The Milk Controversy: Pasteurization, Organic Milk
Here are some facts about pastuerized milk:
- Pasteurization does not guarantee cleanliness (outbreaks of salmonella from contaminated pasteurized milk have been reported in recent decades).
- Pasteurization leaves milk devoid of any protective mechanism should undesirable bacteria inadvertently contaminate the supply.
- Lacking beneficial bacteria, in time pasteurized milk will putrefy, while raw milk turns sour yet is still considered tasteful by some.
- Encourages growth of harmful bacteria.
- Turns the sugar of milk, known as lactose, into beta-lactose. This is far more soluble and therefore more rapidly absorbed in the system, rendering the milk drinker hungry sooner.
- Renders the major part of calcium found in raw milk insoluble, frequently leading to rickets, bad teeth, and nervous troubles.
(*As Tom Cowan states in his article on pasteurized milk versus raw: Sufficient calcium content is vital to children; and with the loss of phosphorus also associated with calcium, bone and brain formation suffer serious setbacks.) - Destroys all the enzymes in milk.
- Produces nutritional anemia.
- Destroys 20% of the iodine found in raw milk.
- Chemicals may be added to suppress odor and restore taste. Synthetic vitamin D2 or D3 is added – the former is toxic and has been linked to heart disease while the latter is difficult to absorb.
- Causes constipation.
- Robs milk of its most vital qualities.
- Robs milk of its natural, rich, creamy taste.
- Robs milk of its nutrient dense creamy top.
- Adopts the flavor of its cardboard casing.
Organic Milk
Organic milk may include cows fed primarily on a grass-fed diet, pastured with plenty of space to exercise. However, the stamp “organic” does not insure it’s a product of sustainability or environmentally sound practices.
John Robbins (The Food Revolution) was one of the first to voice concern about organic milk producers that weren’t living up to this image. He stated that Horizon Dairy keeps their cows in dry feedlots where there is little if any grass. This was supported in a sense when a concerned consumer wrote to Horizon questioning the conditions of their farm, and Horizon responded by saying that, “Although we do not include ‘outside grass’ as a standard part of their diets, the cows certainly may graze on grasses while outside.”
