NaturalWay – Margit Slimáková

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Cow's milk

Over the years, cow’s milk has been both praised as the "the perfect food" and simultaneously challenged as the most common food allergen, the source of artery clogging high cholesterol. It has received negative reports because it is high in saturated fats and may increase the risk of juvenile diabetes. In reality, cholesterol is natural, normal and essential to find in our brain, liver, nerves, blood, indeed, every cell membrane. What about the cholesterol associated with cardiovascular diseases? Cholesterol, like so many other molecules, when heated and exposed to oxygen, could be damaged and takes on the unwanted ability to harm arterial linings and pile up in flow-clogging plaques. The problem therefore is not cholesterol in natural food but by oxidation damaged cholesterol from highly processed food. Unfortunately this is exactly the form of cholesterol that is being consumed by the majority of the western population. Oxidized cholesterol is present wherever animal products have been overheated in the cooking process and modern diets are loaded with such processed foods. It is now also accepted that cholesterol could work as one of the body’s repair substances. When we eat artery damaging foods like hydrogenated and trans-fat laden vegetable oils, excess refined sugar, white flour, and, of course, over-cooked animal products, 'good' cholesterol levels could rise in response to the assault, attempting to moderate the damage.

Milk and dairy products are rich sources of calcium, vitamin B12, vitamin D and proteins, but the majority of the world’s population is doing great without consuming milk. Seventy-five percent of the world's population has problems digesting milk; they are lactase deficient and do not have a history of dairy consumption. Dairy products are also one of the leading causes of food allergies and food sensitivities. Infants who react to milk also have a greater likelihood of developing allergies to other foods. Undiagnosed milk allergies may even be the underlying problem behind asthma. In addition to asthma and eczema, an underlying milk allergy may manifest as bronchitis, sinusitis, autoimmune disorders, frequent colds and ear infections and even behavioral problems. Therefore a prime consideration for those with asthma or other unexplained chronic health problems should be the identification and elimination of allergens in foods and in the environment. Although any food is suspect, the ones most likely to trigger asthma are dairy products, eggs, wheat, and corn. Furthermore in all respiratory conditions, mucous-forming dairy foods, such as milk and cheese, can worsen the condition and should be avoided.

Several studies have linked cow’s milk to diabetes in children. Something in milk (possibly bovine serum albumin) may cause an immune reaction in diabetic children leading to the destruction of the body's insulin-producing cells. Breast-fed infants who are not fed cow's milk seem to have a lower incidence of juvenile diabetes.

The necessity to consume milk is oft explained by its calcium content and milk is advertised as the most important source of protection against osteoporosis. In reality North America has one of the highest consumptions of dairy products, and also the highest incidence of osteoporosis, a disease of brittle bones formed through the loss of calcium. That’s because regardless of how much calcium you take in, the amount your body can actually absorb and retain matters more and this depends on a whole range of various factors from your overall diet, the amount of meats or sweets consumed, amount of time in the sun, if you exercise and how, your consumption of soft drinks and so on.

The healthiest dairy products are those fermented because of its live bacterial enzyme cultures that foster a healthy colon and provide many benefits for the whole organism. The culturing process also makes yogurt and other fermented dairy products more digestible than milk because the probiotics create lactase, the enzyme lactose-intolerant people lack. Be aware that some yogurts could be pasteurized again after the fermentation process. This practice kills the beneficial probiotics and decreases the health benefits of fermented milk products.

When deciding to drink milk or not to drink milk, take into consideration the age of the individual as well as his/her health condition. I would not recommend regular consumption of milk and dairy products in the usual quality offered in the stores today.  Most importantly, milk is not for children under a year old, for individuals with family history of serious allergies, asthma or other chronic health problems. When deciding what sort of milk and dairy, whenever possible choose whole, unprocessed foods, free from pasteurization, homogenization and genetic manipulation. The pasteurization kills all the beneficial microorganisms, and homogenization artificially modifies dairy fats in a way that ultimately harms the human cardiovascular system when consumed. Processed "mainstream" milk is also taken from dairy cows pumped up with antibiotics, rBGH (Bovine Growth Hormone, in the USA) and usually treated very poorly in terms of ethics. Processed cow's milk is great for corporate profits, and that's why milk continues to be so heavily marketed as a nutritional beverage. The dairy industry has even managed to strongly influence the USDA in their latest dietary recommendations which essentially recommends that everyone drinks milk. What is so good about raw milk? Because it is not homogenized or pasteurized, it is nutritionally superior to highly processed milk and is the real healthy food. Raw milk seems to be far easier to digest, its consumers are reporting many health benefits from its consumption; it contains living bacteria cultures that enhance digestion and even seems not to trigger an allergic reaction. It's no surprise that raw milk is under attack by the processed milk industry. The dairy industry is not able to achieve conditions where cows will produce safe milk without need of pasteurization and therefore cannot compete with the raw milk producers. Attacks on raw milk are dressed up to look like a public safety concern. Raw milk is dangerous, regulators claim, because the live cultures might get contaminated with unfriendly bacteria and harm someone. Any raw food may contain harmful bacteria if it is produced or stored in an unsanitary manner. Should we outlaw all raw foods? Of course not! Raw foods are the healthiest part of our diet. According to more and more nutritionists, raw milk is the only choice for real healthy beverage and its consumption is beneficial to our health.  Processed milk is the culprit behind all the above mentioned health troubles associated with milk and dairy products. 

My recommendations 

• When deciding what sort of milk and dairy to purchase, whenever possible select organic, whole, unprocessed foods, free from pasteurization, homogenization and genetic manipulation.
• Of all dairy products, the best and most easily digestible are fermented milk products.
• Avoid mucous-forming dairy foods in all respiratory conditions and in case of any unexplained chronic health problems, try for at least a few weeks to eliminate all milk and dairy products.

Links

Armed Federal Agents Raid a Health Food Club, Drag Volunteer to Jail The government is powerless over corporate criminals, but is instead cracking down on small businesses selling healthy food to willing consumers. Full article on Alternet.org

Why is this "Unsafe" Food Banned When It's 35,000 Times SAFER Than Others? Full article on mercola.com