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goat milk

Why My Paleo Family Drinks Raw Milk

October 28, 2013 by Jackie Ritz 48 Comments

rawmilk

Milk. Dairy. Cheese. Those words alone elicit some of the most heinous comments from people who eat Paleo. I have been called some of the most vicious names, cursed at in emails, told to change my name to The PRIMAL Mama, and despised on Facebook comments because my Paleo family drinks raw milk. Wait…did I just say Paleo and milk in the same sentence? Shouldn’t I say “Primal”? Whatever.

I hate the two words: Paleo versus Primal. It’s like you are forced to choose one-or-the-other. What if I don’t want to choose? Can I still be Paleo and drink raw milk? I think so, but many don’t.

I believe the biggest argument for people opposed to raw milk is they believe that early man did not drink milk or consume any dairy. According to this study, dairy consumption entered the human race 9,000 years ago when they discovered old pottery fragments with trace amounts of milk fat.

Also, this study states:

“Researchers have also been surprised by another new discovery based on Neolithic bones from Turkey. Despite the long-time establishment of dairy herding, the recovered bones of this Mesopotamian farm population didn’t indicate lactose tolerance. (Yes, do the double take.) Apparently, they didn’t like the milk itself but used it to make fermented, no-lactose products like yogurt, kefir and cheese. Their consumption pattern differs dramatically from that of Europeans after dairy herding spread throughout Northern regions (source).”

Wanna know what early man DEFINITELY did not eat? 

  • Almond Flour Bread
  • Coconut Milk
  • Coconut Flour Cupcakes
  • Nut Butter
  • Store-Bought Chicken Breasts
  • Canned Salmon and Tuna
  • Homemade Chocolates
  • Smoothies
  • Homemade Paleo Cookies

*Raising hand in the air* –  I am guilty of eating every, single one of those foods on the list. Am I advocating eating dairy? I wouldn’t say that. I am just trying to give another perspective. Obviously, if dairy gives you explosive diarrhea, acne, worsens your allergies, causes your baby to have colic, gives you eczema (although raw dairy usually clears this up), or makes you feel lousy – then don’t eat it!

notpaleo

Why We Drink RAW Milk (Much Different Than Pasteurized Milk): 

1. I Know The Source and the Quality of Our Milk– We have our own milk goats and I hand milk then in the morning. I know exactly what they are eating. I control their environment. They have an enormous amount of lush, green pasture to graze on. They are healthy, clean, and happy goats. However, even before I had goats, we drank raw milk but we were very selective about where we got the milk from and visited the farms frequently.

_MG_6913

jersey

Pasteurized Organic milk bought in the store still has questionable dairy practices. In some organic dairies, the cows or goats are often confined, and deprived of their natural diet of grasses. Instead, they are fed grains and other inexpensive fodder, including waste grains from distilleries. Unless labeled otherwise, you can betcha that store-bought milk is completely grain fed, even organic milk.

2. It Improves Our Oral Health – Hereford, Texas became known as the “Town without a Toothache” in 1942 due to the pioneering work of dentist George Heard and author of Man Versus Toothache. Dr. Heard explains the town’s secret:

After a newcomer has lived in Hereford a few years, provided he had drunk lots of raw whole milk, he develops resistance to tooth decay. Even the tooth cavities which he brings with him when he comes to Hereford will be glazed over, if he has drunk raw milk. For years I made inquiry of my patients as to their milk habits. Almost invariably I found that the possessor of a mouth full of sound teeth had been a consistent milk drinker from early childhood. A surprisingly large number liked either buttermilk, clabber, or both. The significant fact is that the milk those patients drank came from cows that had grazed on native grass…” – (source). 

Several Ayurvedic texts, more than 2,000 years old, describe milk, yes, raw grass-fed milk, as a cure for literally hundred of ailments. Milk was either drunk immediately after milking, known as sweet milk, or it naturally began to sour and was transformed into cheese or yogurt.

Why is it so good for oral health though? Raw milk is very rich in fat-soluble vitamins, like Vitamin A, K, and E. It is, also, rich in water soluble vitamins like C and B-complex. A quart of raw milk from grassed cows contain 50% more vitamin E and 7% more folate than pasteurized milk.  Moreover, fresh raw milk naturally contains vitamin C which is completely absent from pasteurized milk (source). All these vitamins are extremely necessary for good oral health.

Raw milk is extremely necessary if you are interested in remineralizing your teeth and healing present cavities. There was a 6 month period that I could not find a decent source for raw milk for my family. In those 6 months (and all the while eating Paleo) my daughter came down with 2 cavities in her teeth and so did I. Coincidence? I, immediately, got out my trusted resource, Cure Tooth Decay, and started the remineralizing process on both our teeth. We are, currently, in the process of curing the few cavities that we obtained from lacking vitamins in our diet. If you are interested in this protocol, then I, HIGHLY, recommend you get this book.

3. Fermented Raw Milk is Loaded with Beneficial Probiotics – Having probiotics in your diet is an essential aspect of nutrient absorption. Soured milk, yogurt, kefir, whey, and buttermilk have highly absorbable forms of calcium. Soured or fermented raw milk is, also, low in sugar, known as lactose.

Pasteurization Kills Milk – pasteurization came into being to try to clean up dirty milk from factory feed lots.* It was never meant for clean milk from healthy animals grazing on a healthy green pasture.

In order to absorb calcium from milk, we need the enzyme phosphatase which is naturally present in raw milk. Pasteurization at 165 degrees or milk, destroys phosphatase. Pasteurization also cooks and destroys the other signifiant vitamins found in raw milk, including Vitamin C and the probiotic organisms.

4. Raw Milk is Very High in Calcium – most people have been told that milk makes them sick, or they can’t digest dairy, or even have experienced negative side effects from drinking pasteurized milk. However, for the majority of these people, these negative effects do not occur when they drink raw milk. However, eliminating raw milk in your diet brings up the question of where to get proper calcium. On average, an adult needs somewhere between 1-1.5 grams of calcium per day. On a dairy-free diet, you will need to consume lots of vegetables, 1-2 cups of bone broth, and a moderate amount of sea food to get the adequate calcium in your diet.

According to Nutrition Data, here are some of the top foods with calcium:

           Food                           Calcium in Milligrams 

Hard/Soft Cheese – 2 ounces        404

Canned Sardines with bones        351

Yogurt, Whole Milk- 1 cup            296

Canned Salmon with bones          277

Whole Milk – 1 cup                           276

Cooked Collard Greens-1 cup         204

Cooked Taro Root-1 cup                  171

Cooked Kale-1 cup                            147

Cooked Broccoli – 2 cups                 120

Cooked Scallops – 3.5 ounces        115

So What? Are You Saying I Need to Include Raw Milk in My Paleo Diet? Absolutely not. And I even recommend you eliminate for a one month period if you have never done that. During this elimination process you can evaluate how you feel and if any issues that you may have clear up or lessen with the removal of dairy. I think that the addition of raw milk is a matter of preference and taste and being able to source it.

I just think that we need to take a more holistic look at raw milk and not discredit it nor compare it to it’s evil counterpart – pasteurized milk. They are not the same thing and if you cannot find raw milk near you, then I recommend you don’t drink milk. It’s not necessary to your Paleo diet, however it can be very beneficial to your WHOLE health.

arimilk
My 4 year old milking our goat

Conclusion: 

This is where I believe Paleo is lacking. I believe that Paleo should be a guideline of health. We know modern grains are bad for you. We know that beans and legumes hold nowhere near the nutrition that a steamy pile of vegetables holds. We know it’s best to choose healthy meats from trusted farms. We know that processed foods are loaded with crap. But how can the Paleo world be so two-faced that it can recommend you eat a Chocolate Cake made with store-bought almond flour, processed coconut sugar, and chocolate and then go and throw sand at you for drinking a glass of fresh, raw milk? I don’t know…I don’t get it and I wanted to express my point of view. So, there ya go! Take it for what it is!

 

               Sources: 

  • *McAfee, Mark. “The Fifteen Things that Pasteurization Kills.”
  • https://nourishedkitchen.com/10-reasons-drink-raw-milk/
  • https://www.nutritiondata.com
  • https://www.marksdailyapple.com/milk-dairy-human-diet/#axzz2iwySZ6L4

 

Shared on: The Prairie Homestead

Filed Under: goats, Paleo Education Tagged With: cow milk, cure tooth decay, fermented dairy, goat milk, is raw milk paleo, paleo dairy, primal, vitamins in raw milk, where to get real milk

The Udder Truth: City Girl Adventures in Goat Milking

September 22, 2013 by Jackie Ritz 22 Comments

uddertruth

Hi everyone! I’m Jackie, a city girl turned farm girl. I grew up in Orlando, Florida and all my life had a calling for living on a farm. I would run into farmers and tell them that my dream was to have a farm. They would look at me like I was crazy and say, “I didn’t know people dreamed of doing this.” 

So, after years of dreaming of having a farm, we finally made it a reality! Three weeks ago we moved to the mountains of Western North Carolina to fulfill our farming and homesteading dreams. One of the first things I did, even before we moved to North Carolina, was look for a goat. I wanted to be able to have fresh milk every day. So, I bought a goat. I bought two goats.

bothgoats

We moved to North Carolina, ditched our sleek, sedan, pimped out Altima and bought a old, cornflour blue, pickup truck. We hopped into our new “ride” to pick up our goats. The kids sat, excitedly, in the back seat and we arrived at our destination. “Ok…now what?” Ummm, ok…the big mama goat got shoved into a dog kennel in the truck bed…and I’m talking SHOVED. Poor thing. The (not-so) baby goat sat ON MY LAP in the front seat. “Helloooooo goat”.

takegoathome

So, here we are, a family from the city that just moved into the country and we are driving in a 21 year old pickup truck with 2 goats that are bleating incredibly loud! “Oh what a dream.” One is pooping in the dog kennel, the other is trying to climb into the driver seat, and my husband is getting hit on by a local redneck woman driving next to us. “Hello, I’m the wife and, yes, we those are goats. Hot, right?” The kids had no idea what to think. But we arrived home safely, tucked the goats into their new barn, and said goodnight till the morning.

Oh the day has finally come! Oh sweet morning! I have dreamed of this for years…milking my beautiful goat out in the mountain breeze; pumping fresh, warm milk into a shiny new bucket. I jump up from bed at around 4am, I just couldn’t sleep. Let’s do this. I washed and sanitized the bucket as all the articles had said, and I set out to milk my new goat. As I walk out into the cool air in my new rubber boots carrying my shiny, new bucket, the thoughts of chèvre, feta cheese, and goat milk ice cream dance in my head.

Into the barn I go. I prepare the milk stand that my husband, so graciously built, for me. Then call Sophie, the mama, to the stand. She doesn’t move. She stares me down. “Oh, Sophie, come on you old goat. I’m your new owner…I know you got some delicious milk for me.” I, literally, have to drag her to the milk stand. It’s almost abusive. My desire for milk is becoming squashed by a stubborn goat. “Oh, no Sophie, I will get some milk. Don’t spoil my dream.“What is her problem? I bribe her to the stand with grains. Up she goes and I lock her head in. Ok, here we go.

udder

What in the world am I doing? Am I really about to milk a goat? One look at those hairy teats and I about lose it. Oh city-girl Jackie…where am I again? Some old farmhouse milking a goat…my mother is probably dying laughing at the thought of this.

I grab my homemade, organic, udder wash for Sophie and go for it. Get them teats all nice and clean. Clean teats make clean milk. Thank God I was by myself. It took me almost 10 minutes to clean them teats. Sophie was almost done with her food. “NOoooo, slow down, I still have to milk you.”

Alright, here we go….I grab my shiny silver bucket and give her teats a squeeze. Nothing. Ok, let’s try this again. Squeeeeeze. Sophie about jumps a mile high. Sorry girl. I’ll get this. I squeeze again and I shoot myself in the neck with milk. At least there’s milk! All I can think about is all the times I spent milking myself!

“Do her teats feel like my nipples did?” God, I sure hope not.  I aim, set, and fire away…I’m doing it with two hands. “Look at me, twooooo hands!!!” As soon as I start getting it, Sophie steps in the nice, new, shiny, clean bucket and my heart sinks. “Are those poop particles floating around in there now? Shoot, I guess I can’t use this milk.”  I leave the goat strapped into the milk stand and run in to get another bucket to use. I come back and get back into my rythym. Squeeze, aim, and fire away. Sophie wiggles and squirms and kicks me over and over again. “WHAT????”

She squats and an enormous amount of pee comes out. Really? Is this really happening? A goat is, literally, peeing on me.

I clean the table…then I clean her udder again. “I want some friggin milk.” Squeeze, aim, fire…squeeze, aim, fire. The sound of milk hits the bucket and I smile. I am here…no longer a dream. I’m milking a goat…my goat. So beautiful!

“OMG what is eff is that falling from the sky???” The sound of a million little goat turds hit the table. I back away and look at the goat. How could she disgrace herself like that?

I clean the table again…then her udder AGAIN…and she kicks me over and over. I manage to get about 3 tablespoons of milk that morning. Whew…what to do with 3 tablespoons of milk?

Thankfully, Sophie and I have an understanding now. I let her poop and pee before bringing her to the milk stand and she gives me almost a half gallon of milk every morning.

soph

_MG_7152

shared on : Prairie Homestead

Filed Under: About Me, goats Tagged With: farm life, first time milking a goat, gluten-free, goat milk, grain-free, homesteading, milking a goat, paleo, primal

Milksharing and Homemade Formula

February 14, 2012 by Jackie Ritz 8 Comments

Frankie with a donation of milk from a very special mommy!

This post will be really taboo to many of you but I feel it just needs to be said. My son has been on donor breast milk now for over 4 months! He is thriving! He is nearly 7 months old and close to 20lbs! Not only is he just big, but he is solid. He came out solid! I had him very naturally in a birthing tub without the use of any drugs. He was a much different birth than my pitocin-induced, stuck on my back, starving to death, birth of my oldest 3-year-old daughter. And the reason for going natural with him was, simply, because I wanted to see what real birth felt like. And if I have another baby, I will be having him naturally without drugs. I loved my experience with my son! It was so real and I felt so alive!

Immediately after he was born, I nursed him. He was a champion nurser. He latched on wonderfully. We were in our groove for 2 months. Then the most unexpected happened. My younger sister died. About 30 minutes after she passed away, my son needed to nurse. And I’m not kidding you when I say that I tried to nurse my baby but NOTHING would come out! It was as if my boobs stopped working. Physiologically it makes sense. Your brain is very connected to the function of breastfeeding and stress is one of the worst inhibitors of milk supply.

I was stuck. What would cavewoman have done? She would have given him to another mama in her village to nurse him, but that doesn’t happen anymore…so I thought. So, to the store to buy formula I went…and out the mouth of my baby, every formula I tried, went. He could not stomach commercial formula. As if the grief of losing my sister wasn’t hard enough, I now had a fussy, colicky baby to deal with. Then a miracle happened.

One of my friends gave me some frozen breast milk to try. I thought it was gross at first but then started researching it. It wasn’t gross, in fact it was what many cultures do in my kind of situation. I learned that clean, donated breast milk was the 2nd best option (mother’s breast milk being the first best). I learned how to trust my son’s donors. He began thriving again! In the few short weeks he was on formula he had lost nearly a pound, and he was only 2 months old…not good. I used a few different sites to find donated breast milk and for 4 months he has been solely on it! But lately, our milk stash has run short. I scrambled to find answers on what to do. I was so fearful to put him back on commercial formula. Then someone asked me if I had heard about the Weston A. Price’s homemade formula recipe. I had heard of it since we had followed the practices of Nourishing Traditions for 3 years now, but my son did so terrible on cow’s milk formula that I was worried about giving him cow’s milk. So, I researched it more and saw that I could substitute goat’s milk.  We are using the Meyenberg powdered goat milk and I’m adding vitamins and supplements to it. He is only taking it half the day and the other half is donated breast milk. He is doing ok on it. He still spits up a ton, but not as much as he does on commercial formula. You can find the recipe I’m using here: https://www.westonaprice.org/childrens-health/recipes-for-homemade-baby-formula#vgmf , but I still am looking for donations for my little man. I would love to make it to, at least, a year on donated breast milk…more if I can! Please, please, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have some milk you would like to share with us. We are more than willing to pay for shipping and supplies. I will gladly replace your storage baggies. We are also willing to drive 100 miles (we live in Savannah, GA) in the surrounding area to pick up milk. You can find me on Facebook: Jackie Ritz, or you can email me at jackielmt@hotmail.com !

The ingredients I use for my homemade formula

Filed Under: About Me, breastfeeding, My Recipes, Paleo Baby Tagged With: donated breastmilk, goat milk, homemade formula, milksharing, nourishing traditions, weston a. price

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Hi, I'm Jackie Ritz and welcome to The Paleo Mama! I'm a published author, certified herbalist, and voracious researcher of natural medicine and nutrition. I'm glad you're here and I hope you stick around for awhile!

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