Milk..too many options..what to choose?

Most recently I have started my little one on milk..cow's milk. And yeah I know,we are the only species that drinks another animal's milk. I also know that regular milk..the stuff you buy at the grocery store, is mass produced..a detail I am not a fan of. It comes from farms where cows are stuck inside, fed growth hormones to produce more milk than they ever could naturally, fed antibiotics when their udders become infected..the list goes on. Knowing that I did not want to give this horror to him, I did a bunch of research on my own. I wanted to know if there is really any benefit to drinking milk, or is this just an assumption we all have adopted from the dairy industry and the FDA, and what were my options on feeding my family?

The information that I have gathered is that there are really four options.. conventional store bought pasteurized, homogenized milk, conventional store bought pasteurized homogenized organic milk, pasteurized,non-homogenized milk from a small farm not too far away, and raw milk from an all organic farm in Ohio. Milk is not crucial to our health, whether it be from a small farm or not, and new research is even showing a possible link with conventional milk and diabetes.

Well then I had to read up on the science..what happens to milk when it is pasteurized? Why do we do it? We eat a lot of other things raw? And yes I know,it is common knowledge that we pasteurize to kill off harmful bacteria. But I have learned that not all bacteria is bad, and that the good help eradicate the bad. I have also learned that you can get sick eating raw spinach and deli meat. You can even get sick off of pasteurized milk. And when pasteurized and homogenized, many of the vitamins are removed, then put back in, but not easily absorbed,especially without the fat. And homogenization breaks up the fat molecules allowing for it to enter our bloodstream versus just our digestive track. The enzyme lactase is also destroyed during the pasteurization process making it difficult for people to digest the sugar lactose. Pasteurization began when cows were being brought into the city and were fed poorly,standing in their own manure, living in unsanitary, crowded conditions. Sound tasty?


So my decision ultimately came down to my values. I am a purist. I believe things should remain in their natural state as much as possible. I have researched the risks and believe that animals living off green pastures, roaming as animals should, no hormones, no antibiotics, all the proteins, enzymes, and vitamins intact, is the best for us. I believe that raw milk is different than conventional and raw in and of itself is not a problem. ‘Problems’ in regards to getting sick from what one consumes most often come from living out of harmony with nature. I believe mass production of anything takes us too far away from the natural cycle of life and what ultimately puts us at risk for illness and disease. 

Choosing to live simply reduces your risk of illness. Know your animals, know your garden, know your family, intimately, and your happiness and peace of mind begins to return as well as your health. We own a share of a cow, the farm has 8 cows total..mostly jerseys (where the best milk comes from), one guernsey, and two holsteins. I still try to find other sources of calcium and protein but at the end of the day I am glad I have a bit of milk to fall back on..especially for my little one.

Do you know where your milk comes from?

Inception

There was much trepidation involved in starting this blog. It has been years since anything has been offered up for someone else to contemplate..other than an email or a yearly birthday card to a loved one. I used to write a lot, but it was primarily papers full of academic jargon and almost always maintained an objective point of view, so my own personal voice was pretty far in the background. I have realized it is rather intimidating to put my thoughts out there for anyone to read..fear of judgment most likely being the main culprit. I have discovered however,that I do seem to have a lot to say in certain arenas of life,and think that perhaps my experiences have led me to a place where I could share. The title of my blog is really a bit of a catch because while I find that sometimes it is easy being green, there are other instances when I have attempted this route, but the outcome wasn't as I'd hoped.But I do believe that even if one cannot be entirely "green," there is almost always an opportunity to sprinkle it in somewhere. What I mean by the word green is anything natural,from the earth,with the least amount of processed,mass produced crap as possible. So I will impart any bit of wisdom that I feel somebody could learn something from,whether it be a new recipe,a positive thought or even just a stream of consciousness. Sometimes a girl just wants to keep it real....I always felt that saying had multiple meanings. Namaste y'all.