The Nourisher - Editor’s Blog

Many modern nutritionists say that humans shouldn’t drink milk, that we are the only mammal who drinks milk after weaning and the only mammal who drinks the milk of other mammals. Milk has been linked to acne, allergies, asthma, obesity, heart disease and cancer. It’s enough to put you off for life, even if it does taste like heaven.

Humans, however, have been herding ruminants for millenia. “Thirty thousand years ago, people in the High Sinai were confining and breeding antelope with the aid of fences, a human invention arguably as important as the spear,” writes Joann Grohman in Keeping A Family Cow. Humans have herded and milked all manner of ruminants including sheep, goats, horses, yaks, llamas, asses, buffalo, camels, reindeer and cows on each continent of the globe. How is it that we now suffer illness from consuming the foods created by our generous friends?

The answer, in short, is pasteurisation (Australian spelling). This process was devised by Louis Pasteur, in the days when science believed evil spirits caused disease. They called these evil spirits germs and they believed we could rid society of illness with cleansing rituals such as pasteurisation.

They were right, to a degree.

Animal husbandry had become so degraded that the milk from the poor creatures herded into filthy compounds in the cities and fed slops from whiskey distilling was weak at best, disease ridden at worst. At the turn of the 20th century, a public health crisis was brewing. With tuberculosis, diarrohoea, scarlet and undulant fever rapidly spreading, something had to be done. But rather than ensure that cows were treated properly and allowed to roam on grass with plenty of room and proper food, authorities decided to use pasteurisation to kill any pathogens that may be in the milk. It worked, but milk has never been the same, gone are the wonderful health giving properties that raw milk has in abundance.

Nowadays, the hell that is a factory farm, is where most milk comes from. This milk will make you sick, not only because the animals are fed unnatural feed and treated with hormones and antibiotics, but also because it is pasteurised.

What does Pasteurisation do?

Milk is heated, while under pressure, to temperatures above 72 deg C (161 deg F) for 15 seconds supposedly killing all pathogenic bacteria. In addition, pasteurisation:

• gives the milk a longer shelf life
• permits longer shipping (raw milk will turn sour with too much handling)
• allows unscrupulous farmers to be lax with cow health and milk handling
• enables dairy corporations to control the milk supply

Pasteurising milk:

• destroys folic acid, vitamins B2, B12 and two thirds of the Vitamin A as well as Vitamin C (cows produce more vitamin C than citrus crops but most is destroyed by pasteurisation),
• inactivates the enzymes required to absorb fats (lipase), carbohydrates (lactase digests lactose) and calcium (phosphotase),
• oxidizes cholesterol
• alters milk proteins and
• damages omega-3 fats.

Pasteurisation does not guarantee a clean milk supply. “Outbreaks of food-borne illness caused by salmonella and other pathogens have risen steadily since paseurization became standard. The reasons aren’t well understood but salmonella and E. coli thrive under the conditions typical in factory farms…When raw milk was the norm, these threats were less common” says Nina Planck in “Real Food: What to eat and why” (soon to be reviewed).

What’s so good about drinking raw milk?

Apart from folic acid, Vitamin B2, B12, Vitamin A and Vitamin C, raw milk contains

• mystoleic acid (especially in the butter) which fights pancreatic cancer and arthritis,
• beneficial bacteria, which live in our intestines and boost immunity as well as digestion (these bacteria also eliminate harmful bacteria)
• enzymes without which the milk is all but indigestible (your body may make them, but much effort is required to do so), undigested milk solids cause havoc in the bowel causing leaky gut and allergic disorders
• Wulzen factor - a cortisone like agent which combats arthritis, arteriosclerosis and catarcts.

When cows are grass fed, the fat in their milk is ideal for humans.

So what does this mean? What is raw milk good for?

Growth

Children of most cultures have always been fed milk, straight from the animal, sweet and raw. Adults can easily sour it using cultures like kefir and piima or just leaving it out at room temperature. Since most children stop producing enzymes to digest raw milk at around 4 years, non-industrialised people feed adults soured milk as clabber, yoghurt and cheese. Although adults can still consume milk sweet, it is with more difficulty and the multiplicity of benefits from consuming soured milk are missed.

Raw milk is a wonderful source of protein which comes along with B6, enzymes and adequate fat to help digest and assimilate it. Calcium is more available in raw milk, which makes for strong and compact bones and teeth. Bernarr Macfadden, was a body builder in the very early part of the 20th century. He became famous for his rippling body that stayed strong into his elder years. He attributed his form to raw milk of which he consumed between 1 and 3 litres each day.

Bones

While pasteurising milk renders most of its Calcium undigestible, raw milk’s Calcium is still very much available. Milk also has its full contingent of fat soluble vitamins and Activator X, which helps the assimilation of minerals.

Fat loss

“Recent studies show that people who consume more milk, yogurt and cheese lose fat (especially belly fat) and gain lean muscle.” says Nina Planck. Raw milk’s ability to prevent obesity seems to stem from its Calcium, CLA and omega-3.

Bowel Function

Since Raw milk has its own bacteria (the very same bacteria that lives in our gut), other less beneficial bacteria are literally chased down and killed by our little buddies. Thus beneficially bacteria, make it to your bowel and dangerous bacteria are left to play on their own. Enzymes also aid in digestion, not only of the milk, but since the pancreas and liver need not work so hard creating enzymes, there is energy to deal with other jobs.

Cancer Preventative

Along with these other wonderful ingredients, raw milk has another addition which helps the human immune system fight cancer and heart disease. CLA or Conjugated Linoleic Acid is a super fat which prevents these two modern diseases, aids weight loss and builds lean muscle. CLA is destroyed by pasteurisation.

Beauty

By drinking raw milk, I have enjoyed fat loss, toning of musculature without increasing exercise, strenghthening and whitening of teeth, darkening of lips, softening of skin (husband has enjoyed this benefit also) and increased energy. My daughter had healed enamel on teeth that were damaged from drinking soy milk. My eldest son has controlled asthma and reduced dark rings under his eyes somewhat using raw milk and Cod Liver Oil.

Lifestyle

Probably the most important benefit of raw milk is it’s incompatibility with corporate culture. You simply can not control large milk supplies without pasteurisation. Really the only way for us to get raw milk is for it to be supplied locally. There are uncountable benefits of eating locally as the slow food movement purports, least of which is, knowing where your milk is coming from. The farmer I get my milk from is keen to set up a herd share, here in Byron. I visit his farm regularly and am getting to know his herd well. I know, they are strong and well. They feed only on grass, which is free of fertilizers and pesticides, except when they are being milked when they are fed grain. They are never given antibiotics, there is no need, they are too well. And my farmer friend loves them. That’s all I need to know.

I wish this experience for all Australians. Starting with my fellow Byronites, I will do my best to help create herd shares for farmers markets all over the country.

About the Author...

Joanne Hay, Editor of Nourished Magazine, Chief Nourisher and Mother of three is very grateful to live in Byron Bay and be able to share all she has learned about Nourishment. She has trained as an Acupuncturist (unfinished), Kinesiologist (finished) and parent (never finished). She serves the Weston A Price Foundation as a chapter leader. She loves sauerkraut, kangaroo tail stew, home made ice cream, her husband Wes and her kids Isaiah, Brynn and Ronin (in no particular order…well maybe ice cream first).