If you want to stay slim and healthy you’re supposed to follow a low-fat diet and choose skim milk over whole milk- right? Wrong! Dairy can be a confusing topic when it comes to health- some say it’s the devil, while others say it’s necessary as long as it’s low-fat or fat-free. Dairy can be a wonderful health food if you eat the right type.
Homogenization
Pretty much all the milk you find in supermarkets today is homogenized. Homogenization involves processing the fat globules of the milk to distribute them evenly throughout the container of milk. If you talk to your grandparents, or maybe even your parents, they’ll tell you that milk was not like that back in their day- all the cream would rise to the top. That is the way it should be, as nature intended. It is best to eat foods as they are found in nature. There is no good reason to homogenize milk. It damages the fat and makes it less nourishing to the body. Remember- fat is essential for good health!
This is the best quality milk I can find by me (although I don’t drink milk)
Pasteurization
the pasteurization process
Pretty much all milk is also pasteurized, in fact it’s illegal in many states to sell raw milk! Pasteurization involves heating the milk in order to kill the microbes in it. This also kills the beneficial bacteria (probiotics) and enzymes naturally found in milk (the probiotics and enzymes help make it easier to digest). Pasteurization takes away from the nutritional benefits of milk. If you have milk from a grass-fed cow that lived a good life, it is perfectly safe to drink the milk raw- and it’s the most beneficial raw. Pasteurization is necessary for milk that comes from factory-farmed cows because they are fed GMO corn & soy which makes them sick, so they are given antibiotics. They’re also given hormones in order to make them produce more milk, which then contains pus. Do yourself a favor and stick to milk from grass-fed healthy cows that was NOT pasteurized. The probiotics and enzymes are there for a reason. They help make the nutrients in the milk available to our body.
Raw Dairy
If you can find good quality raw dairy near you, that would be the best option. For a more in depth look at why raw milk is such a great choice, check out this post from Chris Kresser.
Grass-Fed/Pasture-Raised vs Factory-Farmed
How the animal lives is important for how health-giving it’s milk is. A cow that lived a very stressful life and was eating a poor diet is not going to produce healthy milk. You know the saying “you are what you eat,” well it applies to animals as well. So, you are what you eat eats also. Cows are designed by nature to eat grass, NOT corn, soy and other grains. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out Food Inc:
Skim Milk vs Whole Milk
Many people believe they are doing a good thing for their health by choosing skim milk over whole milk- but that is actually doing more harm than good. When you remove the fat from the milk, what you are left with is sugar. This spikes your blood sugar leading to an increase in insulin production and then a drop in blood sugar. When your blood sugar drops, you crave more sugar to give you energy. Being on this blood sugar roller coaster (hypoglycemia) is dangerous and has the following signs and symptoms:
- craving sweets
- irritable if a meal is missed (hangry)
- depending on coffee
- light headed if a meal is missed
- jittery and/or shaky
- anxiety/nervousness
- easily upset
- blurred vision
- memory problems
- chronic snacking
- eating sweets instead of meals
- easily irritable
The fat in the milk helps to slow absorption and keep blood sugar levels stable. Despite what many people think, saturated fat is not bad for us. In fact we need it for good health. We need fats for:
- Fats provide a source of long-burning energy. Instead of the burst of energy and crash we get with sugar, fats give us stable, long-lasting energy.
- Fats are building blocks for our hormones and cell membranes
- Fats stimulate the release of bile from the gallbladder during digestion. If you eat a low-fat diet, or a diet high in low-quality fats, the bile will stay in the gallbladder and harden. This leads to gallstones and/or sludgy bile.
- We need to consume fat in order to absorb the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.
- We need fats in order to properly absorb and utilize proteins
- Stored fat protects our organs
- Fats slow the absorption of food during digestion, keeping us full & satisfied longer
- Fats make food taste good
- Fats are a great brain food
Personally, I don’t drink milk and avoid dairy most of the time. If I am going to have it, I always choose grass-fed and raw if I can find it. Fresh, raw, whole milk from happy grass-fed cows is a nutritious beverage and even some people who are normally lactose intolerant can drink this kind of milk with no issues. Always eat food as close to it’s natural form as possible. Mother Nature knows what she is doing.
Was this information useful to you? Let me know in the comments!
See also:
Saturated Fat Does NOT Make You Fat
The Problem With Grains and How to Properly Consume Them
Stop Fearing Cholesterol!
