farms, hog farms, grain farms, sheep farms, and so many more places. Farmers are real people that are so interesting to talk to and so knowledgable about the product they are raising.
When I lived in Americas heartland 5 years ago there was an alarming number of factory farms popping up in rural communities. These farms were not welcome by the communities. I wrote for a local paper and spent time on these factory farms and also interviewed representatives from Monsanto. I can tell you from my visits to these farms: the cows live on conveyer belts and while the farmers were good people the cows were not in a natural environment. The cows live in rooms filled with feces. And are not allowed to graze in the sunlight.
After leaving the dairy farm I made a personal vow to my family, we will never support factory farming. We only eat organic. I prefer to drink milk from cows that graze; Butter from grass fed cows; And grass fed local beef. We have a choice. We can support factory farms or we can support organic farming practices. I may pay a little more for organic but I feel good about supporting organic farming practices. Money well spent.
Wow Sue, maybe you should start posting some videos of these amazing mass production farms you often visit so we can see them too! Every week it seems, there are new under cover videos of a farm or farms where there is criminal and egregious abuse of the animals, absolutely filthy and disgusting living conditions and what do they do with all that POOP? I hope you spend some time talking to neighbors of these wonderful farms too and ask them about their well water, air quality and incidence of diseases. Would love to see your comprehensive report! Who do you work for BTW? Might want to mention that too….
Milk does no body no good. Why does every animal in nature wean its young but humans think they continue to need breast milk from a cow? Its just bizarre when you really put some thought into it.
Sue, if you think all dairy farms are cruelty free then just google Chilliwack Cattle Sales but only if you can stomach seeing dairy cows being beaten with sticks and kicked in the head amongst other things.
It still depends on where you’re getting your organic milk. We get ours raw from a local farmer. The cows are brought from the pasture twice a day to be milked. They have one calf a year and are allowed to go dry for several months before they are bred again. The calves stay with their moms for up to a week before they are sold to a local farmer to be raised. Yes, the calves will eventually be slaughtered, either when full grown (male) or as an old milk cow (female) but they are not slaughtered as calves. And, they will not spend their lives on a factory farm. We feel good about the milk we drink and the lives the cows who give it to us are living.
Well Kim, this shows how uninformed people like you are. You state cows have one calf a year, and then go dry for several months BEFORE being re-bred. Do the math. The gestation period is 10 months for a calf. Cows get re-bred a month or two after calving. Hence one calf a year. They produce milk for about 10 months out of a year. Dry for 2 months.
Tom, you are right. I should have been a little more detailed. The cows are indeed allowed to go free for 2-3 months before being bred again. But, I should not have said they have one calf a year. I should have stated that they have less than one calf a year.
Tell ya right now, if he Is following the plan you describe, he isn’t making any money and will soon be out of business. It costs money to feed a cow and if she isn’t producing, no money is coming in. You dont just let them run around the pasture for nothing. Thats not even natures way. If they were in the wild, a bull would breed her the first time she came into heat, 4-6 weeks after having a calf. Doesn’t matter if it’s an organic farm or a conventional farm. You have to have income.
Let me try to explain further
According to you….cow has calf, cow produces milk for several months. Usually 10 months. Cow dries up. Cow gets bred after 2-3 more months.
So now a year has passed and she is just now re-bred.takes 10 months to have another calf and she won’t produce milk until that calf is born. So now it will be 12-13 months that she hasn’t produced milk, and 2 years between calves.
Here’s the real timeline. Cow has calf. Cow gets re-bred 1-2 months after calving. Cow produces milk for 10 months. Cow goes dry for 2 months at the most. Cow then has calf 10 months after getting bred
It’s part of natures way. Look around… lots of creatures have a baby once a year.
Tom, I went to the source to find out more about the farmer’s breeding practices. I found out that you are… Correct. The cow that gave birth today while I was out in the pasture will be allowed to breed again in 2-3 months. She will, hopefully, have another calf about this same time next year (give or take). In my defense, I began getting to know the farmer, and his cows, when my husband started milking for him once a week a few months ago. At this same time the farmer was changing over from most of his herd delivering at the same time to twice a year breeding. So, he was indeed allowing some of his cows to go dry before allowing them to breed. This is what I saw.
I am, so far, comfortable in getting my milk from him. The cows he has live a wonderful life, aside from the possibility of the having babies too often. I love to go with my husband to bring the cows in, feed them from my hand and pet them. Many of them are very friendly and eagerly come over to see me. This thread though, has gotten me thinking about my dairy consumption. We drink raw, organic milk, but our cheese and butter, of which we use a lot, are from factory farmed dairies. We might need to learn how to use less of both of those products and begin to only use what I can make from the 1 1/2 gallons of milk we get each week.
I completly agree with you Maria. I live in Texas and grew up close to a family owned dairy. We would buy the calves from the owner and raise them on the bottle. Some would live and some would get the scowers and die. They couldn’t care less about the calves all they wanted was the milk.
right on!!
Can someone explain to me why humans drink milk intended for a different species.
I find it kind of science fiction like that a milk from a cow, that is most likely meant for a baby cow, is considered a consumable product for a human. Mothers milk from humans as all kinds of goodies to help babies grow healthy. Maybe, just maybe cow milk is meant for baby cows, you think?
Every bit of food you consume is from a different species, , unless you are a cannibal. So that argument doesn’t hold water.
Maria, It obvious you know little about dairy cows or raising any kind of animals.
Animals are raised to make a profit. Stressed animals do not make for profitable animals. Just because they a penned up doesn’t mean they are stressed. They are well fed and comfortable. That is the only way to make money. Modern facilities are designed for the well being of animals. Just because you wouldn’t want to live there, doesn’t mean the cows don’t like it. They are kept happy and healthy because that’s where maximum profit is.
Thank you for mentioning this!!!!
I gave up milk completely last year, switching to Rice Dream Classic (which is organic) for my organic cereal and organic granola. It also works in cooking & baking, as I use Rice Dream whenever a recipe calls for ‘milk’.
I also noticed that both my breathing airway and my skin became cleaner after giving up milk. That was a great discovery that will have me never buying milk again.
Please be very careful. Rice, especially from other countries, is FULL of Arsenic. EVEN THE ORGANIC KIND. ALL types of Rice… Rice syrup, Rice, RIce milk ,etc…. ( Dr. Oz investigated, too. ) : ( I still drink, full fat cows milk, but substitute almond milk, occassionally.. : ) ( And yes, I love cows milk and always feel healthier, after drinking it. )
Just make your own pistachio milk instead. No reason to have dairy of any kind. Bad for the planet, bad for animals and bad for your body.
https://foodbabe.com/2012/08/06/my-new-love-homemade-pistachio-milk/
I wish I knew how to effect a change with the USDA! At my daughter’s daycare I had to get a doctor’s note for them to permit my bringing organic milk for her (rather than conventional provided by the center). Again due to USDA guidelines, they MUST offer milk with meals! I don’t give her milk at home & I “vote with my dollars” to provide the best I can at home, but it’s very frustrating.
With that said, I’m grateful I am able to do all I can and appreciate the information provided by FoodBabe! 🙂
What I could find in my area is the amish making milk. It is grass feed & low pasteurized. It doesn’t say organic as I am sure the amish aren’t in the loop. I don’t see many talk about the amish farms and would love any feed back on if this is a good option or should I keep digging. The Milk taste great and my daughter doesn’t get a stomach as she did even from organic milk in the store.
What about Lactose free milk? I usually drink organic soy milk (is this okay?) but buy my husband Lactose free milk? Please advise. Thanks.
People who are Lactose intolerant are usually intolerant because the beneficial bacteria and enzymes that help with the digestion are removed during the pasteurization process.
I have a hunch that if your husband were to try raw milk, he would find that he has no problems.
If you cannot find raw milk, try to find non-homogenized low temperature vat pasteurized milk. Usually it will be found from small local family dairies. It is the closest thing to raw milk you can more readily get and many people report that even Lactose intolerant people can easily digest it with no problems. For example, read the digestibility information for Hartzler Family Dairy in Wooster Ohio that uses this technique:
http://www.hartzlerfamilydairy.com/oh-hormone-free-milk/digestibility
Actually, Dennis, lactose intolerance is the norm, not the exception. Humans aren’t meant to drink milk after infancy, or age 2 at the longest. On average, 70% of humans cannot drink any kind of milk products. Certain ethnic groups are considerably higher (as much as 98% depending on their race / culture), while the high Nordic areas are the lowest (in the single digits).
Most of us toddle along with IBS symptoms, sicknesses that never quite heal, and a host of illnesses that tend to dissipate – if not clear up altogether – if we stopped drinking any animal’s milk.
I lived in denial for a year after I suspected that I was lactose intolerant. “Oh, I can eat aged cheeses, some yogurt, small amounts of butter.” My daughter, bless her, challenged me to stop eating any of it for just one week.
It’s now been two months that I’ve been dairy-free. I’m far healthier than I have been in many years. I don’t live on imodium anymore. I also know within an hour when I’ve unwittingly had dairy because I don’t feel well. (I’m a huge fan now of reading labels.)
Lactose intolerance is part of our physical bodies. It doesn’t go away by drinking it raw, less pasteurized, organic, or what have you. The lucky few who can drink it would be better if they stay with the raw and/or organic. The rest of us, none at all is best. We, as a species simply shouldn’t drink or eat dairy.
Wrong! Most people who are lactose intolerant, are dairy intolerant and even doctors admit that 40 percent of people who think they are lactose intolerant are actually casein intolerant. Casein and lactose cause allergic reactions to many people and those people (myself included) should completely avoid anything containing lactose (sugar that promotes cancer growth) and casein (dairy protein that causes internal inflammation )
Hartzler Family Dairy in Wooster Ohio. Non-GMO, no-spray, grass fed, pasture raised, cows with milk that is non-homogenized and low temperature vat pasteurized (only dairy in Ohio to do this) served in old fashioned glass bottles. Closest thing you can get to raw milk easily and regularly in Ohio. Weston A. Price approved and listed in their recommended directory of food suppliers.
You forgot one more tip: if you are going to drink milk, drink whole milk.
All of the nutritional benefit is in the fat soluble vitamins and the healthy fats. Skim milk just removes all the good stuff. In addition, the belief that fat makes you fat is beginning to be challenged by mainstream nutritionists and scientists (something that has been known for decades in the Weston A Price community and more recently in the Paleo and Paleo like diets).
Please look into the harm that using any form of WHEY can have. Whey is a plentiful byproduct of milk that is so awful it kills grass if farmers throw it on the ground. Instead, it has been refined so that it can be utilized as a alternative protein making our bodies the digestive dumping place. It is not chemically good for us to eat and yet it is put into many dairy products in order to get it off the farms but out of the ground and waterways for disposal. So gross.
Whey is a bi-product of the cheese making process, not milk.
Similar to milk, the quality of whey protien is based on all the same points above the Food Babe made regarding milk.
Tera’s Whey is USDA organic, sourced from grass fed cows, and small batch cold processed and is a whey concentrate to retain all of the nutritional benefits. It’s an excellent product.
I only drink raw milk & eat raw milk cheese because I have cancer . Fortunately , there’s an organic farm near where I live in PA .
I asked the lady farmer if I could see the cows & to my surprise, they play classical music to relax them . It was funny but they looked really relaxed while being milked !
Susanna,
Are you near Philadelphia, and if so, would you share the name of the organic dairy farm near you? I’m looking for one! Thanks, sending thoughts of healing and comfort to you!
I live in EASTON,PA . The farm I mentioned is Klein Farms . You can google it . I use local harvest.org to search for organic farms near my town so I can visit them . It’s my pastime.
Great, thanks Susana!
Wow, you consume dairy while you have cancer? Mad! Look up IGF-1.
I for one am not a fan of milk and am lactose intolerant when it comes to these mass produced milks? Maybe it’s not the lactose but all the other additives.
I do not drink the milk itself but I do make my own Kefir which takes the milk and ferments it so the above really applies as I want only Organic full fat milk to make the best Kefir. I have recently discovered some Whole Milk sold at Whole Foods that comes from a smaller family owned farm that is only minimally pasturized and it works great for me. This is what I would recommend if you have any need for milk.
Vani, Is it safe to eat goat cheese imported from Europe? It is difficult to find organic goat cheese, but most of the good goat cheeses are imported, so I assume they are safer, since Europe has higher standards.
Where did the statement ‘may contain 2% of less of the following: growth hormones and/or pesticide residue. Produced in a facility that uses antibiotics….’ come from?
Why do you find it hard to see companies trying to stop you? You are hitting them in the wallet.-you are in for a REAL hard battle. I am with you-good to know someone is out there doing what you do. A lot of people don’t care what they eat-just so it is cheap and easy.
Don’t take things personally-just keep fighting!!
Love you!
Thanks for the great info 😀
Isn’t raw milk illegal?
Only in some states. The Real Milk website has information about where it is legal.
http://www.realmilk.com/
hello I have been trying to reply to some of the comments and my replies arent posting. I tried to submit 3 times but none of them have shown up
It depends on where you live whether raw milk is legal or not.
In Michigan it is illegal. But, we get our raw milk from buying a share of a cow. Basically, we, along with a number of other families, own a cow. We pay the farmer to take care of it, house it, and milk it for us. We then go every week to pick up our portion of the milk.
Maria, thank you for sharing the earthlings site – after watching just the DVD trailer I am deeply upset & disturbed, & can’t get the awful images out of my head (and heart). What a sad, pitiful, shameful state mankind has let greed put him in.
Speciesism and Cowspiracy are also a well-made documentaries. Not as graphic as Earthlings but just as informative.
(Raw) Milk is a necessary component for achieving health. There will always be an endless debate over the treatment of animals, and this will never end until Humanity evolves past its current state. The optimal way to help this is to raise one’s own consciousness level. There is no doubt raw, organic dairy farms treat their livestock more humanely than the big agri dairies. What we need is to stop debating whether or not it’s ethical to consume animal products, which by the way, any *human body needs, and to start communicating about how major corporations have taken over all aspects of our lives, and what we can do to change that.
What we all need to worry about is the strontium and cesium that is winding up in our food. I would love to see FoodBabe do an exposé on how Fukushima fallout is affecting dairies in North America. A mere 5 Bcq of cesium per kg in an adult human can cause permanent lesions and organ damage. The FDA just raised the “safe levels” of cesium in our drinking water to 7400 bcq per cubic meter (I believe). Ladies and gentlemen, these isotopes don’t travel by themselves. Where ever cesium is detected, this guarantees there will be 90-100 times more strontium with it. Only, they fail to mention this quite often.
*The human ecosystem was not designed to consume only vegetables. Let me just say that I know several doctors who say the same thing. They’ve never met a healthy vegetarian. My father happens to be one of these doctors, and he’s felt thousands upon thousands of pulses, of which several hundred at least, were veggie or vegan or whatever, and he’s never felt a healthy heartbeat from any veganarian. NOT ONE! Sorry ladies, go eat some organic, grass fed meat…
Agreed. Agreed. Agreed.
Shane Holmes, you got that right! 10 years of drinking Raw Grass fed cow’s milk. I will not use CAFO food! Fill my freezer with Grass fed beef every fall! Member of a CSA. Don’t want the junk they call food.
Did he ask or know whether a patient is vegetarian before or after taking pulse?
I’m sure all of the above. Sometimes before, sometimes after. If one knows how to check pulses, a lot can be revealed. For example, one can tell if there are kidney problems, heart problems, or liver problems; or if they’re a vegetarian. Ah, I just remembered… veggies have weak pulses!
Humans don’t have four or two stomachs, like cows or horses, which are vegetarian animals. We have canines and eyes in the front of our heads. Would it not be safe to logically presume that an animal’s physiology is dependent on the make up of their digestive system, from mouth to gut? What I’m saying is, if ya got canine teeth, then you should probably eat meat.
I’ve always considered myself a meatitarian. Don’t get me wrong though, I consume plenty of organic, mostly raw vegetables; as well as frequently juice.
The key to health these days is inundating ones’ body with an abundance of super-nutrients.
I thought “meatitarian” was hilarious. I agree with Shane.
Look, we’ve adapted with certain proclivities. Eating ground meat from Cargill (e.g. hamburger patties produced for BK, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, etc.) perhaps not. But the point is, let’s not exclude aspects of our evolution.
My wife is a vegetarian (for whom I’ve managed to come back to flesh, with awesome curry recipes including lamb and chicken) and I respect that. As a matter of fact, it has been a blessing to NOT eat meat every bloody single day. But to avoid meat altogether is anathema to the human experience (see Shane Holmes).
BALANCE
The key term to retain in this thread is BALANCE, or perhaps moderation. A good diet is not one that is necessarily driven by a carb- or protein-denominated theme. Eat what you want. Just avoid processed sugars and carbs (i.e. enriched flour,, sucrose, dextrose, maltose, high fructose corn syrup, glucose, etc.) and GMOs.
Is there really any other diet “warning” that one ought to heed without enjoying every bite of food, even with minimal exercise?
I’m living proof that that assumption is inaccurate. I’ve been vegetarian for 23+ years, vegan for 3+ of those years. I’m healthier now than I have ever been. Don’t suffer from any of the ailments that most of my family members do (diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, etc.) & I have naturally delivered & raised 2 healthy boys. 🙂
Good post Shane, common sense . I don’t completely agree on organic, grass fed only, but that’s ok.
Would love to see a list of the better organic milk brands. I buy Shamrock Farms, Trader Joe’s or 365 Brand most of the time. Sometimes Costco, but they are more expensive.
I’m paleo and was tempted to add a little bit of cheese into my diet but this just reinforced me why I cut it out in the first place. Thank you!
it is a shame that the sale of raw milk is prohibited in Maryland (despite the claims of the link provided)
You’re bang on Vani in shedding light on farming practices that ultimately degrade the dairy product to something less than healthy, i.e. the use of antibiotics and hormones, to speak nothing of the inhumane farming practices in general. And although opting for organic milk is a huge step forward, don’t forget that these animals are likely fed organic grains and not grass. Grains such as corn, soy and oats are NOT what these animals took hundreds of millennia to adapt to during their evolution. Grass is the source, and much higher in mineral nutrients than, say corn.
Also, the process of pasteurization precludes not having to use synthetic vitamins. The high heat required to boil off bacteria denatures the milk, reducing it to nothing more than water, some calcium and lactose. The vitamins, essentially fragile when exposed to sunlight or heat, degrade during this process.
There is such a thing as milk “doing your body good.” It is preferable to opt for organically grass-fed (and hopefully free-range) RAW cow’s milk. With modern sanitation techniques and refrigeration throughout the production and transportation process, there’s no need to pasteurize. To be sure, the natural bacteria in raw milk is GOOD FOR YOU. Have you heard of probiotic yogurt. If the yogurt were pasteurized, it would just be curdled mush and have no nutritional value whatsoever. Why not drink probiotic (sic. RAW) milk?
Final note in supporting the raw milk thesis: The presence of naturally occurring lactic bacteria (e.g. lactobacillus acidophilus, etc.) is not only nutritious but also acts as a stop-gap against the more pathogenic variety of bacteria that milk producers are so eager to root out via pasteurization, e.g. virulent E. coli strains, listeria, etc. Their very presence as probiotics are antibiotics against pathogenic bacteria. Farmers and consumers should be educated about this, and in so being educated may hopefully force supply to meet demand and get more nutritious milk on the market–the sort that was NORMAL and WIDELY AVAILABLE merely two generations ago.
It’s too bad one must travel far and wide to find organic raw grass-fed free-ranging cow’s milk, when this was 98% of the dairy market in 1940.
Wow, this dude knows his stuff…
I used to hang out at an organic farm that had a bunch of cows… mmmmm, I miss their milk!!!
One important fact that must also be mentioned is for raw milk YOU CANNOT MILK A SICK COW. I learned this from reading “The Milk Book” written by William Campbell Douglas II, M.D.
We don’t need to get into how nasty mainstream milk is… I mean, y’all don’t even wanna know how chocolate milk becomes thus… But if you do, read the book. You will be thoroughly disgusted.
Thanks for adding to my comment, Shane. Now (I’m chuckling), pray tell, what is so thoroughly disgusting about how chocolate milk is made? Am I going to regret asking the question? Hehe
Alright Patrick, you asked for it…
Chocolate milk is made from liquid stock that has become too bloody, probably from milking sick cows. How do you hide blood in milk? Why, you put a bunch of Hershey syrup in it!!!
I am fairly confident to assume that organic products aren’t so nasty and gross. Then again, Whole Paycheck, er I mean Foods lies about GMO in their products. Remember when they got caught like a year or two ago?
I do recall when Whole Paycheck (good one) got caught misrepresenting some of its products. Well, your description of how chocolate milk is made wasn’t as bad as I was expecting, which is not to say that it’s acceptable to use “non-saleable” milk in processed products. Anyway, I love chocolate but always opt for the 70-85% dark variety, so milk is not an issue.
Thanks again for commenting. Cheers!
Well Patrick, do you have a degree in animal nutrition? I can tell you for a fact that grass is not higher in nutrients than corn. If it were, we wouldn’t be feeding corn. Corn supplements the cows diet in addition to roughages to balance her needs. And, put a pile of corn and a pile of hay in front of a cow and see which one she chooses. Corn wins every time.
By the way, corn is considered a member of the grasses species.
Who cares which one the cow chooses? That doesn’t mean it’s the most nutritious. Most people would choose a greasy fast food meal over a nutritious one, that doesn’t mean it’s better for them.
Agree 100% Patrick!
Thank you. I am forwarding your mail to my daughter in law and my granddaughter. Both have young children.
These are some of the exact reasons that we only use whey isolate from grass-fed cows in our MariGold Bars. No anti-biotics or hormones given to the cows, either. Most whey protein bars use conventional milk whey.
Vani, you ignorant slut, show Scientific evidence for which you speak. NOT Mercola, Adams, Oz or other discredited fear mongers. Waiting.
Wes;
Must you stoop so low to call someone names??? If you don’t like what she has to say, don’t read it, and QUIETLY move on. Clearly you are an unhappy person. Don’t shadow others with your sheer glass half empty poor attitude towards life…especially women!!! You dumb ass!!!!
This is cyber-bullying at it’s finest! If anyone is looking for scientific evidence – look at the blue hyperlinks in the post above – that will take you to the sources of my information.
Yeah, Vani, he’s a real PUNK azze and needs his d*ck stomped flat in the dirt and I’ll do it for him.
Wow, what a man. You need your ass kicked, punk. Lucky I’m not near you….for YOU.
Why is the expiration date on organic milk so long? Regular milk expires in a week or so but Organic is usually a month out.
Hi Crystal – That’s generally because it’s ultra high temperature pasteurized (UHT).
Thank you very much!
Milk…
Have not had Milk for 20 years…
Why are humans even drinking milk? It’s not natural. No other animal drinks breast milk past nursing age, especially not from a different species! Whether it’s organic or not, it’s not our milk to drink. The milk is taken from the baby calf. Nutritionally and ethically, dairy is wrong. There are so many plant-based milk options, there’s just no excuse.
I used to feel the same way… then I rediscovered the benefits of raw dairy. Do the research on health benefits of raw milk. When it comes to the human body achieving a full sense of health and well being, dairy is an essential part.
Eat more organic meat, and stay away from (GMO) soy products. Human physiology is omnivorous, so we should eat thus…
Right, milk is a perfect food because a newborn survives and thrives solely on it. For people with poor diets raw, pure milk is a great way to improve your nutrition and health. Too bad cows are poisoned and mistreated in the mass production of an unhealthy version of milk.
Just something to consider: Humans are the only species to do lots of things, like plant crops, and build cities or roads, explore space and so on that are not ‘natural’ to other species. The logic of ‘drinking milk isn’t natural’ perspective seems flawed.
I heard that milk reduces testosterone in males. Is this true for organic and/or raw milk?
This article suggests that it could be because the cows are kept pregnant and thus have high levels of estrogen in the milk.
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dairy-sexual-precocity/
Wes, bless your little heart, but maybe this website is too advanced for you. Most of us here have been watching our health for quite a while and know what Vani posts is true. Maybe, as a newbie, you need to un-ass your Mama’s basement and go talk to a farmer. In other words, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH! Now, take your meds, get dressed and find a farmer.
Blessings 🙂
THANK YOU for writing such an informative article about the dairy industry. I think the scariest part of this whole thing is the antibiotics… what are they thinking!?!
You really inspired me to get into the health & wellness field. I actually wrote a blog about dairy, inspired by you 🙂
http://bethleahnutrition.com/stop-youre-right-now-put-cheese-secrets-dairy-industry-doesnt-want-know/
I value all you do. Thank you!
I read your blog and I pass on the information.
I agree the tipping point will come. Thank You , again
Crystal,
The reason organic milk is actually longer lasting than pasteurized is because it is a living food–the healthy bacteria in it wipe out the bad guys, an effect which is only magnified the longer the milk is kept. Raw milk, in fact, never truly goes “bad,” it only changes. It will turn sour, but don’t mistake sour for “bad,” as sour milk actually has even MORE beneficial organisms in it than milk fresh from the cow. You could leave raw milk out and drink it the next day or the next day and you won’t get sick! Pasteurized milk, on the other hand, HAS to have an expiration date because it does go bad. In fact, if you drink old pasteurized milk you may get sick. There are no beneficial organisms and bacteria to kill off the bad guys anymore, because pasteurization kills them. It kills all the good, healthy enzymes found in raw milk, too. You might have guessed by now that we drink only raw milk from a local farm (in Ohio) and we eat only grass-fed cow meat. I encourage everyone concerned with their health to read Nourishing Traditions, available on Amazon. It’s huge–close to 700 pages, if I remember correctly. I read that book cover to cover and learned enough to change our eating habits and our lives, forever. 🙂
Raw milk never truly goes bad? You might want to rethink that one.
Tom,
Rather than write my own reply, here’s one that explains it quite well:
“If you get the milk the day it is milked, it will stay fresh up to 2 weeks. If it sours, no worries, it will become yogurt with no help at all (with a little sour cream on top). Without a starter, the sour cream on top usually bitters, so you can just scrape it off and compost it if you don’t like the taste. As for the yogurt, when we have left over milk at the end of the week, we just throw it in a ball jar and leave it in the fridge for if we get low on milk (because it has an amazingly long shelf life after turning into yogurt). When we do run out of milk, we just throw some honey and fruit (usually berries) in and blend the yogurt into a tasty yogurt drink. I have some jars in there as old as two months and the yogurt tastes fine (well not like store-bought yogurt – to get that particular flavor you need to manipulate it with a bacteria starter like for cheese making – but with honey and fruit added it tastes wonderful!).
If you leave the yogurt out on the counter overnight, eventually it will separate into curds and whey (it eventually will in the fridge as well, just takes a lot longer). Use cheese cloth to drain the curds and you will get a soft cream cheese. The flavor is so/so, and of course, like with the yogurt, if you wanted to get a particular flavor, you would need to use a starter or bacterial culture (mesophillic/thermophillic, etc, or even a buttermilk culture). Or you can blend in sun-dried tomato, basil and herbs etc, and make a nice spreadable cheese. You can compost the whey or save some. I have whey in my cupboard that has been sitting there unrefrigerated for six months. After a while, it might get a little white mold on the top, but you can just scrape it off. It is a good fermenter. You can leave it in the fridge, but it will get more of a tangy bite to it if you leave it out. In Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions, she talks about using whey to help ferment the canned vegetables. You can also make a nice fermented mustard like in Aajonus Vonderplanitz’s (AV) We Want To Live (WWTL). With the whey in the mustard, it has a nice tangy bite that would be missing otherwise.
Milk is one of natures most amazing foods. It is almost as if it can not spoil. Milk turns to yogurt turns to cheese and leaves whey and of course cream makes sour cream, butter and buttermilk. Eventually the whey and cheese will grow mold, but you can scrape it off and keep eating. Amazing natural shelf life. In WWTL, AV mixes raw honey with butter to make a caramel like snack. We once unintentionally left honey butter mixture in jars out at room temperature for 3 months. It grew a thin layer of white mold on the top and the flavor aged, but after scraping the mold off it was still palatable. Now we always keep jars on hand in case of emergencies (no power). That goes for the yogurt as well. ”
This is from, HealthyFoodNaturally.com
Thank you so much for the very informative response! I really appreciate it 🙂
Stay away from dairy. It is the secretion/juices from another animal’s boob! It is not food for humans, especially humans older than age 2 (we lose a lot of the enzymes responsible for breaking down mother’s milk by 2-years-old). Dairy is highly acidic, strips your bones of calcium and causes inflammation. If you look at the statistics of the countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis, they are also the highest consumers of dairy. It is NOT good for you and there is plenty of science and data proving that.
Yah Food Babe! This comment should have been the headline. So few people seem to have any idea that we humans only need our Mother’s milk for 2 years, and drinking cows milk actually promotes bone loss for the reasons you mentioned. How about those gorillas with their huge strong muscles and teeth…..they eat greens! Elephants eat only bark and plants. Why aren’t they falling down with broken bones? Why do we think we need cow’s milk when the cow doesn’t drink any milk as an adult. I know that we are taught that, but keep in mind that the meat, dairy, and pharmaceutical companies lobby in Washington and donate tons of money to our medical schools. The docs are deluded. Look at the stats, women in countries with the most dairy have the highest incidence of osteoporosis! Good idea Food Babe, use it as a condiment if you can’t give it up.
Your statements are false. Milk is not acidic. Milk contains calcium, which is anti-acidic. and it is proven to help build strong bones. It is a major source of calcium and vitamin D
Tom, do your homework. The studies proving the acidity of animal flesh and dairy are well documented. Milk has calcium but our bodies have a very hard time absorbing it. That’s the reason why in the old commercials they would say that we needed 4 glasses a day. That’s because that’s how much milk you need in a single day to absorb all the calcium that you need. The milk industry has been telling us that lie for generations and now we blindly believe it….
Additionally, if you drink a glass of milk and take a pH urine test (you can buy those at the pharmacy), you’ll notice high levels of calcium in the urine. The acidic environment caused by the dairy stripped calcium from your bones and teeth (where it mostly lives) to return your body to an alkaline environment (where it strives to go). The excess of calcium stripped is excreted through the urine. You are stripping your bones of calcium every time you drink that stuff.
You don’t have to believe me, just read books like The China Study and others. You’ll find your answers.
The vitamin D is added, it is not in there naturally. A person can simply take a vitamin d supplement if needed, they don’t need to drink milk to get it. Also, many foods contain calcium, therefore, again, people do not need to drink milk in order to obtain calcium. Even Harvard advises that milk isn’t the best source of calcium:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/calcium-and-milk/
Your statements contradict each other. First you say you have to drink 4 glasses a day to get the needed calcium absorbed into your body. In the second paragraph, you say it strips the calcium out. Which is it?
There has never been a REPUTABLE study that says milk is bad for you. If it were it would be all over the national news. Do some real research instead of believing things that have no factual backing.
Dude, read the post again. I said that you need 4 glasses to absorb some calcium but that the acidity of the milk will cause even more calcium to be stripped from your body. The largest nutritional study ever conducted, the China Study is reputable enough! Check it out.
And do you really think that the billion-dollar dairy lobbying groups would allow those studies to become national news?! That’s naïve….
Nope, you said 4 glasses, that’s how much you body needs to absorb the calcium it needs. Your words.
It’s simple science. Milk is not acidic. Do a ph test on it yourself.
And if anything else, calcium is an antacid.
I’m naive, but you chose to believe a china study??
The china study was done by a person promoting the use of no animal products at all. Many flaws in his study. Just google it. Check out china story debunked.
How do you know the organic stuff is really organic at this point. Should you really believe what they are telling you or writing on the label?
Thanks Food “Babe” I stop drinking beer ! Aaaaaaaaaaaaas much lol ! But again thanks for looking out for us , USDF is cooning and sending there Federal thugs by now ! Hope not . ✌️And eat good food !
Dairy is always such a controversial topic. I agree that “organic” dairy is better but…..and this is a big but……RAW is really what is beneficial to our bodies. I know of many people that thought they were allergic to dairy, even if they ate organic but when they tried “real raw milk, straight from the cow, the way God intended” they had absolutely no problems. Milk and eggs (from the right sources) are pretty perfect foods. I do not agree with the folks that say milk is not for humans. For me, raw milk “reversed” my osteopenia. My doctor said she had never seen it reversed and asked what I was doing. The only thing I had changed was the drinking of clean, raw cow’s milk. Do you know the Mayo clinic used to recommend only a raw milk diet for certain ailments?
I choose to use almond milk Cow’s milk is great provided it is raw but since it is difficult to find raw mailk if not almost impossible in lots of states, mu family uses Almond Milk. The problem with pasturized and ultra pasturized milk is that all of the nutrition is heated out of the milk. (I call it colored water but i am not sure it is as beneficial as water.) Pasturizing the milk destroys all the nutrition. That is why synthetic vitamins (which are difficult for the body to utilize) are added in to the milk. That way the dairy can tell us how healty it is for us – not.
Raw dairy products are “alive”
Well, yeah, but unfortunately it is very possible it is alive with bacteria also. The dairy cows have low hanging… well…. to be delicate… milk access parts which becomes caked with dirt, mud and mixed amongst that mud is always feces and urine. So much for delicate, I guess. Trusting that the udders are sparkling clean and germ free is innocent at best, insane in the worst case scenario.
Further, unpasteurized dairy products may carry Listeria, which is especially hazardous for pregnant women and their babies.
Raw milk does have more nutrients, better flavor and makes better cheese but Pasteurization was invented and is used for very good reasons. Know the risks before you buy such products.
I drank Alta-Dena Certified Raw Milk for 9 years when living in the Bay Area in the seventies. “Certified” meant that it met all the then-current Dept of Health regulations and strict standards for hygiene, sterile equipment, healthy cows, etc. I drank at least a quart a week and never experienced as much as slight indigestion. I had several friends who did the same with no problems (I would have heard if there were). It was not pasteurized, it was simply clean to begin with. Conclusion: their product was shut down for other reasons but used health concerns as a strawman.
Related story: Do you know about Rawesome and what happened to a private co-op who were successfully distributing raw dairy for years in Venice? Massive swat raid in which police totally destroyed their facilities, took their money, cash registers and other equipment, dumped out or destroyed $100,000 worth of good food, jailed and literal torturing of the founder James Stewart. Same conclusion. http://www.naturalnews.com/047355_James_Stewart_raw_milk_arrest.html
Did you see you’re listed as Mark Human, M.D.’s new hero? http://luvoinc.com/10-questions-mark-hyman/
I am looking for organic potatoes…They are not the best foods for me as I should avoid starch…But for my family I have noticed the potatoes are very changed…I would like to serve organic potatoes to the people who can tolerate them. I do not want any GMO foods….I have great fear of the results for all of us, if we consume all the frankenfoods….
What about just leaving cow’s milk for baby cows as it is intended and not drink milk at all? I’ve never given my six children cow’s milk (they were all breastfed for their first year or so) to drink and they’ve hardly ever been sick (I’ve purchased maybe half dozen antibiotics over 20 years of parenting) and they are all healthy happy tall strong athletic smart kids. In fact my pediatrician tells me they are the healthiest kids he sees in his practice.
Vani~~ thank you so much for continually putting out such important information, even when it is confrontational. Unfortunately, it is “easier” for most Americans to just blindly purchase foods and assume they are safe based upon product marketing or FDA approval. It takes a lot of effort– relentless diligence, really– to research not only what’s in our food but also how these things are processed (or not) by the body and how these chemicals/additives/preservatives impact the body’s chemistry.
I don’t normally post on websites, but I read your articles regularly and the work you– and the Foodbabe Army– are doing is so important. My young son is a cancer survivor, and I spent my younger years suffering from extremely painful endometriosis. Since my husband and I cut out processed foods, pesticides, industrial by-product additives, and the like— our family’s health has improved exponentially. So many things in our foods promote inflammation in the body, which alters the body’s immune response to a variety of internal and external stimuli. As a Humanities professor, when I talk to my students about the Industrial Revolution I always spend a bit discussing the topic of nutrition– I tell them if they learn nothing else from my class, to learn how to take charge of their own health and research this information for themselves. We’ve dramatically changed how we eat as a species the past century, and it’s no wonder we are now plagued with a barrage of digestive disorders and other health issues.
It’s also important for people to realize that the food revolution is NOT about politics– at least, it shouldn’t be. I am a huntress, and a fisherwoman– I eat organic, free-range meat and I have chosen to take charge of my own health instead of trusting the government to keep me safe. Keep fighting the good fight, Vani— because information is power! Also, much love to the Foodbabe Army– we’re all in this together and I wish you all the best health and happiness.
Hi Vani. Although I agree with you on most topics and am grateful most of the information you post. However I can’t agree with you endorsing dairy of any kind. Not only is it wrong for human beings to continue to drink breast milk past infancy, it is doubly wrong to drink it from another species. We are not meant to consume dairy products. The animal agriculture industry is also doing a great deal of harm to the planet and for that reason I don not support the consumption of animal products. Please watch the recent film called “Cowspiracy” and please start to encourage people to adopt a vegan lifestyle for the animals, for the planet and for their health. Thank you for all that you do!
Thank you for all that you do, Vani.
Epigenetic science demonstrates that only Blood Type B can safely use dairy; except Blood Type specific cheeses and yogurt ,and that product needs to contain Blood Type Specific beneficial bacteria. Butter is best turned into Ghee, becoming a wonderful source of gut healing butyric acid.
Most sour cream is chemically soured. Commercial “Sour Dough”, is a joke, a bad joke, often simply adding some white vinegar to achieve the sour taste.
There is literally no healthy wheat left. In New Brunswick, Canada, Speerville Mills supports the farming of Organic heritage 1700’s Acadian Wheat. I have had folks able to tolerate it as well as they did Organic Spelt.
” One man’s medicine is another man’s poison.”
Almond milk tastes good, is healthful, is low-calorie, and doesn’t hurt animals because it has no animal products in it. That’s the only milk I use now.
Vani,
This entire subject gets my blood boiling so much that I just want to shake everybody and knock a little sense into them. You provide good info on commercially produced milk vs. organic, simply stated: organic is always better. What I really have a problem with is that while you are such a health nut, you have completely ignored the benefits of goats milk over cows milk. In fact, cows milk, in any form is not good for human consumption. Most of the world except us use goats for dairy and meat, that says something in itself. The ONLY reason that cows are used in dairy production is because of the sheer volume that each animal can produce. It can take up to 8 hours to digest cows milk while goats milk will digest in about 2o minutes. It is the closest thing to human milk there is, that is why our bodies accept it so easily. It also contains no lactose at all and naturally alkalinates our system. Unfortunately, most goats milk that is available on store shelves, if you can find it, tastes like crap. Fresh and raw is the key. We have been fortunate enough to keep dairy goats for the past 7 years and I, as a milk lover, am in heaven. It is sweeter and creamier than any other milk I have ever had. Add to that, I know what goes in them, so I am completely confident with what comes out of them. If kept well refrigerated, it lasts for a good week before it begins to taste “goaty”. I used to come home from work and grab a cold beer, now I come home and have an ice cold mug of fresh milk (the beer comes later). I swear that I can feel it almost immediately revitalizing the tired, worn out cells in my body.
I am not dumb enough to think that everyone should have goats, but their popularity has been on the rise and one does not usually have to look too far to find someone that has goats or a goat dairy that sells fresh raw milk.
I would love it if you were to do a piece on the benefits of goats milk and help educate the health conscience folks. Candidly ask pediatricians what they think of it, every parent should.
Jeez Jeff, if cows milk is not good for human consumption, why are there millions of gallons consumed every year???? Humans have been drinking it for centuries.
Not really Tom, as I stated, goats are far more widely used throughout the rest of the world outside the US., have been for centuries. The dairy industry is huge and again, like I stated, they are used for the volumes they produce. Can you think of any animal that might produce more? Your first question kind of stunned me for a moment, perhaps it would be better put as: “If all the chemicals and drugs in our commercially produced foods are not good for human consumption, why are tons of them consumed every year?” Same answer, it has been pushed on you by someone else for the sake of a buck.
Thats my point Jeff. Milk IS good for you. And your food is NOT full of chemicals.
Goats are popular in some parts of the world because that’s all the climate will support. They are not FAR more widely used, only in 3rd world countries. USA, Canada, Europe, Austrailia, New Zealand, and others have big numbers of dairy cows. Even Saudi Arabia has big dairies. Nothing wrong with goats and goat milk, but let’s not distort the facts to promote your agenda.
Ah but foods are full of chemicals, especially processed foods, just check the ingredient list, many are near unpronounceable. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good piece of beef and am not against the industry. I am not a fan of the lobbied control of the Dairy Association and their influence over the Dept. of Agriculture in pushing their agenda. Milk is liquid food that nature intended for infants, some of us retain a desire or taste for the food for the rest of our lives. It just that by it’s chemical properties, goats milk is better suited for humans than is cows milk but you won’t see the Dairy Ass. allowing the Dept. of Ag. to advertise that fact.
Goats are popular in ALL parts of the world due to a number of reasons. They are easy to maintain and are far more adaptable to climate and terrain than most other livestock. We were blessed in this country with lots of wide open spaces full of grasses that are necessary to support lots of cattle which allowed for the growth of the industry. Industry techniques and feeding have evolved over the years, some for the better, some not.
I still won’t use organic store bought milk because it’s been PASTEURIZED boiled milk changes the good fat to bad fat ! a calf will die from boiled milk ! and you are told to not feed your baby cows milk, gee I wonder why ! heart disease increased since the 1900s and in the 1950s margarine was made to replace the bad butter ! and pasteurization saves big milk producers from throwing out the milk contaminated by blood , pus and feces. !
What a load of crap. Do you actually believe those statements you make?
First pasteurization is not boiling.
Second, milk is not contaminated by blood, pus and feces and pasteurized to clean it up. All milk is sampled before it leaves the farm. If a producer contaminates a truck load of milk, it is thrown away and the farmer pays for it….big bucks. Big incentive to have clean milk. Pasteurization only happens after it reaches the processor.
I never go to starbucks, hell I never drink coffee. I met a friend there last night and ordered a chai tea latte. I’m sure there were plenty of natural flavors ie additives just in the chai but then the milk is as bad and worse. I knew they didn’t offer organic milk but I asked anyways to see the reaction. No the cashier said after asking a coworker. I settled for soy.
Goat milk is the universal milk replacement for animals whose mothers are dry. Cows’ milk will kill deer, elk and llama, and most other baby mammals. My husband brought a triplet (doomed) white tail deer in the house and fed her goat milk in a bottle. Deer are elderly at 8 years. Cricket lived to be 19 and looked gorgeous when she died (no teeth).
If you use goat milk in morning coffee, you will not feel hungry until dinner time. It is an easy way to lose weight.
You can buy ultra-homogenized goat milk, one brand, all over the U S, and it comes in powdered form as well as liquid.
Goat milk is more nutritious.
A person who drove a dairy tanker truck says that a certain amount of flies was allowed, and that the places would just scoop the flies off the top, to accommodate the allowable amount. Can’t swear to his truthfulness – I wasn’t there.
In case you’re wondering, my husband owned an elk and deer sanctuary.