Que Mariah Carey – ‘It’s tiiiiiiiiiimeeeeee’!
It is officially Christmas week! Today marks 2 days until Santa is shimmying down our chimneys, cookies are coming out of the oven, the tree is getting overloaded with presents galore, and the house is quieter than you thought it could ever be.
In the spirit of the Christmas season, our nutrition specialist Laney is talking about a staple in Santa Claus’ diet. We’re talking one of his favorite snacks – he eats it for breakfast, lunch and dinner on Christmas Eve. His most favorite drink – milk!
More specifically, Laney is covering raw and normal milk in her latest YouTube video. If you saw the animal-based diet video that got over 1,000 views, this one is just as beneficial to you!
Before we get into this controversial topic, I just want to give a small PSA about nutrition. It is not and I’m not sure it’ll ever be black and white. There’s lots of grey area.
Laney went to school for nutrition, and she says that what she learned in school sometimes doesn’t always feel like the right answers.
So, we should have an open mind when it comes to nutrition and realize that one thing that works for you may not work for everyone else.
That’s why Laney brings you these videos, to help you navigate the mass of grey areas and small pool of black and white areas of nutrition.
Today’s Topics
- Not Everyone Thrives on Dairy
- What Kind of Milk Does Laney Recommend?
- Arguments Against Raw Milk
- Potential Benefits of Raw Milk
- Should We Try Raw Milk?
Not Everyone Thrives on Dairy
We see this a ton, especially in America. I’m sure you know 1 if not a ton more people that are lactose intolerant. I know many of my friends are. Many people poke fun at the term and say they ‘lack toes and toddler ants’.
Lactose intolerance just means they cannot digest or tolerate well the milk sugar lactose in their gut.
There are tons of hot takes on why this has become such a common issue over the last 200 years, so if you want to know about those hot takes keep on reading.
What Kind of Milk Does Laney Recommend?
PSA: we are discussing dairy milk only today – no nut milks.
Laney personally drinks whole milk. She says she thinks it’s the best option because there are less additives and more natural amino acids, fatty acids, and vitamins that get lost with skim milk, 2%, and others.
Getting fats in your diet from dairy is 10x better than getting them from doughnuts, croissants, or fried foods.
We need fats in our diet and dairy, avocado, and meats give us healthy fats that we shouldn’t be scared of.
Raw Milk
This is finally making its way back into the conversation on social media. There are lots of influencers bringing raw milk back into the light.
BUT, we don’t need to just dive in and start drinking raw milk all the time, so let’s navigate it.
Arguments Against Raw Milk
The reason the government has made raw milk illegal is the harmful bacteria and pathogens that can get into it.
Since its raw and not cooked, bacteria can live in the milk, we drink it, and we get sick.
Pasteurization isn’t as old as you might think it is – only 200 years or so old. People have been drinking raw milk for hundreds and hundreds of years. Tons of people were dying from raw milk, so pasteurization was born.
This process heats up the raw milk which kills the good and bad bacteria and pathogens.
Through my research, I have seen that raw milk is in fact healthier, but the biggest argument against it is do the risks outweigh the benefits too greatly?
Benefits of Raw Milk
- Digestion
- People in general can digest raw milk better in terms of the lactose content.
- Raw milk has an enzyme called Lactase which neutralizes the milk sugar Lactose which people are intolerant of.
- Immune System
- Natural, raw milk boosts our immune systems.
- Gut Health
- There are lots of probiotics and enzymes in raw milk that are beneficial to gut health. These get killed off through the pasteurization process.
Should We Try Raw Milk?
So, is raw milk safe?
One thing to note, milk is not created equal by any means.
There are good farmers who take great care of their cows. They make sure every aspect of their processes is followed by guidelines and are safe.
However, there’s always going to be a bad apple. Someone that isn’t following the safest or cleanest processes. This is what causes E.coli breakouts and such.
Back when people were getting super sick from raw milk, the environments were unsanitary. People weren’t washing their hands and technology was not what it is today.
We know so much more about bacteria today than they ever thought to be 200+ years ago.
That’s why people are saying raw milk is better now, because we have the ability to prevent the bad bacteria and pathogens from entering the raw milk in the first place.
The issue with pasteurization is that it’s not really a solution, it’s just covering up mistakes the farmers made in the first place. Instead of fixing how the cows were treated, and processes were run, they found a cheaper way to put a Band-Aid over a bullet hole.
Wrap-Up
If you choose to switch to raw milk for yourself and your family, you HAVE to trust your farmer. You should have 100% trust that their processes are clean, sanitary, and safe.
You’ll never be 100% certain there are no pathogens in the milk, and that is the risk you take when you make the switch.
BUT, that is the risk you take with any food. Veggies, deli meats, eggs, or fruits. Raw milk gets such a bad rep, but bad bacteria can get into anything we eat.
Linked below is a podcast that dives into raw milk and can give you some more clarity on this topic.
I encourage you to do your research. See if there are any farmers near you that you trust their processes enough to get their milk. I can’t make the decision for you if raw milk is worth it, the choice is yours!
Click here to find raw milk farmers near you!
Click here to find out a little more information about raw milk!
Do you like these topics? If so, there are tons more that our Nutrition Specialist Laney would love to discuss with you. Not only can we give you an amazing nutrition plan, we also can give you a stellar strength training plan. Steel Strength Training has the team that will help you become the leanest, strongest, and healthiest version of yourself.