So apparently my last blog was s*#t-house.
I know this because I had a conversation wih my best friend that went like
this:
Her: You haven’t done a blog in a while
Me: I did one last week!
Her: On coconut? That wasn’t a blog.
Me: So it wasn’t good?
Her: How many comments did you get?
Me: (staring squinty-eyed seeing where she
is heading with this one. Less than usual, for the record)
Her: I’m just saying it wasn’t your best
Harsh but fair. You see when you have been
friends for 17 years, there is no bulls#*tting or beating around the bush.
Wow! I have already sworn twice. And it’s
only the beginning! Hold onto your seats friends – this one is going to be a
doozy! Just kidding, I promise* not to swear any more.
(*maybe)
So I proceeded to ask what I should write about.
“Are solariums beneficial?”
She has been asking me to write about this
for a while now. She wants me to say yes. I’m still a little wary.
“Dairy! Talk about dairy!”
Then we had a conversation about how dairy
can cause skin problems for us both. Next, we proceeded to devour a square of
dark chocolate covered with a thick dollop of raw cream….And so the story
begins….
DAIRY – YES? NO? MAYBE?
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| Image via Pixie Market, pinterest |
Well, in a nut-shell. It depends. It
depends on the product, and it depends on YOU. Everyone is different. What is
right for your friend, might not be right for you. What works for you now,
might not work for you next year. Let’s take a few steps back.
Is dairy “paleo”?
Well, no according to
most. HOWEVER some traditional tribes do rely on dairy for a large proportion
of their diet, such as the Maasai from Africa. And they are some pretty healthy
people. Trust me – I’ve met them. I’ve seen them jump. And man – can they jump! Check it out:
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| Check out that jump! Image link HERE |
Is dairy healthy?
It depends. Are you
getting frustrated yet with all this indecisiveness? Keep your panties on. I’ll
explain myself.
The dairy that most of us consume is
pasteurized, homogenized cow’s milk from animals that may have been fed on
grain (rather than grass) and kept in less than optimal cow-friendly conditions
(i.e. not grazing peacefully on roaming pastures). Herein lies the basis of the
vegan argument against grain. But as you know, I’m no vegan.
Nutritionally, here are the problems with
the milk we consume:
1. Homogenisation – squeezes all of the fat
globules through tiny little holes to make them smaller and evenly dispersed
throughout the liquid. They say this makes the milk “creamier”. I say this
damages the fat molecules in the milk and makes it harder for our bodies to
digest.
2. Pasteurisation – heats the milk at high
temperature in order to kill off all of the bacteria. They say this makes the
milk “safer to drink”. I say “you morons – you’re killing the good with the
bad!”. You see, real, unprocessed milk is loaded with beneficial bacteria that
can aid digestion, immune function and overall health. Pasteurisation also
destroys the enzymes naturally present in the milk that help us to digest the
sugars, namely lactase, which helps us digest lactose. Interestingly, many
people who are “lactose intolerant” report being able to tolerate raw dairy
products.
If you want to learn more about the processing of milk, you can watch this incredibly boring video, which has some awesome 80's music at the end.
3. Grain-feeding – cows eat grass. They say
“it is cheaper and provides more energy-dense calories”. I say “f#*k you”.
Sorry. But this really bothers me, for a few reasons:
1. A) Cows eat grass! They have 4
stomachs, designed specifically to digest grass. Not soy. Not corn. Grass! When
fed grain, they get fatter faster. This disrupts the fatty acid profile,
leading to a high proportion of inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids and a lower
proportion of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. Did you know that
grass-fed beef is an excellent source of omega-3, second to wild salmon? No?
Well there you go. OK back on track – feeding grains to cows can lead to a
disruption in their gut bacteria, promoting bad bacteria, rather than good. If
your cow eats grain, you probably want to pasteurise its milk.
2. B) Feeding cows grains requires
large amounts of land to grow grains. Hello vegan argument slipping back in.
Rolling pastures and forests are being cleared to make way for the growing of
these grains. This means less space for grass and trees and rivers and a
multitude of creatures that make up an ecosystem. One big argument against
milk/meat production from cows is that they contribute to global warming by
producing methane gas. What do you think trees and grass do? They sequester
carbon and improve global warming! Do you see how this could all work if we just let nature do its thing?
3. C) As these cows are not eating
their normal diet, they are more likely to get sick. Sick cows often need
treatment – with antibiotics, and just like in humans, antibiotics really mess
with your gut health. Moral – you can’t get health from a sick animal!
I strongly encourage you to watch this
short TED talk by Allan Savory, explaining how we can help heal the planet
with hooved animals (e.g. cows). If the video doesn't show up below, go HERE.
Alrighty then, now that we have established
most of the down-sides (there are more) of your run-of-the-mill store-bought
milk, let’s talk about when dairy can be healthy. This is why I don’t write
blog posts very often – they just get too long!
Raw milk. Are you scared? First off, if
you’re concerned about the health risks associated with raw milk, I suggest you
check out Chris Kresser’s blog series HERE. Second, I am not telling you to drink
raw cows milk, as that would be illegal. Note you should NOT drink raw cows
milk.**
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| This is me winking at you, via this awkward shot of Robert Pattinson. Image by Nona Adams via pinterest |
Raw dairy, from well-raised, well-fed and
well-treated cows can be an incredibly nutrient-dense food. That’s why the
Masaai can jump so high (this may or may not be true). Here’s just a few
reasons why raw milk trumps crappy-processed milk every time:
11. It is rich in beneficial
bacteria, which promote healthy digestion, strong immune function and happy
hormones. Health (and disease) begins in the gut. Pretty sure some dude named
Hippocrates said that a few years back.
22. It contains enzymes intact. As
I mentioned above – raw milk has lactase, which helps digest lactose, the
predominant sugar in milk
33. It is a great source of
vitamins A, D and K2, all important for bone health. I know what you’re
thinking – “what about calcium?” Yes, raw dairy is a great source of calcium
and is more bioavailable (easier for us to “use”) than the calcium in processed
dairy
44. It is loaded with conjugated
linoleic acid (CLA), which studies are showing may potentially play a
beneficial role in many chronic diseases, as well as improving body
composition. Side note: it’s more abundant in the meat than the milk
55. Colostrum. Sometimes referred
to as the “magic milk”, this is also produced by humans and is full of immunoglobulins, antibodies,
prebiotics, probiotics, growth factors and sugars that help with immunity.
66. It is a great source of
bioavailable protein and is loaded with healthy fats
On the subject of calcium, if you’re having
your milk (raw or processed) with cereal or coffee, you probably aren’t going
to absorb much of this vital mineral, as there are components in these foods (tannins,
phytates, lectins etc) that inhibit absorption. Your best bet is to throw it
into a smoothie, drink it straight, or make yoghurt/kefir with it.
Right, so we have covered a lot (but not as
much as I would have liked to). Moral to the story – dairy can be good and bad.
If you can tolerate cows milk and want to try raw milk, I strongly encourage
you to know where it is coming from. Ideally, you want it straight from the
source, so try and hunt down a local farmer who will let you milk his cow in
the wee hours of the morning. If you don’t tolerate cows milk, try goat/sheep.
I’m no good with cows milk, so I stick with raw goat milk, which is easier to
obtain too. If you’re allergic to milk, perhaps stay clear, but you probably
already knew that. But remember, I'm not telling you that you should drink raw milk anyway, as it is illegal.**
Oh, one last thing – full fat all the way!
The fat is important to absorb the vitamins, minerals and protein. It also
slows down absorption and helps improve satiety, which may aid in weight
management.
Phew. Any questions feel free to comment
below! And apologies again for the persistent swearing. I’m working on it. Much
love to all! x
**UPDATE: When I say raw milk is "illegal", I mean it is illegal to sell (at least in Australia, but I believe the situation is similar in the US and other countries). It is not illegal for you to drink it (i.e. it is not quite in the same department as cocaine....yet).
Links to where I pulled some of this mumbo-jumbo from (the rest is from my own noggin):
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377840106002616
**UPDATE: When I say raw milk is "illegal", I mean it is illegal to sell (at least in Australia, but I believe the situation is similar in the US and other countries). It is not illegal for you to drink it (i.e. it is not quite in the same department as cocaine....yet).
Links to where I pulled some of this mumbo-jumbo from (the rest is from my own noggin):
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377840106002616
