Trade It Tuesday

Today's topic:  Milk

One would think that any milk would be a wholesome, nutritious food.  Ha, think again.  Many milks are fortified with vitamins, and the Vitamin D3 and Vitamin A Palmitate can often contain preservatives - namely BHT.  If you don't remember what BHT is made from, let me refresh your memory: 

BHT is a lipophilic organic compound (huh?!?) that is primarily used as an antioxidant food additive as well as an additive in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, jet fuels, rubber, petroleum products, electrical transformer oil and embalming fluid.  It  is prepared by the reaction of p-cresol (a major componant in pig odor) with isobutylene (a colorless flamable gas) catalysed by sulfuric acid.

How can you be sure the milk you are buying does not contain preserved Vitamin D?  You can't tell from the label.  I use my 2011 Feingold Food List, because the non-profit Feingold Association of America researches the milks to make sure they are all natural.  Here are some of the local brands you can trust:

365 Everyday Value (Whole Foods Brand)

Alta Dena

Bayview Farms (Bel Air & Raley's)

Clover Stornetta

Dairy Glen (Safeway)
Horizon Organic
Organic Valley (now at Costco!)
Straus Family Creamery
Sunnyside Farms
Sweet Clover

(There are a few more approved brands, too, so feel free to email me if you want to know about other brands you may be using.)

And what is the deal with organic milk?  What exactly is the difference that causes such a difference in price? 

1. Shelf Life - Organic milk has to be pasteurized at a much higher temperature (280 degrees) than regular milk (140 degrees) so it can last up to two months in the fridge. 

2. No Hormones - the USDA certifies that organic milk comes from cows are not given the synthetic hormone known as recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH, also known as BGH, recombinant bovine somatotropin or rBST). Farmers often give rBGH to dairy cows to make them more productive.   However this also causes mastitis in the cows, leading to (brace yourself) PUSS that gets in the milk.  rBGH has also been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer in humans. The additive has been banned in Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Australia and the entire European Union.

3. No Antibiotics - farmers often give the cows antibiotics to prevent infection and mastitis, but the antibiotics show up in the cow's milk.  Many people think this may be part of the reason that our generation is developing immunity to antibiotics.  In a certified organic dairy, if a cow is given antibiotics it must be taken out of the milking rotation for a year. 

4. No pesticides - to be certified as organic, milk can only come from cows who have been fed certified organic feed. 

5. Free Range - cows producing organic milk have to spend most of each year grazing out in open pastures.  I'm not sure what health benefit this has, but I'm sure the cows are happier and therefore produce better milk. Ha! 

If you want to know a lot more about this subject, just Google "Organic Milk vs Regular Milk" and there is a wealth of information for you to make your own decision.  

In our house, we drink Horizon Organic and Organic Valley.  We used to drink Bayview Farms, but one day I decided to try organic, and my family LOVED the milk.  The kids would literally get excited when I would take the blue Organic Valley carton out of the refrigerator.  Lia would say "Oh Yeah!  That is the milk that I LOVE!"  Hard to stop buying it when you get that reaction.  My extended family had it at our house and also started buying it on a regular basis, just because it tastes so much better.  

 

I also like the philosophy of the Organic Valley brand.  They are actually a coop of farmers that brand under one name.  Check out this link for more information.  And, they utilize local dairies, meaning less transportation getting the milk to market.  In fact, on the Organic Valley website you can punch in your zipcode and find out which dairy supplies the milk you buy.  Maybe I'll go by and visit those happy cows. . . . 

I also love the portable Horizon milks to throw in the kids lunches or to take with us when we go out to dinner.  The kids love the vanilla flavor, so I keep that and regular 2% on hand at all times.  I find the big boxes of it (18 drink boxes) at Toys R Us of all places, which is much cheaper than buying it in the three packs that most grocery stores carry.  Whole Foods also has the bulk box, but it's a little more expensive.   Or, you can order it on Amazon if you click on this link.  I don't know how it's possible, but the portable milks don't even need refrigeration.  Weird!


In my opinion, you really get what you pay for with milk.  Yes, organic is definitely more expensive - and anyone with little kids can go through the milk quickly (except my friend Sarah, her family buys pint size milk - of course they have an unusually small refrigerator, too).  But considering how much milk your kids drink, don't you want to know it's clean milk?