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| A2 Cattle from Jordan Rubin's "Beyond Organic" Ranch |
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| Raw Cheddar Cheese Wheels made from healthy, Green-Finished TM cows! |
I was told by a naturopath to avoid gluten and dairy. NObody should be told these things in the same year, let alone in the same sentence! Some of you reading this are probably already gluten and/or dairy free eaters. Way to be! I mean that honestly. If you are able to satisfy your cravings without giving into or eating these two "food groups", then you are one step ahead of me. So, this is how I look at it. I am a foodie. There is really no getting around it. I LOVE FOOD. Until it affects me in an obvious way, I will push the envelope.
Dairy is a huge part of my food chain. So long as I have no health symptoms that are apparent from eating dairy, I will continue to do so. There are really only 2 schools of thought on cow dairy (you either think it's healthy or you don't) I have to say I have teetered on the fence over the last several years between the thought of whether it is healthy for us or not. I have read literature before that states cow milk is the closest to human milk in its properties. When our oldest was done nursing from me (and there are some people now stating that even breast milk can be unhealthy, ugh), I thought I was being a health guru (pre-internet) by giving her rice and soy based milk in lieu of cow's milk. (Excuse me for a moment, I need to go get some more cheese) So, after the invention of the internet, it has come to my attention that rice milk offers nothing truly nutritious in value, I really don't know why I ever thought it would? Soy milk is ok for those who don't have a history of breast cancer in their family, since it can disrupt hormones and cause some havoc. Soy does have a lot of protein. If you are of Asian descent, you are clear to drink it for the most part, it's a gene thing.
There's goat milk, almond milk, sheep milk, hemp milk, coconut milk and more. All of these contain better health qualities than soy and rice, but definitely possess different flavors than cow milk. So, what's the 'problem' with drinking cow milk? Well, to start with, it's the cow that's the problem.
Dr. Thomas Cowan (I am not making this up, there's something in a name)- has spent most of his career researching this debate on cows' milk- the cows' genetic make-up, how they are treated, fed, and how the milk is handled thereafter. In a nutshell here is the explanation on why most of the western world's cattle, including the United States are no good for most of us. They mostly hail from the A1 beta-casein gene pool (such as Holsteins). This is important to note because beta-casein also contains an amino acid called BCM-7, which is a powerful opiate linked to negative health effects such as diabetes 1, heart disease, auto-immune diseases, and more. Where as the A2 cows, from more ancient blood lines are more healthy and favorable. The A2 type cows (which the proteins are very close to sheep and goat's milk) are very rarely found in the U.S., but if you are lucky to find a farmer with Jersey cows, they are A2 type. You are even luckier if this farmer sells you the milk raw so you can reap its full benefits.
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| Jordan Rubin's pastures in Missouri |
Aside from the genetic make-up of the cows, it's how the cow eats that makes the milk healthy. A cow who eats primarily corn, soy, and sometimes fillers that are beyond natural, will not produce as healthy of a product milk-wise. Many Doctors and health experts agree that the healthiest cow's milk comes from cows who graze on greens from a healthy pasture. Dr. Cowan states confidently that, "Raw and cultured dairy products from healthy grass-fed cows are one of the healthiest foods people have ever eaten." Then there is the issue of how the milk is handled after the milking process. Dr. Cowan goes on to state that, "I do not recommend drinking pasteurized milk of any kind because the pasteurization process, which entails heating the milk to a temperature of 145 degrees to 150 degrees F and keeping it there for at least half an hour, completely changes the structure of the milk proteins into something far less than healthy." In other words, raw dairy products are much healthier. When we consider all these factors, it makes me believe that there IS a healthy cows' milk out there, I just haven't had it or it's products yet. I eat organic dairy products whenever I can find them, but they are still likely from A1 type cows and always pasteurized. Now that I know this it frustrates me. I had thought buying organic milk was a good thing!
What I have learned: I can still drink cow's milk and eat cheese, but I should be seeking out organic pasture raised, grass-finished, milk that is never heated above the cow's own body temperature during the completing process, which is considered "raw" dairy.
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| Jordan Rubin and his happy, healthy cows |
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