Modern Milk page

[Owen]

Hello everyone

I know many people do not consume milk, as it is from agriculture, and I just want to paraphrase some info I've just learned from the UK TV show called 'Coast' which shows milk as we now have it to be one of the first really modern processed foods: Up until 1864 when Louis Pasteur invented his preperation for milk, it was a very infrequent part of people's diet - it tasted of 'animal' and could not be preserved unless into cheese or butter. When pasteurisation arrived, milk was suddenly seen as a suitable dietary supplement for the growing populations in the cities of industrial revolution Europe, who often had chronic diets, and from that the fresian cow was bred with it's distinctive white coloration as an advert for the milk it was producing. The Fresian cow predates the coca-cola santa claus by only around 30 years!

[peril]

Makes sense to me. Yoghurt, butter, ghee & cheese are better than milk

[JoanieL]

Hi Owen. Interesting post.

Since I'm not as opposed to pasteurization as some,* my main complaint about readily available modern milk is the cows from which it's taken. Given BGH to increase milk production, they then become prone to infections, which leads to small ppm of pus in the milk and to chronic antibiotic use for the cows. So, a once rather healthy food is now something no one wants to drink once they think about it. Add in any ethical and ecological concerns about CAFOs, and the whole thing gets even worse.

*I do believe people should decide for themselves as to pasteurized or non, and the laws prohibiting raw milk are antiquated and pro-CAFO.

[Owen]

Good point. I don't drink milk but I use organic butter which I hope equates to no hormones or drugs and responsible feeding. We've had a lactose free milk here now for a couple of years - even the milk industry realizes that a lot of people are turning away from it, but what is the lactose removal process....? It just gets a bit complicated and I just prefer not to drink it.