Milk, the healthiest choice

Like bread, milk has become for many, a household staple.  Is milk healthy?  Well this is a topic that sparks controversy amongst health practitioners.  Many natural health practitioners place milk in the ‘avoid at all costs’ category.  Where as mainstream medicine would have us believe that without milk, our bones will simply crumble. Just to make the consumer more confused is the endless types of milk available these days – all trying to outdo one another with bold marketing and health claims.  So once again, I’ll give you some facts, my opinion for what it’s worth and you can decide for yourself!

As always when considering the nutritional worth of a food, I simply go back to my philosophy of eating as close to the natural source as possible.  Or to put it another way,  is this something my grandmothers, grandmother may have consumed?  Well yes, she would have consumed milk, just not in the form it’s generally found today and certainly not in the quantities it’s consumed in today.

So should you drink milk?  In short, unless you’re lactose intolerant, a little is not the end of the world.  Once again, moderation is the key and choosing the best possible type is critical.  Now read on, here is where it gets interesting.  What is the healthiest milk to buy, I hear you all scream!

How milk has changed
Well my grandmothers, grandmother would have drunk raw milk, in little glass bottles with a lovely layer of cream on top.  So what has changed?  An awful lot!  I won’t bore you with a long history lesson, but it is important you understand very basically what happens in the many processes that occur between the cow and the supermarket.

1) Pasteurisation – is a process where milk is heated to kill bacteria.  Not only the bacteria present due to the contamination of the milk in processing, but also the friendly bacteria present naturally in cows milk is eliminated.  The many vitamins, minerals and enzymes found in milk are also dramatically diminished or completely destroyed.  This is why it is necessary to fortify milk.  Like grains, milk has become yet another victim of the industrialisation of our food chain.  Unless you drink raw milk, all milk in Australia is pasteurised (or ultra pasteurised which means even more processed, and even less nutrition).

2) Homogenisation – is the process that breaks up the fat globules in the cream that is naturally found in milk.  It basically stops the cream from rising to the top.  Research suggests a possible link between homogenisation and the development of heart disease.

3) A2 milk – has a higher concentration of A2 beta casein protein (which has some ambiguous health claims).  When I consider A2 milk, my head screams what a clever ‘point of difference’ marketing tool.  But again, the voice is yours.  The organic raw milk I drink is from a 100% Jersey herd, so technically it should naturally contain mostly A2 beta casein proteins.

5) Permeate free – sounds good, but is it?  Another marketing gimmick perhaps?  This is another case of processing something out of a product, only to add it back in.  Read this link to make your mind up on permeate.

4) Half fat, low fat, no fat – processed, processed and even more processed!  These products are as far away from nature as it gets.  If you are concerned about the fat in dairy, then read this article on why you need to avoid low fat dairy.

5) You beaut fortified, added calcium, vitamin D, and any other fashionable nutrients – oh I’m so cynical!  See my post on grains to understand where I’m coming from with fortification.

6) Organic milk – generally comes from humanely raised, healthy cows that are not kept in overcrowded confinement, hooked up to milking machines for much of their (subsequently short) life.  Organically raised dairy cows, should be pasture raised (you need to check this though) and they are not exposed to a variety of medications, including hormones and antibiotics.  These toxins do transfer into the milk cows produce (we are, after all at the top of the food chain so we inadvertently consume much more than we bargain for)!  I’ll get off my high horse now!

So what to choose?
I can’t make that decision for you, but here are my personal preferences for the best milk to drink:

1) Organic raw milk is at the top of my list as it is as close to ‘the source’ as you can get (it is not pasteurised or homogenised).  However, it is not legal to sell raw milk in Australia (the politics of this are complicated so I won’t diverge).  But it is quite legal to buy it and it can be sourced in many health shops as ‘Not-for human consumption, bath or cosmetic milk!’  Also many dairy’s offer ‘herd share’ raw milk.  My family has for many years consumed nothing but raw milk.  If you are intolerant to regular milk, try it raw as it is much more digestible.  For more on the health benefits and safety of raw milk see here.  Once again, this is my opinion and personal preference only.  You should make an informed decision about what is best for you and yours.

PS – I think it absurd that it is legal to sell alcohol and cigarettes but not raw milk!!!  Can you see the irony?

2) Organic, un-homogenised milk is what I buy if I can’t source raw milk. There is at least one type of organic milk at the supermarket (last I checked), that is not homogenised.  Most health shops sell a variety of un-homogenised milk.  If milk features in your diet, and raw milk doesn’t appeal, then this is your next best choice.

One last thing for parents…
I just need to add that I see so many children consuming large quantities of milk and their parents are frustrated by their poor eating habits.  Milk is not a complete food and should not be treated as one.  Large volumes of milk fill little tummies leaving no room (or desire) for other nutritious foods.  I believe giving your children large volumes of any type of milk is counter-productive to good health.

I hope I have sparked some questions or at least a little controversy?  Please, comment and ask questions below and I’ll do my best to answer.

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My kitten just can’t resist this real raw milk.  She just had to make her way into the shot!

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