Day 21 – The Dirt on Dairy
I wish I could tell you that your mom was doing you a favor when she told you to drink all your milk. If you are my age (in my 40’s) then you might not have suffered the consequences of modern dairy that kids face today. Remember the campaign “Got Milk?”, well it worked! Brilliant marketing showing celebrities all drinking wholesome milk. It caused such a demand for and created so many milk drinkers, the market demand skyrocketed. Farmers needed a way to produce milk and dairy on massive scales. This is where the industrialization of milk and dairy really began to take off. Now normally we think of industrialization as a good thing. Not when it comes to food. It is dangerous for us humans. Chemicals are introduced, and in the dairy world, the cows are over-stimulated to produce milk. They are raised in close quarters that allows disease to spread easily. So they are treated with hormones to make them produce more milk and they are medicated with antibiotics to keep them from dying. Guess what? You are also getting all those hormones, antibiotics and chemicals in your body when you consume dairy from these cows. OUCH! I know it’s a hard truth but consuming products from sick animals will make you sick.
So am I saying never eat diary? No! I am saying be mindful of the dairy that you consume. Here are some things to look for in packaging. Do limit your dairy. It is no longer believed that it is healthy to consume dairy as part of a balanced diet. So if you want to avoid it, I get it, but you can eat some dairy safely.
- Milk – Organic is not enough to be safe. You should look for Organic Milk that is full fat and from grass fed cows. It is great if from a low heat pasteurization but that is hard to find nowadays. Be careful of milk substitutes that are soy based. Too much soy in your body can cause an imbalance in your estrogen and yes this is important for you guys too! IF you live in a state that allows raw dairy to be sold, Find it! Get it! It is a super food that is as real as it can get and you will love the flavor.
- Butter – Cultured butter (european style) that is made with cream from a grass fed dairy. Organic is great if you can find all the right combinations.
- Ghee – This butter that has been rendered (clarified). In rendering you remove the milk solids and water from the butter and you are just left with the pure butter fat. If you have a lactose intolerance then you might give ghee a try. It is 99.9% free of lactose. Great to use as cooking oil. Yum!
- Cheese – here is something to think about, cows do not give yellow milk! So any cheese that is yellow has color added. All cheese should be white! Raw and organic is best. There should be no more than 2-3 ingredients on your cheese package. “Cheese Food Product” is not FOOD, FYI!
- Yogurt – You will see a pattern here. All yogurt should be raw and from a grass fed dairy source. Skip the yogurts that are flavored, fat free, sugar free and whipped. They are fake food for the most part. There are very few exceptions. The main reason you should be consuming yogurt is because of the yogurt cultures (probiotics). So make sure the packaging says LIVE YOGURT CULTURES. Don’t be fooled by the claims of mainstream yogurt products that say they will heal your tummy troubles. The types of yogurt products that make these claims are full of stuff that your tummy does not like!
Whew did you get all that? It’s a big subject. I hit the highlights. If you love dairy, please do some research on the products you are consuming to make sure you are getting Real Food!
Want some real food fuel! Tomorrow we talk about how to get a fill up! #protein