Raw Milk - What We Don't Know

Over the next several posts, I will be discussing some interesting tidbits of what I'm learning over the battle between raw vs. pasteurized milk. Most of the milk regulations we have in place today, are based on circumstances that occurred around the beginning of the 20th century. High mortality rates among infants, and the spread of tuberculosis within the population.

In "The Untold Store of Milk" by Ron Schmid, ND., we are given insight into the history as to how we arrived at where we are today. I'll sum up the quick basics this way.

With the start of the industrial revolution, our society went from being farmers, to employees. Moving from farms to cities, many became dependent on others for their food source. Farmers who once only needed to feed themselves and their families, were now faced with needing to provide for a growing and dependent population. The residents of these growing cities were in need of milk to feed their newborn children. We all know what happens when demand strongly outweighs supply. Processes that needed to be in place to assure safety, were just not there. The fallout was that the poor conditions on the farms led to contaminated raw milk sources. The conditions became poor, because farmers were under a bigger demand, and in turn, had to change processes to meet the demand. Many farmers had too many cows for the land to support. This led to unclean conditions in stalls and on the range itself, which in turn led to disease. We can start to see where this is leading.

At the time, two men came up with a solution to the problem. One was to certify the raw milk, the other was to pasteurize it. We know what route was taken.

These two options are still in place today. You can buy certified raw milk and you can buy pasteurized milk. One reason pasteurized milk is more popular is the cost. That's one reason why pasteurized milk won out years ago, the costs. But the benefits of raw milk may far outweigh those costs. We'll get into that next time...

To Meat or Not To Meat?

Meat. It does a body good. No wait, that's milk. Actually, most milk does a body bad, but that makes for poor advertising. We'll discuss this subject at a later date.

Should you eat meat?

There have been countless debates over the issue of consuming animal flesh for food. Based on some personal experience and some clinical facts, my decision has been made.

What Did Our Ancestors Eat?

There a dozen books on the subject of "Paleolithic nutrition" (eating the way our ancestors ate).

While the details remain open to debate, most authorities agree that the caveman ate his fair share of meat.

In his book "The Warrior Diet", Ori Hofmekler makes some rather bold claims regarding this act. He points out that the caveman ate not only the meat from wild game, but also the intestines, eyes, liver...you name it.

That is not very appealing to me, but I doubt there was a Denny's around the corner. And come to think of it, I doubt that would be much better.

So what's the difference between then and now?

The meat from those days, even the meat from as little as a hundred years ago, has changed quite a bit.

Today, cows are fed excessive amounts of grain. And even worse, they are given hormones and antibiotics that remain in their systems through slaughter and into consumption.

Cows are herbivores. They are not designed to eat grain. And we know what drugs and synthetic hormones can do to us. Does the current state of professional wrestling not show us the results of hormone abuse.

Grain contributes to major problems in the fat distribution within the meat. Once, the Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio (these are essential fatty acids) was about 1:1 or 1:2. Now, with the advent of engineered cattle, it is more like 1:20 or higher. This is the primary reason that excessive beef can cause heart issues. It is not the meat itself, but what we (humans) have done to the meat.

Yea or Nay on Meat?

So am I saying not to eat meat? No. However, I am also saying that only certain people should eat meat.

We were designed to eat meat. Our teeth are designed to tear flesh. Our digestive system is more like a canine than any other animal, and we all know what dogs prefer.

Others should definitely not eat meat. Those of you with religious or spiritual convictions on the matter, and some folks who simply do not digest and utilize animal products very well should obviously avoid meat entirely.

Others may simply not like the taste.

But some people actually need meat to feel healthy and strong. I am definitely in that camp.

It's obviously an individual choice, but sometimes we need to more closely at the facts, rather than just listen to the "health professionals". My grandmother ate eggs (whole), bacon, ham, biscuits and gravy and drank buttermilk (she probably very rarely drank regular milk). She also ate a lot of vegetables. I say this because, as I mentioned earlier, a hundred years ago, we didn't have a lot of the issues we have today with the meat process.

My grandmother died this year, one month shy of 103. Up until she was 100, she still lived on her own. At the time of her death, she was able to walk, had all her faculties, and still wrote poetry. She outlived all of her doctors who told her to make lifestyle changes 30 years ago. Just something to think about.

It Just Doesn't Get Much Better Than This

You just couldn't ask for a better day. Here in Dayton, Ohio, USA, it was an absolutely georgeous day. 77 degress, very low humidity, a slight breeze. We just don't get many days like this thorughout the year. My family and I took advantage of it too. We went to the local reserve and took the 3 mile hike. A beautiful afternoon with my family, just walking in the woods and holding class. Holding class? Yes, holding class. More than just enjoying the day, my wife and I were teaching our children. By just taking the day off and going for a walk, we were teaching our children how to get outside and enjoy nature and even more, how easy it is to exercise. To just get outside and move around.

Even though we've had great technological advances in our day, those advances have come at a cost. The cost is the health of our children. Instead of getting out and playing baseball, riding a bike, playing basketball or just running around the playground, our kids sit at home playing video games or just surfing the internet. The cost to the health of our children is slowing becoming enormous. When I hear that this may become the first generation where parents could outlive their children, it makes me angry. Who are we blaming? I hope it's not the children. It's those parents who refuse to look their child in the eye and say "NO". No, you're not going to sit in the house all day and play video games or watch TV. No, we're not going to McDonalds for dinner tonight. It is our responsibility to teach. To tell our children to turn off the TV and go outside. Hey, yesterday was a lot like today and I had to tell my son it was time to turn off the video game and go outside. His response to me was, "there's nothing to do outside, I'll be bored". I told him, that's fine, as long as he's bored outside in the sunshine. Ten seconds later he was out in the field running up and sliding down the dirt mounds.

I won't leave it up to the schools, the neighbors or the church. Heaven forbid I leave it up to the government. We'll get into that down the road. They are my children, they are my responsibility. We will start at the source, us, the parents. We brought them into the world, they're our responsibility.

I'll be here to encourage you, support you and inform you. We'll spend time together here in cyberspace, but we'll also "get out and do something".