Is There Any Difference Between Organic, and Pasteurized Milk?

Organic milk now accounts for more than 3 percent of all milk sold in the United States. But it also has an annual growth rate of 23 percent, while overall milk consumption is dropping by 8 percent a year. Milk is a "gateway" organic food -- one of the first organic products a consumer will buy. Access to Pasture While organic milk must come from a cow not fed artificial growth hormone or pesticide-laden feed, they might have had only token "access to pasture," meaning they could still have spent most of their milk-producing lives confined to a feed lot. And almost all organic milk is still pasteurized, which can destroy vital nutrients. Difficult to Find However, finding raw, unpasteurized milk can be difficult; in most states it can be sold legally only on the farm or through clubs in which people buy shares of a cow and divide the milk. New York Times November 9, 2005 Registration Required Dr. Mercola's Comment:While organic milk consumption is still small, its growth indicates that peopleare becoming more aware of all the hormones, pesticides and antibiotics theyare exposed to by merelydrinking pasteurized milk. When it comes to dairy products, one of its most important characteristics is that it is produced from cows that are nearly exclusively grass-fed. Most cattle are factory farmedand fed large amounts of grain. Since cows were never designed to eat grains this can cause a host of complicationsthat seriously degrade the quality of the milk they produce. While organic milk may be free from hormones and other harmful contaminants, it doesn't guarantee the cows producing it are grass-fed, meaning the milkmay havelower levels of important nutrients such as conjugated linoleic acid. And, as the article notes, organic milk is still pasteurized, a destructive process that changes the physical structure of the fragile proteins in the milk and distorts them into proteins that can actually be harmful to your body. Additionally,theprocess virtuallyeliminates any good bacteria normally present in the milk. Your best source for milk is to find a local farmer who sells raw milk near you. I have seen so many patients improve their health after switching to raw milk, I believe it is one of the healthiest foods you can consume. It has more nutrients, more health benefits, and tastes better as well. If you have no luck finding a raw milk source near you, you'll probably locate one by visiting the Real Milk Web site.