Some Things I Love About Milk

So, for those of you wondering why I think raw milk is so cool, it just so happens that in responding to an anti-milk article online I have written down a few of those reasons.

Here is the article, in case you are curious: http://www.notmilk.com/kradjian.html

And below is my response to it. The first part, in quotes, is from a posting of mine on a forum and after that is what I wrote today. I haven't eaten at all today so my brain is a little funny. Please excuse any typos!

"I agree with a lot of what he says about milk because he is talking about pasteurized milk. He's right on and I think the dairy (and meat) industry is carrying on with horrendous acts of cruelty to animals. And they are creating a product devoid of essential enzymes (to facilitate digestion) and nutrients.

However, what I am advocating is a completely different product. Animals that are kept on small-scale farms by conscientious farmers will never have pus in their milk and any diseases will be caught early on. These animals are extremely healthy and pathogens are monitored on a daily basis. Their milk is filled with enzymes, vitamins and nutrients that are hard to find in such abundance elsewhere. (BTW, human milk is filled with pathogens as well, but, just like raw cow's milk, the natural bacteria inhibit the overgrowth of these pathogens in the milk and in the belly. i.e.: they actually protect you from those other foods that cause the majority of food-borne illnesses, like spinach, sprouts, peanuts, etc).

And I really don't get the argument that we are to eat like other animals. How does that argument hold water? Are we to eat like tigers (raw meat)? Or cats? (raw meat) or cows (grass?) Why are we to eat like other animals? They don't all eat like us.

And if one is to argue we were meant to eat only what we did in H/G times then we better go empty out our pantries. First and foremost: sugar. Oh, and don't forget to get rid of all those handy crackers and cereals, oh, yeah, and bread, rice, beans, corn, popcorn, fruit rolls, soy milk, almond milk, a whole slew of veggies, HFCS, the list could go on and on.

Milk in it's natural state was consumed by humans way before agriculture. MOST of the things we consume today were introduced into the human diet long after milk was. So by this guy's logic, we were not meant to eat that other stuff either. He also denigrates meat. Does he mean to imply we didn't eat meat either? There are many who would take issue with that one.

He says we get too much protein. My response is, we don't get enough fat. A high protein, low fat diet is almost as bad as a low protein, low fat diet. We need fat and lots of it; it just needs to be good fat, not in the form of vegetable oils.

If you really want to give your children healthy food, the right place to start is probably avoiding all refined sugar and processed foods and only feed whole foods that you have obtained from a local source. (oh, wait, that could be raw milk)

So IMO, the only reason why you wouldn't consume raw milk (besides those with real allergies to casein and such) is because you don't like it (to turn his argument around)."

In his article Dr. Kradjian says:

"Milk is a maternal lactating secretion, a short term
nutrient for new-borns. Nothing more, nothing less."

My response to this is: Raw milk from healthy cows contains the following beneficial elements:

Enzymes: According to Dr. Edward Howell, author of the book, "Food Enzymes For Health and Longevity"
"It seems that we inherit a certain enzyme potential at birth. This limited supply of activity factors of the life force must last us a lifetime......Other things being equal, you live as long as your body has enzyme activity factors to make enzymes from......If enzymes were in the food we eat they would do some or even a considerable part of the work of digestion by themselves. However, when you eat cooked, enzyme-free food, this forces the body itself to make the enzymes needed for digestion. This depletes the body's limited enzyme capacity.....This state of enzyme deficiency stress exists in the majority of persons on the civilized, enzyme-free diet." (Howell 78-79) He goes on, "In fact, low enzyme levels are associated with old age and chronic disease. There's not much hard evidence on whether taking additional enzymes will extend the life span. However, we do know that laboratory rats that eat raw foods will live about three years. Rats eating enzymeless chow diets will live only two years. Thus, we see that diets deficient in enzymes cause a thirty percent reduction in life span. If this is held true for human beings it may mean that people could extend their life spans by twenty or more years-just by maintaining proper enzyme levels." (Howell 24-28)

Raw milk contains the following enzymes: Lactase: helps break down lactose into simple sugars; galactose and glucose, Galactase: breaks down galactose, Lactoperoxidase: assists with oxidation of organic substances in milk, Lactoferrin: kills many pathogens that are attracted to iron, assists with iron assimilation, and strengthens the immune system, it has been approved as an anti-microbial against E. coli, Catalase: protects cells, Amylase: aids in digestion, Lipase: can separate fatty acids from triglycerides (the absence of these enzymes in pasteurized, homogenized milk causes the milk to go rancid), Phosphatase: bacteria destroyer. (The Untold Story of Milk, Ron Schmid, 106-108)

Ron Schmid in his book, "The Untold Story of Milk", summarizes the value of enzymes in raw milk. "These enzymes play a vital role in the assimilation of the vitamins and minerals in milk, support the immune system, and provide powerful protection against pathogens. They are what make raw milk a living food." (Schmid, 108)

Bernarr McFadden writes the following about enzymes in raw milk, in his book "The Miracle of Milk":

"These ferments or digestants undoubtedly act as stimulators and regulators
of nutrition, and are identical in their function with certain
of the digestive enzymes secreted by various organs in the body."

Pasteurization kills almost all enzymes, rendering it a dead food.

Raw milk from healthy cows will contain the following nutrients:

Vitamin A: contains large amounts, this vitamin is essential for growth, protein, mineral and vitamin digestion and assimilation, blood and bone health

B Vitamins: support "healthy nerves, skin, eyes, liver, muscle tone, and cardiovascular function; they protect us from mental disorders, depression and anxiety. Deficiency of the B vitamin complex can result in the enlargement and malfunction of almost every organ and gland in the body." (Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon, 38)

mineral salts help to balance the body's acid/alkaline balance;

lime, flourin, sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and iodine and other mineral salts which are easily assimilated by the body from raw milk and are essential for the health of teeth, bone, brain cells, nerve cells, and ductless glands;

leukocyte cells which happen to be similar to those white blood cells in our blood and when added to our blood aid in fighting disease cells;

Vitamin C a strong anti-viral and vital in the prevention of scurvy. "it is also needed for a whole host of processes including tissue growth and repair, strength of capillary walls, lactation and adrenal gland function. It is vital for the formation of collagen, the body's structural substance." (Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon, 38)

fat which is essential for nutrient absorption in the food, is crucial to our basic cell growth and health, is necessary for our brains to function properly and aids in hormone production.

Essential Fatty Acids: available in the milk of grass-fed cows, they protect against disease and are important for brain and memory function. The typical American diet these days has an excess of Omega-6, so the Omega-3s in raw milk from grass-fed cows provides another means to balance this excess

Vitamin D necessary for strong bones and teeth and normal growth and unfortunately is so deficient in our diets that most doctors prescribe it as a necessary supplement

Beneficial Bacteria: Found in abundance, aid digestion and protect against overgrowth of bad bacteria, often kill pathogens, act as a natural antibiotic,

Pasteurization and homogenization either destroy these essential nutrients or make them difficult for our bodies to absorb. The highly acidic, force-fed grain diet given to most cows (even organic) results in the reduction or abscence of many of these nutrients.

So, in essence, raw milk from grass-fed, pasture-raised cows is an extremely beneficial food that is packed with lots of essential nutrients that are lacking in the typical American diet. It is an easy and delicious way to get the nutrients and bacteria we need to maintain good health and it is much cheaper than supplements. Kids love it too!

Dr. Kradjian goes on to say:

Consider for a moment, if it was possible, to drink the milk
of a mammal other than a cow, let's say a rat. Or perhaps
the milk of a dog would be more to your liking. Possibly
some horse milk or cat milk. Do you get the idea? Well, I'm
not serious about this, except to suggest that human milk is
for human infants, dogs' milk is for pups, cows' milk is for
calves, cats' milk is for kittens, and so forth. Clearly,
this is the way nature intends it. Just use your own good
judgement on this one.

There is evidence that humans have been drinking the milk of other mammals for over 30,000 years (to put that into perspective, corn has only been around for about 7,000 years). Humans across the globe, throughout history have valued milk as a reliable source of nutrients and energy. It has been regarded as a sacred food by many ancient cultures. Humans have (and sometimes still do) consumed the milk and blood of cows, buffalo, bison, reindeer, yak, goats, sheep, and antelope. And as I stated above, we also consume every other part of the animal, why not also the milk? I don't see the basis for this argument. I think that it is just his personal opinion that humans shouldn't drink milk.

Well, I could go on for hours on this guy because he really leaves himself open to criticism but I am on my fast right now (no food for 2 days) and my brain is not functioning too well. I applaud him for attacking the horrible ways cows are treated and the health risks of consuming conventional, mass-produced, pasteurized and homogenized milk. But raw milk from pasture-raised cows is really completely different, incomparable actually.