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States warming up to unheated milk.

Saturday, June 6th, 2009
kurtz-raw-milk-half-gallon

Raw Milk

There seems to be an unexpected bright side to our bleak economic times.   For many years state legislatures have restricted raw milk citing safety.  However, current economic troubles have many states warming up to unheated milk.

Could the bad-mouthing and fear mongering of raw milk producers have been to protect the economic interest of Big Dairy and not the well being of  the American consumer?   Could it be that raw milk is NOT inherently dangerous and can be produced safely and to the highest standard of cleanliness?.  You be the judge.

Raw Milk Legislative Update

Due to the decline in pay prices for conventional dairies and the cutback in organic milk production by many organic farms because of decreased sales, state legislatures are becoming more receptive to the sale and distribution of raw milk.

Here are the latest developments:

Tennessee:

On May 21, Governor Phil Bredesen signed into law a bill (HB 721) stating that nothing in the law “shall be construed as prohibiting the independent or partial owner of any hoofed mammal from using the milk from such animal for the owner’s personal consumption or other use.”

Learn more at www.tennesseansforrawmilk.com.

Vermont:

A bill (H.125) that would increase the amount of raw milk dairy farmers can sell from the current 12.5 gallons a day to 40 gallons, has passed both the House and the Senate and is awaiting the governor’s signature. While sales are currently only allowed at the farm, any farm that complies with the additional standards can also sell milk through delivery.

Learn more at www.ftcldf.org/state_bills-VT.htm.

New Jersey:

On May 11, after a hearing on bill A621, Committee Chairman Nelson Albano (D-Cape May) said, “Our intent as a committee is to make sure that we do everything possible to help dairy farmers in the state of New Jersey. We cannot let this be a dying breed … we also have to make sure that consumers in New Jersey have the right to purchase something they can get in any other state.”

Learn more at www.ftcldf.org/state_bills-NJ.htm.

Connecticut:

A bill (HB 6313) that would have limited sales of raw milk to the farm only, died in the Joint Committee on the Environment. Raw milk can currently be sold in retail stores.

A bill (HB 6312) that previously stalled is now attached to an unrelated bill. If this bill passes into law, cow share programs would become illegal in the state unless the farmer has a retail raw milk license.

Learn more at www.ftcldf.org/state_bills-CT.htm.

Federal:

An online petition is posted at the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund website (www.ftcldf.org/petitions/index.php) in support of HR 778, a bill introduced by Congressman Ron Paul that would overturn the interstate ban on raw milk for human consumption.

Learn more at www.ftcldf.org/federal_bills-HR778.htm.

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Autism: A Nutritional Approach

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Good nutrition is essential to the prevention, treatment and cure of many illnesses, diseases and conditions. And that includes autism.

Defeat Autism Now, an organization founded by a group of doctors whose children suffer from the condition, found that diet plays a crucial role in treating children with many disorders including autism, Asperger’s sydrome, ADD, ADHD and ODD.

Various studies have reveled that children with autism do not have the right amount of beneficial bacterial in their digestive system. Since 85% of the body’s immune system is in the gut, without these bacteria it is hard for their bodies to absorb nutrients to build a strong, healthy immune and digestive system. Their diets also lack the necessary nutritional fats that are fundamental to developing brain cells.

According to the Body Ecology diet (bodyecology.com) and the book “Gut and Psychology Syndrome,” by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD, children with any type of brain disorder can benefit from eating grass-fed raw dairy, including milk, cream, butter, cultured yogurt and fermented kefir.

Grass-fed raw dairy contains the crucial omega-3 fatty acids needed for brain function, good bacteria for a healthy digestive system, and plentiful vitamins A and D for proper growth and development. It is also rich in the raw, saturated fatty acids (similar to those found in mother’s milk) that nourish the brain and intestinal lining.

Other foods to consider as nutritional powerhouses are grass-fed beef, free-range poultry, organic eggs, fruits and vegetables – all produced without man-made chemicals, hormones, pesticides, dyes, or additives.

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The true cost of Farm Fresh Foods

Friday, May 15th, 2009

Why Does Organic, Farm Fresh Food Cost More?

Many people seeking to include more natural foods in their diets are shocked at the prices for raw milk, organic produce, pastured eggs and poultry, and grass-fed beef compared to similar items at the grocery store. But just like everything else, when it comes to food, you get what you pay for.

For example, a gallon of organic milk purchased at Whole Foods is about $6/gallon. All that for pasteurized, grain-fed milk that contains little of the nutritional power of farm fresh raw milk. This is because pasteurized milk has been excessively heated to kill bacteria—including the beneficial ones—while destroying vital enzymes, vitamins and nutrients. On top of that, many people may have hidden allergies to this pasteurized milk.

Have you ever been to a feedlot or conventional chicken operation? The current food system in the United Sates is appalling. It is based on food predicated on cheaply grown grain, deplorable animal living conditions and environmental degradation. This is where your “cheap” food is grown.

Food from small farms represents the true cost of food as opposed to the industrial system which we as taxpayers pay for (with farm subsidies) that artificially keeps the prices low. Small farmers work long days and must support their families on the products they produce.

Small farms must also take into account the unsubsidized cost of land (it takes more space to raise animals humanely), higher cost of organic feed (which doesn’t contain GMO grains or chemicals), cost of implementing a soil fertility program, smaller production from 100% grass-fed and pasture-raised animals that have access to fresh air, sunshine and a more natural life.

Now we come to the good part.  Naturally raised foods provide more nutrition. Animal and plant foods produced on factory farms lack the basic nutrients needed to sustain a healthy life, such as adequate vitamin D, omega-3s, calcium and so much more.  Animals raised on pasture are treated humanely and are well cared for.

Though farm fresh food may cost more in the long run it could save you from paying expensive medical bills to treat illness and disease. Eating naturally raised foods may also help you live a longer, more enjoyable life. And who can put a price on that?

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Grass-fed Foods and Vitamin B-12

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

The Best Sources of Vitamin B12

Do you get enough vitamin B12? Studies show that as many as one in four adults, or almost 80 percent of people in the United States, may be deficient in this important nutrient.

Known as the “energy vitamin,” B12 is essential for many critical functions in the body. Not only does it help produce energy, but it also supports the immune system and the nervous system, and regulates the formation of red blood cells.

Lack of B12 can result in anemia, nervousness, depression, lack of energy and all around poor health.

There are several reasons for B12 deficiency, but the main one is the modern diet. Since the vitamin is only present in animal sources of food, those who don’t eat animal products are more likely to suffer from low B12. But consuming poor quality animal products from animals that are fed unhealthy grains, or eating pasteurized dairy products, in which the B12 is destroyed, is also a large part of the problem.

So what’s a body to do?

Since our bodies do not easily or efficiently absorb B12 supplements (including those added to foods), and painful, expensive injections are not usually helpful, the best and easiest way to get enough B12 is to eat nutrient-dense animal products naturally rich in the nutrient. Grass-fed beef, fresh pastured eggs, and grass-fed dairy are some of the best natural sources of this important vitamin. And the best way for our bodies to absorb vital nutrients is through natural sources.

Local Central Florida farms offer farm fresh foods loaded with vitamin B12 and other nutrients.

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CLA- The good fat

Thursday, March 19th, 2009

As we move in to the spring and summer months I thought a few words were needed about CLA.  What? You’ve not heard of this amazing fat?  CLA, or Conjugated linoleic acid, is a type of fat created by the bacteria in the digestive track of ruminant animals.  Research shows that it has significant anti-cancer properties and helps the body to lose weight and put on muscle. Yes you read that correctly!   Our obsession with the low-fat diet has caused us to overlook this particular nutrient and challenges conventional medicine notions of fat as dangerous.
Now here comes the good part.  Dr. Dhiman, a CLA researcher, has found cows who have grain as the predominant part of their diet (the kind whose beef and dairy you find in your grocery store) produce four times less CLA in their milk than cows eating their natural diet, rapidly growing green grass.  This also translated to the meat as well.
Perhaps we can start turning the corner on associating red meat with cancer and other ills and see it as a nutrient dense power house.  This is especially the case with Florida grass-fed beef, milk and butter.  Living in Orlando we can take advantage of the year round sunlight for our health needs.

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