Milk best-worst options?

[mormontreehugger]

I remember seeing this once somewhere, but I can't find it now. DS is close to weaning, and I want to have some sort of milk in the house for him.  I can get raw, but it's terribly expensive here. So I was wondering out of the following, what's best-worst?(it's in the order that I THINK is best to worst, but I need some help here)

raw whole milk

pastuerized non-homogenized whole milk

regular whole milk

and where do these fit in, if they do? Say I can't afford raw.  Are these better?

almond milk

rice milk

goats milk (pasteurized)

Also, what about:

organic pasteurized milk

grass-fed pasteurized milk

Can anyone put these in order for me? I don't know if it's worth buying organic if the milk is pasteurized.  Does it really make a difference?  Do I need to research the dairies to see which cows get to eat grass?  Does that even matter as much if it's pasteurized? Help!

[ridingmomma]

I'd say raw whole milk from a grass fed farm is your best bet, but if it is prohibitively expensive, I think there are reasonable alternatives. Grass fed milk is the "best" since it is highest in vitamins, and other nutritive substances. When it is raw, it has the added content of beneficial bacteria and enzymes that make it easier to digest. This is why it is nice for weaning tots--it isn't such a shock to their system, since breast milk is "raw" too.

 

However, if you can find a decent milk source, even if it is pasteurized, (preferably NOT homogenized though since that does other weird things to the milk), you can always culture it and have you son drink/eat that. Kefir is more liquid than yogurt and has tons of good bacteria in it that help with digestion and break down the milk, making it more digestible (yogurt and buttermilk too).  When my girls first weaned and we lived in an area that was really hard to get raw milk, I mostly fed them yogurt and yogurt smoothies for their dairy intake. They even liked it plain. I have done the same with our son, except now we have a source for raw milk so they all drink that too.

 

I think that grassfed is more important than "organic" if you are going the pasteurized route, since organic cows can be fed large amounts of grain and don't necessarily have lots of pasture. 

 

As far as almond and rice milk, I don't think they are that great. Almonds are not super easy to digest unless soaked first, and I think most rice milks have stuff added to them. Goats milk might be a good option--we never used it but I know folks who did.  I'd say, even if you just buy a jug of regular milk at the grocery store, but make it into yogurt, you will help your son out a lot.

 

Hope some of this made sense!

 

[livinlovinlaughin]

We love SD Coconut milk here. We drink water but this is the milk we use for everything, cereal, cooking, baking.

[mormontreehugger]

Hmmm... I like the idea of coconut milk!  I'm looking into primal foods right now too.  But making yogurt seems to be my best cost-effective option at the moment.  So how do I make yogurt....

[JMJ]

I wanted to add that the proteins in goat milk are easier to digest than cows milk.  I would prefer goat's milk to cow milk.

[CookAMH]

I think WAPF has mentioned that if you can't get raw milk, or non homogonized milk, to buy heavy cream (NOT ultra-pasteurized) and add water.

[pdiannet]

I also have this same dilemma.  I am considering making my own rice or almond milk and adding supplements to it.  But, that was my first thought- coconut milk.  I am supplementing with regular milk or soy milk some, but really don't like either- but it's all we have in rural Alaska. 

[TonyaW]

There are some farms that sell grass fed low temp pasteurized milk. If you could find that, it would be less expensive and healthier than any kind of milk you buy at the store. If it were me and the cost of raw milk was prohibitive, then I would only give yogurt or nut milk that I made. I wouldn't use any kind of pasteurized milk for my son other than yogurt.

[pdiannet]

Just wanted to check back.  I started making almond milk and rice milk adding coconut milk to it and my little one just loves it- and I do too.  Here's directions: soak almonds and rice overnight in fridge- 2c rice, 2 c almonds in a gallon pail of water.  Blend in the morning.  Pour through cheesecloth.  Add 1c coconut milk (or as much as you like).  Sweeten or add vanilla for taste, if preferred.  My dh is drinking this better than the other options- even milk. 

[pdiannet]

By the way- this makes approx. 1 gallon of "milk". 

[velcromom]

Honestly, if this is for your son and not the whole family, I would go with the grassfed raw and serve it to him once or twice a day. He doesn't need to drink milk of any kind all day long as a beverage, and using it as a drink twice a day won't be too expensive because you won't be buying gallons and gallons. I am an advocate of kids drinking water as their primary beverage, with milk to be served as part of a meal, and juice as a special treat now and then. I consider the milk a food, not a "drink" for quenching thirst. They will be getting the nutrients of grassfed cows also through pasture butter as long as you use that too, so I would use a small amount of real raw grassfed milk and leave it at that.

I would probably not go to the trouble of making my own nondairy milk unless it was needed due to an allergy or intolerance, especially with the prices of raw almonds and coconut milk!

I don't think you need to strain the budget to have milk on hand all the time. We don't always have milk for drinking in the fridge, it's just not within the budget to buy it constantly. I like that the kids have learned not to expect it to be served just because they are "thirsty" because they don't whine and nag about it! lol