". . . a land that floweth with MILK and honey"
| Main Considerations when buying milk and milk products | Comments |
|---|---|
| (1) Raw or Processed? | Raw (Unprocessed), pasteurized (low-heat, HTST, Ultrapasteurized), homogenized, high or low fat? Choices of pasteurized milk |
| (2) Organic or not? | Animals' food should be non-GMO and uncontaminated
by pesticides or herbicides; Animals should not be routinely treated to increase milk production with antibiotics or synthetic hormones (E.g. rBGH ); NON-organic butter is particularly high in pesticides - because it is highly concentrated milk. GM Foods -How to avoid Genetically Modified Foods |
| (3) From grass (or hay)-fed or grain-fed animals? | Choose dairy products from cows/goats/ sheep or buffalo whose food is mainly grass or hay, not grain |
| (4) From A1 or A2 beta-casein milk-producing animals? | Some people have serious inflammatory problems consuming milk from cows that produce A1 beta-casein in their milk (mainly Holstein-Fresians cows, 90% of U.S. milk) and should drink A2-betacasein milk from most Jersey/Guernsey cows, goats or buffalo. Milk - A1 vs. A2 beta-casein |
The Best Choice is Whole, RAW Milk (or its products) from animals eating ORGANICALLY-grown GRASS, not given synthetic growth hormones or regular antibiotic treatments to increase milk production
Locate a raw milk source near you at Campaign for Real Milk.
Alternatively, use a low-heat processed pasteurized milk source (ideally organic, grass-fed)
Raw cheeses are sold in some U.S. stores - but you have to look for them (many are imported E.g. French Comte cheese is currently sold at Costco's (11/2018)
Grass fed cows produce milk that is nutritionally superior to grain-fed cows:
- Contains an impressive amino acid and immuno-supportive nutrient profile;
- Rich in healthy fats lipolic acid and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). Grassfed dairy products contain nearly 6 times more CLA than non-grassfed.
What does "Grass-fed" mean? Only that the cows have had SOME grass or hay and not necessarily that they have been outside or grazing. Milk companies usually disclose on their website how many days / year their milk-producing cows were grazing on pasture. Labeling is overseen by the FDA and currently (2022) is not very definitve regarding terms used. The American Grassfed Association (AGA) came up with a more informative, labeling standard for sellers of grassfed milk in December 2017, but still in voluntary use, since the FDA are slow to fix the labeling abuse.
Brands of ORGANIC Milk claiming to be pasture-raised or grassfed:
ORGANIC VALLEY® Organic "GRASSMILK". Cows have been 100% GRASS-FED (which can include organic pasture or hay, and a small amount of nutritional molasses, but NO GRAIN). From their website organicvalley.coop: "Pasture-raised dairy is a philosophy of farming practiced on all Organic Valley dairy farms, based on the core principle that cows should spend as much time outside as possible. This means farmers give their cows access to pasture every day they can during their grazing season, which is region- and weather-dependent but ranges from 120 days (the National Organic Program minimum) to 200 days a year. The only exceptions are during bad weather, excessive heat, or if a cow is breeding or not feeling well."
On the down-side, this milk is ultra-pasteurized and relatively expensive.
ORGANIC VALLEY® Organic "Pasture-Raised". Cows have received an average 55% fresh organic pasture grasses - eaten outdoors, plus organic dried forages and a small amount of grains. Cows spend an average 191 days / year (minimum 120 days) on pasture.
HORIZON® Organic " Grassfed". Graze on organic pasture for at least 150 days / year. The rest of the year they eat organic dried forages, grain and feed.
Horizon® Organic. Graze on organic pasture for at least 120 days / year. The rest of the year they eat organic dried forages, grain and feed.
Aurora® Organic. At least 30% of cow feed is from organic pasture during grazing
Natural by Nature® Organic GRASS-BASED. 7 of their farms are 100% grassfed, but the others feed some grain. Their suppliers are required to make pasture the main source of the cows'diet.
rBGH (Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone) is injected into dairy cows to artificially force a >10% increase in milk production. rBGH, also called rBST (Recombinant SOMATOtropin), sold as Posilac® (Monsanto sold this product to the pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly in 2008) is a synthetic, genetically modifed version of natural BGH / BST (a growth hormone, primarily released by a cow's pituitary gland; BGH regulates somatic growth and influences a cow's milk production).
- rBGH causes health problems/pain in cows. The E.U. Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare stated that rBST used in dairy cows produces reproductive disorders and substantially increases foot problems, mastitis and injection site reactions, painful and debilitating to the cows.
- rBGH is significantly correlated with increased cancer risk. rBGH milk contains higher levels of PUS, bacteria, and antibiotics, and substantially higher amounts of a potent cancer tumor promoter, called IGF-1.
The sale of Posilac® (rBGH) is illegal in virtually every developed country, except the U.S.!
Cultured / Fermented milk products. Skimmed or partially skimmed milk is soured by introducing a culture of lactic acid-producing bacteria and/or yeast. Dating back to around 10,000 B.C., this process extends the short "shelf-life" of milk, adds nutrients, especially probiotics, and enhances digestibility. In addition to cow and goat milk, non-dairy milks can also be cultured, including coconut, soy, and almond milk.
- Yogurt. Primarily cultured from cow's milk, and by definition must contain Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus
- Kefir. Described as "drinkable yogurt", it is made by introducing so-called kefir grains (small, spongy, symbiotic colonies of ~20% beneficial yeast and ~80% bacteria) into milk. Kefir has a high probiotic content (E.g. 10-20 billion CFU / 8 oz in Lifeway brand, but has high sugar content);
- Cheese. To have probiotic benefits, cheese must be AGED or made from RAW (unpasteurized) milk. A variety of over 2,000 hard and soft cheese are made using different levels and steps in the fermentation process, often named by their original place of production. Best choice is naturally fermented cheese (E.g. made by simply straining the moisture from sour cream or yogurt).
Raw milk cheese is still made in France, England, Switzerland and Greece from whole milk from pasture-fed cows. Look for words "milk" or "fresh milk" rather than "pasteurized milk" on the label.
Some probiotic-rich cheeses include: Cheddar, provolone, Edam, feta, Gouda, cream cheese, blue, Gruyere, Wensleydale, and goat.
- Sour Cream / Craime fraiche. Cream soured with a bacterial culture. Compared to sour cream, craime fraîche is less tangy and has a higher fat content (30% compared to 20% - curdles less in simmering soups or sauces) and being naturally thick, it does not contain added thickeners.
- Buttermilk / clabbered milk. Traditional buttermilk is the liquid left after churning butter or is the result of leaving fresh, unrefrigerated milk to be fermented naturally by its inherent wild-bacteria (called clabbered milk). Today buttermilk is typically cultured milk. Buttermilk tastes tart and is thicker than plain milk. Its acidity is utilized to make soda bread and marinate/tenderize meat.
Butter. Churned from cream; raw is preferred, otherwise choose organic butter from cows fed fast-growing grass. E.g. from Ireland (Kerrygold®), Denmark (Lurpak®) or New Zealand (Anchor®):
Cream. Raw is preferred, otherwise pasteurized (e.g. Butterworks®). Add cream liberally to soups, drinks, desserts to enhance body's utilization of water-soluble vitamins;
Creamiest Milk. Guernsey and Jersey cow milk is the creamiest and these breeds produce milk without inflammatory A1 beta-casein.
Add Sulfurated protein (E.g. cottage cheese, ricotta, yogurt) to fresh flax seed oil. Sulfurated protein mixed with flax oil makes the oil water-soluble and enhances utilization of its Omega-3 fat content.
- Choose Full or Low-fat (not no-fat) Cottage Cheese, Ricotta Cheese or Yogurt (Plain,without added sugar, with active cultures)
Dried Milk - "A recipe for heart disease". Dried milk contains artery-damaging oxidized (i.e. damaged) cholesterol. It is an ingredient in many products, such as low-fat cheese, cake mixes, cocoa mixes, candy bars, some baked goods.
Dried milk is usually added to low fat, 1% and 2% milk to improve flavor
Freezing Milk does not affect its nutritional value short-term. It does affect its consistency.
Use milk within 2 days once opened. Once opened, bacteria accumulate quickly in plastic bottles, so drink the entire bottle within a day or two.
| Ghee keeps without refrigeration AND has less pesticides |
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Made by gently heating butter to cause the water to boil off
and the protein milk solids to settle to the bottom. The cooked and
clarified butter fat is then strained from the milk solids.
DIRECTIONS: (1) Use 1/2-1 pound of unsalted butter (2) Simmer on low for a minimum of 20 minutes, allowing the water to evaporate and the fat to separate. (3) Allow unsalted butter to cool for 5-30 minutes. (4) Strain mixture through cheese cloth, or a mesh screen. (5) Place strained butter (ghee) in a glass jar. |
