Today’s discussion starts with Raw Milk and your ability to buy it.
Here is an example of how the US government controls our ability to have healthier options for our food supply. In this example I am referring to your right to buy raw milk, just like the milk we used to drink when everyone relied on small farms before the government got involved with “protecting” us and forced all milk to be pasteurized. Pasturization of raw milk or fresh juice kills many of the enzymes and nutrients that are needed to fully benefit from its natural goodness.
Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster recently brought a lawsuit against a Missouri family farm, claiming they broke a law that curbs raw milk distribution.
In April 2009, two daughters from the Bechard family farm became victims of a sting operation. They were distributing raw milk in a parking lot in front of Mama Jean's Natural Market in Springfield. They weren't actually selling anything. They were simply there to fill orders for customers who had pre-ordered gallons of raw milk. On two different days in April, undercover inspectors from the county health department approached the young women and asked them if there was any extra milk for purchase. In each case, a couple of gallons were available because customers hadn't shown up. So the girls sold the milk to the inspectors.
Seven months later, Mr. Koster filed a lawsuit to prevent the Bechards from distributing milk. Missouri dairy farmers are allowed to sell raw milk on their farms. And they're allowed to deliver it to customers. They're even allowed to set up a distribution point in a parking lot to deliver pre-paid orders of raw milk to customers. What they're NOT allowed to do in that parking lot is sell milk to walk-up customers. So in the annals of crime, the Springfield Health Department action was a little like running a sting operation on a lemonade stand. And the lawsuit just looks silly. As you might suspect, it has a lot of Missourians wondering: Is this really the best use of state resources?
As an editorial in the Springfield News-Leader accurately put it, the whole situation would be "better handled through a conversation than a courtroom." But two good things have already come of this controversy: 1) The Bechards are getting plenty of free publicity for their farm store: bechardfarm.com, and 2) this case probably has a lot of people asking for the first time: What the heck is raw milk?
Good question.
Milk that's genuinely raw is then cooled and bottled. That's the entire process, no heat and no additives. Ideally, the cows that give that milk have fed on fresh grass that's organically grown. So no traces of pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers end up in the milk. But what IS in the milk is conjugated linoleic acid. As I've mentioned before, CLA is an essential fatty acid that's been shown to help reduce abdominal fat and boost the immune system while lowering insulin resistance and triglyceride levels. Organic raw milk contains FIVE TIMES more CLA than homogenized commercial milk.
Meanwhile, pasteurized and homogenized commercial milk comes from cows raised mostly on factory farms. So start with the feed: It's generally grains, not grass, so there goes the CLA and other nutrients. Factory farm cows are often given hormones to unnaturally hype up milk production. This creates health problems for the cows. The treatment: antibiotics. Any extended exposure to antibiotics is not good for anyone and antibiotics are also now ending up in our food and water supplies.
My hope is that raw milk is accepted by the public as a viable and healthy alternative to commercial milk. In their desire to protect the people the government sometimes goes overboard in banning certain natural foods that really don’t pose any more risk than the commercial versions. Raw milk has had an excellent health record without the anticipated health issues that the government has claimed would occur if raw milk was made available to the public. Some states prevent raw milk from being sold in any form while states like Missouri are a little more understanding of the small farm heritage that includes eating and drinking non-commercial foods without any issues at all.
All cows should be grass fed. This would give us much healthier meat and milk. But of course it isn’t very likely since most decisions are based on economics and not the health of the people.
Warning! Topical Painkillers Are Not Always Safer
The FDA just announced that dicoflenac gel (brand name Voltaren Gel) -- often prescribed for arthritis pain -- is linked to severe liver damage... and it can happen within the first month of use! According to the FDA, this topical gel has been reported to cause liver necrosis (death of liver cells), jaundice, and liver failure... some cases of which have required a liver transplant... and some that have been fatal! Of course, despite these horrible side effects, dicoflenac gel remains very much on the market.
Holiday Eating and Depression
This time of year, many healthy diets bite the dust until around the first week of January. Also common this time of year: depression. Coincidentally, one of the factors that can trigger depression is food. More specifically – food that's on the not-so-healthy end of the spectrum. So when the hors d'oeuvre tray comes around, you may want to pass on the bacon-wrapped hot dog and keep an eye out for the salmon.
Here's why...
As I've mentioned before, an increased intake of omega-3 fatty acids has been shown to alleviate symptoms of depression. With that in mind, researchers at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, Netherlands, created a study to examine how the ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids might be associated with depression. As most of you are probably aware by now, the optimum omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is 1:1. But because omega-6 is abundant in processed foods (while the primary dietary source of omega-3 is fish) the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of a typical American diet is by some estimates more like 20:1; a ratio that's been linked to a wide range of chronic health problems.
The Rotterdam team recruited more than 260 subjects with symptoms of depression, and about 460 randomly selected control subjects. A blood sample was taken from each subject. In their analysis of the samples, researchers found what they called a "direct effect of fatty acid composition on mood." Subjects with depressive disorders had a significantly higher ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids compared to subjects who were not depressed. Walnuts and flaxseed contain alpha-linolenic acid, which is converted to omega-3 in the body. But only fish contains both omega-3s – eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docohexaenoic acid (DHA). Salmon, tuna, swordfish, lake trout, herring, mackerel, and sardines are all good sources of EPA and DHA.
The drawback with fish is the potential for mercury contamination when dark-meat fish (such as tuna and swordfish) is eaten several times each week. Fortunately, fish oil supplements provide an easy way to ensure a good intake of omega-3 fatty acids. Mercury content: zero. An investigation by ConsumerLab.com (an independent testing lab) found no mercury or PCB contamination in more than 40 fish oil products. So when you are reaching for an hors d’oeuvre, maybe pass on the bacon hotdog and try the salmon hors d'oeuvre. In fact, take two.
One other thing I want to mention is that the widespread use of vegetable oils for cooking and salad dressings is one reason that Americans have such an imbalance in their omega 6 to omega 3 ratio. Eliminate most of the vegetable oils you use and switch to olive (light or virgin) and a good quality grapeseed oil (expeller pressed if possible) for higher heat cooking. This one step will greatly improve your omega ratio and keep you healthier and happier.
Another Source for Helpful Information
Here is a reader recommended website that you might find helpful and informative http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/main.asp. There is a lot of good information on Nutrition, Diets, Fitness, Wellness and Motivation, including videos and lots of recipes. With a little searching you can find information and articles on many worthwhile subjects. But keep in mind that most public sources of information still contain some mainstream ideas that are not quite correct. So keep reading my blog so you can tell the difference between the mainstream view and the actual truth, which I work hard to seek out for you.
Until next time,
Happy Holidays to everyone!
Stay healthy and happy,
JD Roma
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