Milk and Dairy Products Milk and other dairy products from pasture raised cows, sheep and goats are very healthy, life giving, and absolutely loaded with benefits. It should be fermented, however, to get the true benefits of it. Aside from providing an abundance of nutrition, milk products furnish our bodies with the ever important lactobacilli, which is a good bacteria that supplies the intestinal tract with friendly flora, helps digestion and increases vitamin levels in food. The process of fermenting, or culturing milk gives us the pleasant sourness of buttermilk (for which we make buttermilk biscuits, pancakes, breads, etc.); heavenly butter; delicious yogurt for cereals and smoothies; cream for gravies, soups, ice cream, whipped topping, and other desserts; whey for preserving and enhancing nutrition content in veggies and fruits; and of course, cheese, glorious cheese! Learn to eat yogurt on cereal instead of milk. The milk sugar and milk protein are broken down in the yogurt making process and are easily digested while nourishing the intestines with lots of beneficial bacteria. This good bacteria enhances the immune system and prevents frequent illnesses. It is also better suited for people with lactose intolerance. Avoid pasteurized milk! Pasteurization is the process of heating milk to destroy bacteria. However, don't be misled into thinking it's necessarily safer for you than raw milk. It used to be illegal in the United States to sell pasteurized milk, but large milk industries lobbying the govenment wanted control of all milk sales in the country and were successful in pushing their agenda, stating that milk needed to be pasteurized in order to be safe. Pastuerizing is not cost effective for small dairy operations, so many had to sell out. Interestingly, all salmonella outbreaks in the past few decades have come from contaminated pasteurized milk. Raw milk containing lactobacilli protects against pathogens. Pasteurizing kills these beneficial bacteria. It also alters milk's amino acids preventing protein and mineral availability, promotes rancidity of the fatty acids, destroys vitamins, and the natural enzymes already present in the milk, while putting unnecessary stress on the pancreas to produce its own enzymes to digest it. After pasteurization, chemicals may be added to suppress odor and restore taste. Vit D2 is toxic and has been liked to heart disease, Vit D3 is hard to absorb. Raw milk turns pleasantly sour over time, while pasteurized milk putrefies! Avoid homogenized milk! Homogenization forces the fat molecules in the milk through tiny openings, breaking the big fat globules into smaller ones which causes them to remain suspended in the milk rather that float to the top the way God designed. Here's a shocking fact: the modern cow is a freak of nature. A century ago, cows produced two or three gallons a day. Today they give 6 to 12 gallons. This is due to selective breeding and high protein feed. As a result they are prone to many diseases and almost always secrete pus in to their milk requiring more antibiotics. High protein feed in cows contributes to mastitis, liver problems, sterility, and early death in cows. Do you really want storebought milk and milk products?
What to do: Seek out fresh raw milk from local dairy farms or farmer's markets. Make your own butter and buttermilk, cream, whey, yogurt and cheese. It's very easy and inexpensive!