We’ve been getting all sorts of questions about dairy lately, especially around the many different types of milk options out there. So hopefully this post will clear some things up. Later this month we’ll be sharing our thoughts on cheese, sour cream, yogurt, and other dairy products as well so be sure to stay tuned!
Raw Milk
Before our switch to real food I honestly had no idea what “raw milk” even was. I actually remember the day I first discovered that there’s an entire world out there of raw milk advocates complete with websites, blogs, non-profit organizations, and the like. I’ve learned that the people who drink raw milk really LOVE their raw milk and feel strongly about their choice.
Raw milk is literally the way the milk comes out of the cow. It has not been pasteurized (heated to kill pathogens) or homogenized (processed to suspend fat globules) in any way, shape, or form. In the most basic terms it’s exactly what the calves get. And I actually think this quote from Wikipedia sums up why raw milk can be such a heated topic these days:
“Health food proponents tout the benefits of raw milk and the ills of pasteurization and homogenization. The medical community warns of the dangers of not pasteurizing milk. Preferences vary from region to region.” – Wikipedia
So speaking of our “region” raw milk is actually illegal here in North Carolina. I’ve had many people tell me I can drive just over the border into South Carolina to buy some, but to be honest I was actually kind of relieved that I didn’t have to make the tough decision if we should drink raw milk or not. I know the advocates say raw milk can cure all your ailments (or something like that), but others say there are health risks with milk that hasn’t been pasteurized (which kills both potentially harmful and beneficial bacteria – just like cooking raw meat). So I’ve basically chosen to just stay out of it and drink the milk that is available to us here in town, which is obviously a personal choice that has been influenced by the state in which we live.
Plus I tried raw milk once and it didn’t exactly taste like the “milk” I am used to drinking (and enjoy), but I am certainly very happy for everyone who drinks raw milk and loves it. To each his own!
Pasteurized, Non-Homogenized, Whole Milk (from Grass-Fed Cows)
This is the type of milk that we’ve determined to be the least processed milk available here in North Carolina, and what we started drinking sometime last year. My whole 33 years prior to that I mainly drank skim milk so let me tell you what I was SCARED to gradually go from skim to whole (we briefly drank 2% in-between). I did it though and honestly have never looked back. The milk we drink now is soooo good and fresh…it tastes how I think milk should taste! And to offset the switch to full-fat dairy we also reduced our consumption a bit, which helped from a budgeting standpoint as well.
The brand we buy is called Homestead Creamery (I get it from Earth Fare – pictured above) and it’s from cows that are mostly – but not 100% – grass-fed. Cows were designed by evolution to eat grass (not corn) so they are healthier when they do, which in turn gives more nutritious animal products to us as a result. The milk we buy is also pasteurized at a slightly lower temperature than standard grocery store milk so for me I feel like this gets us a little bit closer to that whole “raw milk” option without going all the way. And while Homestead Creamery is not USDA Certified Organic they do follow all organic practices. Getting officially certified is expensive and timely so it’s always good to ask this question when purchasing from smaller farms.
Organic Milk
If you can’t find local, grass-fed, non-homogenized milk in your area then I think a “big brand” (i.e. Horizon or Stoneyfield) of organic, whole milk is the next best bet. One downfall of highly commercialized organic milk though is that it’s actually ultra-pasteurized at a high temperature, which leaves even less beneficial bacteria. This is why the expiration dates are sometimes further out than their conventional counterparts. I am not sure if they did this to give organic a longer shelf life (before it started becoming more popular), but regardless that’s the way it’s done and it usually says it right there on the package so it’s not a secret.
As I once heard Dr. Oz say though you can’t “peel” or “wash” off dairy like you can when it comes to conventional produce so I agree with his advice to go organic when it comes to dairy products (including milk).
Low-Fat Milk
As part of our switch to real food we did away with all low-fat and non-fat products, including milk. You can read more about that switch in our “Mini-Pledge Week 6: No Low-Fat, Lite or Nonfat Food Products” post. In short, according to Michael Pollan in his book In Defense of Food:
“To make dairy products low fat, it’s not enough to remove the fat. You then have to go to great lengths to preserve the body or creamy texture by working in all kinds of food additives. In the case of low-fat or skim milk, that usually means adding powdered milk. But powdered milk contains oxidized cholesterol, which scientists believe is much worse for your arteries than ordinary cholesterol, so food makers sometimes compensate by adding antioxidants, further complicating what had been a simple one-ingredient whole food. Also, removing the fat makes it that much harder for your body to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins that are one of the reasons to drink milk in the first place.” – Michael Pollan
After recently learning that the orange juice industry doesn’t even include their mysterious “flavor packs” (to keep the juice tasting the same year-round) on their list of ingredients I wouldn’t count on seeing “powdered milk” listed as in ingredient on your skim milk jug anytime soon either. Long story short – I don’t think anyone can argue that low-fat and skim milk isn’t “more processed” than whole milk, which is of course one of our family’s top concerns when it comes to making food choices.
Milk Alternatives
Some people just can’t tolerate dairy and thankfully for them there are all sorts of milk alternatives out there these days. I do want to say though that I don’t personally believe there’s any reason to avoid dairy unless you have an allergy or intolerance. If you are one of those that needs to skip the lactose be sure to look for milk alternatives that are unsweetened, but no matter what always read the ingredients. My top choices would be either unsweetened full-fat coconut milk or almond milk…or even brown rice milk. Soy is already an additive in so many packaged foods so I would favor some of the other choices out there instead.
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Question: What kind of milk do you drink (and why)?
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Local Dairy Resources
To search for local farms in your area that might offer grass-fed dairy products like milk check out the following resources:
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Hi Lisa, since you live in North Carolina and shop at Earth Fare, I recommend you try their Hickory Hill milk which comes from a farm in South Carolina. The new Whole Foods in Charlotte also sells this brand as well. It is a low pasteurized, cream on top product and you never have to pay a deposit as you do for Homestead milk. Plus, they also sell their milk in half gallon and gallon jugs. If you enjoy chocolate milk, theirs is very good in my opinion.
As for Organic Valley and Horizon milk, that is some of the worst tasting milk in the “organic” genre.
Do you absolutely NEED to drink milk? I’ve heard that once you’ve been weaned off milk as a baby you shouldn’t drink it cause we weren’t exactly meant to keep drinking it, and that drinking so much milk is making us sick and blah blah blah. Regardless if that’s true or not, is it beneficial to still drink milk after your childhood years? Or can you just skip it altogether?
Hi Emma. It is our opinion that unless you have an allergy or intolerance, there is no reason to avoid milk. Here is a little more information on where we stand: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/08/12/milk-%E2%80%93-good-or-bad/
First of all let me thank you for your research and information about the different foods. I am enjoying and putting into practice much of this and trying to eat and feed my family “real food”. I do want to point out that something you said doesn’t seem to make a lot of since. “Evolution” doesn’t rest on “design”. The whole theory is based on chance and the survival of the fittest. SO, “design” is a word I would use to talk about a purposeful act by a Designer. Following evolutionary ideas will lead cows to “survive” on corn and us to “survive” on junk food or else . . . die.
Once again, when you talk about good foods and all, I think you have very helpful information. Thank you for your page.
[...] Source: Milk 101: Whole, Raw, Fat, Organic, etc. [...]
What about dry milk?
Hi Christina. Powdered milk contains oxidized cholesterol which there is some dubious science around. I would avoid it. ~ Amy
Haven’t read through all previous comments, this question may have already been addressed; in Canada it is illegal for dairy farmers to sell milk to any individuals, making it completely impossible to access raw milk. I read your post on buying no “light” or “low fat” products and completely understand that. But if 3.25% milk is being processed just as the 0,1,& 2% are, is it really any better to get the homogenized 3.25%, given they’ve all been processed, I would just purchase 3.25% simply because of a higher fat content?
Hi Janine. It is all a lot to think about, isn’t it? I hope that this Michael Pollan quote helps clarify: “To make dairy products low fat, it’s not enough to remove the fat. You then have to go to great lengths to preserve the body or creamy texture by working in all kinds of food additives. In the case of low-fat or skim milk, that usually means adding powdered milk. But powdered milk contains oxidized cholesterol, which scientists believe is much worse for your arteries than ordinary cholesterol, so food makers sometimes compensate by adding antioxidants, further complicating what had been a simple one-ingredient whole food. Also, removing the fat makes it that much harder for your body to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins that are one of the reasons to drink milk in the first place.” Good luck on your decision. ~Amy
First, thank you for the great info you provide on here. You’ve really helped open my eyes to a lot of things. But, I did have to comment on your mention of Horizon as a good organic alternative. According to the Cornucopia Institute: “they buy one-year-old conventional animals on the open market. These replacements likely have received conventional milk replacer (made with blood—considered to be a “mad cow” risk), antibiotics, other prohibited pharmaceuticals, and genetically engineered feed. Many practices on a farm of this nature put ethical family-scale organic farmers at a competitive disadvantage.” There is much more info on this here:
http://www.cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/FarmID_134.html
Cornucopia also provides an Organic Milk “Scorecard” rating the best brands. You can find that here: http://www.cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/Ratings_Alphabetical.html
I don’t work for Cornucopia or anything – just came across them when I was doing some research and thought it was good info to share!
Hi. The half gallons of organic milk are ultra-pasteurized but the full gallons are just pasteurized. At least that’s how it is with most of the brands I’ve seen.
Raw milk is not illegal in NC. However, it must be labeled, as in many other states, that it is for “pet consumption”. It is perfectly legal to buy raw milk and drink it. If you are going to consume dairy at all, it should be raw if possible. Also in your post you mentioned you tasted raw milk once and didn’t like it, but just before that you said you didn’t even know what raw milk was….hmmmmm
Hi Betsy. Thank you for your input. I definitely have to do more research on this whole topic. It is fascinating. Just to clarify: Lisa said that she didn’t know what raw milk was *before* she started her Real Food journey. Hope that helps. ~Amy
I’ve been buying Earthfare organic milk. Is that a good thing to do? We go through 3 gallons so I have to buy the cheapest milk I can get.
Hi Wendy. Earthfare organic milk is a good option. ~Amy
What about milk with no hormones?
Hi Naomi. Yes, choose milk without hormones. ~Amy
How do you feel about powdered milk? I have recipes that call for powdered milk and I was wondering if it was a healthy ingredient? Thanks.
Hi Stina. This is an excerpt from the above article in which Michael Pollan addresses powdered milk: “To make dairy products low fat, it’s not enough to remove the fat. You then have to go to great lengths to preserve the body or creamy texture by working in all kinds of food additives. In the case of low-fat or skim milk, that usually means adding powdered milk. But powdered milk contains oxidized cholesterol, which scientists believe is much worse for your arteries than ordinary cholesterol, so food makers sometimes compensate by adding antioxidants, further complicating what had been a simple one-ingredient whole food. Also, removing the fat makes it that much harder for your body to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins that are one of the reasons to drink milk in the first place.” Hope that answers your question. ~Amy
[...] my research just to make sure I wasn’t confusing the word “pastured” with “pasteurized” (two similar sounding terms with very different meanings!), and I was momentarily at a [...]
Hi – just discovered your web site and can’t wait to read through posts! I also live in NC so love that I recognize the names of stores and brands (sad that I live farther from Earth Fare now…boo hoo). Question about the whole milk…I have a 2 & 4 year old who LOVE drinking milk. In large quantities…so finding your article is timely…I’ve recently been trying to encourage water consumption and almond milk (though if you buy commercial, it’s super processed) to reduce the amount of milk consumption. I would love to buy Homestead whole milk, but would really need to watch the consumption for cost and fat/cholesterol reasons…is it possible to thin down the milk with water at all? I realize that it will taste like watery milk (that my husband and I would probably hate), but perhaps the kids would still like? Just curious if you had wean them off drinking so much milk, and if so, what you substituted. Thanks!
Hi NC Mom. I think one of the big lessons learned is that it is okay to cut consumption of those big ticket items that we don’t need so much of anyway. Your family can consume high quality more nutritious dairy just less of it. Diluting the milk, if it works for you, should be fine, too. Also, this recipe for almond milk is easy and tasty: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/08/31/food-allergies-dairy/almond-milk/. Hope that helps. ~Amy
Thanks largely to you and the resources you share on your site, I’ve begun to eliminate processed food from my diet. I’ve been visiting your site several times a day as I acquaint myself with the rules. When I went grocery shopping today I spent a lot of time in the organic section of my Loblaws grocery store (in Ontario, Canada). I had to do a double take when I saw the price of the 4L bag of organic 3.8% whole milk, but I’m determined to give this new way of life a solid go. I bought the milk as well as some organic cheese and plain yogurt of the same brand (Organic Meadow). I didn’t read the ingredients on the plain yogurt until I got home and was disappointed to see organic skim milk powder in the ingredients. Isn’t powdered milk of any kind bad? Here’s the website:
http://organicmeadow.com/our_products/organic_yogurt/organic_3_8_plain_yogurt
I guess I’m going to have to be more diligent next shopping trip. I suppose it’s still better than the yogurt I used to get in the sense that it’s less processed overall.
Thanks for making the path to real foods easier to navigate! Keep up the great work. It’s most appreciated.
Love the site but the problem I have with this particular article is that we(humans) don’t need milk at all. Raw, organic, etc..milk is for cows. Unless it is breast milk from your mother why should we fall for the lie that humans need milk from an animal. It doesn’t make sense
The almond milk at my store contains carrageenan. I usually get Lactaid milk, which has the following ingredients: Fat free milk, lactase enzyme*, vitamin A palmitate and vitamin D3. How bad is this, especially compared with the other non-dairy choices? Thanks.
Hello Jen. I have not done a great deal of research on Lactaid but it is fair to say that it is highly processed as milk products go. We have a simple recipe for almond milk that might be of interest: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/08/31/food-allergies-dairy/. Also, the 365 brand at Whole Foods has almond milk without carrageenan. Hope that helps. ~Amy
Love love love your site – problem is I LOVE milk – but it does NOT like me – Any suggestions for Lactose Intolerance? I am so sorry if this has been addressed before but trolling through 300 emails – so many of which are about how we don’t need milk – I happen to love it – but I just can’t do it anymore – Help please!!!!!
Hi Nonnie. I feel your pain. I am not certain what you are asking, though. Are you looking for milk alternatives? I have found almond and coconut milk to be great replacements. If I’m off track with my response let me know. ~Amy
[...] http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/06/07/milk-101-whole-raw-organic-low-fat-etc/ [...]
I just thought I would comment here to share some info I recently learned. I was giving (ultra pasteurized) organic whole milk to my kids, but then Oberweis Dairy came and gave me their pitch and it sounded good. I knew it was not organic because they remove sick cows and allow them antibiotics and then wait for them to be free of antibiotics before allowing them to be put back into the milking rotation. However, when I asked if they fed their cows GMO feed, the sales person said no. I decided to call their headquarters to ask, and when I talked to the girl who answered the phone, she also told me no. I asked if she was positive and she said yes. Then she said, well, let me look it up in the manual. Turns out…they do allow GMO feed. I followed up AGAIN via email to their headquarters and got the confirmation that they DO ALLOW GMO feed. Since the info was so difficult to get, I thought I would share it here. Hopefully it helps someone out.
Now I am giving my kids grass fed, non homogenized, low temp pasteurized whole milk.
Just to clarify for those who don’t know- Oberweis is a home delivery dairy service. I think a similar one for the west has Winder dairy…
[...] ½ cup milk [...]
[...] ½ cup milk [...]
[...] A few months ago we switched from organic 2% to organic whole milk. You can read more about whole milk, as well as all the others, here. [...]