The Healthiest Way to Eat Dairy

Dairy, especially cow's milk, is second only to wheat in being a controversial food. What makes dairy so controversial? Two things make this food “good” or “bad”, the quality of the dairy, and the condition of the consumer. Many of the pros and cons will be outlined below, but also you will find a healthy way to reintroduce dairy back into your diet.


Let's start with the Pros. What has made dairy, especially cow's milk a staple in diets all over the world since the start of God's creation?

1. God created “milk” for the first food for babies for all mammals. That's a pretty good recommendation for “milk”. It's obvious that the milk designed for each mammal is the most ideal for that species, especially in the first two to three years. However, even milk from another species is better for a baby than trying to feed that baby meat or beans, because, of course, baby can't chew or digest those foods. Babies are designed to suckle.
2. Milk has been used by nearly every culture for thousands of years, mostly in its fermented form. Many think that drinking milk and eating cheese is mostly a modern western invention, but consider these ancient cultural foods: Yogurt from Bulgaria; Kefir from Russia; Koumiss from mare's milk in eastern Russia; Longfil from Scandinavia; Kjaeldermelk from Norway; Laban from the Middle East; Dahl from India; soured or cultured milk from the tribe of the Masai in Africa: Leche Agria from Nicaragua... Nearly every culture has some form of cultured or soured milk, mostly from cow, but also from sheep, goat, camel, moose- any domesticated mammal, not too big or too small to milk. (See Cultured Dairy Products article in Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.)
3. Fermented milk has several advantages: Fermenting increases longevity of the milk, prevents spoilage, increases digestibility and raises vitamin and mineral availability. (Just think, a cheese aged several months is milk preserved by bacteria.) Aging and long fermentation (such as 24 hour yogurt) removes lactose, which is problematic for most people after age four.
4. Milk is high is bio-available protein, fat and calcium and many other vitamins (rich in fat-soluble vitamins) and minerals. In many nomadic cultures, milk and milk products have been their main food for thousands of years. Also, in geographical areas where soil is poor for farming, grazing and foraging animals make life possible to sustain in that region. Consider nomadic tribes of the Himalayan mountain region. They travel with their animals, moving their tents with them as they seek forage and grass for their animals, their livelihood. These cultures have lived healthily on this food for thousands of years
5. Let's take a look at the Cons
6. 1) Many people are sensitive to lactose. This is true, and partly because as we age we lose the enzyme to digest lactose. That's probably why cultures world-wide eat primarily soured or cultured dairy after babyhood. But that's just fine. We adults don't need that extra sugar anyway.
7. 2) Many people are allergic to milk. That's true, but the only way to know is to be tested. An IgE food allergy to milk is rare, whereas an IgG reaction may develop from leaky gut. IgG reactions (and sometimes IgE reactions) may be healed with a period of abstinence in most cases. What many people think is milk allergy (with symptoms of bloating, gas and nausea) is usually just lactose intolerance, which is normal, since most people lose the enzyme that breaks down lactose as we become adults or earlier. (HInt: Eat lactose-free diary such as hard cheese.)
   3) Milk may contain pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics and may be homogenized, a questionable practice. I agree. We need to choose dairy products that come from primarily grass-fed animals, with no GMO feed and no homogenization.
   4) Cow's milk dairy may cause children to get sick often. It can happen. That's why I recommend having your child tested, remove dairy for a time if allergic, remove high lactose dairy if applicable, or change species (to goat, sheep or camel) when appropriate.

In conclusion, the healthiest way to eat dairy is

1. Eat primarily soured or cultured raw dairy from cows (or sheep, goat or camels) fed primarily on grass or forage.
2. If lactose is a problem, stick to well-aged cheese and 24 hour yogurt or kefir.
3. Get tested to check for cow and goat milk allergy. (Contact me for testing recommendation- anngreen@breadstockandbarrel.com )
4. Avoid all diary from conventionally raised cattle, especially when fed GMO feed laced with antibiotics and highly processed with homogenization. This includes milk, half and half, cream, sour cream, ice cream, cheese, yogurt, butter, etc. (I often hear people say, “I don't eat dairy, but they are referring to the fact that they no longer drink milk, but still consume cheese, ice cream, etc.)
5. Source the best dairy from local farmers and health food stores near you. See www.realmilk.com for local resources.  ​