Written by Eric Wilson, Personal Trainer @ O2 Fitness Cary
Raw Milk has gotten a horrible reputation in recent years. From people saying it has too much fat and too many calories to people saying that it can kill you in one sip. Yet we need to look beyond the rumors and instead look at the facts when it comes to our health.
First lets talk about what happens to a glass of skim milk before you drink it:
If it comes from a conventional dairy cow, it is raised in an overcrowded living area eating GMO soy and corn feed, instead of grass like cows are meant to eat. This puts strain on the cows immune system and liver function, and when you have many cows with compromised immune system in tight quarters, if one gets sick, they all get sick and because of this, they are loaded up with antibiotics. To make sure the cows are producing as much milk as possible, they are injected with hormones and put through specialized breeding methods that produce cows with abnormally large pituitary glands.
Now once this unhealthy cow starts producing the milk, it is then taken to be pasteurized, which kills all enzymes and bacteria in the milk, such as lactase and phosphatase to help with the assimilation of calcium. After all the enzymes are removed, it is then homogonized, which separates the butterfat out of the milk. The butterfat contains fat soluble vitamins such as A and D, as well as many anti-carcinogenic properties. Since most of the vitamins are taken out of the milk during these processes, they add them back in in their synthetic versions, which can be toxic to our livers.
Without the fat in the milk anymore, the body cannot absorb the vitamins and nutrients in the water portion of the milk thus rendering it useless. To get 1% or 2% milk, dried powdered milk is added back into the mix. This powder contains a different form of cholesterol than what is in raw milk, and wreaks havoc on the body, instead of having the many health benefits of the good cholesterol in raw milk.
The milk is then placed in a plastic jug which have been known to leak BPA and other chemicals into the milk, and is then stored on the shelf for several weeks. When you look at the facts, it doesn't seem that conventionally raised milk really is that healthy for you.
Raw milk has gotten a very bad rap, and has been made illegal in many states now, for no other reason than a misunderstanding. Raw milk naturally has lactic acid based bacteria that buffers the bad bacteria. When the cows are raised properly, fed a diet of fresh organic grass, and allowed to roam free and happy, the milk is very beneficial for us. There can always be variants in the milk, so if you are looking to buy, make sure it is from a very good source, that is completely organic and practices healthy and humane breeding and milking methods.
For more information on raw milk, take a look at www.raw-milk-facts.com
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