Please educate me about milk (organic, raw, whatever I need to know)

[GranoLLLy-girl]

Would someone please educate me on the various types of milk out there?
What is the difference between raw and organic?
Should I find/buy grass-fed cow milk where I live? If so, what is it called and where would I look for it? What would I look for in on a label?
What is the best type of cow's milk for kids (mine are 6 and 7)?
I just know there are some people here who know a lot about all of this and I'd like some information to help me feed my kids properly.
Thanks!

[CrunchyChristianMama]

You might find The Untold Story of Milk highly useful in understanding milk.

Organic means that they were fed organic feed and were not given hormones or antibiotics.

Raw means that it was most likely grass-fed (you would want to check with the farmer), was probably not given hormones or anti-biotics (again, check with your farmer), but the big difference is that it wasn't homogenized or pasteurized.

Homogenization is when they break the fat particles in the milk up into such tiny pieces that they are unable to clump back together and rise to the top. You have to shake up non-homogenized milk. Many who are opposed to homogenization link it to all kinds of health problems from allergies to heart disease.

Pasteurization kills off all the bacteria in the milk in hopes of killing off any "bad" bacteria that may be present. In the process it also kills off all the amazingly good bacteria and destroys a lot of the vitamins that are naturally present in the milk. Therefore, they usually add back in synthetic vit. A and D.

Grass-fed means that the cows were given access to pasture. It doesn't necessarily mean that they only ate grass (unless that is specified). The diet of the cow is extremely important to the quality and health benefits of the milk. Just as what you eat affects your health, the same holds true for cows. Cows were not meant to eat a diet of grain and soy, but rather grasses. Grass-fed is also nice because you know that the cows were not stuck in a stall all day.

www.realmilk.com is a great site to check out too if you want to learn more about the benefits of raw milk and need to figure out where to find it.

[GranoLLLy-girl]

Yes, after hearing/reading information about grass-fed cows, I think that's what I want to give my kids. But I also want it pastuerized.
Is it possible to buy it this way? I don't know that raw is a good idea, is it?
I'll check out the link you posted.

Thanks for the information--surely there are more milk experts here at MDC?

[ollyoxenfree]

Raw milk isn't available for purchase in many places because of health and safety laws. In those places, you may be able to obtain it from a dairy farmer, but it would be illegal to sell/buy it.

Some of the choices depend on personal preference too - flavour and texture/mouth feel. My DS loves organic, non-homogenized whole milk. My DD dislikes the clumping of the cream that sometimes happens, so she prefers organic homogenized milk. I don't like whole milk because it's too thick - I prefer low fat or skim homogenized milk. We don't have raw milk readily available to us since it's illegal to sell it here. From my own reading, I have been thinking about finding a grass-fed dairy source, but haven't started searching yet.

[CrunchyChristianMama]

Originally Posted by GranoLLLy-girl

Yes, after hearing/reading information about grass-fed cows, I think that's what I want to give my kids. But I also want it pastuerized.
Is it possible to buy it this way? I don't know that raw is a good idea, is it?
I'll check out the link you posted.

Thanks for the information--surely there are more milk experts here at MDC?

There are a few brands that allow their cows to be grass-fed and it usually says so on the packaging. I know that Farmer's Creamery and Hy-Vee Organic are both grass-fed and non-homogenized. Organic Valley is partially pastured. There are a few others out there, but a lot of it depends on what part of the country you're in for what brands are available.

Raw milk scared me at first too until I read more about it. Now it's all we drink.