Me: Let’s have a conversation.
I’m going to make a bold statement. Pasteurized milk (the milk you get at the grocery store) is terrible for you. Stop drinking it.
You: That’s not what they say on TV.
Me: This may come as a shock to you, but the media knows jacksh*t about nutrition. Media is marketing. Marketing is business. More money for them; worse health for you. That’s the way life is.
You: But I buy the organic milk, is this ok?
Me: No, it’s not ok. Most organic milk is still pasteurized. If you’re going to buy milk, buy raw milk. The only problem is, it’s illegal in most provinces and states to sell raw milk. Here’s the loop-hole. Go to your local dairy farmer and purchase raw milk directly from them. Make sure that the Holsteins are grass fed and not grain fed.
Listen to the cow. Girl power!
You: What’s raw milk?
Me: Straight from the cow. It’s the milk that your grandparents used to drink. It was the stuff that was delivered directly to their doorstep when they were children.
You: Your argument has no credibility. Sources, please?
Me: Realmilk.com sums this up nicely. Also, a simple Google search will also link you to tons of articles discussing how bad milk is for you.
Here are a couple of arguments presented by Realmilk:
The following nutrients are degraded during pasteurization: Vitamin C , Calcium, Folate, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Iron, Iodine, Minerals. These are some of the nutrients that are supposed to make milk healthy, but, if they are degraded, then how healthy can the stuff be?
Many studies have linked consumption of pasteurized milk with lactose intolerance, allergies, asthma, frequent ear infections, gastro-Intestinal problems, diabetes, auto-Immune disease, attention deficit disorder and constipation. During a period of rapid population growth, the market for fluid pasteurized milk has declined at 1% per year for the past 20 years. Fewer and fewer consumers can tolerate pasteurized (and ultrapasteurized) milk (Don’t Drink Your Milk, Frank Oski, MD, 1983).
The Protective components of Milk are generally destroyed in Pasteurization process:
PROTECTIVE COMPONENTS: Raw milk contains numerous components that assist in:
- Killing pathogens in the milk (lactoperoxidase, lactoferrin, leukocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, antibodies, medium chain fatty acids, lysozyme, B12 binding protein, bifidus factor, beneficial bacteria); Preventing pathogen absorption across the intestinal wall (polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, mucins, fibronectin, glycomacropeptides, bifidus factor, beneficial bacteria); Strengthening the Immune System (lymphocytes, immunoglobulins, antibodies, hormones and growth factors) (Scientific American, December 1995; British J of Nutrition, 2000:84(Suppl. 1):S3-S10, S75-S80, S81-S89).
Many of these anti-microbial and immune-enhancing components are greatly reduced in effectiveness by pasteurization, and completely destroyed by ultra-pasteurization (Scientific American, December 1995; British J of Nutrition, 2000:84(Suppl. 1):S3-S10, S75-S80, S81-S89).
It is also important to note that the consumption of pasteurized milk contributes to fat storage. This study found that milk was even more insulinogenic than white bread! This means that when you drink pasteurized milk, your body releases a hormone that tells your body to store fat. In fact, it tells your body to store more fat than white bread!
You: What about protein powders derived from milk?
Me: If you read the whole study recently listed above, you will notice that whey protein with added lactose is less insulinogenic than pasteurized milk. The scary thing is, lactose is a sugar. Sugars are usually greatly insulinogenic.
You: Ok, you convinced me not to drink milk. I live nowhere close to any farms, so buying raw milk is out of the picture. What should I drink?
Me: Water. If you still have the need to drink something similar to milk, opt for unsweetened almond milk, or unsweetened coconut milk.
FIN
If you feel like this argument was one-sided, it’s because it was. I care about your health. I care about your fitness goals. Thanks for the talk.
*If this topic interests you, check out this awesome article by Jason Ferruggia here: The War on Raw Milk*
Cheers
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