Posted on 05/07/2007 10:08:51 AM PDT by TheBethsterNH
The big deal about raw milk Physician discusses benefits of natural foods
by Sue Bingaman
BELLOWS FALLS - Dr. Ron Schmid, author of "The Untold Story of Milk: Green Pastures, Contented Cows and Raw Dairy Foods," argued that unpasteurized milk offers many health benefits as well as a financially attractive opportunity for dairy farmers. He made that point in a recent talk sponsored by Rural Vermont at Boccelli's in Bellows Falls.
Schmid, a farmer, writer, teacher and naturopathic physician, drinks raw milk and swears by its curative powers. A graduate of MIT and the National College of Naturopathic Medicine, Schmid practices in Connecticut.
Rural Vermont, founded in 1985, is a statewide advocacy group for family farmers that seeks to promote economic justice for agricultural communities.
"Why the big deal about raw milk?" asked Schmid.
While raw or unpasteurized milk is very controversial now, it has been a wholesome staple worldwide for millennia, he said. Many public health professionals and doctors believe that selling unpasteurized milk should be illegal.
"Proponents of pasteurization have blown the necessity for pasteurization and homogenization out of proportion," Schmid said.
Schmid discussed the evolution of dairy farming and the production of milk during his presentation.
"Raw milk has been consumed for more than 6,000 years," Schmid said. "The milk came from cows eating grass. Traditional diets are grounded in things nature provides."
He went on to describe how the quality of milk is affected by a cow's environment.
"Cow's milk is only as good as the cows' health," he said. "Confining cows and providing them with too much grain can result in cows having many health problems that can be transmitted to the humans who consume their milk."
Schmid described how mass production of milk and methods of dairy farming changed in America early in the 20th century. Cows were confined and fed fermented slop.
"Milk was terrible, unhealthy, and people became sick. Many children died as a result of bad milk," he said.
As a result of the trend toward urban dairies producing low quality, and in some cases, unhealthy milk, Henry Coit became the head of the Medical Milk Commission and began the nationwide program of certifying dairies.
Schmid cited several studies illustrating the uses of natural foods to make people well, which are discussed in depth in his other book, "Traditional Foods Are Your Best Medicine." He cited research findings on the general health and dental health of people in interior villages in Third World countries who had no cavities and no arthritis. Their diets consisted of raw milk, fresh ground oats and other unprocessed foods. In contrast, in port towns in the same countries, frequently only 15 miles away, people had dental problems, tooth decay, arthritis and other health issues coming from what they called "white man's food," which included large amounts of sugar and processed flour.
Schmid claimed that modern medicine's concern with avoiding fat and cholesterol is misplaced and cited a study of 10,000 women in France whose diet consisted of cheese and other dairy foods. The women with the highest cholesterol lived the longest. He also said that Dr. Paul Dudley White, President Eisenhower's cardiologist, had said that he had never heard of coronary thrombosis until 1913 when he read the first published article about clogged arteries.
Schmid criticized the billions of dollars spent each year on cholesterol drugs, saying that they are overprescribed.
"The doctors who do the (cholesterol) studies frequently manipulate their outcomes and provide misleading information to the practicing physicians and the public," he said. "Processed foods make people sick. It is most important to give patients fresh raw milk, the best food in the world, from healthy animals."
And fire engines are rushing, so they are red too...
You appear to lack understanding of the raw milk industry. The biggest raw daries are actually the most dependable. It's the climate in the area of the dairy that makes the difference; a cool, marine climate is best for milk production, but the run-of-the- mill commercial dairies prefer the mega-hot California central valley, because they can get more production. Bad choice!
I wonder if this Dr. supports irradiated milk, I’m guessing not. In any case, adult should seldom drink whole milk, too fatty. Skimmed or 1% has all the nutrients of whole without the fat and few calories.
adultS should seldom . . . without the fat and fewER calories.
Wrong!
Skimmed is the worst you can drink. God did it right, man does it wrong.
Skimmed has all the lactose which is the detrimental part of the milk. Beta-lactose has the highest glycemic index of all sugars, and should be avoided as much as possible. Never drink anything but whole milk if you must drink any. Fat is our normal and proper source of energy, and provides protection to the brain, eyes, and nervous system. Green grass fed milk fat is higher in omega three oil than any vegetable oil.
Good article. Thanks for the ping.
Great point about the omega-3 fat concentration; but how about omega-6s and in particular conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)? I know that muscle bound fat in grass cattle is much richer in CLA than fat from corn cattle. Does this also apply to milk fat from grass fed cows? Does milk fat from grass fed cows contain more CLA than milk fat from grain fed cows?
Misdirection play. My last post was supposed to be directed to you.
YIKES!
Back in the late 70’s, my family banded together with two other families and we would alternate driving 15 miles out of town to a dairy to buy raw milk. It had nothing to do with health ... the dairy farmers would let you draw your own out of their holding tank for about half the price charged at the grocery store.
One of the “scare” lines from the report was that two (2) people died last year from diseases contracted through unprocessed dairy. There oughta be a law!
Suzie the cow. I’ll bet she was like part of the family.
Question: Does a cow need a calf in order to continue giving milk, or does she give milk as long as you keep milking her? Is it the milking process that keeps her giving milk? Will she “dry up” without a calf and without being milked?
I recall reading somewhere that grass-fed has more CLA than grain-fed, and that the CLA varies seasonally based on the quality of the grass. But I couldn’t give you a source for that. :(
Kinda like venison. Once you've acquired the tase for the wild venison, most beef feels , looks and tastes gross!
I remember Suzie having a calf or calves but I am not sure how often. Yes she was very gentle and never kicked anyone.
Presuming you mean a "law" against "scare lines" based on unsubstanciated claims. Nowadays raw grassfed milk direct from a farmer on the west coast goes for between 6 and 8 dollars a gallon. People would pay more but we farmers would feel bad.
Irrelevant. - We all get too much omega 6 and there is little we can do but stop eating anything from the grocery stores. Eating omega 9 rich nuts will help, because the 3's and 9's do prevent some of the takeup of 6's.
"I know that muscle bound fat in grass cattle is much richer in CLA than fat from corn cattle. Does this also apply to milk fat from grass fed cows?"
Definately.
"Does milk fat from grass fed cows contain more CLA than milk fat from grain fed cows?"
Yes, grain fed cattle provide almost nothing of value in our diet. All that can be said is that it is better for the cattle to eat the grain than for us to eat it.
Four bucks per quart is about the going rate for quality milk.
A seasonal grass based dairy will have low operating costs, and a feedlot dairy will pay for feed and pay to have manure removed.
Something must be happening (a new subsidy or something) because new dairies are springing up in West Texas left and right.
Are they financed by international money and run by Dutch? I wonder if they are planning on feeding spent distillers's grain from gasahol production? Doesn't sound good.
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