Homogenized Milk - Facts

[Robin Plan]

I never thought much about milk until I started becoming a Health Nut. Now I know that homogeniszed milk is actually dangerous for us to drink and it serves no health purpose for people.

If milk (non-homogenized) is left to stand overnight, the cream rises to the top. This is good because the amount and color of the cream have always been the measure of milk quality.

Homogenization forcefully blends the milk and cream so they never separate. Homogenization pumps milk at high pressure through a fine mesh, reducing it's fats to tiny particles.

Naturally, real milk should have a layer of cream on top. In the past, the thickness of the cream was a measure of quality milk. As the quality of milk has declined over the years, so has the cream content. To hide the lack of cream in the milk, the dairy industry uses homogenization to break up the fat globules and evenly distribute them throughout the milk. This process unnaturally increases the surface area of milk fat, exposing it to air, in which oxidation occurs and increases the susceptibility to spoilage. The minute fat globules are also able to unnaturally pass through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream, bypassing the normal digestive and metabolic process and creating toxic by-products. Homogenization has been linked to heart disease and atherosclerosis. Source Weston A. Price Foundation

In the US homogenization became common soon after pasteurization because it solved two problems for the dairy industry. The first was the separation of the milk and cream. It was possible to ship pasteurized milk long distances, but the cream rose in transit, when meant the most valuable part of the milk -- the fat-- was unevenly distributed from one customer to another. Homogenization spreads the cream throughout the milk so everyone gets a share.

The second problem was cosmetic. After pasteurization, dead white blood cells and bacteria form a sludge that sinks to the bottom of the milk. Homogenization spreads this unsightly mass throughout the milk and makes it disappear.

Homogenization is completely unnecessary. It also ruins the flavor and texture of milk. It breaks up the delicate fats, producing rancid flavors and causing milk to sour more quickly.

Happily, non-homogenized milk is perfectly legal and can be found in Natural Food Stores. Look for labels with "cream top" or "cream line." If the whole milk with cream on top is too rich for your tastes, just pour off the cream and use it on other foods.


Considering how commercial milk is processed, it's no wonder that millions of Americans are allergic to it. An allergic reaction to dairy can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting (even projectile vomiting), stomach pain, cramping, gas, bloating, nausea, headaches, sinus/chest congestion, and sore or scratchy throat. Pasteurized milk consumption has been linked to many other illnesses as well, such as: asthma, atherosclerosis, diabetes, chronic infections (especially upper respiratory and ear infections), obesity, osteoporosis, and prostate, ovarian, breast, and colon cancer.

Sources
The truth about raw milk - don't blame it on the cow!
Weston A. Price Foundation
Real Food - Nina Planck,2006 - pg 75

Real Food with Dr. Heidi Dulay

3 fun and surprising videos after these people learned how to eat real food:

1. http://tinyurl.com/fatburn-IBS
2. http://tinyurl.com/noshakesfatburn
3. http://tinyurl.com/diabeticfatburn

[ChefShane]

Alright, that may change a few things . . . great entry.