(NaturalNews) You've probably heard misguided nutrition advice telling
you that low-fat dairy is good for you. You might also hear "be sure
it's pasteurized, because raw dairy products are dangerous." In fact,
the truth is that the low-fat, pasteurized, homogenized, GMO grain-fed,
hormone and antibiotic-laced milk is the real danger to your health.
1. Pasteurized/Ultra-pasteurized
Heating
milk destroys bacteria, but it also destroys enzymes, making it harder
to digest. Many people diagnosed as lactose intolerant are only
intolerant to pasteurized milk, because it lacks the enzymes necessary
for digestion. The Campaign for Real Milk website notes that
pasteurization's worst offense is the fact that it makes most of the
calcium in milk insoluble - meaning the body is unable to use it.
However, the pasteurization of industrial milk is actually necessary,
because it's essentially dirty milk that would otherwise be dangerous.
Ultra-high
temperature, or UHT, pasteurization, a processing method that heats
milk to extreme temperatures, destroys virtually all the micro life
within milk - making the proteins virtually indigestible. More than 80
percent of all the organic milk sold in the U.S. is UHT pasteurized.
2. Homogenized
Homogenization,
a process often called "the worst thing dairymen have done to milk," is
the breaking down of fat molecules in milk through very high pressure.
This stops the fat from rising to the top and creates a "consistent"
product. It also makes milk
fat toxic to the body. Homogenization releases the enzyme xanthine
oxidase, which is damaging to the body once it's broken into unnaturally
small pieces. Arterial walls can begin to accumulate xanthine oxidase,
which subsequently promotes heart disease.
3. Low fat/Non fat
When
you consume low-fat or skim milk, not only are you drinking a denatured
food, you're contributing to obesity. A 2005 study published in
Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
followed 12,829 children ages 9 to 14 years. The study found that
drinking reduced fat milk was associated with weight gain, whereas
full-fat milk was not.
4. GMO grain-fed
Cows are meant to
eat grass, not grains, which is why milk from grass-fed cows (raw milk)
is much healthier. It's notably higher in CLA - a fat that can help you
maintain a healthy weight and lower your risk for heart disease. In
general, grain-fed cows that live in CAFOs produce less healthy milk
that's lower in vitamins, minerals (particularly calcium) and omega-3
fats. As far as the GMO aspect goes, we've already seen
what they do to pig's stomachs.
5. Antibiotics
80
percent of the antibiotics sold in this country are fed to food
animals, and 23,000 people die from antibiotic-resistant infections each
year. Coincidence? Not likely. The FDA allows antibiotic residue in
milk, because there's really no way to avoid it, other than not using
antibiotics. As a result, they decide what a safe level of antibiotic
residue is, and that becomes the amount you're exposed to.
6. Hormones
Hormone
levels in industrial milk are high for two reason: Cows are treated
with artificial growth hormones created by bio-tech companies (which are
banned in many countries), and they are milked about 300 days a year -
for much of that time, they are pregnant. Milk from a pregnant cow
contains 33 times more of the estrogen known as estrone sulfate than
milk from a non-pregnant cow. Nobody knows the extent of the risks
presented by these dietary hormones, but there is plenty of concern in
the scientific community about their possible link to cancer.
Raw milk
If
you're drinking raw, whole milk, you will, for the most part, avoid
each of these issues. Despite what critics say about raw milk safety,
the truth is that you're chances of being hospitalized from drinking raw
milk are about one in six million. In other words, you're three times more likely to die in a plane crash than to be hospitalized from drinking raw milk.
Comments
Post a Comment