On your way to greater self-sufficiency,
you have purchased a dairy cow or goat. You should feel proud that you
are taking responsibility for your family's health and you are doing
what's right for the environment and the economy. However, I would
like to offer even more motivation for your daily trudges to the barn.
You may not be aware of the amazing array of health benefits that raw milk
offers.
The Darwin of
Nutrition
Weston A. Price,
known as the “Darwin of Nutrition”, was a dentist who wanted to understand
the increase in degeneration he was seeing in his dental practice –
crowded arches, cavities, crocked teeth. So, he took to the field (a man
after our own hearts). He traveled to isolated pockets of people, the
so-called “primitives” such as the Inuits, the Maori, South American
Indians, the Gaelics of the Outer Hebrides, the Aborigines, and the Swiss
in the Alpine villages.
On his travels he
found people who were relatively free of degenerative diseases and tooth
decay. They had straight teeth, strong bodies, easy reproduction, and
emotional stability. While living in such diverse locations, these
healthy people shared one thing in common: a traditional diet. A diet
free of refined or denatured food and full of animal protein, saturated
fats, and some raw animal products. Once a group of people abandoned the
traditional diet for a Western diet, the changes evident in one or two
generations was stunning – crowded teeth, narrow faces, and the onset of
“Western” diseases, including emotional ones.
Benefits of Raw Milk
Milk and dairy
products are some of the raw animal products that are consumed. Here are
some of the benefits of raw milk that you can think about as you milk the
cow at 5 AM. Raw milk contains:
-
All twenty standard amino
acids – a complete protein.
-
Anti-microbial molecules
such as Lactoferrin, Lysozyme, and lactoperoxidase.
-
Lactic acid, which boosts
the absorption of calcium, phosphorus, and iron and makes protein more
digestible.
-
CLA – an Omega 6 fatty acid
that stokes metabolism, helps eliminate abdominal fat, increases muscle
growth, reduces insulin resistance, boosts the immune system, decreases
food allergy reactions, and has anticancer properties.
-
All of the vitamins,
including, of course, calcium. It also contains the proper balance
of calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium for best absorption.
-
Cholesterol; yes, we do
need cholesterol, especially for the production of hormones.
-
Beneficial
bacteria that suppress the bad bacteria in the milk and in our guts.
-
Nearly fifty percent of the
calories in raw milk are from butterfat. Yum. Butterfat contains higher
amounts of vitamins A and D, which are necessary for the assimilation of
calcium and protein. The fatty acids in butterfat also help to stimulate
the immune system and contain lipids which prevent intestinal distress.
-
Raw
milk doesn't contain additives, unlike the coloring in typical butter, the
bioengineered enzymes in mass cheese production, and the neurotoxic amino
acids in skim milk.
The Problems with
Commercial Milk
So what's the big
problem with typical commercial milk? Here are the facts you can share
with your well-meaning relatives who are appalled by the idea of drinking
milk straight from the cow. It's a long list, so hold on. Pasteurization
kills enzymes, diminishes vitamins, denatures milk protein, destroys
vitamins C, B12, and B6, kills good bacteria, promotes pathogens, leads to
growth problems in children, and increases the likelihood of allergies,
osteoporosis, arthritis, heart disease, and
cancer. Many calves that are fed pasteurized milk die before maturity. Whew. No wonder milk has been getting such a bad rap lately.
However, it's the pasteurization and the homogenization that's the real
problem.
Homogenization has
been linked to heart disease. When fat globules are broken up
mechanically, an enzyme known as xanthine oxidase is released and
penetrates the intestinal walls. Once xanthine oxidase reaches the
bloodstream, it is capable of creating scar damage in the heart and
arteries. This, in turn, causes the body to release cholesterol into
the blood in an attempt to cover the scar with fatty material. Thus, the
likelihood of arteriosclerosis developing.
