Yesterday's post focused on my attempt to help you define and identify nourishing, nutrient-dense foods. We looked at refined salt vs. unrefined salt and flour vs. sprouted whole wheat flour (with the unrefined and sprouted foods coming out on top nutritionally). Then I realized, as I wrote yesterday's post, that there were more than just a small handful of foods to talk about....and giving you one or two examples ended up leaving some pretty key foods and food groups in the dark.
Onward ho!
Milk
Take a DEEEEEEP breath. Now exhale. Good. Now that you're in a calm state, let's talk about this hotbed issue. It seems like every day brings a new article about the benefits/risks of raw milk. Today's New York Time OpEd piece is just one of hundreds popping up across the nation (and spilling over the border into Canada where raw milk discussions have reached a fever pitch thanks to a recent court case).
I live in a state where the sale and purchase of raw milk is legal. In spite of the fact that Whole Foods recently decided against the sale of raw milk in its stores, nationwide, I can fairly easily get my hands on the stuff at any local farmer's market, milk co-op, or CSA program (btw, the decision by Whole Foods to stop selling raw milk wasn't due to a sudden bacteria outbreak or illness...it was simply because the insurance company Whole Foods uses would not cover liabilities for raw milk). I do have raw milk in my home. I do drink it from time-to-time. My kids do as well although M isn't a milk fan so she mostly gets hers in various foods and Z gets hers, warmed, in a bottle.
Now let's get down to business. Milk has been a contentious topic well before raw milk pushed its way to the headlines. Many folks decry milk as the reason for a laundry list of illnesses including, but not limited to, skin conditions, behavioral issues, auto-immune diseases, heart disease, and much more. But just as many would like to point out that many of these illnesses are the direct result of pasteurization. Here's the deal: when milk is pasteurized, it is cleansed of a huge number of good bacteria. But wait! you say...what about the "bad" bacteria? I mean, doesn't it also remove the bad stuff? Well...yes and no. You see...
....Pasteurization was instituted in the 20s to combat TB, infant diarrhea, undulant fever, and many other diseases caused by poor animal nutrition and dirty production methods. Nowadays, modern stainless steel tanks, milking machines, refrigerated trucks, and strict inspection methods make pasteurization virtually unnecessary. Raw dairy farms in states where the sale of raw dairy is legal undergo continuous, rigorous inspections by the FDA...much more rigorous that those at a regular dairy. These dairies are kept spotless and the cattle are almost 100% grass-fed. Many of the cows are the smaller Jersey or Guernsey breeds, an older breed of cattle popular on small farms across the nation before milk production moved into the factories. Most large-scale dairies use Holsteins...a breed that produces a lot more milk but of a lower quality. The "heirloom" breeds tend to produce creamier, more flavorful milk. I can attest to this...we get our milk from a dairy that raises Jerseys...I have NEVER liked milk but this shit is good: sweet, creamy, nothing like the stuff I drank out of the carton as a kid.
I digress. Back to pasteurization. As I mentioned before, pasteurization was an important tool to help combat the ills of poor dairy hygiene and poorly fed cattle. It served its purpose and likely saved the lives of many young children and immune-compromised adults. But did you know pasteurization destroys more than just good tummy bugs? It also destroys enzymes, reduces vitamin content (gee, where have we heard this before?), strips fragile milk proteins, is associated with allergies, increased tooth decay, infant colic, arthritis, heart disease, cancer, and actually PROMOTES pathogens (say what?!).
Let me explain...when you strip the good enzymes and bacteria out of milk, any bad bacteria that wasn't removed during the pasteurization process (and yes, many bad bacteria do make it through) are left to easily conquer the host (you) without having to duke it out with the good stuff that would normally act as a protective shield for your body. This statement warrants repeating: pasteurization kills off the good bacteria so you are more vulnerable to food-borne illnesses caused by any bad bacteria that make it through. This isn't to say people don't get sick from raw milk. They do. The fact is, no food out there is 100% safe. Remember the big spinach recall? Or peanut butter? How about the more recent pepper recall? By all means, take a little walk on the wild side and check out the recalls of the past year. Eating is a risk we take every day. And frankly, I believe we are more likely to become ill from our own flawed home food-prep methods (salmonella from chicken anyone? E. Coli from poorly washed scallions?) or large factories than we are from food we purchased from a small, quality organic farm with rigorous standards.
Here's another little known fact....when pasteurized milk goes "off", it rots and should absolutely not be consumed. When raw milk goes "off" it simply sours....first turning to buttermilk, then to sour cream, then yogurt, and on. Yes, you can use it long after the pull date has passed. And I have. I made some delicious buttermilk pancakes from soured raw milk.
I have spent a huge amount of time talking about pasteurization and why folks should not be so concerned about raw milk. But I have barely touched on the health benefits associated with raw milk. I actually am going to step away from the podium and strongly encourage you to take a peek here and here. Both these sites list, very eloquently and in huge detail (but not so much you will fall asleep reading it), the benefits of raw milk.
So should you personally run out and buy raw milk? It depends. Is it legal in your state/country? If not, are you willing to do your homework and find a local dairy with an excellent track record? Because in states where the sale of raw milk is illegal for human consumption, dairies who find loopholes are not being monitored by the government regulators...so you gotta hope they are being as careful as possible. Then again, keep in mind these folks also make their living off of selling raw milk...and one sick customer could potentially put them out of business permanently. Are you pregnant or do you have a child under the age of one (some feel it's too risky to drink raw milk when pregnant or very young...others don't)? Are you lactose intolerant (and if so, run, don't walk, to the nearest raw milk source and please give it a try...folks who can't manage dairy are shocked to find they can easily drink raw milk)? Whatever you decide, do your homework so you can feel as comfortable with your choices as possible (and no, this blog post doesn't count as having done your homework. I'm just scratching the surface of raw vs. pastuerized milk here...you did note the "for dummies" part of the title, right?)
I was drawn to raw milk because I like the taste. I found out about the health benefits after the fact. At my house, most of our milk is warmed prior to drinking/consuming. We simply like it that way. Therefore it's not in its purest state. Some would say this is further protecting my family from the possibility of food borne illness (since warming the milk is, essentially, a form of mild pasteurization). Who knows. All I can say is it tastes great and we feel fine.
For the record, and in case you hadn't figured it out, raw milk = nourishing, nutrient dense food.
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