Real Milk Drinking Here.

Isn't it peaceful?

Something about driving between an aisle of greenery just sends me into a tranquil state of mind. This is Brownsburg Road. The main road leading to my trusted farm source for dairy, Birchwood Farm.

I love my drives here. I squeeze them in when I can, which is usually once every 12-14 days or so. I look forward to the calm after the chaos. The stillness in the winding roads after I've made it down crazy Route 1 South. Something magical happens after your cross over Princeton. The air lightens up and the world slows down...
if only, just a little.

I began driving here almost two months ago when a friend recommended I try raw milk or as some would like to call it, "real" milk. When she first recommended I try it, I immediately thought, "No way!" The concept seemed so foreign to me. "Is it safe?" "Would we digest it ok?" "Are there really any benefits to it?" Then she handed me a glass, smiled, and said "try it." And that was the beginning of my slight addiction.

I originally thought I would never share about this experience for fear of being judged or criticized. I know how it feels to be on the side of questioning and uncertainty. But if part of my journey is to learn and the other part is to share my journey, then this certainly counts as a part of the whole process.

Years ago (before most of us were born), real milk was the norm. It was what everyone drank. It was delivered fresh. It didn't include any antibiotics or hormones, and wasn't pasteurized. The cows that produced the milk were cared for and ate foods that were good for them, like grass, hay, and root vegetables.

Things are different now. To keep up with consumption and commercialism, factory farms now mass produce milk by giving their cows growth hormones to help produce more milk. These cows are also expensive to maintain and are fed cheap and widely abundant corn, which is not natural for their digestive systems. They're also fed feeds laced with pesticides and chicken manure. It's no wonder the milk needs to be pasteurized. The unfortunate thing that happens through pasteurization is that the milk is stripped from all of the healthy vitamins like Vitamin C, B12, and B6. And because these cows are confined, often times they are stricken with diseases.

Real milk, on the other hand is fresh, contains no additives, hormones or antibiotics. The health benefits are numerous including the perfect balance of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and enzymes. It also includes healthy bacteria which helps our bodies absorb the calcium, iron and phosphorus better and aids in digestion.

After researching the health benefits, I took the plunge and now my whole family drinks it. I try to buy it when I can, but I will admit, it is not as convenient as going to my local supermarket to buy a gallon of milk. In fact, they don't even sell it in New Jersey. I have to cross into Pennsylvania, but I'm now hearing areas of New York now carry it. It's also more expensive. So, I compromise and make the effort to buy a few gallons every two weeks or so and supplement with organic milk in between my trips.

With regards to taste, one word: scrumptious.
With regards to digestion: easy. So easy.

If you're unsure where you stand with milk, I would encourage you to read the links above to learn more about the health benefits. And in her blog post "Milk 101: Whole, Raw, Oranic, Low-Fat," Lisa Leake breaks down the different types of milks and their pros and cons. She personally does not drink raw milk, but she does describe some of the different options and it may be worth exploring.

Cheers!

(Some of the lucky cows at Birchwood Farms.)

Easygo with The Weight of the Nation

Last night I caught the end of The Weight of the Nation, a documentary about the industrialized food industry in the US and its correlation to our nation's obesity and disease epidemic. It got me thinking.

We all have multiple sides to our personality and I have a laid-back, go-with-the-flow part of me that likes what's easy and status quo. And she - let's call her "Easygo" - sometimes doesn't want to know about documentaries like The Weight of the Nation. About how, for the first time in history, our children are expected to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. How we are raising a nation of the sickest children in the world who are plagued with diabetes, ADHD, asthma, and food allergies. Easygo would sometimes rather not know. Maybe its a sense of powerlessness, or maybe its simply that she doesn't feel like it will ever affect her. But the reality is, it has affected some of her friends and family. And who is to say it can't affect her in the future too?

If you watch the documentary in its entirety, which I recommend you do, they get into some of the trends of our food industry and how it parallels with the rise in obesity and disease. I won't get into details here, but some of what they touch on includes the mass production of corn, primarily used for corn syrups in our processed foods as well as grains used to bulk feed cattle that are later slaughtered for fast food burgers. The bottom line is that big (and very wealthy) companies have mastered a way to mass produce processed foods bigger, faster, and cheaper. So we grow up finding these foods easily and cheaply, and it becomes a staple in our diets. The issue then becomes some of the supposed harmful ingredients being used to mass produce and how it is negatively impacting our health.

A few months ago a friend of mine introduced me to Lisa. Lisa is a 32 year old mom and wife who read a book called In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. Just like me, she never cared much about what she used to eat or buy for her family to eat. And just like me, she got to thinking. She decided to institute a 100 day challenge of eating and feeding her family of four only "real" food. They completely eliminated processed foods and she made everything from scratch for 100 days. Her journey is incredible. Here is a snapshot of what she describes as "real" food.

"Real" food is defined as:
1. whole foods that are a product of nature, not industry
2. fruits and veggies
3. dairy products
4. 100% whole-wheat and whole grains
5. seafood
6. locally-raised meats
7. water, milk, all natural juices, naturally sweetened coffee & tea, wine, and beer
8. dried fruit, seeds, nuts, popcorn
9. all natural sweeteners like honey, 100% maple syrup, and fruit juice concentrates

"Real" food is NOT:
1. refined grains such as white flour or white rice
2. refined sweeteners such as sugar, corn syrup, can juice or artificial sweeteners
3. anything out of a box, can, bag, or package that has more than 5 ingredients listed on the label
4. deep fried foods
5. "fast foods"

Doesn't this seem impossible with the way we live today? We're just not surrounded by real food at every corner as we are processed foods. But just as Easygo would rather not care, my alter ego kicks into full mommy mode and I feel like I need to make some changes. Small at first, but something.

I will be the first to admit, it is not easy. As a full time working wife and mommy of two, I would much rather pick out a can of this or a bag of that, and sometimes I do. But my hope is that I can do that less often than not and will share my recent mini experience with the hope that it gets you thinking too.

Daniel (and mommy) loves mini-muffins. Our favorite were the Entenmann's Little Bites...mmmm. One day I flipped over the box and tried to read the ingredients. Tried. Now your turn. You try to figure it out.

So Easygo went to bed early this day and I went online to find some alternatives to make our own version of mini muffins and Eureka! The kid actually likes them! These are carrot and walnut. You can find this recipe and many more at naturalhomeandgarden.com.

(above image from igniteinsight-er.blogspot.com)




xoxo, MG