When I read In Defense of Food I learned that cows evolved to eat grass, which is the healthiest diet for them. If they are overfed grains (including corn) they can become sick, which is why grain-fed cattle are sometimes given antibiotics. Michael Pollan says “you are what you eat eats, too” meaning if your meat or milk comes from cows that are not as healthy as they could be, what they produce is not the best choice for you to consume either.
Today, I’m excited to partner with our longtime sponsor Organic Valley (that’s one of their co-op farms pictured below!) to further explain why grass-fed matters and how their Grassmilk is different than other options at the store.
Why Does 100% Grass-fed Matter?
Let’s compare an unhealthy cow (that’s being overfed GMO corn and other grains and on antibiotics as a result) to an unhealthy person (making poor choices as well). Imagine if that unhealthy person decided to start making a few decent food choices some of the time, but still ate fast food, smoked cigarettes and didn’t exercise. Would a few decent choices suddenly make them a healthy person? I think we can all agree on the answer there!
This is why choosing 100% grass-fed, can be a great choice. Organic Valley has 100% grass-fed cows that eat fresh organic pasture grasses (such as alfalfa and clover) and legumes in summer and dried grasses and legumes in the winter. Both Kiran (on our team) and I have visited their farms on separate occasions and can confirm they are true to their word here!
What We Like about Organic Valley Grassmilk
As I mentioned, Organic Valley Grassmilk comes from 100% grass-fed cows, but it’s also obviously ORGANIC! :) That means the cows were not given antibiotics or hormones, and they are eating grass that has not been grown from genetically modified seeds (GMOs) or treated with chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides. This is premium milk produced by their cooperative of family farms.
Kiran visited one of their farms earlier this summer, and my family and I went to one in NC a few years ago as well … it truly is amazing to see it all in person. You come away feeling like Organic Valley is definitely a brand you can trust and something we feel good about giving our families!
I also like that they have a non-homogenized (cream on top), 100% grass-fed whole milk option … this is basically about as unprocessed as you get (after raw milk, which is actually not legal for human consumption here in NC).
More about Organic Valley
Organic Valley started in 1988 when a group of like-minded people came together with one goal: to make food that was good for people, and good for the environment. They formed a cooperative, which means that the company is essentially made up of farmers (about 2,000 of them) who all farm organically. Their standards are very high—there’s a ton of research that is done before signing anyone on, and they get impromptu check-ins throughout the year to ensure that they are adhering to the same standards the co-op was based on.
I’ve always said that we vote with our dollars, and this is no exception. When we purchase from Organic Valley, we can know where our food is coming from—organic farms where animals are allowed to roam in their natural habitat and enjoy the foods that they choose (grass, naturally). When we buy these products, we also support those farmers who make up the Organic Valley co-op. Again, something you can feel good about!
Have you tried Grassmilk yet? What did you think?
Our Back to School (Lunch) Routine
I really like Organic Valley’s grassmilk cream on top yogurt! I actually can’t go back to “other” organic whole milk yogurt after eating the OV cream on top one! It’s so creamy and delicious.