Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Raw Milk

Monday night I saw a story on World News Tonight about Raw Milk. You can see it for yourself here. Raw milk is unpasteurized, unhomogenized, and "illegal to sell in 23 states". Well here in Connecticut, it is legal - thank goodness. And my family is among the "devotees".

I first learned about raw milk from a friend, who had read the book Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats.



This friend is one who is great at influencing people, so I eventually read it myself. I'm glad I did because it totally changed my life, and those of my family.

The book is based on the findings of Weston A. Price. "In his search for the causes of dental decay and physical degeneration that he observed in his dental practice, he turned from test tubes and microscopes to unstudied evidence among human beings. Dr. Price sought the factors responsible for fine teeth among the people who had them- the isolated 'primitives'...Wherever he went, Dr. Price found that beautiful straight teeth, freedom from decay, stalwart bodies, resistance to disease and fine characters were typical of primitives on their traditional diets, rich in essential food factors."

My grandmother was 94 years old when she died. She came to the U.S. from Hungary, and ate a very high fat diet throughout her life, including cooking in bacon fat and lard and using lots of butter. So when I read the book's recommendations for eating lots of healthy fats, the information felt right.

My friend became a full-time crusader for the Weston A. Price Foundation, and started a chapter here in Connecticut. One of the things she did in helping to convince people that this philosophy makes sense, is to invite people to her home to watch a PowerPoint presentation about it. During that presentation, which I later had my husband attend so he would understand where I was coming from, there was significant discussion on raw milk. Basically what was done was to show what is done to milk during the pasteurization and homogenization process. And it was enough to convince me that it is totally unnatural. Here is a great article on Raw Milk vs. Pasteurized Milk.

Now that I've been convinced of the benefits of raw milk there is no going back. I am actually spending $8 a gallon, and I do not permit my children to drink "regular" milk when raw is not available. Just the idea of it grosses me out.

Check out the link and watch the story. And then read the truth.

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