Pasture-Raised Dairy

Industrial milk is not as good for you as the "Got Milk?" media would like you to believe.

The huge dairy farms that produce the majority of milk at your supermarket, raise their cows on grain (usually corn and soybeans), which fattens them quickly. This practice is bad for the cows and bad for the consumer. Grain reduces saliva, thereby causing high acidic levels in the cows' digestive tracts. As a result, grain-fed cattle often suffer from a number of health problems including intestinal damage, dehydration, liver abscesses, and even death. Cows who graze on pasture do not have the digestive tract issues of their counterparts. The roughage provided by grasses and other plants allows ruminants to produce saliva, which helps neutralize acids that exist naturally in their digestive systems.

Cows are ruminants, which are vegetarian by nature. They have a four-chambered stomach, which enables them to digest cellulose; this means that cows, unlike humans, can turn grass into important vitamins and enzymes. When industrial cows are fed grain and other additives, meant to fatten them quickly, they produce milk with high fat (caloric) content. Alternatively, cows who graze on grass and forage (plants), produce milk with lower fat (caloric) content and higher amounts of vitamins (A, D, C), minerals (calcium), antioxidants, and enzymes (lactase, which helps you digest the nutrients in the milk). Milk and dairy from pasture-raised (aka "grass-fed") cows have a healthier balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fats (that's because omega-3's come from grass and leafy greens) and as much as five times the conjugated linoleic acid (CLA; sometimes called "good" fatty acid) as milk from grain-fed cows. Among CLA's many potential benefits: it raises metabolic rate, helps remove abdominal fat, boosts muscle growth, reduces resistance to insulin, strengthens the immune system, and lowers food allergy reactions.

If you want to take it a step further, there is a growing movement toward drinking "raw" milk. Raw milk has not been pasteurized. In 1862, Louis Pasteur, a French chemist and microbiologist, developed the process of pasteurization, to keep wine and beer from spoiling. During the industrial era, pasteurization was brought to the dairy farms. Pasteurization is a process of heating a food, usually liquid, to a specific temperature for a definite length of time, and then cooling it immediately, to slow microbrial growth.

Pasteurization is about 90% effective when it comes to killing harmful bacteria (though listeria is particularly resistant) in milk, and accordingly pasteurization of milk is required by law in 22 US states. However, pasteurization kills many of the beneficial nutrients available in raw milk.  Additionally, pasteurization remains well-liked by farmers (and the USDA) because it preserves milk, allowing for long transport time over very long distances without spoilage.  Per contra, proponents of raw milk claim that pasteurization enables farmers to be less cautious regarding hygiene during milking and transport; meaning, if farmers were more careful, the spread of bacteria would not be problematic in the first place. Moreover, raw milk contains antimicrobials that naturally destroy harmful bacteria, but which are destroyed with the heat of pasteurization, along with many of the vitamins in raw milk.  Medical research indicates raw milk consumption positively influences the immune system's resistance to the development of asthma as well as numerous other diseases.

It's hard to find raw milk, but if you're interested, check out http://www.realmilk.com/where03.html. If you aren't ready for raw milk, look for milk, yogurt, and cheese from pasture-raised cows. It's good for the cows and good for you!

For more information:

http://www.eatwild.com/

http://www.realmilk.com/

http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/65483/

http://www.ninaplanck.com/books.html

Monday Bites

Sometimes, Mondays simply bite. You're tired from the weekend, angry to be back at work, or feeling guilty about midnight pizza...To lift your spirits, I'm going to post a nutrition tip every Monday. I'll give you advice on superfoods, vitamins and minerals, or the new fad diet. So here goes...

Açai (ah-sigh-ee) berry is quickly being recognized as nature's most powerful "superfood". A superfood is a food with high phytonutrient content, typically thought to provide major health benefits. It is a Brazilian berry harvested in the Amazon Region. Caboclo populations in the Amazon describe the açai palm as its most important plant species, because it makes up 42% of their diet. It is loaded with antioxidants, amino acids, essential fatty acids, fibers and protein. A recent study of açai pulp and skin powder detected high contents of anthocyanins (the compound that makes red wine so heart-healthy) and over twelve other flavonoid-like compounds (flavonoids are known for their antioxidant, as well as anti-viral, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activities). The study also found açai pulp to have inhibitory effects on the human enzymes COX-1 and COX-2, which play roles in acute and chronic inflammation, and to have stimulatory effects on macrophages, white blood cells that are important for immune function.

Açai can also help to reduce cholesterol because of its high content of phytosterols and dietary fiber. In fact, 25% of açai's dry weight is attributed to fiber. Another 50% is attributed to fat - but not the bad kind! Rather, açai has polyunsaturated linoleic acid (omega-6 fatty acids) and monounsaturated oleic acid. Both forms of fatty acids, the "good fats," lower LDL (harmful cholesterol) while maintaining HDL (good cholesterol). They support the cardiovascular, reproductive, immune and nervous systems, and are specifically known to protect against cardiovascular disease and breast cancer.

Almost 8% of the weight of an açai berry is made up of amino acids (amino acids are the building blocks of protein, accounting for açai's high protein content). This taken together with it's concentration of trace minerals (iron, potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, copper, manganese, zinc and boron), makes the berry important for cell regeneration and muscle health.

But enough of the scientific-babble. I'll break it down for you. Açai is tremendously antioxidant-rich, meaning it helps to clean the body of toxins. It's synergy of healthy fats, dietary fiber, and phytosterols promote cardiovascular and digestive health. Its amino acid and trace mineral complex make it a restorative metabolism booster. So don't let Monday bite, rather pick up some açai juice and see for yourself.