Raw milk
 

Mrs. D,
What's your's or (anyone else's) take on consuming raw milk from a state certified small dairy. Once again, I'm still on the new health kick. I'm slowly increasing the omega three's. I've added Cod Liver oil (low dose), grass fed beef and free range chicken. I've switched to totally gluten free since Jan. 1st for good.

I was supposed to start goats milk too but the one supplier that is state certified has all their goats milk spoken for by one of the local hospitals who uses it in premmie babies who won't nurse. They put my name on a list of people who need it in the event they do find themself with a bigger supply. But I really don't expect to get any because they are the ony one in Texas who qualifies. But I was told by my new surgeon that raw cow's milk from grass fed cows that comes from a state supplier might heal my stomach and digestive tract. I went out today and looked at their set up. Very small herd. Only 3 jersy cows who are babied, kept spotless and the barn and milking facility is the same way. They wouldn't let me come pick it up until it had been cooled to a certain temp and I had to take a cooler that was pre-cooled. Only a short drive from me. But what do you think about it?

They also have free range chickens, and beef. I'm eating so much healthier. Wish I'd learned about all of this years ago. The taste isn't even the same. I'm baking my own gluten free bread and dessert breads.

Yummie,
Billye

I am glad you are doing better!
 

That is great, Billye.

Cow's milk has high glutamine in it. (10 times more than human milk).
And glutamine is used to maintain the gut mucosa. About 50% of the glutamine we eat stays in the GI tract, for example.

You can speed up the glutamine by taking supplements, or using Whey protein
labeled with added glutamine as a smoothie. The aminos are predigested and more available to your body. Protein needs to be digested, before the aminos get thru. And good protein intake reflects on the bones.
Most of the quality Whey protein powders have glutamine added.
There have been studies showing improved lean muscle mass with Whey, in seniors.

Too much glutamine, and it goes to the nervous system, to form glutamate.
So one smoothie a day is plenty. But glutamine also fuels glutathione production in the liver, and glucosamine for joints. Both of these are important too.

I don't really know much about raw milk. Sorry about that.

mornin' SilverLady.

I'm so gung-ho on raw milk (and free-range chickens, ducks, and geese) that I moved to the country, and started raising all my own food, eggs, milk, and meat.

I have two goats, two pigs, dozens and dozens of ducks & chickens, and six geese.

rabbits and guinea pigs too, and one lone turkey.

my only problem is my goat doe (Leeloo) has dried up her milk, and we're having difficulty finding a suitable billy goat to mate with her.

so, I'm now getting my certified raw milk from the local dairy.

and yeah, I have free-range, organic *fresh* eggies for breakfast every morning.

we pencil the date on every egg we collect from the nestboxes.

and we have meat that we butcher, dress, pluck, and process ourselves, so I know *exactly* how fresh it is, and that there's no chemicals or hormones in their feed, and no sick animals being processed.

and I'm even collecting duck-down, to make pillows!

:cool:

Hi Silverlady,

Your question peaked my interest....

I found this link that "may" help you find raw milk in your area..

http://www.realmilk.com/where5.html#tx



I'm off to find out more info on this.... thanks for peaking my interest!!!

:hug:
Abbie

Not an answer to your ? but have you tried soy milk or almond milk. Almond milk has very little protein though. I like soy milk for a change but it takes adjustment.I am not sure if this is gluten free though. Have you called a whole foods because maybe they would be more able to order it for you. Good job on healthy eating.

No soy
 

Daniella,
Thanks for your interest. I wouldn't touch soybean with a ten foot pole. I have read so many articles about how they pour the pesticides on soy in order to keep the weeds out. Almond milk I'm not sure about.

My doctor told me that whole raw goats milk or cow milk is the place where you get the enzymes etc. to heal your intestinal tract and then that will eventually heal your body. I'm just looking for ways to improve the way we eat. I've located the milk I wanted.

Abasaki,
I really appreciate the link you sent. It gave me the names of two more places really close to me.

Billye

I'm glad I could help you out!

http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/greet015.gif
Abbie

I am glad you found what you needed. I have heard a lot of mixed feelings on the soy. Not sure what I feel but I do comsume it. Almond milk is different and like I said lacks protein but I think has magnesium. Keep up the hard work

Organic milk is not the same as unpastuerized milk. I am not sure what benefit the doctor thinks is in raw milk, that is not in organic milk.

We did use unpastuerized milk a few decades ago, straight from the tank, and we did OK, altho, it did make me nervous to some extent. I would often pasteurize it myself and, I knew where it came from. I would feel a lot less squeamish if it were my cow or goat and I was the one washing the udder, and knew what I was washing it with and how well it was being washed, and the cleanliness of the container that it is being placed into. Never the less, 'germs' are unseened and unsmelled and you don't know until too late.

I would be really careful as their are a lot of diseases that COULD be in raw milk and an immunocompromised person is very susceptible.

http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2004/504_milk.html

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs255/en/

http://www.neha.org/position_papers/...n_raw_milk.htm

It appears that Texas certifies goat milk and below is a provider's website, however, note even they state raw milk can be a problem for immunocompromised people.

http://www.goodearthorganicfarm.com/lamancha_goats1.htm

You can get live lactobaccillus from yogurt, which you can buy as an organic product. You can also make yogurt at home.

Back in the good old days, (remember I grow and can a lot of my food), but back in the good old days a lot of folks got sick and died from food borne illness.

Just be careful. Glad you are feeling better.

I have to admit, 'time sharing' a cow, is really a unique way around the rules and legal in many states. I wonder if you get your designated time to come and milk it?

I would assume that goat's milk fed to preemies is also pastuerized. I can't picture hospitals assuming the risk for unpastueurized milk.

People are upset about E. Coli on lettuce and spinach, that E. Coli is coming from manure, taken from the barn and spread on the field, and that manure comes from real close to where milk is coming from....and when it comes out, it splashes. It doesn't come out in a cowpie....it comes out in a cowsplot...and if you are anywhere near, you get splotted. No matter where your cow is standing, the udder is capable of being contaminated, and you are pretty much at the mercy of how well that udder is cleaned and how well the equipment is cleaned, and the container is cleaned.

Most farmers maintain very clean milking parlors, and adhere to very high standards, however contamination can happen in the best, cleanest dairy. I think organic growers likely pride themselves on how clean their farms are. That is still not the issue.

I am very pro natural, pro organic, pro local family farm food, just be very careful.

Immunosuppressant medication can cause havoc with normal human flora, let alone organisms that you are not used to or that cause disease in normal immune system functioning folks...it seems risky.

I don't recommend any one water bath can either (with the exception of a few things)....they did that long ago too. Pressure canning is the only reliable method of not poisoning yourself. Even with that, I keep my jars without washing them for 48 hours after we use the contents, in case one of us gets sick, so we know what strain of botulism we could have ingested and anti-toxin can be easily identifed and located. You take the jar to the ER with you and they can identify the organism.

Cyclops
 

Read "Omnivore's Delimma" by Michael Pollan. And read "The Untold Story of Milk" by Ron Schmid, ND

Real eyeopeners.

Thanks for all the links. I'll certainly read them.
Billye

Cyclops again,
 

O.K. I have to admit you have me questioning my decision. It's going to be my call I think and I'm really torn. Read the books and then see what you think. You can probably get them on Amazon.com used. They are really going round now. It really makes me want to grow my own food, but I can't bend over to harvest them or even in these woods have a place where the sun can get to it. I have to move my two outdoor plants around every year to get enough sun to keep them going. Heavy woods where I live. It has it's advantages in the Summer. Keeps the house cooler.

Back to the milk. Now I really have to think about it. I had my first gallon this week and I know they use one of the closed milking machines and follow protocol to clean it. Also they have a strict rule for not selling it until it's cooled to a certain temp. They keep a vet sheet showing when the vet sees the heifers. He sees them once a week. There are only three for milking. A very small operation. Their own family drinks the milk.

One of the things I've noticed this week is that I'm usually so constipated. Miralax and magnisium every night. But after about two days of a cup of milk a day, I'm having two movements a day. Unheard of, sometimes I skip days even. I've taken Activa, used yogurt, bought the live type of yogurt. None of this did what this milk has done.

I know my immune system is shaky, but there is evidence that raw milk will get the calcium into your bones faster. Mine are so thin they don't show up on my podiatrist's xray machine. He sat and looked at it in amazement and said "I don't know how you are on your feet with no more bone than that!". I'm stubborn that's how. His new orthotics work, but I can't find shoes that hold them. I'm finding that Naot is the only thing around here that I can buy that will hold them and they are $100-250 a pop. I now own 2 pair of shoes. Both black. All my clothing runs in the brown shades, I'm a redhead. But hey...I've got feet and can still use them.

My life has improved some. I can get around for short distances, but I can't stand, walking like real walking is a real joke, I'm in constant burning, mindnumbing pain. Some days I can't concentrate. Today is one of those, I was sitting at the table trying to work out some jewelry designs for the new Spring Line. I found I was unable to concentrate. All I could think of was pain, getting up to move around, it feels as if there is an electric wire in my tailbone on the left side. And it feels as if my spine is burning inside it. Do you understand. My knee and ankle on the left side don't work right and the bone in my pelvis that was displaced has healed wrong. So all is not hunky dory. But I'll get there one way or another.
Thanks for all the research. I'll have to make up my own mind.

Billye

for what it is worth...
 

dairy products contain some nutrients that are important.

As I posted before, glutamine, which is needed for normal GI health/maintenance.

Dairy also has sphingolipids, which help the brain and nervous system:
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/129/7/1239/T1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphingolipid

While I do not understand the benefit of raw milk, I do drink milk myself.
I use Lactaid milk, which is ultrapasturized and has extra calcium added.
It is a bit pricey, but I don't have any problems with it. I use about 1/2 gal
per week.

That is interesting how the dairy in milk made your bowels move cause usually it is the opposite. All I know is I used to be a dairy hater back as a kid. After I got malnurished from my ed and went into treatment all I craved was dairy products. It felt like my body needed it. I do feel sometimes the body craves what we need at the time. Not junk of course that is more a mental craving or lack of something else I think. Many of the foods I hated I actually craved and felt it may have been the need for calcium or iron. Of course I could be wrong. Feel better

You may be lactose intolerant == increase BMs.
This is why I use the Lactaid milk now. I can't afford more movement! :o

Growing and preserving your own food is hideously work intensive. It takes all 3 of us working 18 hour days, many days, to can what we do, and it is not, all the food we need.

I think you can accomplish a lot by buying as fresh food as you can or if you buy prepackaged foods, buy them 'oregon tilth' certified.

Eating totally fresh and totally organic is exhausting. I can't do it right now myself. All is not good here either, and I am undergoing some GI testing.

It is likely my esphoagus is denervated. I hope not, but, it is looking that way. It has nothing to do with the food I have eaten.

Raw milk, is basically milk that has not had any processing to kill any germs that may get into it. Yes, farmers often do drink their own milk, and one thing to consider is they are more likely to be colonized with the germs of their own animals. Not that they can't get very sick from some germs.

For myself, I would not say that it was worth the risk of salmonella, listeria, e.coli, campylobacter or any other germ, that is simply, easily killed by heating the milk to 160 degrees.

If you are incorporating more calcium, could it be the Forteo?

Organic pastuerized milk, has no antibiotics or hormones. It seems safest.

You may find some dairies that are tested regularly, I think the link I sent you is a certified dairy. I am sure they have to meet certain requirements. Even they state, they do not recommend the raw milk for immunocompromised, mostly because, the immunocompromised lack the ability to kill off those germs.

You are right it is your decision, but I would be remiss to not warn you of the dangers of raw, unpastuerized milk. I did use it for a short period of time back in the 80's....it is good, but, I did heat it up. Prior to making homemade yogurt, you must heat your milk up first too, then you cool it and add your lactobacillus. It is a ton of work.

I will once again plant a huge garden, and we will once again pressure can, dehydrate, bake and freeze food, however, I can not do it alone, it is hideously hard work, and if I could pay some one to do it, I probably would. I can't afford all organic food, especially now with the economy as bad as it is. I have to be incredibly fastidious about the canning process, use a huge pressure canner, and as I said, I need help, and even then can only grow a portion of our food on an eighth of an acre garden. I can garden far more, but, the work of putting up that food, is enormous. Fighting bugs and weeds without chemicals is tremendous. Watering in dry times is an all day project, as I don't have irrigation. I am worn out just thinking about it, especially today!

A small garden can provide healthy activity and a bit of healthy food benefit. Other foods can be purchased locally or from an organic store.

And some food, like an apple, is very hard to raise without chemicals (no matter what any one says).

I am definitely on the natural foods, 'green' wagon, but some risks, for myself and my family, are not worth it, and raw milk whether from a goat or cow fits into an unacceptable risk. If I owned my own goat, i would still pastuerize her milk. (I am way too sick to milk a goat, not to mention haul out poo and feed her---I had a goat once, and it was not a milking goat---it was a pet---and HE was a ton of work---and I was 20 years younger)

There are books on how contaminated our food is, and books on how contaminated our clothing and bedding and home environment is, and how we are full of flame retardants, and how contaminated non-stick cookware is (it is) and how nasty water is.

Yes, we have made a darn big mess with chemistry. But, it can not be easily resolved, especially by some one who has limited energy, such as I do right now. I know if my efforts to try to make myself healthier, end up making me more worn down and tired, well, then it is for naught.

We all have to make our own choices.