Milk at the Grocery Store

Reading labels on milk can be confusing: organic, rBst-free, pasteurized, skim, whole, etc. What do they all mean and what is the best kind to buy?

If you have access to it, I'm a big fan of raw milk for health reasons. 

If you are limited to your local grocery store, you probably won't see raw milk on the shelf. 

What you will see:

Organic milk: I'm all for organic milk. In fact, the raw milk we buy (when we can afford it) is organic. The bad news is that most of the organic milk you find in the store is ultra-pasteurized. Ultra-pasteurized milk is heated to high temperatures. This kills off bacteria and enzymes that actually aid in digestion. So, why do they do it? Well, mainly it's to give it a longer shelf life. Ultra-pasteurization means that the milk can last on the shelf longer without spoiling.

Not all organic milk is ultra-pasteurized, but a lot of it is, so be sure to read the label.

The difference with organic and traditional milk is a simple question of if what the cow ate was treated with pesticides. No pesticides+ following lots of government regulations = certified organic.


rBst free milk: rBst is a growth hormone. It boosts milk production in cows by about 20 gallons per day. People in favor of using it say that it has no known effects on humans and that it is similar to a naturally occuring hormone in cows. Besides increasing milk supply, rBst also increases udder infections, which can increase the need for antibiotics. Your best bet is to find milk that comes from cows not given rBst. Many brands proclaim "rBst free" on the label. Walmart's Great Value milk has been rBst free since March 2008 (Source).

Skim milk, 1% and 2%: The first thing that is a problem with these low-fat milks, is that the body needs fat to use the vitamins in them. When the fat is taken out, the body is unable to absorb fat soluble vitamins. To make the milk thicker, powdered milk is added to 1 and 2% milk. Powdered milk is made by spray drying milk. This damages (oxidizes) the cholesterol, and has been shown to increase cholesterol in our bodies. This kind of milk does not do a body good! In Real Food, What to eat and why, by Nina Planck, Nina reminds us that in the olden days, the poor would sell off their cream and be left with only skim milk... and sickly children.


My recommendation: When I can't buy raw, organic milk and I have the normal grocery store selection, I would first look at the organic milk. Does it say "ultra-pasteurized" or UHT on the label? If so, skip it. It's great the cows never had pesticides, but since everything (good and bad) has been cooked out anyway, that is almost irrelevant. If it is pasteurized only, go with organic. If not, look at your whole milk selection and choose one that says rBst free on the label.

Water, water everywhere

Do you know the saying, Water Water Everywhere, but not a drop to drink? That’s how I feel lately. 

Well, not about water so much, we have plenty to drink. It’s about milk. I live in a tract home in a fairly rural area.  If I drive 5 minutes in almost any direction from my house, I will see cows grazing, horses running, and goats chasing each other trying to escape their fences. But somehow, I can’t seem to find any local raw milk! Right now, I drive a half hour to pay an arm and a leg for raw milk that comes from several hours away. Unfortunately, my raw milk source raised their prices, so I have been trying even harder to find a local source of milk.

I ask people who live in the country or on farms. Most don’t know anyone, but I have had a couple leads for raw goats milk. I’ve never drunk goats’ milk before, but if it’s raw and less than $8.88 for a half gallon, I’ll take it!

The trouble is, no one will sell it!

They are afraid I will one day get sick and sue, or that some one will come find they are selling milk and come after them. I don’t want to cause any trouble; I just want some milk!

The last woman I talked to said that she drinks it, but her mom tells her not to sell it to anyone else. "If the goat was sick or something, you could get sick," she said. “But you would know, right?” I asked. “Well, yeah,” she said, “but I still don’t think I should sell it.”

So, here I am, living by all these cows and goats, but  I can’t get any milk. If only we could fit a cow in our backyard…

Desert Island Dish

Last week I posed the question: What one food would you bring to sustain life on a desert island?

It was interesting reading your ideas. If I had to choose one food to bring on a desert island, I'd bring raw milk. Here's why:

What is Raw Milk?

Raw Milk: The kind of milk you would drink if you had a cow. It's just milk, with nothing added or done to change it.

Store bought whole milk: homogenized and pasteurized. Homogenized means that they mix it really hard so that it won't separate. Every cup of milk is the same consistency. Pasteurized means that the milk is heated to kill bacteria.

At first glance, you may think that whole milk would be the better choice. I mean, every glass is consistently creamy, right? And we killed off bacteria, so we won't get sick. Sounds good, right? Not really...

Raw vs. Store Milk

Pasteurization kills off enzymes, vitamins and minerals. These are all found in abundance in raw milk. In fact, enzymes make raw milk so much easier to digest that it doesn't cause lactose intolerance in people who are prone to it.

Good Source of Fat, Protein and Carbohydrates

Raw whole milk is a good source of healthy, saturated fat. We need saturated fat for energy, for reproduction, to protect our immune system, even for our cells to function! 

Raw milk contains proteins. We need to take protein to help our body replenish and repair muscles, cell walls, tissues, bones and nerves. 

Raw milk also contains carbohydrates, used for energy, and also for the nervous system to function.

What about safety?


I know some people are scared of drinking raw milk. I had similar concerns at first. I worried that we needed milk to be pasteurized to make it safe to drink. But if you think about it, people have been drinking milk for thousands of years, and routine pasteurization of milk only began in the U.S. in the mid 1900's.

A little history...
Cows natural diet is grass. But in the mid-1800's they had an idea. There were many thriving distilleries making whiskey, and that produces left over "swill"- hot, mashed up grain. Some unscrupulous distillery owners decided to feed it to the cows. The cows were packed in crowded, unsanitary pens, eating unnatural food. This milk was then sold and drunk raw. People got sick. Children and babies died. So the government stepped in and came up with a solution: make laws that the cows eat a healthy diet? No! Just heat the milk and kill any pathogens that might be in there.

Drinking milk from cows fed a healthy diet of grass is a lot different that eating "swill milk" (or corn milk for that matter).  Healthy cows produce healthy milk. If safety is still a big concern to you, I recommend reading the powerpoint "A Campaign for Real Milk."

Raw milk diet


In the early 1900s at the Mayo clinic, a raw milk diet was prescribed. Patients drank raw milk exclusively to cure and treat several diseases. The following was written in 1929 by J.R. Crewe, MD about his experiences treating patients with raw milk:

"The treatment is used in many chronic conditions but chiefly in tuberculosis, diseases of the nervous system, cardiovascular and renal conditions, hypertension, and in patients who are underweight, run-down, etc. Striking results are seen in diseases of the heart and kidneys and high blood pressure. In cases in which there is marked edema, the results obtained are surprisingly marked. This is especially striking because so-called dropsy has never been treated with large quantities of fluid. With all medication withdrawn, one case lost twenty-six pounds in six days, huge edema disappearing from the abdomen and legs, with great relief to the patient. No cathartics or diuretics were given. This property of milk in edema has been noted in both cardiac and renal cases.

Patients with cardiac disease respond splendidly without medication. In patients who have been taking digitalis and other stimulants, the drugs are withdrawn. High blood pressure patients respond splendidly and the results in most instances are quite lasting. The treatment has been used successfully in obesity without other alimentation. One patient reduced from 325 pounds to 284 in two weeks, on four quarts of milk a day, while her blood pressure was reduced from 220 to 170. Some extremely satisfying results have been obtained in a few cases of diabetics.

When sick people are limited to a diet containing an excess of vitamins and all the elements necessary to growth and maintenance, which are available in milk, they recover rapidly without the use of drugs and without bringing to bear all the complicated weapons of modern medicine."

Not only would you survive on a desert island with only raw milk to drink, you would thrive.

I'll finish with a quote from raw-milk-facts.com: "Raw milk from grass-fed cows is a complete and balanced food. You could literally live on it and nothing else for the rest of your life."

Perfect Crockpot Yogurt- so simple!

Yogurt sounds a little intimidating to make when you're starting out, but with a crockpot, this is so simple!

I've tried a few recipes and had great success with this one. We like our yogurt with a thick, creamy consistency and this recipe makes perfectly thick and creamy yogurt.

For plain yogurt, all you need is:

A Crockpot

Milk (we use whole)

Fresh, good quality yogurt (store bought or homemade)

Amounts for 2 quarts:

1/2 gallon milk

1/2 cup yogurt

Amounts for 4 quarts:

1 gallon milk

1 cup yogurt

Directions:

Turn crockpot on low.

Add milk.

Wait 2 1/2 hours. (Set a timer!)

When the timer beeps, unplug the crockpot.

Set the timer for 3 hours.

When the timer beeps the second time, stir in yogurt. 

Replace the lid and wrap a towel around the whole crockpot to keep warm. 

Let sit for 8-12 hours.

That's it! Add your flavors next, and refrigerate to chill.

Flavoring yogurt (directions per quart):

Banana- blend 1 ripe banana in a food processor or blender. Add banana and 1 Tbsp. sweetener (honey, maple syrup, sugar). Stir gently to maintain consistency.

Berry- any berry will work, or you can try mixed berry. Chop 1/2 cup berries in a food processor. Add 1 Tbsp. sweetener. Stir gently to maintain consistency.

Maple Syrup- Add 2 Tbsp. maple syrup. Stir gently to maintain consistency.

Vanilla- Add 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 1 Tbsp. sweetener. Stir gently to maintain consistency.

Dessert yogurt- Use any flavor above and add sliced bananas, chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts are my faves), and some chocolate chips. It's a great "treat" with tons of nutrition.

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays.

Milk, milk, we love our milk

We just bought our 7th gallon of milk for the week.

We switch off weeks with buying whole, rBst free milk, and the other week buying raw, organic whole milk. We'd buy all raw milk if we could, but the cost is um, prohibitive, to say the least. So, what do we do with all this milk?!?

Drinking:
The two year old would live on milk if he could, but we ration it- 3 sippy cups a day, max.
The rest of us drink milk sometimes, and my husband uses it daily for cereal.

Making Buttermilk:
We use a lot of buttermilk for bread, for pancakes and waffles, and for soaking grains.

Making Cheese:
A new skill I'll be posting about soon- making homemade mozzarella and ricotta cheese. It's not hard at all!

Making Yogurt:
I found a new method in the crockpot that is so easy and so good! Recipe to come...
Yogurt is something else that goes quickly in our house.

Making mistakes:
One whole gallon went down the drain this week after I put the wrong ingredient in my cheese. I was trying to multitask and not paying enough attention to what I was doing...

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday.