When you walk into the grocery store and stare at the dairy case are you confused by all the labels?  Do you buy whole milk, 2%, or skim?  Do you buy organic, rBGH-free, or conventional?  What about local, grass-fed, or raw?  Now milk has additives too – like DHA and Omega 3.

:: I Buy rBGH-Free Milk

Despite opposition from scientists, farmers and consumers, the US currently allows dairy cows to be injected with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), also known as recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST). Developed and manufactured by the Monsanto Corporation, this genetically engineered hormone forces cows to artificially increase milk production by 10 to 15 percent.

Milk from cows that have received this growth hormone contains higher levels of IGF-1, a naturally occuring growth hormone that is identical in cows and humans. When you drink milk from these cows you get a dose of IGF-1, one of the most powerful of many insulin-like hormones that prompt cells to grow.  IGF-1 is linked to cancers of the reproductive system, including breast cancer.

The European union, Canada, Japan and Australia have all banned the use of rBGH in their countries.  And, many dairies here in the US have voluntarily discontinued the use of rBGH and although labeling is not required, those who are not using the hormone are making it known.  Walmart’s Great Value milk is rGBH free as well as many other store brands including Kroger and Safeway to name a few.

If you can’t afford to do anything else, start here first.  Many store brands are labeling their milk rBGH free so this is within everyone’s budget.

:: I Buy Whole Milk

Why whole milk?  Isn’t it fattening and full of saturated fat?  Butterfat helps your body digest protein and your bones require saturated fat to lay down calcium.  The cream that whole milk contains holds the fat-soluble vitamins A & D that are vital to your body and are required to absorb calcium.  But, if you read a label at the grocery store you’ll notice even skim milk contains the same amount of vitamins A & D according to the nutrition label.  So why does it matter? By law skim milk and 2% milk must be fortified with SYNTHETIC vitamin A & D3.  There is some evidence that both of these synthetic vitamins are toxic in excess.  And, after reading Nina Planck’s book, Real Food, I’m convinced that saturated fats aren’t as bad for us as we once thought.  There is a lot of evidence that says otherwise and I’m tired of big food businesses determining what I eat and how much of it is “right” for me with their wallets and agendas being the drive behind the figures and the research.

:: I buy Local, Organic and/or Grass fed

I wish I could say that the two were synonymous, but alas, they are not.  Industrial cows (the ones that produce most of the milk in our grocery stores – traditional or conventional milk) are fed corn, grain, and soybean ration along with injections of hormones (for those who are getting rBGH) and all this while living indoors.

Grass-fed cows are fed, well, grass and hay.  The cows live outdoors – where the grass is – and because of this the milk is much tastier AND healthier. Compared to industrial milk, milk from grass fed cows contains more omega-3 fats, more vitamin A, and more beta-carotene and other antioxidants. It also contains up to 500 percent more CLA – a unique and beneficial fat that, according to some studies, prevents heart disease, fights cancer, aids weight loss, and builds lean muscle.

So, grass fed is what you should look for first.  But, if you can’t find it, organic is second best – and much better than traditional/conventional milk.  Sadly, a lot of organic dairies are not much different than their conventional industrial counterparts.  If a cow’s milk is organic, it just means the cows are eating an organic diet – which could be grain, not grass. They do not however receive any hormones or antibiotics.  And, they are required to have “access” to pasture -although many don’t spend very much time outdoors.

I recommend Organic Valley and Natural by Nature milk for Organic brands, they are two of the only Organic brands whose farmers raise their cows on pasture.  However, if you can find a local brand that states the cows are grass-fed that would be fine too.  Most farmers who raise their cows on grass are using traditional wisdom in raising their cows (ie: no hormones or pesticides).

:: I Dream of Raw Milk, Unpasteurized

100% grass fed, raw milk and raw milk cheeses are your best choice but they may not be available in your area – as they are not in mine.  Raw milk is milk that hasn’t been pasteurized or homogenized.  Eeek!  You may be saying – isn’t pasteurization what keeps us from falling ill?  Standard pasteurization is heating the milk to 161 degrees for 15 seconds and is what destroys pathogens like salmonella, E.coli, and campylobacter.  It is also what destroys vitamins, useful enzymes, beneficial bacteria, texture, and flavor.

Pasteurization is absolutely necessary due to the way conventional milk is handled and delivered in the United States.  Typically what happens at a industrial dairy is a farmer pours fresh milk into a refrigerated tank after milking.  Every few days a tanker truck goes from dairy to dairy collecting raw milk. Thus, the milk of thousands of cows is blended before being shipped for bottling and pasteurization. Pasteurization in this instance will prevent contamination from one sick cow, one unhygenic dairy worker, one dirty nozzle that would otherwise taint the milk from dozens of other dairies. It also is practical for industrial milk since it permits more handling, long distance shipping, and longer storage.

However, pasteurization isn’t a cure all.  It allows dairy workers to be lax with their cow health and milk handling.  And, it doesn’t protect you against food poisoning. Some pathogens such as Listeria can survive gentle pasteurization.

Raw milk is delicate. It contains heat sensitive folic acid and vitamins A, B6, and C. It contains important heat sensitive enzymes: lactase to digest lactose; lipase to digest milk fats; and phosphatase to absorb calcium.   Raw milk has beneficial bacteria, including lactic acids, which live in the intestines, aid digestiion, boost immunity, and eliminate dangerous bacteria.  Raw cream from raw milk contains a cortisonelike agent which combats arthritis, arteriosclerosis, and cataracts.  And, raw butter made from raw milk contains myristoleic acid, which fights pancreatic cancer and arthritis.

However, the FDA will not allow raw milk to be sold across state lines.  And, most states have outlawed the sell of it all together.  If you live in a state that allows it count your blessings.  And, if you have a supplier that will sell it to you, keep your secret! LOL.  Until we finally bite the bullet and get our own family cow, I’m afraid there will be no raw milk for us.

What about you?  What milk are you buying for your family?

I am thrilled with the book I am reading by Nina Planck, Real Food: What to Eat and Why. A lot of the information I have learned here is from that book.  I highly recommend that you read it – especially if you are still questioning how whole milk could be good for you! =)

Surely by now you have heard the letters G-M-O strung together in some way or another, in the media {print, television newscast, or online}.  It is a hot topic in the food industry and everyone is talking about it.  But what does it mean?  And, even better, what should it mean to you?  I didn’t think too much about it until I really started reading and now I want to share what I now know to help you better understand GMO’s. Chances are you’ve already eaten some of these franken-foods that some experts say could have harmful consequences, especially for children.  That is why I am writing this post, to help you to become educated and to vote with your dollars and make good choices for your families.

So what is a GMO?

GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism {sometimes called a GE food – genetically engineered}.  A GMO is a a food that has been altered in a way that does not occur in nature. Some foods are altered by a natural process, for example if you plant the seeds of the juiciest watermelons that you had last summer and you continue to do so each year, eventually you will be yeilding better and better fruit – a juicier breed.  This happens over time.  The science that creates GMO’s is a lot faster.

In a lab a scientist injects desirable genes into a plant’s cells, altering the DNA of the plant.  The result is a new version of the plant.

Why do they do this?

Advocates for GMO’s claim that these franken-foods can produce bigger yields and plants that are not as susceptible to pests. They also claim since these crops will produce more this is the way to end world hunger.

However, scientist have yet to produce a crop that has these mega yields but what they have produced are crops that capable of producing there own insecticides and crops that are capable of tolerating Round-up.  The idea was to try to simplify the management of weeds and insects, but what they have actually created are bigger problems: weeds that are resistant to Round-up.

Two-thirds of today’s GE crops are those that were created to tolerate Monsanto’s herbicide Round-up. The thought was that since the plants had round up in there genes there would be no need for farmers to use less potent herbicides on the plants.  It didn’t take long for a new generation of weeds to crop up that are also resistant to Round-up.  So, now farmers must douse the already laced with herbicide plants with more of the chemicals.  So what does the biotech industry decide to do?  Modify these crops to be able to tolerate multiple herbicides, of course, so even more herbicides can be applied to kill the weeds!

So, in short, GMOs were created initially to decrease the use of pesticides and herbicides but in fact they have INCREASED the use of these chemicals on your food.

Obviously, you can see why these would be harmful to you – heavy doses of chemicals applied to your fruits and vegetables doesn’t sound like a safe practice to me.  Many animal studies have been performed and have raised concern about these foods.

In a 2008 Italian study mice were fed genetically modified corn for a period of 30 to 90days and the result was that he mice developed intestinal inflammation.  A 2004 French study performed on rats showed changes in their blood cells, livers, and kidneys, which researches believe could indicate the onset of disease.

Right now there is no rule from the FDA that requires foods to be labeled to show whether or not they are using GMOs and the US Department of Agriculture continues to approve the planting of these crops.

The American Academy of Pediatrics does not have a stance on whether or not parents should feed their children products with GMOs but the trouble is there isn’t enough research.  There isn’t enough research to show these are safe for us or our children.  We don’t know what these crops could trigger in our own bodies yet. I don’t know about you but I am not willing to let my family members be the test subjects.

And, I’m not the only one who feels this way, 30 countries, including Australia, Japan, and England, have taken measures to restrict the sales of GE foods.  Europe requires a strict labeling system.  So why not the U.S.?

The answer is simple, big business.  Corn and soy are two of the biggest GE crops and two of the crops that American industrial farmers grow the most of in this country. And, the country’s biggest food and agriculture companies would lose money if new evidence emerged that these crops do in fact cause risk to humans.

So, until America wakes up and demands labeling of these products what can you do to make the wisest food choices for your family?

• Know the big GE crops: soybeans, canola seeds, corn, & cotton. Also, sugar beets and alfalfa were recently approved.  (Alfalfa is a crop people usually eat but it is fed to the livestock – which we in turn eat)
• Buy whole foods – 80% of packaged/processed food items have one or more of the big GE crops
• Buy grass-fed beef and dairy products – livestock in C.A.F.O.s (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations – aka Industrial Farms) are fed soy, corn, and alfalfa and then sold as conventional meat
• See which brands are saying no to GMOs (visit nongmoproject.org)
• Buy organic.  It isn’t a totally fail-proof method since GE crops can be grown in close proximity to organic farms and aren’t safe from cross-pollination, but, in general, the risk is significantly lower than that of conventional products.
• Add yellow squash, zucchini, sweet corn, and Hawaiian papaya to your organic list (I buy items from the dirty dozen list organic plus these) since small amounts of these crops are genetically modified as well).
• Buy from your local guy – and ask questions.  Farmers markets are in full bloom right now and I love them!  But, to determine if you are buying a non-GMO product, ask the farmer is he can guarantee that his crop aren’t GE and ask if he is located near any large scale GE farms (they could be causing cross-pollination).

What do you think?  Are you concerned about the risks of GMOs for your family?

I found an article in KIWI magazine that proved to be helpful in spelling all this out for me.  This is the information that I gleaned from it but I highly recommend that you read the whole article HERE entitled The New Food Fight, by Marygrace Taylor.