Why we should avoid homogenized milk and prefer organic, raw product?

There are many reasons behind selection of organic or natural products. There is no exception when it comes to milk and milk products. It is a very active, and living substance. A complex and complete supply of vitamins, minerals, amino acids (protein), antibodies, essential fatty acids (fats), and carbohydrates. It is raw "whole" milk. Are we getting the real "whole" milk benefits from the bottled or packed milk from the markets?

What dangers are hidden behind using homogenized milk, this report would help us learn about pasteurized, homogenized and fortified process.

Pasteurization:
Pasteurization began as a result of the poor conditions at dairies, which were introducing dangerous micro-organisms (bacteria, viruses) into the milk after leaving the cow. Cows are dirty animals. Cow manure can easily contaminate the milk if precautions and cleaning procedures are not followed. So rather than clean up the processing, the industry found it easier and cheaper to mass produce "cooked" or sterilized milk. This pasteurization is a multi-step heating process which heats the milk a half dozen times, to as high as 190 degrees F. The measuring stick to see if enough heating has occurred is to measure for a specific enzyme, which incidentally is a very healthy and necessary digestive enzyme, to see that it has been completely eliminated. Once cooked out, the milk is dubbed "safe".


It is unfortunate that this was chosen as the fix all for safe milk. This process destroys, alters and denatures most of the living, active nutrients found in milk. That is why it must then be "fortified"; the adding back in of some of the vitamins. The main one being vitamin D3, cholecalciferol. This is a hormone like cortisone and is toxic in lower doses than naturally derived vitamin D. Dr. Kurt A. Oster discovered that D3 activates xanthine oxidase (a toxic enzyme found in dairy products, which contributes to the displacement of plasminogen, an essential protein which helps prevent atheroscerosis; cholesterol- lipid- calcium deposits in arterial linings). Or in other words, contributes to heart and arterial disease. Vitamin D is best not obtained by supplementation, but by obtaining it's precursors naturally in food, and then through the skin by exposure to sunlight. Even just a little exposure is adequate to allow the body to produce enough vitamin D, which it is able to store. Only prolonged depravation from sunlight will produce a deficiency. Over use of sunscreens can prevent vitamin D formation as well (too much of a good thing is bad). Vitamin D3 is added of course, to aid in calcium absorption. It has been shown in studies that even in milk fortified with vitamin D, calcium is not readily absorbed. Calcium from raw milk or non-dairy sources is more readily absorbed. Processed milk looses a great deal of it's vitamin C content as well. Vitamin C has been shown to be essential in vitamin D metabolism, according to scientists at the Academy of Medical Sciences in Moscow. When processed milk is exposed to light, during storage, it looses even more vitamin C .

Homogenization:
Homogenization is another process which denatures the natural fat in milk. This is done purely for aesthetic reasons. The industry felt no one really likes to have milk which "separates". Fresh raw milk separates. The fat rises to the top. Homogenization forces the milk, by extreme pressure, through tiny holes which breaks up the normally large fat molecules into tiny ones, which in this denatured state, stay suspended in the milk. Unfortunately, this unnatural fat is easily absorbed into the blood stream, carrying with it the xanthine oxidase. In un-homogenized milk the xanthine oxidase and large fat molecules are normally passed through the digestive track, unabsorbed.

Another interesting article:
"Dangers of drinking homogenized milk"

Tips:
Seek out Organic, Whole, Raw Goat or cow's milk, yogurt and butter.
Avoid Homogenized milk at the very least.

What we can do for an alternate of milk?

Introduce or keep some of these calcium source foods in your diet: salmon, sardines, albacore tuna, kale, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, figs, baked beans, brazil nuts, walnuts, almonds, kelp, honeydew melon.

Source: The Series On Milk -- Be Careful!