Raw Milk?

This book I'm reading has also prompted me to learn more and more about raw foods and what they really entail. I know that most of the raw foodists that are in the the news are vegans, and so naturally people think that all raw foodists are vegans. This is simply not the case. I think we all need to approach animal products in our own ways, according to what we believe may be ethically right as well as how eating animal products makes us feel. As for myself, I don't do well with cow's milk. Actually, I there are few dairy products that I even eat on a regular basis. I simply don't like the taste of plain milk, except in cereal, or with chocolate (which isn't exactly nutritious), or if it's mixed in smoothies or soups/sauces. The problem is, when I do eat it, it goes right through me. That is why I prefer almond or rice milk. However, I can handle cheese in moderate amounts.
So I was reading this author and I was surprised that she advocates drinking raw milk. At first I thought, "uh oh that bacteria will kill you". It can, I learned, but only if you are drinking untested milk from cows who are crammed into smaller areas where disease is allowed to spread and are fed hormone injected feed with all manner of chemicals or whatever else they put in there. That is why the milk in the grocery stores has to be pasteurized (heated to kill most bacteria). However, cows who are allowed to roam as they please, who are fed organically and who are regularly tested for disease, produce milk that is absolutely safe to drink. People have been drinking unpasteurized milk for hundreds of years. Granted, I would only feel safe drinking raw milk if it were regularly tested and certified ok by the Dept. of Agriculture. Also, many people have milk allergies, so it's not for everyone. Still, I went online to see what I could find about raw milk, and found this website: raw-milk-facts.com. It also led me to this page where you can find local people who sell safe raw milk products. I am thinking about maybe trying some raw cheese! I was also surprised to learn that there are many raw foodists who themselves drink raw milk, and advocate its healing properties. Hey, it's worth a closer look!

So...why raw milk?

Well, from what I've learned I think the single best reason that raw milk is better than store bought milk is the degree of calcium absorption. Have you ever wondered why they sell Vitamin D fortified milk? That is because in order for calcium to be absorbed vitamin D must be present. Also, phosphorus aids in assimilating calcium. However, when milk is heated, the enzyme phosphatase is destroyed, therefore the body cannot absorb the phosphorus correctly. That means the body cannot create calcium the way it should. It's a sad but true fact that the countries with the highest intake of milk also have the highest rates of osteoporosis. Why is this? Could it be because this milk that we are led to believe to be such a "calcium rich" food has been altered so much as to be rendered largely useless? Here are some other reasons why raw milk is better in my opinion. When milk is heated/pasteurized it loses:

at least25% of it's vitamin C
about 38% of the B complex vitamins
the factors that actually inhibit bacterial growth
much of it's vitamin A

This debate about milk has been going on for decades, but this is my two cents. Milk, as a food, is probably better in it's raw, natural form, such as all other foods (in my opinion). Why not give it a taste?

I am a slacker

Ok, yes I am a total slacker. I really need to update my blog more!! Well, about that juice fast...

Well, I did a lot of research on high quality juicers, and I've come to the conclusion that the more expensive, better made ones are worth the price. So I really want to get a Champion juicer, and the cheapest one I could find was $220. So, someday I will be able to buy one, hopefully soon. That being said, I did decide to go on a juice fast on Nov. 3rd. However, I didn't do it the right way. For 2 days I drank only herbal tea and bottled juice from the store. Did I feel better? Yes, but it was 2 days in when I started to realize that by only drinking pasteurized, barely fortified bottled juice that I was probably doing more harm than good. I came to this conclusion because at the time I was reading a couple of books that my mother-in-law had me borrow. One of them was written in 1954 or so, and is called Feel Like A Million, by Catharyn Elwood. Needless to say, some of the info was pretty dated (they still used DDT back then), but overall the book was really informative and interesting. Especially when she goes over each of the essential vitamins/minerals/amino acids etc. that our bodies need and how they work together. I took a look at my juice bottle and realized that I was basically only drinking fruit sugar and vitamin C. What about all the other nutrients that my body should have each day? I could definitely get them from juicing my own fruits and vegetables at home, but what I was doing then wasn't cutting it. Therefore, I have decided that I am not going to juice fast until I can do it properly, because that is really the only way to do it!