Hi-Ho, the Dairy-O!

You know what's really good? Queso and chips! Nachos! Omelettes full of gooey cheese! Hot fudge sundaes! Cold chocolate milk! Cream in my coffee! MMMMMMMM.............Good!

NOT! Well, not really. BUT.....it doesn't have to be that way. I'm going to tell you the problems with dairy and what you can do to continue eating your favorite foods.

The problem with dairy isn't generally the dairy itself. For the most part. Before industrialized farming became the norm, cows roamed on large pastures, ate grass and were healthy. If they weren't healthy, they were put down. Now, cows are penned in small areas, aren't allowed to graze freely, given antibiotics and hormones. Because they aren't allowed to graze in big green fields is why they need antibiotics. They are then given hormones to increase milk production and to fatten them up for beef. Also, dairy farmers use chemicals to clean their milking instruments, their barns, and the milk storage tanks!

It's become increasingly common for people to have sensitivities to foods. There is a thing called "masking" of these symptons. Basically, what that means is people have symptoms for so long or are so bombarded with allergens that they aren't even aware of them until they remove the offending food for a while and then re-introduce it. Or, they have symptoms that they link to other ailments.

Did you know that dairy consumption is linked to asthma, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, fibromyalgia, and heart disease?

In addition to the problems with the farms themselves, pasteurization and homogenization have also added a negative impact on health. the protein globules in raw milk are very large. They are so large, in fact, that they can't pass the arterial walls and get into the blood stream. They are also very heat sensitive. Well, when milk is pasteurized, it is heated up. Here's an excerpt about homogenization from healthguidance.org:

 First, let me tell you how milk is homogenized. Essentially the homogenization of milk is strictly a mechanical process. The milk is forced through a small passage of 2,000 to 2,500 P. S. I. at velocities of approximately 600 to 800 feet per second. This amounts to crashing the milk globules up against a brick wall to shatter the fat globules to a fraction of their normal size.







Webster says about 'homogenized': "Reduced to small evenly distributed particles." Thus, milk does not separate into milk and cream.

Sometimes, people think they are allergic to milk. Some people truly are. However, a lot of times it's just they can't digest pasteurized, homogenized milk. Milk is also full of enzymes that start the digestive process so your body doesn't have to work so hard to digest the milk. Pasteurization and homogenization kills those enzymes.

I never really noticed any side effects from consuming dairy. My husband on the other hand was having severe IBS symptoms. (I'm sure he loves that I'm sharing that! He tells me about it all the time, however. There should be some mystery in a marriage. But that's for a different day.) I read about dairy and digestion and suggested to him that he cut out the dairy and lo and behold, his problems went away!! I started reading about raw dairy and it doesn't bother his delicate digestive system at all. Raw cheddar cheese is much tastier than the orange colored, waxy junk you get from the grocery store.

I will tell you that I've been eating the raw dairy as well. Now, when I eat regular ice cream or cheese, my stomach aches and I have indigestion for hours! So, there was a little of that masking I was telling you about. I had no idea. You can buy raw cheese at the health food store. You can't go to the store and buy raw milk however. You can go to small farms and get it though. You have to check around. I know there's one in Tioga, Tx. Leave a comment if you want their phone # and I'll look it up.

Also, I understand that goat's milk is highly digestible as well. You can find that readily at health food stores and small farms all over the country. I don't particularly enjoy goat's milk so I don't have just a whole lot to say about it. I will say this, however. My friend Sue gave us some goat milk recently and it was delicious!! It was not goaty at all so I know there is some out there. If you have some good information on goat's milk or you have goats and would like to share your information, leave it in a comment below.

There is lots of information about raw dairy on the web. Two good sites I found are http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/raw_milk_health_benefits.html and http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/9973/1/Negative-Effects-of-Dairy-Products.html.

Now, I'm off to have some herbal coffee with real cream. mmmmmmm.....good!!!