Cow's Milk: Safe or Harmful?
- Tuesday, April 05, 2011
- by
- Unknown
Most varieties of milk come from cows that are fed high-protein soybean meal and growth hormones to increase production, which both increase a cow's risk of developing mastitis, liver problems, and pituitary gland problems, leading to frequent doses of antibiotics. Clearly, regular exposure to synthetic growth hormone and antibiotic residues is not congruent with experiencing your best health.Today, the number of people around the world who consider milk to be a healthy food choice is most probably in the billions. True, there are groups and communities - particularly in the natural health field - who are well aware of the many health challenges that are associated with eating dairy products, but there is no denying that a large percentage of the world's population still believes that milk does a body good.
Conventional milk is pasteurized, a process that exposes milk to high temperatures and results in the following:- Denaturing of milk proteins, making them less usable and even harmful to your body,
- Destruction of enzymes, one of which is phosphatase, an enzyme that helps your body properly absorb the calcium found in milk,
- Destruction of vitamins B12, B6, and C and
- Destruction of friendly bacteria etc.
Many varieties of milk are homogenized. Homogenization is a process that forces healthy fat in milk through a fine straining device, which allows homogenized milk to be consistent in texture and taste rather than have globules of fat float to the surface. The problem with homogenization is that it can alter healthy fat and cholesterol in milk in a way that leaves them more susceptible to forming free radicals.
Milk can be a healthy food choice, if it meets the following criteria:
It comes from old-fashioned cows like Jerseys and Guernseys, not modern Holsteins that have been bred to produce such large quantities of milk that they typically have pituitary gland problems that result in large amounts of hormones being present in their milk,- It comes from cows that have been allowed to eat foods that are natural to them: grass when it is available, and green feed, silage, hay and root vegetables during colder months,
- It is not pasteurized. Pasteurization was first used in the 1920s to kill micro organisms that caused tuberculosis and other diseases that were related to unsanitary production methods. With modern day controls in place to ensure clean and safe production, transportation, and storage of milk, the disadvantages of pasteurization far outweigh the advantages and
- It is not homogenized etc
