This week Wal-Mart announced that baby formula was being pulled from the shelf  because it was consumed by a newborn infant which developed a fatal infection and died.

When a person dies from eating a commercial product, it’s certainly a terrible tragedy. But especially a child; not only because of the loss, but because the death could have easily been prevented if safe practices were actually used in producing food.

This story should get the attention of all parents. I’m pretty sure many will notice this story, but I don’t know that the majority will realize what’s really going on.

There’s one thing this story should tell everyone loud and clear:

Processed foods are not only unhealthy to consume, but downright deadly.

The FDA should take notice too, but I know for a fact they won’t do the responsible or ethical measure in this instance, which would be to fine and shut down the offending company who produced this product. According to Reuters, ”U.S. health regulators said on Friday they are looking at several types of baby formula that could be linked to the death of an infant, expanding an investigation beyond Mead Johnson’s market-leading Enfamil.” So what actually needs to happen is that multiple companies need to be fined and shut down.

Sadly, what will happen is that this company or companies will likely get a slap on the hand with a fine which they can easily absorb, and be allowed to continue selling products. Because that’s how the FDA rolls: they protect their own. The FDA will make an official statement about the safety of FDA-approved products on their web site and in press releases, saying that this was just a fluke, is being “taken care of”, and that other products are healthy and safe to consume.

For awhile, some parents might avoid the offending company or companies, but will continue to trust other big food companies who produce toxic formulas, and will keep buying them to feed to their babies. Until, that is, the next recall or death comes along.

Folks, this is not the first time this has happened, and I’m sorry to say it isn’t likely to be the last. In 2008, there was an incident in China with tainted baby formula. How many more incidents do we have to have before our government officials, food companies, and general public wake up to this inconvenient fact that processed foods are full of deadly ingredients that make many people sick and sometimes kill them too?  I’m here to tell you that food recall lists are miles and miles long, and they happen all the time. Don’t believe me? See for yourself. Doesn’t this speak volumes about the “safest food system in the world” (quote from the FDA web site)?

If, even after looking at the recall list, you still believe our food system is safe, here’s some startling statistics that will blow your socks off:

Every year there are 76 million cases of foodborne illness in the United States, resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths. 

So, I ask this important question: are you really able to trust your health with these foods? How about your helpless, newborn baby?

What’s wrong with commercial formulas?

Commercial formulas are highly processed, subjected to high heat temperatures during manufacturing which corrupt fragile proteins, contain oxidized cholesterol and synthetic nutrients produced in a laboratory that your baby’s body cannot properly use, and are most often packed in cans lined in BPA – a known endocrine (hormone) disruptor.

Many so-called “hypoallergenic” formulas are made with processed soy – not traditionally fermented and contain estrogen – which are known endocrine disruptor and goitrogen (meaning it suppresses the thyroid), and contain anti-nutrients known as phytic acid which block mineral uptake and also leach minerals out of the body. Even organic formulas have some of these same issues. There has also been a chemical used to produce rocket fuel (percholate) found in baby formula!

Home made baby formula is nutritionally superior to commercial

Parents, please: if you are unable to breastfeed for any reason, and you want to be certain your infant gets what he or she really needs in the way of nutrients and support to be healthy during growth and development, take the time to make this nutrient-dense, home-made baby formula. It includes nourishing ingredients that are comparable to or superior to breast milk in nutritional value.

When using nourishing ingredients such as raw milk, yogurt, or kefir from healthy grassfed cows or foraging goats, fermented cod liver oil, this formula is nutritionally superior to anything you can buy on the market.  Composition of the mother’s diet absolutely has an effect on the nutritional profile of her breastmilk.  So if she is not eating a traditional foods diet replete with healthy fats and proteins, her milk will be nutritionally lacking.

If you want the hard, nutritional facts, here is a side-by-side comparison of nutrient content of the original home-made formula to breast milk, as well as goat’s formula and hypo-allergenic (liver-based) formulas. Foods like raw milk and dairy products such as yogurt, kefir, sour cream, butter, and other dairy foods, grassfed meats and poultry, eggs from hens on pasture, animal fats such as tallow and lard, seafood, organ meats, cod liver oil, and fish roe (eggs) have been traditionally consumed all over the world by many cultures to improve chances of conceiving, maintaining a healthy pregnancy, and during breast-feeding.

The Weston A. Price Foundation offers recommendations on dietary choices for pregnant or nursing mothers. These recommendations are based on the work of Dr. Weston A. Price who traveled the world in the 1930s to learn why his patients were experiencing degenerative disease as well as dental deformations and tooth decay. His findings indicated that those eating the most traditional diets including the foods mentioned above were not only the healthiest populations, but also had the highest fertility and carrying-to-term pregnancy rates.

These diets provided some of the most important nutrients necessary for life and keeping disease away: fat soluble Vitamins A, D, E, and K2, and Omega 3 essential fatty acids. These nutrients are in short supply in their natural, unadulterated forms in our modern food system. For more information, read Nutrition and Physical Degenerationby Dr. Weston A. Price.

“But”, you may protest, “the FDA says home-made formula isn’t safe!” Right, the FDA, who are so trustworthy.

Here’s what the FDA has to say about home made formula: 

Homemade formulas should not be used.” says Nick Duy, assistant to the director in FDA ‘s division of regulatory guidance. ”Homemade formulas based on whole cow’s milk don’t meet all of an infant’s vitamin and mineral needs. In addition, the high protein content of cow’s milk makes it difficult for an infant to digest and may put a strain on the baby’s immature kidneys. Substituting evaporated milk for whole milk may make formula easier to digest, but it is still nutritionally inadequate when compared to commercially prepared formula. Use of soy drinks as an infant formula can actually be life-threatening.”

Here’s the flaw in this argument:  The FDA does not mention the fact that many children are born with inadequate gut flora to properly digest and absorb the foods they eat, nor the fact those children have a dairy intolerance not because milk is inherently harmful, but because of this gut deficiency and also the fact that the majority of milk used is pasteurized and from cows on feedlots eating the worst imaginable diets, and is the most unnatural and unhealthy milk to consume.

So even if those same children consumed the all-safe and nutritious commercial formulas…guess what? They are still going to have problems with digesting those as well because they are not even made with real ingredients, and are loaded with toxic chemicals. When my son was born, he was 9 weeks premature. Back then, I knew almost nothing about nutrition and I had no idea how harmful commercial formula was. My breast milk didn’t come in because of the birth being premature due to a ruptured appendix. I was incredibly sick and resorted to store-bought formula. We went through every brand you could imagine, including soy because my son was always discontent, fussy, and had terrible colic. Looking back, I now know his issues were due to poor gut flora and the fact that he was malnourished.  It wasn’t because he had “colic”, a term frequently used by conventional doctors who usually don’t understand what causes colic in the first place.

Remarks made about evaporated milk and soy milk are true – they are most definitely inadequate nutritionally – but as far as saying they are not as nutritious as commercial formula, they are actually just as bad or worse.

“But”, you may protest yet again, “the FDA says raw milk isn’t safe for babies to consume!”

Here’s the flaw in this argument: there is no basis for this statement. People drank raw milk for thousands upon thousands of years, and fed it to their babies. Raw milk from healthy cows on pasture has always been and still is a life-giving food, and contains many nutrients, probiotics, enzymes, and proteins which prevent disease and illness. These are nutrients and elements which we are sorely lacking in our “safe” commercial and industrial food system. It’s a system which kills nutrients in food by its very practices each and every day due to filthy conditions, the use of antibiotics, high-heat, deodorization, alkalining, sanitizing, irradiation, and many other harsh, chemical, and toxic practices.

Using government statistics which reveal that there is only an average of 42 illnesses per year (not deaths) by those who consume raw milk, you are “about 35,000 times more likely to become ill from other foods than you are from raw milk.”  Once again, remember that statistic I posted earlier:

Every year there are 76 million cases of foodborne illness in the United States, resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths. 

These and other sicknesses and deaths are not coming from raw milk from healthy cows on pasture. They are from cows on feedlots, and our industrial food system! Don’t believe me? Just reference the food recall list and you’ll find these are from larger, commercial facilities…not small, sustainable, family farms.

What’s the bottom line?

Don’t put your trust in big food companies, and don’t believe the marketing or studies paid for by these companies to say their products are healthy, nor the corrupt medical establishment and government which backs them up.  Cheap, toxic foods are never a good substitute for real, whole foods that deliver nutrition and heal our health, and our children’s future depends on this safe, reliable food system. Buy local, sustainable foods from farmers you trust, and be willing to cook and make meals from scratch.

More information about our food system: 

Food recalls – why they could mean the end of real food as we know it

Is cheap food really cheap? The hidden costs of  industrial food

1 in 4 meat packages tainted with pathogenic bacteria 

In modern society, one of the things we don’t do much of is eat real cultured and fermented foods. These foods have been staples of the human diet all over the world for thousands of years. Since the Industrial Revolution, the advent of packaging, processing, and convenience foods have seen the disappearance of these highly beneficial, nutrient-dense foods.

Throughout time, cultures all over the world have created cultured foods and beverages out of necessity. When a dairy cow produced a surplus of milk and all of it could not be consumed at once before spoilage, fermentation was born. Fermentation allowed the food to be preserved so it could be consumed later, and it was done simply by using the naturally-occurring healthy bacteria in the food.

Because this process improves nutrient content and increases the beneficial bacteria of the food, it is not only healthier but also made easier to digest. Other foods were produced in a similar manner such as kombucha (a feremented tea generated from a scoby or mushroom) or kvass using cultures, bread, and water. Kvass can also be made using vegetables such as beets. It was also customary to culture and ferment many of the vegetables people ate through lact0-fermentation with whey from dairy products or salt.

Today on the consumer market, you will find many foods and beverages which are labeled as healthy and full of nutrients. Because the bottom line in the consumer market is profit, over time the integrity of many of these traditional foods and drinks has been lost.

Even though the label claims otherwise, you will not in fact find dense, probiotic activity in a cup of commercial yogurt or non-dairy cultured foods like sauerkraut because of two main reasons:

1. Commercial dairy is subject to pasteurization, which destroys and denatures probiotics, fats, proteins, enzymes, and other elements critical to creating a real probiotic food.
2. Even though commercial companies add back in cultures to the food after pasteurization, the culturing process simply isn’t long enough to generate the diversity and numbers of beneficial bacteria which our bodies need for health.

Many other products are subjected to high-heat temperatures or pasteurization. By the time you open the bottle, package, or container, you are essentially eating a dead product with no live foundational enzymes, nutrients, or bacteria.

Sports and energy drinks like Gatorade, Vitamin Water, Red Bull, and Rockstar rely on caffeine, sugar, chemicals, artificial colors and flavorings to sell their product and make it “taste” appealing. Even higher-priced “professional” grade products such as Heed or Accelerade which contain synthetic vitamins and minerals or herbal ingredients are inferior because they lack the real nutrition found in long-fermented foods and beverages.

Most probiotic supplements on the market except for an exclusive small percentage do not contain the bacterial count listed on the label, and also have other undesirable ingredients which can be harmful to health.

Fermentation of real food uses either whey from dairy foods like milk, yogurt, or sour cream to produce a lacto-fermented food, a scoby culture or mushroom as when making kombucha, or preparing a brine with salt, or wine for culturing vegetables.

Here are just some of the many benefits of preparing and consuming cultured and fermented foods and beverages:

• Improves or eliminates gastrointestinal issues such as heartburn, bloating, gas, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, and constipation by eating a small serving with each meal.  Your overall diet, should of course exclude processed foods and incorporate real, whole foods with healthy fats and proteins, organic fruits, grains, legumes, and vegetables. Processed foods eaten on a regular greatly contribute to digestive problems and other health issues.

• Deepens and broadens vitamins and nutrients like magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron, B Vitamins, fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K2, K1, and beta carotene. Fermented dairy imparts increased amounts of folic acid, pyroxidine, B vitamins, riboflavin and biotin, depending upon existing bacterial strains.

• Raw fermented vegetables are useful in reducing inflammation and lowering the risk of degenerative disease like cancer.

• Strengthens immune system function to stay healthy and avoid flu and colds.

• Promotes weight loss.  In a study from 2008 at Stanford University, Dr. John Morton, M.D., associate professor of surgery at the medical school, showed that “patients who take probiotics after the gastric-bypass procedure tend to shed more pounds than those who don’t take the supplements.” Since supplements are usually much lower in bacterial counts than live cultured and fermented foods, it would be easy to conclude that higher bacterial counts would promote weight loss and the ability of the body to balance your normal weight.

• Provides probiotic support to the digestive system. 85 percent of our immune system is located in the digestive tract, and having a proliferation and diversity of friendly bacteria is critical to immune health.

• Reduces the proliferation of harmful bacteria such as salmonella, E.coli, salmonella, and yeast or candida overgrowth

• Fermenting sulphur-rich foods such as sauerkraut produces antioxidants like glutathione and superoxide dismustase, which remove free radical activity

• Assists in breaking down difficult to digest lactose from dairy foods to create lactic acid, which is easier to digest

• Although lactic acid fermentation does not necessarily raise mineral content, it lowers the effects of phytic acid found in grains, legumes, and vegetables. Phytic acid is a nutrient inhibitor which prevents absorption of minerals in the body. This process allows the body to absorb more minerals from grains, vegetables, and legumes.

• Helps to pre-digest and allow for better absorption of nutrients

Cultured dairy foods:

These foods are in no way, shape, or form like what you will buy in the store.  With few exceptions, most commercial products are pasteurized which destroys enzymes, proteins, fats, and probiotics. These foods are also not cultured long enough to produce high numbers and diversity of necessary beneficial bacteria.

Cultured dairy foods you make at home from raw milk that comes from healthy cows on pasture are superior in every way in terms of quality and amount of diverse bacteria produced which our bodies need to support digestive, immune, and total health.

Want a quick breakfast that is nutritious and delicious? Here is a great recipe for a fantastic smoothie that is fast and provides the nutrients and energy you need to start your day off right.

Unlike processed cereals, breads, and other high-carbohydrate foods that are empty of nutritional value, this breakfast will satisfy your hunger, give you energy, keep blood sugar levels even, and nourish your whole body, starting with your immune system and digestive tract.

This smoothie provides healthy fats and proteins from cultured dairy, avocado, and pastured egg yolks. You’ll also be getting fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) and Omega 3s -all which support brain, mood, blood sugar stability, immune system and digestive function, prevent oxidation, free-radicals, and disease in the body.

This recipe features nutrients we need that are in a highly-digestible form. They come from raw and fermented foods which also contain live probiotic bacteria your immune system and digestive system need to function correctly.

I make smoothies frequently as a way to get full and give myself the energy I need to make it through the morning until lunch.

Because I’m on GAPS, I also drink home-made bone broths every day, several times a day, and always have a cup in the morning with my breakfast.

Here’s my recipe which I’ve modified from various others:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup home-made yogurt from raw milk – add more if you desire
• 1 cup home-made kefir from raw milk – add more if you desire
• 1 cup raw colostrum (optional)
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup raw cream (optional)
• 1 or 2 raw organic, pasture-raised egg yolks
• 1/4 banana (for sweetness)
• 1/2 avocado (which adds in healthy fats and makes the smoothie thick like a milk shake)
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup frozen or fresh organic fruits – strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, marionberries, blackberries, or mangoes
• A pinch of rapadura, sucanat, or a dash of maple syrup. For GAPS-friendly: gently melted raw honey (optional, I don’t use sweeteners in mine)
• Gently melted coconut oil, fruity olive oil, or cod liver oil (not heated, directly from bottle)
• Ground, sprouted chia seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. Add kefir, whey (optional), raw colostrum (optional), raw cream (optional), ground chia seeds (optional), berries or other fruits into a blender.
2. Blend all ingredients in food processor or blender starting with the dairy ingredients and fruit. Gradually add in other ingredients one at a time such as avocado, then egg yolk, then the oil last so it doesn’t gum up your blending device.
3. Pour smoothie into a glass and top with chai seeds (if desired), and enjoy!

Health benefits:

Using fats and proteins from organic or sustainable sources  - animals and birds on pasture who are not exposed to pesticides or chemicals, since those substances are what gets stored in our cells long term – is extremely important for optimal health.

You may see prepared products in the store such as kefir and yogurt drinks, but you won’t be getting the same quality for your money as you would by making your own smoothie, yogurt, and kefir at home. Home-made kefir and yogurt from raw milk which comes from healthy cows on pasture contains more probiotic cultures than the store-bought, pasteurized variety. These foods contain natural fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K which normally get destroyed in the pasteurization process and synthetic are added back in. You are also getting a good source of Omega 3 essential fatty acids and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) which is critical for cardiovascular health and antioxidant value (controls free radicals in the body).

Store-bought products are expensive and the health claims made on the label simply don’t live up to the truth. The long-term detrimental effects of commercial, pasteurized dairy have been well-documented. For more information, read this short article posted on Real Milk by Sally Fallon Morell.

This post is part of GNOWFLGLINS Simple Lives Thursday blog hop.

If you are still wondering about raw milk, now’s the time to give it a try! It is one of the most complete, healthy foods you can consume and provides many critical nutrients we are missing in our modern diets.

Our family has been drinking it for 4 years and it’s been one of the best investments we’ve made in our health. For years, my husband had respiratory allergies and took medications. Before I knew about raw milk, I heard that dairy can cause a lot of allergies in many people, so I suggested he stop eating dairy. This was very hard for him and he wasn’t able to completely avoid it.

Then we discovered raw milk. I started ordering milk from Organic Pastures Dairy in 2007 before the laws changed and CA disallowed raw dairy to go beyond state borders. It was so fabulous and creamy, we were all impressed. My son had recently been told by a practitioner that he had an allergy to dairy as well. Both my husband and son did just fine with the milk and cream we were buying.

When CA laws changed and we could no longer order it, raw milk started to become available in our area – Boise, ID. Now I’m on the GAPS diet and I make kefir and yogurt weekly. It’s been instrumental in getting my health back on track, as I experienced some sort of a crash in the beginning of this year due to stress and depletion in my body, and started having severe anxiety and panic symptoms. I was not sleeping for nearly 3 months and I thought I was going to lose my mind.

I had been eating a very healthy, traditional diet for 6 years and have done many different detox strategies. But what I found out was that I had not fully addressed healing my digestive tract and detoxification. Plus, I’ll never underestimate the power of stress to destroy health again, as the financial stress our family has been under for the last 2 years has been oppressive and stifling. I was desperate and tried many different things to end my anxiety episodes, but what worked the best was to eliminate most of my supplements, eat a nutrient-dense diet, and go on the Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride’s GAPS protocol, which includes regular consumption of cultured dairy products if they are tolerated in the beginning, and adding more in as digestion heals.

What’s the difference between pasteurized and raw milk?

A lot.  Most pasteurized milk comes from cows in confinement operations (including a great deal of “organic” dairies), where they cannot graze on green pastures and stand around in their own excrement all day. Those cows sole purpose in life is to produce milk, and lots of it. Cattle are administered a lot of cheap feed like grain, soy, and corn which are not their natural diet and create an acidic environment in their digestive tracts, which is capable of producing pathogenic strains of bacteria such as E. coli. Cattle are also given preventative doses of antibiotics to counteract these conditions. Some dairies administer hormones (rBGH) to artificially increase the milk production of lactating cows.

Clean, healthy, raw milk comes from happy cows grazing on green grass, without hormones, antibiotics, exposure to pesticides, grain or other artificial feed, and spend time roaming and moving around in the sunshine.

What if I am allergic to dairy or have lactose intolerance?

There are far fewer “lactose intolerant” people than the medical establishment would have us believe. You may be reacting to the casein in milk, which can cause digestive symptoms and other issues. When milk is pasteurized, the fragile enzymes and proteins that are necessary for digestion are destroyed. You may also have a compromised digestive tract from eating a lot of processed foods, which makes digesting most foods properly difficult (which is the case for many people). In any case, you won’t know until you try it to find out. Everyone in our family was either diagnosed as “dairy intolerant” or had noticeable issues to pasteurized dairy when we were consuming it. Those issues all went away when we started drinking raw milk.

I don’t like milk or drink it. Why would I want to start drinking raw milk?

You might change your mind if you had clean, healthy raw milk from cows grazing on green pastures.  But, if you try it and still find you don’t care for it, put it in a smoothie with some fruit, a bit of raw honey, a raw egg yolk, coconut oil, and an avocado and you’ll have a nutrient-dense, delicious, “fast food” breakfast that will blow any breakfast you’ve eaten out of the water. You can also make yogurt, kefir, sour cream, buttermilk, cream cheese, and many other dairy foods that are delicious and healthy.

Watch this informative video interview with Mark McAfee from Organic Pastures Dairy in Fresno, CA. Mark’s dairy is the largest raw dairy in the country and they go the extra mile to make sure you are getting a fresh, clean, and wholesome product from healthy cows on organic green pasture. This interview was done last year, but it’s one of the most well-done and comprehensive videos on the subject.

Want more information about raw milk and the health benefits? Check out these posts:

The Truth About Raw Milk, Part I
The Truth About Raw Milk, Part II

Testimonials:

I drink real milk, fresh, raw, local and full of fat- Nourished Kitchen

I don’t drink raw milk…but if you took it away from me, I’d be pissed – Kat’s Food Blog

Why we drink raw milk – Life As A Plate

Top ten reasons to drink raw milk – Cheeseslave

Three facts you should know about raw milk – Real Food Digest

Fresh milk: Part 1: Why raw milk is better than pasteurized – Health, Home, Happiness

My kids health depends on raw milk – Divine Health

Why drink raw milk? – Dr. Joseph Mercola

I attended the Weston A. Price Conference this weekend in King of Prussia, PA, and what an experience this was! The entire weekend was an overwhelming, wonderful, rewarding mix of meeting people, attending lectures, and learning new information…oh, and the food. Did I mention food?

Our morning started out with the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund breakfast, which I was told was an oatmeal bar. Now for someone who doesn’t eat many grains, I wasn’t sure I would find much to eat. I was told there were other things to eat like eggs too, so I decided to go anyway. What I found was an amazing offering of a huge variety of foods. I got so full, I nearly rolled out of the dining hall afterward. Here’s what I had:

Pasture-raised sausage, a hard boiled pastured egg with butter, yogurt from raw milk with blueberries and maple syrup, organic herbal tea, beef broth (from pastured cattle), and a glass of raw milk. It was delicious and filling!

Then I attended some lectures with Sarah Pope (The Healthy Home Economist) and Elizabeth Grange (Nourishing Creations). We saw Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, M.D. speak on holistic cancer treatment and Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride, M.D. talk about GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) – and the connection that what we eat has EVERYTHING to do with disease and illnesses – from autism to ADD and ADHD, to other mental disorders like depression, anorexia, bulemia, schizophrenia, and bi-polar to digestive ailments and respiratory problems, as well as asthma, osteoporosis, allergies and food intolerances.

Then we went to lunch. Every meal we had at the conference was incredibly filling and satisfying (and delicious!). Amanda Love (The Barefoot Cook) is the amazing chef who led an exceptional team of others who prepared all our food. All I can say is WOW – thank you Amanda for all your hard work and efforts to make the food as spectacular as it was! I’d also like to thank Cathy Raymond – what a magician she is! I can’t even imagine how much time she and her staff spent making sure every detail was just right and thought of – they are incredibly efficient and marvelous group of people who work for one of the best causes I can think of. I am so grateful for their efforts!

I can’t write this post without saying how much I loved meeting and appreciate every one of the bloggers in Real Food Media. What a wonderful bunch of motivated, inspiring, and great people. It’s so great to be part of such a fantastic group of people who I consider to be like my family.

You are all supportive and caring in a way that I can’t express my gratitude for sufficiently in mere words. I’m so lucky to be able to work with people I like and respect so much, and have the chance to make such important changes with for our food and health environments.

Here are some of the other great bloggers I met: Lisa Rose from Real Food Digest, Kathryn Garson from Kat’s Food Blog, Kelly The Kitchen Kop, Alex Lewin from Feed Me Like You Mean It, Kim Knoch from The Nourishing Cook, Lydia Shatney from Divine Health, Jenny McGruther from Nourished Kitchen, Kimberly Hartke from Hartke is Online!, and Jo-Lynne from Musings of A Housewife.

Two bloggers from Real Food Media also received activist awards this weekend from Sally Fallon Morell at the Awards Banquet on Saturday Night – Ann Marie Michaels (of Cheeseslave) and Sarah Pope (of The Healthy Home Economist).

These amazing women are two of my friends and people whom I admire very much. Ann Marie has worked consistently for the past couple of years to make Real Food Media what it is today, and without her the real food movement might not be as far along as it is. Sarah writes amazing content for her blog and she has a large following of readers. Both of these women and all the other bloggers inspire me to do the work I do – and I just want everyone to know how much I appreciate them!

All weekend there were people to meet like Kaayla Daniel, David Wetzel, Stephen Guyanet (of Whole Health Source) Mark McAfee, Sally Fallon Morell, and so many others who make it their mission in life to produce sustainable products or travel to give seminars, and work constantly to educate and inform the world about a better way to maintain health and eat food. These people do amazing things and I am so thankful they are there, doing what they do to return our ways of producing and eating food to how they used to be, as well as helping to shape the way people view health.

One of the highlights of the weekend was the Saturday dinner event and awards banquet where Joel Salatin (one of my biggest heroes) spoke about how we need to be the change that’s necessary to alter the way we think about food and how we grow it, prepare it, and eat it. Watch this short excerpt from his speech:

Joel runs Polyface Farms in Virginia, and is a farmer, statesman, scholar, and activist. He is helping to change the way our culture thinks about raising animals for food, and being in harmony with the land while doing it. Thanks Joel and all the other folks at the conference this weekend who made this event one of the most fantastic I’ve ever attended in my life.

This post is Part II of our accompanying companion piece to our vaccination series – Vaccines: A Choice or A Mandate.  In the first part of this series, the topics of pre-conception, pregnancy, and labor were discussed. We learned some important steps to take to help protect our unborn children from toxins and other factors that could lead to the development of disorders like autism and other related problems.

As compared to just 5 decades or so ago, we have a much higher concentration of toxins and chemicals in our water, soil, air, food system, and in many of the things we do and come into contact with on a daily basis. In Randall Fitzgerald’s The Hundred Year Lie: How to Protect Yourself from the Chemicals That Are Destroying Your Health, he mentions the science journal Public Health which states, “the incidence of brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and major neuron disorders, was found to have tripled in nine Western countries, including the United States, during the period of 1974 to 1997. The most likely causes researchers identified were exposure to pesticides sprayed on crops, synthetic chemicals from the processed foods we consume, and industrial chemicals used in almost every aspect of our modern lives.”

Just like autism, Alzheimer’s disease as well as other disorders have been found to be connected to high levels of mercury in the body. Everything you can do to reduce your child’s toxic load from environmental sources will help prevent or reduce the severity of health issues from occurring – from his or her environment in the womb to after birth.

Here are some ways to keep your child’s health safe during newborn infant stages, including some information from Pathways To Family Wellness by Maureen McDonnell, RN:

• Bond with your baby as much as possible. You will need your sleep, so rest when you can. But be sure to hold and talk to your infant as much as possible. Co-sleeping is an option many parents are adopting to ensure continued contact with their babies. Some parents need the separation time from their children, but know that if you do decide to take the co-sleep option, your child will not be sleeping with you forever, and separation will occur when the time is right.

• Breastfeeding is one of the best ways to not only provide optimal nutrition, but to ensure there is a good amount of time to bond between you and the baby. While breastfeeding, keep up excellent dietary habits by eating plenty of healthy fats and proteins (olive oil, coconut oil, butter, lard, tallow, fermented cod liver oil, grass-fed meats and poultry, pasture-raised eggs, and raw dairy from a clean source), fresh fruits and vegetables, naturally fermented foods like home-made yogurt, sauerkraut, lacto-fermented vegetables, and sprouted/soaked/fermented grains. Also be sure you are drinking plenty of filtered water with minerals – either use real sea salt or add unsweetened cranberry juice not from concentrate to your water intake.

• Wear your baby as often as possible. Close contact provides emotional support and frequent motion. These factors all strengthen and support neurological development in your baby. Find a good baby-wearing device that is comfortable for you and your baby to use. Here is a good resource for information on babywearing – Babywearing International.

• Because birth is strenuous on both the mother and baby, consider having care by a qualified chiropractor shortly after birth. Spinal alignment is essential for healthy recovery and continued stamina. Your baby’s cranial and spinal development will affect his or her nerve system function for the rest of life. Early care supports strong nerve and immune system function.

• Minimize toxins and pollutants in your baby’s environment. If you haven’t already, consider natural, non-toxic, organic, and sustainable products and living with your baby.  A great resource for how to do this and stay within your budget is the book The Eco-Nomical Baby Guide Down-To-Earth Ways For Parents to Save Money and the Planet – written by two mothers who went green for less than a thousand dollars (I can’t verify this, but apparently the average parents spend an average of $7000 on each newborn child). There are ways to do it even cheaper through hand-me downs, DIY, yard and garage sales, and trading.

• Although it is an added expense, if possible purchase an organic crib and/or bed mattress. It is a good idea to be aware of bedding and clothing treated with flame retardants and heavy metals in the dye used for these items. They contain high levels of antimony and other toxic substances that can be harmful to your infant (and you).

• Consider non-toxic and/or organic clothing and other supplies/toys for your baby. Remember that clothing and other items come into direct contact with skin, and anything in those substances can potentially be absorbed into the bloodstream even faster than foods that are digested.

• Avoid using plastic-ware and bottles for your baby. These substances are not bio-degradable and many contain toxic chemicals like BPA that leech into food and drinks. Good alternatives include bamboo, stainless steel, glass (for some uses), wood, and ceramic. Here are some useful links: Green Your for a list of non-toxic and safe baby dishes and utensils, and Passionate Homemaking’s review of safe cookware for your family.

• Use non-toxic substances on your baby’s skin for personal care and bathing. Castille soap diluted in filtered water, coconut oil, olive oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, aloe vera, and natural herbals without foreign ingredients are good choices. Avoid personal care products containing ingredients you are unfamiliar with – shampoos, skin creams, baby bath soap or gel products, and others. Become a label reader and if you don’t make your own mixtures at home, learn which brands are safe to use. Consult with the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database for individual product information and ingredients review.

• Consider diapers carefully. Cloth diapers are good for your baby, but they do require more effort and water for washing than disposable diapers. Organic diapers can be expensive, but commercial diapers may contain ingredients that are undesirable for contact with your baby’s skin.  Here is a review of two eco-friendly brand diapers. And here is a good resource for everything you want to know about cloth diapering.

• Consider dishwashing and clothing detergent options. Eco-Nuts and Soap Nuts are great for laundry and economical. They can be used multiple times for clothes washing. See The Family Homestead for recipes to make your own detergent.  DIY Natural has a good home-made dish detergent recipe as well. Good brands for dish detergent include Biokleen and Nature Clean.

• Avoid keeping electronic devices near where your baby sleeps. Clock radios, cell phones, computers, and other equipment that emits electro-magnetic radiation.

• Continue taking a good quality, whole food-based, organically sourced vitamin supplement, and also fermented cod liver oil. Extra nutrition is always needed to support the health of mom and breastfeeding to provide the best nutrition possible!
  

• Avoid all medications and vaccinations until the child is older and you can research and make an informed decision about  the potential affects to your child’s immune, digestive, and neurological systems. Remember that a good health foundation with a healthy environment and nutrient-dense foods are going to take your child a long way in building up a healthy immune system.

• If for some reason you are unable to breast feed, avoid commercial baby formula. Commercial formulas contain synthetic fillers, chemicals, and nutrients added in, as well as dangerous industrial chemicals such as melamine – a synthetic chemical product that forms hard resins when combined with formaldehyde – and Perchlorate, a hazardous chemical used to produce rocket fuel. Many commercial formulas also contain soy (even those not marketed specifically as soy formula), and processed, industrial soy is one of the worst things you can feed your child. Soy has been linked to neurological, reproductive, endocrine, and thyroid problems. Our family has avoided it for years ever since I became aware of the numerous dangers to our health.

I wish I had known about real food options for my son when he was born. I was unable to breastfeed due to a serious infection I sustained due to a ruptured appendix during my 7th month of pregnancy. Read my story here. If I had known you could make nutritious, home-made formulas for babies, I would have definitely given this to my son!

Here are two of the best recipes I’ve found for nutrient-dense, home-made baby formula, from the Weston A. Price Foundation (see this link for more information):

• 2 cups whole raw cow’s milk, preferably from pasture-fed cows
• 1/4 teaspoon acerola powder
• 1-7/8 cups filtered water
• 1/4 cup homemade liquid whey (See recipe for whey, below) Note: Do NOT use powdered whey or whey from making cheese (which will cause the formula to curdle). Use only homemade whey made from yoghurt, kefir or separated raw milk.
• 4 tablespoons lactose
• 1/4 teaspoon bifidobacterium infantis
• 2 or more tablespoons good quality cream (preferably not ultrapasteurized), more if you are using milk from Holstein cows
• 1/2 teaspoon unflavored high-vitamin or high-vitamin fermented cod liver oil or 1 teaspoon regular cod liver oil
• 1/4 teaspoon high-vitamin butter oil (optional)
• 1 teaspoon expeller-expressed sunflower oil
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons Frontier brand nutritional yeast flakes
• 2 teaspoons gelatin

Milk should be raw, from pastured cows. If you cannot get raw milk, use organic whole milk (not ultra-high temperature pasteurized – UHT). Cod liver oil should be fermented, best brand is from Green Pasture. Real food can be fed to your baby as early as a few weeks after birth, but it needs to be in liquid form. All ingredients should be from organic or sustainable sources, if possible.

Here is the liver-based formula, which is hypoallergenic for babies who have a true lactose intolerance:

• 3-3/4 cups homemade beef or chicken broth
• 2 ounces organic liver, cut into small pieces
• 5 tablespoons lactose
• 1/4 teaspoon bifidobacterium infantis
• 1/4 cup homemade liquid whey (See recipe for whey, below)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon unflavored high-vitamin or high-vitamin fermented cod liver oil or 1 teaspoon regular cod liver oil
• 1 teaspoon unrefined sunflower oil
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon acerola powder

Recipe for whey (makes about 5 cups):

Homemade whey is easy to make from good quality plain yoghurt, or from raw or cultured milk. You will need a large strainer that rests over a bowl.

If you are using yoghurt, place 2 quarts in a strainer lined with a tea towel set over a bowl. Cover with a plate and leave at room temperature overnight. The whey will drip out into the bowl. Place whey in clean glass jars and store in the refrigerator.

If you are using raw or cultured milk, place 2 quarts of the milk in a glass container and leave at room temperature for 2-4 days until the milk separates into curds and whey. Pour into the strainer lined with a tea towel set over a bowl and cover with a plate. Leave at room temperature overnight. The whey will drip out into the bowl. Store in clean glass jars in the refrigerator.

Nutrition matters!

Contrary to popular belief, babies should not be made to wait to eat real food until they are 4 – 6 months old. This proposterous myth which has been propagated by the conventional medical system causes great harm to your infant’s digestive tract. Feeding foods like grain-based cereals (including rice) promote digestive issues in a big way, causing drowsiness and longer periods of sleep, and detached behavior.

By withholding nutrient-dense foods like fats and proteins early on from your baby’s diet, you are contributing to a variety of issues besides digestive disorders including the onset of food allergies and intolerances, weight problems and various others.  A diet high in carbohydrates this early in an infant’s life lead to the development of insulin resistance and an underdeveloped digestive tract not able to handle digestion of grains as the small intestine does not produce amylase – which is necessary to absorb grains.

According to The Environmental Illness Resource, children with abnormal gut flora due to poor diet and whose biological background foundation is also weak (from the parents)  “testing reveals some typical nutritional deficiencies in many important minerals, vitamins, essential fats, many amino-acids and other nutrients. The most common deficiencies, recorded in these patients, are in magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, calcium, manganese, sulphur, phosphorus, iron, potassium, vanadium, boron, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, C, A, D, folic acid, pantothenic acid, omega-3, 6, 9 fatty acids, taurine, alpha-ketoglutaric acid, glutathione and many other amino-acids. This usual list of nutritional deficiencies includes some most important nutrients for normal development and function of the child’s brain, immune system and the rest of the body.”

In Gut and Psychology Syndrome, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, M.D. elaborates on the connection between a pathogen-filled, imbalanced environment in the gut and behavior abnormalities and autoimmune problems appearing in children.  She firmly believes “the child’s digestive system hold the key to the child’s mental development.”

Feeding your baby

After your infant has been consuming breast milk and/or home-made, nutrient dense formula, he or she can start eating more solid foods at ages 4 – 6 months.  A great starter food is a soft-boiled egg from chickens on pasture. Babies need healthy fats, proteins, and cholesterol for growth and development. Eggs provide Omega 3s which are critical for brain and neurological development, as well as cardiovascular maintenance.

Children over age 6 months can start eating mashed up raw liver from a healthy grass-fed meat source combined with the egg. You can also introduce butter, raw milk, or home-made yogurt.  Making your own baby food at home is best, and foods your other family members eat can be utilized in various stages if they are pureed or mashed. After your baby has started eating some solid foods, be sure to include vegetables and mix them with butter, olive oil, or coconut oil for good fat-soluble vitamins to help your baby absorb nutrients in vegetables.

Wait until your infant is over age 10 months to introduce complex carbohydrates such as starchy vegetables like potatoes. Allowing his or her digestive system to mature and become healthy from consuming nutrient-dense foods like raw milk, yogurt, liver, grass-fed meats, and healthy fats like coconut and olive oil and butter will help prepare the body for digestion of other foods. Soups and broths are extremely nutritious (broths more so in the stages where your child doesn’t yet have teeth) and can be a great vehicle for including a lot of nutrient-dense items like vegetables, other healthy meats like pork and lamb, gelatin from a clean source (we use Bernard Jensen), and home-made yogurt, kefir, or home-made sauerkraut or other lacto-fermented vegetables.

Beverages

Continue to give your child raw milk and filtered water, and home-made broths.  These beverages are healthy and provide not only hydrate your child but contain nutrients. Juice is nutritionally empty for the most part and should be avoided. Consuming too much juice – especially the commercial variety – can cause weight gain and digestive issues (again, think insulin spike) unless you are juicing your own creations at home and with no added sugar and serving them only on occasion.

Grains

Grains are difficult to digest and should always be properly prepared when they are introduced to the diet of a young child.  Soaked and sprouted grains have had the phytic acid (a naturally-occurring anti-nutrient) neutralized to allow for greater absorption.  If possible, delay serving grains to your child until at least the age of two years.

Consuming grains too early and not properly prepared can cause numerous digestive problems – bloating, insulin spiking, weight gain, flatulence, abdominal cramping, and  loose stools. It is common for parents to buy packaged crackers, cereals, breads, bagels, snacks comprised of grains, and other similar foods when their babies are very young.  But these foods are not properly prepared, are geared for convenience. They are processed as can be and have had their nutrients stripped out with synthetic added back in. Even organic varieties of these same foods sold at the store should be avoided.

Digestive symptoms such as colic, pain, bloating, and flatulence should not be considered normal, and to keep your infant’s digestive tract and overall health profile optimal, feeding nutrient-dense foods at an early age is critical. Foods like wheat and rice can both cause allergies and health issues as they easily penetrate the delicate lining of the underdeveloped intestinal wall which is not mature enough to digest these substances. The result is toxins dumping into the blood stream, which cause myriad health problems – from noticeable digestive issues, irritability, ADD, and ADHD to full-blown autism.

Build a good foundation for your child!

A healthy foundation really can help you and your child avoid illness, colds, flus, digestive, endocrine, immune, and behavior disorders. Although there is no guarantee in anything we do in this life will keep our children from ever getting sick or making sure they live to be 100, taking steps to do what we can to help prevent future problems and provide our children with the best possible chance to have a healthy future is really at the heart of what we do have control over as parents.

Please read Part I of this companion series if you missed it last week.

Please read our Vaccination Series – A Choice or A Mandate, Part I, and Part II.

This post is part of Kelly The Kitchen Kop’s Real Food Wednesdays Carnival.

Did you know Vitamin D is critical for heart health as well as cancer prevention? According to The Journal of The American College of Cardiology, Vitamin D deficiencies are prevalent amongst 30 – 50 percent of the population. Lack of adequate Vitamin D levels can increase your risk of stroke and heart attack. The most common source for Vitamin D is through daily sun exposure.

“There are a whole array of studies linking increased cardiovascular risk with Vitamin D deficiency,” noted Dr. James H. O’Keefe, director of preventive cardiology at the Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City. “It is associated with major risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and stiffening of the left ventricle of the heart and blood vessels. Inflammation is really important for heart disease, and people with vitamin D deficiency have increased inflammation.”

Vitamin D and cancer

In 2008, a study emerged from Creighton University School of Medicine in Nebraska delivering proof that a clear link exists between Vitamin D supplementation and reducing different types of cancer such as colon, breast, and skin (as well as others). Supplementing your diet with Vitamin D alone can reduce the risk of developing cancer by as much as 77 percent. With all the research and funding spent on cancer research over the last 50 years, this should be very exciting news to anyone who has been touched by cancer. The findings of this research reveal how the benefits of this essential nutrient exceed the effectiveness of cancer drugs used by modern medicine.

In their study, scientists conducted testing on 1,179 post-menopausal women aged 55 and older. The first group were administered 1400-1500 mg daily of calcium and 1100 IU of Vitamin D. The second group was given a placebo. After four years had passed, those who had consistently taken calcium and vitamin D supplements showed a 60 percent decrease in cancers. This amount is nearly three times the recommended daily allowance by the USDA.

“Vitamin D is a critical tool in fighting cancer as well as many other diseases,” stated principal investigator Joan Lappe, Ph.D., R.N., Creighton professor of medicine and holder of the Criss/Beirne Endowed Chair in the School of Nursing.

Deficiencies in children at 70 percent

According to an article from CNN (August, 2009), 70 percent of children are deficient in this critical Vitamin. That number is incredibly high! This contributes to early onset health issues that previously were not seen until much later years of age such as high blood pressure and lower levels of good cholesterol. This can contribute to the risk of cardiovascular disease developing later in life.

Why are children deficient? Mainstream health advisories by doctors and other health sources warn parents to make sure children avoid sun exposure unless covered in sunscreen. Sunscreen effectively reduces the body’s ability to synthesize Vitamin D properly. Since the 70s, children’s diets have become increasingly lacking in critical nutrients such as Vitamin D.  Most sunscreen contains toxic chemicals that are absorbed through the skin (absorbs 10 times more than the digestive tract) into the body and must be filtered through the liver, and blocks absorption of the important natural components of real Vitamin D.

The other problem which prevents children from maintaining enough Vitamin D in their bodies isInstead of eating a balanced including healthy-sourced seafood, meat, butter, and eggs, they eat a lot of processed foods with chemicals and refined carbohydrates.

The USDA Food Pyramid recommends consuming 6 – 11 servings of grains daily versus 2 -3 servings of meat and meat products. Kids are adhering to the low-fat recommendations by the government of skim milk or soy or rice milk, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, snack products, macaroni and cheese, and many other processed foods that have been fortified but do not contain real nutrients the body can use.

Sources of Vitamin D

Many health experts encourage people to use supplements in order to obtain nutrients like Vitamin D.  But supplements are synthetically produced and should be avoided. In fact, certain levels of Vitamin D are considered “toxic” by mainstream health care sources, but the reason they are toxic is because they are artificial, rather than the natural variety obtained from sunlight and diet.

The very best bet for good Vitamin D is going outside and receiving regular sun exposure without sunscreen. Spending just a few minutes in the sun daily will provide you with minimal levels, but repeated and regular exposure to allow your body to acclimate to sun exposure will allow you to avoid sunburn and provide you with optimal levels necessary for good health. If you haven’t been out in the sun much this season, go out for numerous days in a row for short periods of time to build up your skin’s ability to withstand sun exposure at longer intervals as time goes on. This is the best way to receive regular sun and allow your skin time to be able to receive more sun exposure without damage as time goes on.

Most sunscreen contains toxic chemicals that are absorbed through the skin (absorbs 10 times more than the digestive tract) into the body and must be filtered through the liver, and blocks absorption of the important natural components of real Vitamin D.

Best dietary sources of Vitamin D include meats, eggs, and raw dairy products from sustainable sources where animals and fowl are on pasture – so butter, bacon, grass-fed meats, whole milk, whole milk yogurt, seafood such as wild-caught salmon, tilapia, trout, tuna, sea bass, cod liver oil, and mollusks like clams, oysters, mussels, squid, and octopus. For a current guide on safe seafood sources, visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium site.

I’d like to share some important and interesting destinations I’ve recently visited on the Internet relating to real food and food politics – of course, two subjects I am keenly interested in spreading around to my readers. Here we go!

The school lunch saga continues on. In this report on the New York Daily News site,  apparently even though programs have slashed calories (and along with it, grams of fat), school lunches are still unhealthy. Hmmm. I wonder why that is? They still aren’t getting it, are they? In one part of the article, one of the students remarks on how one of the foods appears to be so greasy, how could it be healthy? For so many years, people have associated grease with unhealthy properties, they can’t even tell the difference between unhealthy fats like shortening, margarine, and vegetable oils and real fats like butter and tallow. Marion Nestle, food author says that kids should be getting nutrients from real food – isn’t this what we’ve been saying all along? Why, why is it so hard to get this really quite simple point across? Oh wait, I forgot. Agribusiness companies and conglomerates wouldn’t hear of it…so we’re back to the drawing board. 

And here’s another maddening school lunch story – Sodexo, a supplier of processed foods to schools, has been pocketing rebate checks from processed food companies like Kellogg’s and Pepperidge Farms instead of passing the money along to schools. Do the unethical acts ever end? Of course, we don’t like that they are supplying processed foods to schools, but this just adds insult to injury.

Because genetically-modified foods are a big problem in today’s world with respect to health and sustainability, The Millions Against Monsanto Campaign is an important movement to get involved in. Genetic-modification is something that big companies like Monsanto argue is necessary in order to keep up on being able to feed the growing population of the world. But did you know that genetic modification of seeds is done at the DNA (cellular) level and prevents crops from re-seeding year after year (and Monsanto will sue you if their seeds blow onto your land too)? There are many side-effects to GMO foods including widespread failure and destruction of healthy, heirloom crops and damage to human health. It is a threat to our entire food supply and future. Becoming acquainted with what you can do to help stop this destructive process, boycott GMO foods and contact your local congressperson to let him or her know how you feel about GMOs and how they impact our health and the planet.

Last week I wrote two in-depth articles on the subject of raw milk – The Truth About Raw Milk, Part I and Part II, which have been circulating around the Internet and getting some good commentary. If you don’t know much about the importance and health benefits of real raw milk, give this subject a few minutes of your time today. This is another subject I feel very strongly about, and I’d like to point you in the direction of Mark McAfee’s (of Organic Pastures) interview on Sickly Cat about raw milk if you haven’t already seen it. It’s fantastic and really helps to answer some of the many questions people have about this hot topic.

Are you in favor of organic fertilizer or toxic sludge used to grow foods? In San Francisco, mayor Gavin Newsom is encouraging farmers, schools, and homeowners to use wastewater sewage for fertilizing produce. Come on San Francisco, I thought you were more progressive than that! Follow the link at the top of the Organic Consumers’ Association to the Peter Collins Radio Show for the latest on this development.

CHOW has this great article about whole animal buying - advise about purchasing large portions of meat directly from farmers or ranchers, and ideas for splitting it up with family or friends. I highly recommend buying meat this way – it creates less waste and you can save money on many fronts – by knowing your farmer and the practices they use, and being able to avoid supporting big agricultural outfits that produce unhealthy meats/meat products and harming the environment.

You’ve probably heard about the new USDA Dietary Guidelines that have recently been released? There are some really good articles available critiquing this subject. Kimberly Hartke who manages Hartke is Online! has this informative piece, Government has Failed to Halt Epidemic of Obesity and Diabetes. Also, David Augenstein’s fantastic new site, The Journal of Living Food & Healing has this great article – Scientists Claim: USDA Diet Guidelines Cause Obesity, Heart Disease, and Diabetes.

Mother Earth News, a great publication with a vast variety of topics shows you how to garden in small spaces, something that’s useful for many people who don’t have big pieces of land at their disposal for farming. Also, I liked this story on sustainable poultry management too, for those of you who are venturing into raising your own chickens and eggs.

Even though I’m not supposed to, we’ve been eating pancakes for the last two days at breakfast – along with some other great things too like chorizo omelets and bacon and eggs. Yum! I do much better if I eat my grains very sparingly and eat them properly prepared – as in, sprouted, soaked, or fermented. Something I still haven’t attempted yet is a good sourdough bread or other recipe, but my friend Diana at A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa has this fabulous recipe (and is a fantastic cook too!) for sourdough blueberry pancakes, with all the steps and photos (she’s so good at that!) you need to get started. Don’t these look absolutely delicious???

Okay, here’s two posts with recipes I really liked. My friend Tara at Keep It Real has some great ideas for meal items that are naturally rich in probiotics, something we all need more of in our diets…and something fun, a soaked spice cake that is really delicious! She brought some over for us to try when we met at the health food store last week.

The Local Cook has a great book review on food preservation, something that I really want to learn how to do, but haven’t yet. I was going to start doing that this summer, but I’m still trying to find out whether my garden is actually going to produce enough to make it worth my while. And, two of my friends who normally can and that I was going to get together with to learn how to do this with aren’t doing gardens this year. Our weather was really weird and we had a long cold snap in the spring, which caused a lot of problems for many people with gardens this spring. But, we’ll see what happens. If not this year, next year for sure!

Who’s got carnivals?

I don’t, but I would love to get one going sometime soon. I’m always so busy I barely have time to get posts up, but in the meantime, here’s a list of really great blogs with great weekly carnivals you should check out!

• Two for Tuesdays Blog Hop – my friend Alex Clark at A Moderate Life is hosting this great recipe carnival weekly now, and she gets a lot of contributions. So stop on over, contribute a recipe, and read some of her articles too. She has a great variety of things to read about – all connected to real food, nutrition, eco-friendly ideas, and sustainability.

• Tuesday Twister my friend Wardeh from GNOWFGLINS has a lot of great information about real food, cooking, and recipes and her Tuesday carnival is a great way to share your own real food recipes. I love Wardeh’s informative style and her great ability to teach new things to people about real food!

• Real Food Wednesdays – My friend Kelly the Kitchen Kop is one of the most well-known and visited food and nutrition sites in the world of food blogging. You will find a whole lot of great posts contributed on Wednesdays about food, nutrition, and all things to do with breaking the conventional molds of ideas about health and food.

• Pennywise Platter Thursdays My friend Kimi’s site is one of the best for recipes and great sustainable food ideas that are nutrient-dense. Check out her thrifty carnival on Thursdays for some wonderful recipe ideas!

• Simple Lives Thursday Blog Hop – the lovely gals at Sustainable Eats, A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa, Culinary Bliss, and GNOWFLGLINS are hosting this great new carnival. If you are interested in sustainable living, real food, raising animals, DIY, gardening, canning, preserving, and anything else related, this hop is for you!

• Fight Back Friday – My friend Kristen at Food Renegade, another great resource site for insight on real food, recipes, and food politilcs has a great carnival for real food each Friday, and is a wonderful site for information about nutrition, health, and food politics.

Have anything interesting to share? Please do!

In yesterday’s article about raw milk,  we learned about the history of pasteurization, health benefits of raw milk, and some very specific information about the nutrient-dense value of milk and how it positively impacts health.

Part II will include our family’s personal testimony of our experience drinking raw milk for the last three years, questions to ask your farmer when searching for the right place to buy raw milk, and how you can become involved in a vibrant raw milk community with passionate individuals who are committed to helping keep raw milk available for everyone to consume.

To recap what was discussed in yesterday’s article, read Part I of The Truth About Raw Milk.

Our personal testimony of raw milk

My husband spent a good deal of his life fighting with allergies. He suffered through sinus congestion of one extreme or another for many years in his childhood and young adult years. He took prescription allergy medications for nearly a decade. They worked sometimes, and then as time went on, they ceased to work at all. I kept saying maybe he should cut out dairy and wheat from his diet, but he didn’t think he could do it. Finally he decided he needed to do something different since the medications no longer affected him (and had side-effects). And his allergies were not showing any sign of letting up.

Our son was also diagnosed as having a dairy allergy at age 5. We had been giving him a fair amount of dairy like mainstream yogurt and commercial cheeses, although not much in the way of milk to drink for some years. When he was a baby, I couldn’t nurse because my pregnancy was interrupted when I was in my 7th month with a ruptured appendix. The infection I sustained, plus the early birth contributed to my inability to nurse.

Back then I didn’t know a lot about  health and food, and so I put our premature son on infant formula. Had I known then what I know now, I would have found a good recipe for homemade formula with cod liver oil, goat’s milk, and other real food ingredients. When he was first born and after he came home, he had “colic”. I now know that the colic symptoms he was experiencing were likely caused from or at least exacerbated by the fact that he was being fed poisonous commercial formulas (first based from pasteurized cow’s milk and later from soy) in addition to having an under-developed digestive system.

Gradually we began to eliminate wheat and dairy from our kitchen. I had been having health issues too, that were finally beginning to make me sit up and take notice about what I was eating. Soon after I began seeing a nutritional therapist and was becoming educated about how food affects health, I learned that raw milk was a healthful food and that people with lactose intolerance and allergies could often consume it, whereas the pasteurized variety made them sick.

I found Organic Pastures web site, read about raw milk, and decided to order some to try. Back then (in 2007), California state laws did not prohibit the sale and shipment of raw dairy products beyond state borders, so even though we live in Idaho, we could order it. After opening our first bottle and drinking it for a day or so, we found that all of us could drink it without any problems whatsoever.

We have now been drinking raw milk for over 3 years with no health issues or symptoms at all. We also make home-made yogurt and kefir, buttermilk, cream cheese, salad dressings, and other dairy foods with our milk. We also soak other foods in yogurt or kefir before we consume them like pancakes, granola, and hot cereals. Although we eat grains very sparingly in our house because all three of us has a fair amount of trouble with them, whenever we do consume them we always eat soaked, sprouted, or fermented, and our raw dairy is one of the things we use to soak.

And the allergies? They have greatly improved. We are still wrestling with getting my husband off grains, which also makes a huge difference in his health and his allergies. But since we no longer consume pasteurized dairy, his allergies have for the most part subsided except for occasional symptoms during high peak pollen count, and they are extremely mild and manageable when he does experience them.

Our suppliers of raw milk

In my home state, sale of raw milk in the retail environment has been legal for some years, but the State Department of Agriculture is not keen on making this a well-known fact. However, just last week for the first time in my life, I was able to walk into my local health food store and see raw milk for sale in the dairy section. And just days earlier, I went down the road to my farmer’s market which is just about two miles from my house and buy raw milk from a local farmer whom I could ask all the important questions about how the milk is produced. I can’t tell you how excited I am that both of these things are now possible, in my home state!

The name of the farm that sells raw milk at our local health food store and our farmer’s market is Treasured Sunrise Acres. They are located in Fruitland, Idaho which is about an hour and a half from Boise. Their milk is from Jersey cows on pasture and alfalfa, and they use organic practices. This is such a huge step forward for food rights, awareness, and our beautiful state!

We have been buying organic raw milk from a great producer, Saint John’s Organic Farm in Emmett, Idaho. That’s about 30 miles away from my house. For the last year we have belonged to a co-op of other families who also buy their milk from the same farm, and we take turns delivering it on a weekly basis to each others’ homes. Saint John’s Organic Farm is 100 certified organic with cows on pasture and alfalfa – they have Brown Swiss, Jerseys, and a variety of others. They also sell 100 percent grass-fed beef which is incredibly delicious. I am very impressed with how much Peter Dill and his family are absolutely committed to principles of sustainability. Peter has even managed to get aerial spraying of pesticides banned in his city, which is astoundingly difficult to achieve and is most commendable.

I’ve enjoyed being involved in these relationships very much, and it’s great knowing there are other families who are as concerned about sustainability and healthy food as we are.

Should I know anything specific about what to expect from my body if I start drinking raw milk?

If you have maintained a diet with many processed and artificial foods, your body could likely be suffering from not having enough good bacteria, as processed foods neither contain diverse nor good bacteria nor support a healthy immune system. You may also be experiencing symptoms from things like yeast overgrowth, IBS, Crohn’s Disease, diverticulitis, food intolerances, and allergies  due to eating a diet of processed food.

Drinking raw milk will give that back to you, but it may take some time. Some people experience what is known as die-off symptoms when healing begins. As the body goes into detoxification mode, sometimes you will start to notice abdominal symptoms like gas, cramping, loose stools or diarrhea, or other gastrointestinal movement. You may even start to have headaches or body aches for a brief period of time such as days or a few weeks. It depends on your body, how toxic it is, and how long you have maintained a diet with nutritionally-depleted foods.

Everyone needs an adjustment period when they make a change.  My family and I experienced no  symptoms whatsoever. The only thing we noticed was our health problems disappearing. But I have heard of people having some die-off symptoms when they start a cleanse, new way of eating, or detoxification protocol. Real food heals and detoxifies us, so those things are possible, but not necessarily guaranteed. No matter what, don’t let die-off symptoms stop you from continuing to drink raw milk. They will not last very long, if at all.

Where can you find raw milk in your area?

Visit the Real Milk web site for state-by-state law information, sources, and updates. As laws vary from state-to-state, it’s important to become acquainted with the laws and regulations regarding the sale of raw milk specific to your area. The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund site has a good diagram and up-to-date information about state laws.

What should I know before going to visit the farm where I want to buy milk?

Knowing your farmer when buying food is really important because if you are going to make an effort to obtain healthy food, it is essential to have knowledge of the practices your farmer is using in producing it. When you go to the grocery store and buy something, there is an enormous distance between you and the food you are picking up off the shelf or freezer.

Much of that food is produced in ways you may not be aware of and likely wouldn’t buy if you had the knowledge – it comes from feedlots or conventional crop environments which use toxic and dangerous methods. Animals are raised in confinement and are given antibiotics, steroids, growth hormones, and are fed the wrong types of feed that are contaminated with pesticides, other chemicals, and are genetically-modified. Produce comes from genetically-modified organisms whose DNA are altered on a cellular level, are injected from seed with substances designed to make it resistant to disease, and is grown in infertile soil and sprayed with pesticides and herbicides.

Milk is no different. Whether you are visiting your local farmer’s market, the farm itself, or just happen to run into a farmer out and about somewhere and are having a conversation, there are some important questions to ask the farmer from whom you buy your milk:

What kind of cows do they have?

If the farmer has Brown Swiss, Jersey, Ayrshire, Guernsey, or some other good heritage breed that’s been around for awhile and the bloodline has not been hybridized, these are healthy cows for milk. Guernsey and Jersey are the best.

Holstein cows the milk volume from these breeds is higher but the quality is substantially lower due to less cream or butterfat content, which is a primary standard by which milk quality is measured. Because of hybridization and cross-breeding, many of the good heritage breeds have become contaminated or have disappeared. A1 milk, as produced by Holstein cows, the most common variety found in conventional milk purchased from most any grocery store.

Most heritage breeds produce what is known as A2 milk. Holsteins produce A1 milk.

According to BetaCasein.org, the differences are as follows:

On the other end of the spectrum is A2 milk. It is the original ancestor milk, and and milk from this cow can be tolerated by most anyone. Milk Protein “Beta casein A1 is a genetic mutation and contains the amino acid Histidine. A1 variant beta casein in cow’s milk is unique amongst all mammalian beta caseins, in having a histidine amino acid. Beta casein A2 has the amino acid Proline. Other species milk contains beta casein that can be considered A2 like, as they have a proline amino acid at this equivalent position in their beta casein chains. Water buffalo, yak, goat as well as human breast milk all contain the A2-like form of beta casein.”

A2 milk from healthy cows like the ones listed above is a life-giving substance that can prevent disease and health issues. For some scientific study information on the health benefits from this type of milk, visit Beta Casein.org.

What are they feeding their cows?

Cows should be fed grass and alfalfa, not grains, soy, or corn. If the farmer in question is feeding their cows anything but grass or alfalfa, the milk will not be healthy to consume because those other substances contribute to nutritional imbalances in the milk which offset good bacteria numbers, and Omega 3 content, among many other things. Many farms use a practice called “grain” or “feedlot” finishing where the animals are fed grass until the last 90 – 120 days or so of their lives and then converted over to grain, feedlot, or both. This is not 100 percent grass-fed and can greatly reduce the quality of the milk you are drinking.

Is the farm certified organic?

If the farm is not certified organic, are they at least using organic practices such as natural fertilization (no chemicals), no pesticides or sprays, no genetically-modified organisms on their land or in feed for their other animals/birds? Are the animals treated humanely and allowed to exhibit and engage in natural behaviors and are turned out on land, and do they rotate fields and provide the land an opportunity to regenerate itself ?(both of these are critical to manure and land stewardship)

Are cows given any foreign substances or growth promoter drugs?

Are they hormone/antibiotic use free? Are they using rBGH or other growth hormones to speed up the growing time of the cattle? By law, certified organic farms are not permitted to use antibiotics, genetically-modified organisms, nor growth hormones in their practices.

Want to know more? Take action!  Become involved in helping to keep the raw milk movement alive in your city, state, and country

• Start by learning all you can about efforts being done to keep our food and milk safe from misdirected laws and prevent the loss of rights to procure real food

• Support your local, sustainable farmer – and especially those who sell real, clean, raw milk from healthy cows. Don’t give your money to factory farming corporations who don’t have your health or the environment’s best interests at heart.

• Go to The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund web site to learn more and become involved in one of our nation’s most important civil, social, political, environmental, and health movements. Read this informative article on Dr. Mercola’s web site which poses a not too-critical eye at the condition of our food safety system and the current conditions surrounding the production and sale of raw milk. The Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund is putting donation dollars to work to defend the rights of farms to sell healthy food to consumers in court. Please consider donating to this worthy cause.

Read all you can on the subject of raw milk. Suggested reading:

• The Untold Story of Raw Milk by Ron Schmid, ND

• The Raw Milk Revolution, Behind America’s Emerging Battle Over Food Rights by David E. Gumpert

• Devil in The Milk, Illness, Health, and The Politics of A1 and A2 Milk by Keith Woodford (foreword by Dr. Tom McCowan)

Watch food politics film documentaries, videos, join networking sites, and spread the word!

• Keep up on the latest news about raw milk at The Bovine.

• Watch this video on Sickly Cat featuring Mark McAfee from Organic Pastures.

• Join the Organic Pastures Facebook page

• Alliance for Raw Milk Internationale page – with links to information for all 50 states plus various countries. Join up now!

• Food, Inc. – watch it!

• FRESH, the movie – watch it!

• The Future of Food – watch it!

Raw milk is a hot topic in the news and media these days. And with good reason. It’s a subject that is near and dear to my heart, and it’s very important to become informed about it, but not because drinking it will make you sick.

Today you will read about the history of pasteurization and the health benefits of raw milk as discussed by health professionals, two journalists, and a steward-conscientious and progressive dairy farmer.

The second installment, Part II of this series will cover my family’s personal testimony of consuming raw milk, what to ask your farmer when buying raw milk, and action steps you can take to assure raw milk is available in the future for everyone.

The reason why raw milk is so important is because of its value as a nutrient-dense and versatile food that has been consumed for thousands of years by people all over the world to maintain health. And now more than ever, raw milk is a symbol of our freedoms and rights as citizens of this country, to preserve our abilities to be able to have access to real food that nourishes our bodies.

If you aren’t familiar with the struggles happening over raw milk and the right to sell, buy, and produce it, now is a good time to become acquainted with what’s been going on. Raw milk has received an unfair reputation for many years as being a food that carries disease and harmful bacteria. But the truth is, raw milk from healthy cows on pasture contains life-giving nutrients and probiotics – something we are lacking more and more in food choices in the modern world.

Processing, packaging, heating, denaturing, and the adding of preservatives, chemicals, antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, and other toxic substances is destroying the value of nutrition in foods we know today. The integrity of milk as nature’s most perfect food has never been in such jeopardy as it is in modern times.

The history of pasteurization

Pasteurization came about as a result of urban dairies springing up in the late 1800s and early 1900s to supply milk to the growing population, and to control disease conditions occurring during that time period.

According to Nina Planck, author of Real Food:

“It was a response to an acute and growing public health crisis, in which infectious diseases like tuberculosis were spread by poor-quality milk [from these dairies]. Previously, milk came to the kitchen in buckets from the family cow or in glass jars from a local dairy, but soon, urban dairies sprang up to supply the growing populations in or near cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati.”

Owners put the dairies next to whiskey distilleries to feed the confined cows a cheap diet of spent mash called distillery slop. For distribution, the whiskey dairies were inefficient: in 1852, three quarters of the milk drunk by the seven hundred thousand residents of New York City came from distillery dairies. The last one in New York City (in Brooklyn) closed in 1930.”

The quality of “slop milk”, as it was known, was so poor it could not even be made into butter or cheese. Some unscrupulous distillery dairy owners added burned sugar, molasses, chalk, starch, or flour to give body to the thin milk, while others diluted it with water to make more money. Slop milk was inferior because animal nutrition was poor; cows need grass and hay, not warm whiskey mash, which was too acidic for the ruminant belly. Cows on fresh grass produce more cream, a measure of milk quality.”

Conditions were un-hygenic, too. In one contemporary account cited in the Complete Dairy Food Cookbook, distillery cows “soon became diseased; their gums ulcerate, their teeth drop out, and their breath becomes fetid.” Cartoons of distillery dairies show morose cows with open sores on their flanks standing or lying in muck in cramped stables. Bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis were common, and cow mortality was high. The people milking the cows were often unsanitary and unhealthy, too. Dairy workers could taint milk with tuberculosis and other diseases.”

This contamination, a prevalent occurrence in commercial dairies, caused outbreaks of various diseases – typhoid, scarlet fever, undulant fever (brucellosis), and tuberculosis. The blame for sickness went to the tainted milk. In looking for a solution, public health officials finally decided that pasteurization was the perfect solution to eliminate the problem of contamination. Use of this practice essentially gave license to dairies to continue unsafe and unsanitary production practices in their milking and animal-raising methods.

As Ron Schimd points out in his book The Untold Story of Raw Milk, mandatory inspections and cleanliness were neither considered nor required to maintain sanitation and health safety in producing and selling milk to the public. Through the years, the milk itself was continually put in the doghouse as the culprit of the public’s health woes by various health experts and milk distributors. Why not require farmers to keep cows on grass and manage their care and health properly to avoid disease and illness in the first place? But this did not happen. Ultimately, this resulted in President Roosevelt appointing a panel of experts who required all raw milk to be pasteurized in 1914 in New York City. The requirement to pasteurize spread from there and by the 1950s, it was the law most everywhere.

It should be obvious as to where the problem originated. Raw milk is not dangerous to drink because it’s inherently unsanitary. It becomes a threat to human health and the environment when dairies use more and more hazardous substances like pesticides, antibiotics, genetically-modified organisms,  are not required to maintain healthy standards of animal and land stewardship, and are permitted to treat animals like commodities instead of living creatures that should have access to pasture, sunshine, fresh air and clean water.

In this day and age, when we possess the knowledge and capability of superior animal nutrition, sanitation, testing, storage, and transportation of the milk that comes from cows, it only makes sense to combine the best of nature and technology to enable our species to have access to the most healthful, nutrient-dense, and safe food available. Pasteurization only puts us back in the dark ages of our history, and does not acknowledge the supreme domain and ability to preserve our health and future that nature ultimately possesses.

What good has pasteurization done?

It has provided commercial dairies with the ability to not be accountable for producing a clean product, and if harmful bacteria are present – which they always are, they are simply obliterated through heat, and so are any good bacteria that might be present in the milk. Then those bacteria can be masked (at least some of  the time) with pasteurization practices. It has also provided big agricultural business with an efficient way to sell products far and wide and keep them on the shelf longer, thus making more profits. All at the expense of our health, of course.

What’s left in pasteurized milk is simply dead bacteria. So when you drink pasteurized and processed milk, you are drinking bacteria that has died. That’s the reason there is a shelf life on pasteurized milk, because at some point the milk goes from being dead to completely toxic. You can’t drink pasteurized milk past its date without health problems, but raw milk simply grows more and more plentiful in helpful bacteria and can be used for many things – buttermilk, yogurt, kefir, cheese, kefir, clabbered milk and a variety of healthful foods.

Did you know that pasteurized milk is routinely tested – but for coliforms, not pathogens? What’s the difference? Coliforms are a species of microorganisms which comprise most of the intestinal flora of an organism, while a pathogen is a disease-producing agent.

From the Organic Pastures web site: “These include Para TB,  viruses, bacteria and spores that survive pasteurization. This is something that the dairy industry and CDFA will not share with you. These bacteria do not exist in raw milk for human consumption. They are eliminated by specialized testing of raw milk cows and by other sanitary methods not used on conventional dairies.” Because of this fact, a person can contract a foodborne illness from milk even if it has been pasteurized.

Yes, you read that correctly.

In the state of California, raw milk undergoes testing for pathogens thousands of times annually. To date, no pathogens have ever been found in milk from either Organic Pastures (Fresno) nor Claravale Farm (Paicines).

Not only is raw milk better for your health, it is also safer than pasteurized milk. In his book The Raw Milk Revolution, David E. Gumpert revealed that in the state of Massachusetts no deaths are on record from drinking raw milk. But pasteurized milk containing the pathogen Listeriosis was responsible for the deaths of 3 people in 2007.

An In These Times web site article disclosed the following CDC data: from 1993 to 2006 there were 116 illnesses annually connected to raw milk , “or less than .000002 percent of the 76 million people who contract food-borne illnesses every year in the United States.”

There’s milk, and then there’s milk

There are actually two types of raw milk. According to Mark McAffe of Organic Pastures (the country’s largest raw dairy), here are the primary differences between them:

1) There’s the raw milk intended to be consumed raw

and

2) There’s the raw milk intended to be used for pasteurization, and contrary to popular belief, they are NOT the same.

When you consider purchasing raw milk, you must be certain to find milk that has been produced with the intention of being consumed raw, and not just raw milk from conventionally-raised cows that hasn’t gone through the pasteurization process yet.

There’s a vast difference between the quality and safety of milk from organically-raised, grass-fed cows, and conventionally-raised, grain-fed livestock. Cows fed on grain, soy, corn, and other inappropriate feeds develop an acidic digestive environment and eventually become ill. Cattle are ruminants, meaning their digestive tracts are designed to consume grasses, not grains. When a ruminant consumes grains, all bets for healthy milk are off. This is why farmers administer antibiotics to their herds – because the feed causes the internal environment to develop pathogenic bacteria and this makes the milk harmful for consumption.

Health benefits of raw milk

Raw milk that is organically-sourced from cows on pasture is naturally rich in healthy bacteria, including lactobacillus and acidophilus. There are also several coliform families of bacteria present in raw milk that are important for health. What most people don’t know is there are actually over 230 different kinds of E. coli. Of those, only two or three of them are actually pathogenic and will cause sickness. The rest are extremely beneficial to your immune system and digestion.

Raw milk also contains vitamins, which are virtually eliminated by the pasteurization process of commercial milk. But it’s the presence of beneficial bacteria are what make raw milk such an outstanding food source to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in your intestine, which in turn has a significant, beneficial impact on your overall immune function.

Other health promoting ingredients in raw milk include (source, Dr. Mercola with guest Mark McAfee):

• Valuable enzymes that are destroyed during pasteurization. Without them, milk is very difficult to digest. So if you have lactose intolerance, it may very well disappear once you start consuming raw dairy products. It also contains phosphatase, an enzyme that aids and assists in the absorption of calcium in your bones, and lipase enzyme, which helps to hydrolyze and absorb fats.

• Enzymes are deactivated when you get above 120 degrees. By the time you get to 150, 160 degrees, almost all of them are completely inactivated, which is why you will not get ANY of these benefits from pasteurized milk.

• Natural butterfat, which is homogenized or removed in pasteurized milk. Without butterfat, it becomes very difficult for your body to absorb and utilize the vitamins and minerals in the water fraction of the milk. Butterfat is also your best source of preformed vitamin A, and contains re-arranged acids with strong anti-carcinogenic properties.

• Healthy, unoxidized cholesterol

• Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which fights cancer and may help reduce your body fat

• High omega-3 and low omega-6 ratios, which is the beneficial ratio between these two essential fats

From Dr. Al Sears, M.D.:

I come from a family of farmers, and milk was a staple of my diet growing up. We’d have it delivered to the house in glass bottles and go through a gallon a week per person. When I’d go to my grandma’s, she’d pour me a glass straight from the bucket…straight from the cow.

Back then, we never worried about whether milk was raw or pasteurized, and we were healthy, strong, and never sick a day. Today, you won’t find raw dairy products in your local grocery store. It’s against the law in some states.

Raw milk from grass-fed cows has been used for disease prevention since the time of Hippocrates.

Grass-fed raw milk builds immunity. Any time you build immunity, you help prevent disease. When you build immunity high enough, you set up a protective shield around you that prevents germs and viruses from attacking. You can walk into a room full of cold and flu victims and never catch a thing.

Grass-fed raw milk is a good source of important disease fighters like vitamins and minerals, essential fatty acids, amino acids, and good bacteria to strengthen your immune system. When you pasteurize milk, the heat destroys all of the immune-fighting properties. Grass-fed raw milk also contains the most important health-building ingredient of all: enzymes. Enzymes are inflammation fighters and immune builders too. But they are destroyed within minutes by heat during pasteurization.

Here’s a sample of what is lost:

• Amylase: breaks down carbohydrates in food as it is digested
• Catalase: a strong antioxidant that protects cells
• Lactase: what’s missing when people develop lactose intolerance. Lactase makes it easier to absorb other nutrients as well.
• Lipase: breaks down fats like triglycerides and improves the way your body uses them
• Phosphatase: helps your body absorb and use the calcium and phosphorus in milk.
• Lactoferrin: helps protect you from disease. Lactoferrin defends the body against invasion by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Lactoferrin has the same protection-fighting power as mother’s breast milk for an infant.

Check back tomorrow for Part II where you can read the personal testimony of my family’s experience drinking raw milk and how we have benefited from its consumption.

You will also find information about how to make good choices when buying raw milk, where to go to find it, and questions you should ask your local farmer.

You’ll learn how to become involved to support a vibrant, growing, and passionate community of people who love raw milk and want to continue to be able to have access to it for the sake of freedom as well as health.

This post is part of Kelly The Kitchen Kop’s Real Food Wednesdays Carnival. Please visit her site and check out all the other real food posts there.
This post is also part of Sustainable Eats Simple Lives Thursday Blog Hop. Please visit this great site and share your posts there!