The Untold Story of Milk

The quick answer:  Today’s milk may not be the perfect food.

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Mankind has safely consumed the milk of cows for millennia; that’s how I read the history.  The Bible raises no issue with milk; in fact, the Promised Land is described as a land of “milk and honey.”  The early Pilgrims enjoyed milk from goats and cows.  Some of what we know of them comes from the division of the common herd in the 1627 Division of Cattle.  A century ago milk was described as “the perfect food” and people were encouraged to drink a quart daily.  But this was all before the Industrial Revolution turned the family cow into a business.  The industrialization of milk caused rising concern about the healthfulness of modern milk.  Look at what thoughtful people are writing:

• The Milk Book:  The Milk of Human Kindness is Not Pasteurized, Dr. W. C. Douglass II, 1984/2003
• Don’t Drink Your Milk, Dr. Frank A. Oski (past chief of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins) 1996
• Milk-The Deadly Poison, Robert Cohen, 1997
• The Untold Story of Milk: Green Pastures, Contented Cows and Raw Dairy Products, Ron Schmid, 2003
• Devil in the Milk: Illness, Health and the Politics of A1 and A2 Milk, Keith Woodford, 2007
• The Untold Story of Milk, Revised and Updated: The History, Politics and Science of Nature’s Perfect Food, Ron Schmid, 2009
• The Raw Milk Revolution: Behind America’s Emerging Battle Over Food Rights, David Gumpert, 2009
• Whitewash: The Disturbing Truth About Cow’s Milk and Your Health, John Robbins, David Gumpert, 2010

The Industrialization of Milk

Here are three positions on milk:

1. Milk’s bad:  Some, especially vegans, argue against the consumption of animals and their products, including milk.  No other mammal, they note, drinks milk beyond the first year, or consumes milk from another species.
2. Olden is best:  Others argue for dairy products from healthy animals, processed traditional ways (no pasteurization, homogenization, manipulation of fat content, etc.). 
3. Milk’s OK:  The dairy industry spends billions encouraging us to drink modern milk, including versions altered to reduce fat.

To understand what is right for your family, we should look at the history.  The drive to reduce the cost of mass produced food is unrelenting and can lead to unhealthy practices—this is a repeating problem with modern food.  Beginning in the 1800s, distilleries for alcoholic drinks were located near cities and a market was sought for the used, fermented grains.   Someone had the bright idea to build dairies next to the distilleries and feed the discarded mash to milk cows.  So cows were taken from the pasture to the city and fed distillery swill.  The cows weren’t healthy and neither was the milk—they couldn’t make it into butter or cheese but they could sell it as “swill milk.”  During this time child mortality was on the rise; by 1840 half the deaths in the major east coast cities were of children.  Milk wasn’t the only cause, but swill milk from diseased cows was judged to be a significant cause of infectious disease in children and concerned citizens cried for reform.  

Pasteurization:  Two reform programs were proposed, which typify how we approach food today.  The programs had contrasting philosophies but the men behind them had something in common—each had lost a child to milk-borne disease.

• Dr. Henry Coit, in 1889, proposed that milk be collected only from healthy cows using sanitary methods, and that dairies that met the necessary hygiene standards be certified.  A committee of volunteer doctors was assembled to implement a certification program.
• Mr. Nathan Straus, a co-founder of Macy’s, proposed a solution that was simple, cheap, and quick: pasteurize the milk. 

 Pasteurization won out—simple solutions usually do—and combined with other public health improvements (potable water and sewers) child mortality began to fall.  Lost in the public debate were several key facts:  First, pasteurization reduces bacteria but does not sterilize, so standards had to be set for how much surviving bacteria milk could contain (quite a bit is allowed).  Second, though pasteurized milk has fewer bacteria, it still contains the carcasses of dead bacteria, a cause of immune system inflammation.  Third, the heat of pasteurization changed the nature of milk; for example, it reduced the available vitamins, as well as enzymes beneficial to the lactose intolerant.  This was a new product, untested by time.  In California a doctor named Francis Pottenger placed cats on a diet that included either raw milk or pasteurized milk.  The cats eating the raw milk were healthier and lived longer, but few have heard of Pottenger’s cats. 

The battle over pasteurization left a legacy in public health departments—for generations afterward, they would vehemently oppose the right of citizens to consume raw milk.  The government vendetta against California’s Alta Dena Dairy that forced them from the raw milk business is a matter of record.

Homogenization:  Milk could now be shipped further distances, thanks to the longer shelf life from pasteurization, so the separation of milk and cream became a cosmetic issue.  The solution was homogenization, a process where milk with cream is pumped at high pressure through very small holes.  The fat is broken into smaller fragments that now remain in solution, rather than floating to the top.  These fragments tend to quickly oxidize but if the milk is then cooked (pasteurized) this is prevented, though you now have a new fat molecule unproven by tradition.  The public resisted homogenization in the beginning, but it gained acceptance in the years around WWII.  Some have linked the rise of atherosclerosis and heart disease to pasteurized and homogenized milk, but other risk factors, including increased intake of sugar and trans fats (from the hydrogenation of processed vegetable oils), and the rise of cigarette smoking confused the issue. 

Milking Pregnant Cows:  It’s known that milk and dairy are a risk factor for breast cancer, which raises a question about bovine hormones in milk.  The practice of milking cows deeper into the next pregnancy began in the ‘20s when milk prices were low and dairymen were struggling.  It was another of those untested experiments to reduce cost.  Hormone levels, including estrogen and progesterone, soar as pregnancy progresses, and are in the milk we drink.  This introduces a new hypothesis:  Is there a link between certain cancers (breast, prostate, colon, ovarian, and testicular) and these ingested hormones? 

Gammaa Davaasambuu, a PhD from Mongolia, is studying the subject, using data from Harvard’s Nurses Health Study.  Read about her work here.  In the US cows are milked 300 days a year, deep into the next pregnancy; as a result this milk contains 33-fold more hormones (per one study).  In Mongalia, by tradition, cows are milked just 150 days, so milk is relatively free of hormones and is neither homogenized or pasteurized.  Dairy foods account for 60-80% of the hormones we consume in the US.  When Monigolian children are given our milk, their serum hormone levels rise.  How to reduce hormone ingestion, until more is known?  Drink less milk.  Another option, drinking reduced fat milks (hormones are carried by the fat) may introduce other problems, discussed in the next post.

Milk-related diseases:  It’s strange this popular drink has so many disease issues not resolved by proper scientific research.  Here is a partial list of disease concerns that merit further study:

• Milk, or a virus in milk, is thought to play a role in juvenile type 1 diabetes.
• Children's runny noses and chronic ear aches are sometimes linked to milk intake.
• Homogenized milk is theorized to be a cause of atherosclerosis of coronary arteries.
• Osteoporosis, in the Nurses Health Study, is linked to milk intake.  Milk contains calcium, but it also contains protein that tips the acid balance and interferes with calcium absorption.
• Higher intake of milk, as noted, is tied to increased risk of certain cancers.
• Intolerance and allergies:  About ¾ of the world population is lactose intolerant or allergic.

Monsanto and rBGH:  The controversial use of Monsanto’s recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST, or rBGH) to increase the milk output of cows is well published.  Thanks to the public's response, the practice is in decline so is not discussed in this post, except to note the power of an aroused public. 

The Bottom Line

I like whole milk.  I enjoy it on my breakfast compote and it’s also a good drink to cleanse the mouth of flavors (most flavors are fat soluble).  I like cheese too.  So what is my position on milk?  Here it is:

1. I drink it sparingly; I’ve started to date cartons I open, to track my intake.  My goal is to drink less than ½ gallon weekly.  This goal reduces animal protein intake per Healthy Change #20: Eat twice as much plant protein as animal protein.
2. We try to buy less-processed milk.  We haven’t converted to raw milk yet, but I’ve tried some and liked the taste.  I wish it were more available, which would also make it more affordable.  One thought on price:  If you look at the price of dairy (cheese, butter, and milk) in the circa 1936 ad from Heavy’s Market shown here, you’ll see they’ve actually dropped in relative price over the 75 years.
3. I dream a dream, that one day we can all buy milk like the people in Mongolia—from healthy pasture-fed cows, free of bovine hormones, not homogenized, and not so full of bacteria it must be pasteurized. I would pay more for good milk.

Please comment:  Share your milk experience.  Have you a solution to the possible problems of modern milk?

Need a reminder? Download our Healthy Change reminder card. Print and fold, then place in your kitchen or on your bathroom mirror to help you remember the Healthy Change of the week.

Photo from the State Library of South Australia.

Comments

[Susan]

My daughter was diagnosed with a milk allergy a couple of years ago. I decided to go off milk with her as a sign of solidarity :-) I found when I tried to add milk back in later, my face would break out and I had serious trouble with night sweats. My body is just happier without it. I

[Brooke]

Dad, do you remember when I self diagnosed myself with a milk allergy when I was 10? (Not ice cream or yogurt or cheese, just milk). See, I was right!

[Tom]

I work in state government with food safety officers and I'm frequently hearing about people getting salmonella, e. coli, etc. from raw milk. It seems to happen enough to make me wary. We only drink organic milk, and as per your comment above, I'll wait to hear more on that in the next post.

[Sacha]

I nursed my son until he was about a year old. Switching to cow's milk wasn't terrible for him, but I have to be really careful of how much I give him (no more than 24 oz. a day) or he will automatically get constipated. I'm definitely not convinced that it's a health food, and I much prefer cheese or yogurt to drinking milk. For the new year, I'm going to try to cut back how much he drinks (he will be 2 next year) and add in some more greens for calcium. People think it's almost blasphemy to say that milk isn't a wonderful food, but I like the view of using it sparingly, just like any other animal products. My family members that drink more milk than water (skim milk, even) are the ones that are overweight. I don't think that's coincidence. I do like whole milk, and I'd much rather use it sparingly than to guzzle skim milk all day long like I did as a kid!

[Jessica]

I have to agree with what so many have mentioned here - I fear the milk alternatives, at least the store bought ones. Looking at the ingredients it is obvious to me they are very processed. Soy is a particular concern of mine, all the different ways we see soy - its all processed and not whole!

I did recently make my own almond mylk and was very pleased. I figure if I can do this maybe every other week, and switch the off weeks with my organic milk I am able to cut way back.
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Milk-an-Almond-fresh-homemade-almond-milk/#step1

Skip thank you for this post! I had been looking forward to it as well. May I also mention that I have in general noticed my skin clear up with less milk consumption, I was experiencing terrible break-outs on my chest and with the help of apple cider vinegar and less milk it has been much better.

Looking forward to hearing about organic milk, I have a feeling I won't like what I read - but such is life in our current food inc. state. :)

[Eileen]

We drink almond milk at my house. I tried making it once without success. Someday I should try again. Mostly we drink water. The almond milk is for cereal. It is expensive with 5 kids.

[Nancy O]

Skip: This woman has helped me with several issues in my life and I thought you and your readers might enjoy checking out her blog. Her names is Kristen Bowen: livingthegoodlifenaturally.com

I don't drink milk. I have been using a little cream on hot cereal...or almond milk on cold cereal. I think I should make my own, however. Do you know that it is difficult to get unpasteurized almonds?
I exercise for bone health. I am trying to get more sunshine.
I do eat some good cheese. I don't do HRT. I am almost 67 with no osteoporosis.

[LeeAnn]

Could you explain what you mean when you say you buy less processed milk? Is it pasteurized, but not homogonized? And also, where did you find less processed milk?

[Lindsey]

Loved this post; this has always been a confusing issue for me. Over the past few years I have mostly phased milk out of our family's diet. We do eat organic butter (I'm wondering now if it contains a lot of hormones), plain whole milk yogurt, natural cheese (Tillamook) and all natural sour cream (I like Daisy brand). Raw milk isn't convenient for us and I'm honestly a little nervous about it, so we stick to fermented dairy (usually 2 servings/day). Since making this change, my son's eczema has been so much better and my daughter has stopped getting earaches.

Sally Fallon talks a lot about milk in Nourishing Traditions and goes into detail about the problems with low fat dairy. She says that low fat milk contains powdered milk to make it thicker, which she says is very unhealthy. She also says to absolutely avoid any dairy product that is ultra-pasteurized, and I've been unable to find any organic milk or cream in our area that isn't.

As far as milk substitutes, I like to make my own almond milk. You just grind 1/3 c. almonds in the blender for 30 seconds, then add 2 cups water and 1 T maple syrup and blend for a couple of minutes. You can soak the almonds first and strain it if you like. I think it's delicious on granola.

[Katherine]

It took our family a while to switch to raw milk, but now it's pretty much the only kind of milk we drink. I did a lot of research before making the decision. I was hesitant about buying it because of the risk of getting sick, but there is a risk of sickness from eating anything, including pasteurized milk. Look at how many people have died from seemingly innocuous things, like cantaloupe and spinach, as well as cooked meat...
Also, I somewhat take the fact that I have the ability to digest milk as a sign that it has something to offer me nutritionally, personally. All humans produce the enzyme lactase at birth, so that they can digest their mothers' milk (lactose is the main carbohydrate in human breast milk.) Originally the production of lactase would phase out by adulthood, as there was no need for people to continue to consume milk. However, certain populations adapted to their environment (needed milk as a significant source of nutrition, sometimes in the winter,) and the people who had the mutation (production of lactase into adulthood) that allowed them to digest, and benefit from milk, thrived in these regions, and passed this on to their descendants. This mostly happened in northern European, eastern African and some southwestern Asian populations. Genes almost always determine an adult's lactose persistence/intolerance, but in rare situations environment, or the composition of your gut bacteria can affect this (as can whether milk is pasteurized or not, as our ancestors consumed raw milk.) Actually, the majority of the world is lactose intolerant. Anyway, I personally feel really great after consuming raw milk, but if I ever don't, I will listen to my body, and stop.

[Meg]

Thanks for the information Skip. The China Study (which was a recommended read on your blog) basically changed the way I thought about consuming animal products, especially dairy. I still occasionally consume meat and dairy products, but quite rarely. Since my family has stopped consuming milk we have had huge positive changes in our health. Everything from weight loss to clearer skin. Also, my husband who has type I diabetes noticed a big difference in the amount of insulin he required.

Many people are skeptical about giving up milk as a staple in their diet, and I know because I was at first. I had never questioned all the propaganda distributed by the dairy industry and I thought it was a very important staple in my daily diet. Also, I just enjoy dairy products. But after reading and many hours and weeks of study and research I could not deny the facts, that dairy milk was not healthy or necessarliy even safe for human consumption. Now, when I look at a glass of milk, I get queasy and all I see is a glass of white blood cells, aka puss.

My family and I enjoy the milk alternatives in moderation, mostly just on cereals or in baking. Such as organic soy milk, almond or coconut milk. They are delicious and since we've been consuming them for the last 3 years we've only seen positive health changes.

Here is a presentation of research on milk from Dr. John Mcdougall:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJvrlwnEqbs

[skip hellewell]

LeeAnn, you asked what I meant by trying to buy "less processed" milk. Next to having a pasture and cow, store-bought raw milk is the least processed, so I think we're edging towards that. Pasteurized is less processed than "ultra-pasteurized", so we should choose that. We tried organic milk, thinking it to be less processed (more natural feed) but whatever benefit there is to organic feed is undone by nearly all organic milk being ultra-pasteurized. The beautiful wife drinks very little milk, so I guess that is a "less processed" life style. I'm sorry there aren't better options on milk for those who live in the city. Thanks for your question.

[Lieve]

My son drinks oat milk (because of his milk, nut and soy allergies), and since we hardly have any milk in the house, i drink it too. It's not bad at all.

[Greg]

I am a strong believer in the great value of raw milk in one's diet (not organic – the ultrapasteurization of much organic milk is a disaster). The reference to it in ancient scripture to signify health and bounty from God is just one indicator for me. Though not a cure all, I believe it is a cure some.

I am much disturbed by the significant campaign against raw milk from government. Recently, in Wisconsin, there was an attempt to prosecute a family for drinking raw milk from their own cows - absurd. We will allow people to smoke all sorts of things, drink alcohol (last statistic I saw from the CDC was 23,000 alcohol-induced deaths/yr in the US, how many from "supposed" issues with raw milk - 0), drive automobiles (last year 32,000 auto deaths in the US), etc . . ., but in many states (including Hawaii) people cannot buy raw milk (or more accurately sell raw milk).

We milk our own cows for the raw milk and give away our excess to families in our area that otherwise have a hard time affording milk here in Hawaii (in my most recent trip to our local grocery store I saw regular pasteurized milk for more than $7 a gallon). We make cheese, yogurt and other dairy products from the milk. We get two calves that we raise for our own beef and beef to share after each pregnancy. For us, since we have the land to work with, it is the cornerstone of provident living.

[Kiasa]

I rarely drink milk anymore, but I love my bowl of cereal still (it has more fiber than sugar; thank you!). I feel very fortunate to have grown up drinking milk from our cow, Daisy. Both my grandfathers were dairy farmers so my parents kept the tradition going with raising a milking cow. I feel proud that I know how to milk a cow. I have a lot of childhood memories around our milk (riding Daisy into the barn, the sound of the first squirts of milk hitting the steal pail, the cats running into the barn hoping for a treat, Dad skimming the cream off, churning butter, watching my parents pour that rich creamy goodness into the pitchers for the fridge.) As a kid (25 yrs ago) I felt poor because we milked our cow, unlike my friends with the fancy store bought milk. But now I feel poor because I can't afford the good stuff that I use to take for granted!

In NY they are required by law to pasteurize the milk, so we can't buy raw (although I hear there is a black market for the stuff). I think they have to also add Vitamin D. So the dairy farmers at the farmers markets pasteurize on the lowest heat allowed by law. But I love that milk!!! Too bad it costs $12/gallon! It seems like all the organic milk in the grocery store is ultra pasteurized, which seems really bad too.

I'll share this with my husband and see if we can lower our milk consumption significantly and go with our local dairy.

[Jodi]

It seems today- perhaps because I am now an adult and more aware- that most, truly MOST couples I know are having or had a difficult time getting pregnant. I wonder if this could be an effect of the hormones in milk, and certainly other reasons I'm sure. Just a thought. I just wish I had a neighbor with a cow to get fresh milk from!

[Skip Hellewell]

Jodi, what an interesting issue you raise, about today's fertility problem. This happens to be next week's topic.

Kiasa, loved hearing about your idyllic childhood, milking Daisy, and enjoying real milk.

Greg, you're an amazing guy. Milk cows, Heifers running around, Hawaii. What next?

[Catherine in AK]

I heartily second the "Nourishing Traditions" recommendation (by Sally Fallon). While I feel it is overboard on meat in relation to the Word of Wisdom and salt intake overall (though I don't agree with the FDA on that one either!), I have found it to be THE best resource on what KINDS of each food type to eat (grains, vegetables, dairy, meats, sugars, etc) and it has amazing explanations as well as TONS of information in sidebars throughout the book. I should add that it is technically a cook book, but goes well beyond recipes! I wish I owned two since mine is out on loan so often.

Unfermented soy should NOT be consumed by humans...definitely study up on that one! I'll provide a link below that has great information on it.

Yes, you can get sick from raw dairy and that is why you know your supplier (or your animals!). That said, the commercial production process is horrendous (look into Johne's disease, for instance, which is completely FDA acceptable in commercial milking cows) and often much worse. They do pasteurize their dairy products, but the reality is that the "bugs" that survive that process are the worst of the worst, and that process kills the natural protective qualities milk inherently has to lessen the risk of infections. I'll take my chances with raw dairy over commercial any day. And in many "illegal" places, there is a loophole where you can buy "goat/cow shares" and thus basically pay for the boarding/care/milking of the animal and the milk is then legally yours...check into that if you're interested and it is illegal to purchase raw in your area. We combined this need for our family (non-cow dairy, natural whole foods) along with the desire to become more self-sufficient and include home production into our food storage efforts and now have a small herd of Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats --TOTALLY worth it.

My youngest drank raw goat milk formula that we made ourselves (though following a nutritionist/doctor made whole-foods, natural, organic recipe to bring it as close to breastmilk as possible) and the difference in his health, demeanor, and eating habbits has been amazing. We'd do it again in heartbeat over the cornsyrup-laden commercial formulas.

And lastly but definitely not least, there is a wealth of great information on a website that I didn't see listed in your links for the article: http://www.westonaprice.org/ I like going to their "health topics" when I'm researching something in particular, such as soy.

[Di]

My uncle is an avid vegan and said he went head to head with Sally Fallon at a conference about her negative outlook on soy. I've heard that the Weston A. Price foundation is funded by many farmers who benefit from the soy bad talk, so just be aware that there is debate about this such as at this link: http://caloriecount.about.com/forums/foods/dairy-industrys-anti-soy-lies-debunked
I also thought it was interesting that soy is specifically included in Dr Weil's anit-inflammatory pyramid here:
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02995/Dr-Weil-Anti-Inflammatory-Food-Pyramid.html
Obviously Organic soy products are best.

[Melissa]

Hi Skip - really enjoying the milk posts, as I do all of your posts. My questions are around kids - I nursed my daughter for the first year, but had to supplement with formula (it was dairy based) when she was around 9 months old due to slowing milk production. We switched her to whole milk when she turned one, and now that she just turned two, our pediatrician recommended switching her to a reduced fat milk. She drinks 16 ounces a day (occasionally 20), and she LOVES it. I haven't seen raw milk in any of our local markets, but haven't looked that hard, either. I've been thinking about switching her to unsweetened almond milk, but wondering your take on that, as well.

To sum up my questions:
1. How much milk would you feed your babies? Would you switch to low fat milk at age 2, or continue with a reduced amount of whole milk...if so, how many ounces/day?
2. What are your thoughts on unsweetened almond milk as an alternative, especially for kids?
3. What is your point of view on dairy-based formulas?

Thanks Skip!