Wednesday, February 6, 2008

From the Founder: Raw Milk

The topic of Raw Milk has a lot of buzz around it right now due the legal issues of how and where it can be sold. It’s interesting to me because once again the FDA wants us to believe what’s best for their bottom line which now a days seems to be more business-related rather than concern for our education and safety.

I personally wrote off milk back in 2004, when I became serious about living a wellness lifestyle. As I mentioned in the past from my findings in the book Ultra Prevention, I discovered that that medical research has linked milk to many common and preventable health problems.

This sentence is what that made me give up milk forever, “For many, milk is the cause of allergies, sinus problems, eczema, and ear infections as well as a potential source of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and digestive problems.” Most of which I used to suffer from, until I stopped consuming the majority of the dairy products in my diet.

The book states that over 75% of the world’s population suffers from lactose intolerance. The book also goes on to say that we should not consume milk from a cow unless we are a calf.

I know some of you are wondering, “Where will I get the calcium by bodies needs if I am not drinking milk?”

Ultra Prevention also notes that most women in Africa ingest little calcium – perhaps 300 to 500 mg a day – yet they rarely come down with osteoporosis. This is because they are not drinking alcohol, colas, caffeine, or eating salt or excessive animal protein – all of which leach calcium out of your bones and into the toilet.

Now, I know most of you may want to stop reading this, but while living a wellness lifestyle I also insist upon balance – not giving up the things that make you happy. Most of us do enjoy a cocktail, a cup of coffee, a steak and other indulgences, but there are other amazing sources of calcium such as broccoli, bok choy, french beans / haricot verts, quinoa, dried figs, sardines, parsley, sesame seeds and almond butter. (For more foods that contain calcium, click here.) There is also supplementation, but find out which form calcium is best for your needs.

Back to the topic of Raw Milk, my vote is yes due to the hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides found in our pasteurized milk supply. Bovine growth hormone, used to increase milk production, may increase the likelihood of breast cancer. So on top of the everyday ailments, the additives in our milk supply can also lead to major diseases!

Overall, my suggestion is to avoid dairy at all costs. With all of the information we discovered while researching this topic, if consuming dairy makes you happy I say stick with the raw. Yes, it takes an extra step or two to get it, but aren’t you worth it?


Were you aware of all of the issues involved with what was marketed to us as an innocent and beneficial drink? Ever wonder what happened to all of the “Got Milk?” advertisements?????


Tiffany Houser
BalanceBoost

No comments: