Healthy Cows, Happy Me

The Martial Art of Wellness
Volume 7 – August 2008

(Archive of Previous BioNews)

DEAR FRIENDS

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“ He who does not know food, how can he understand the diseases of man? ”

THIS ISSUE’S TESTIMONIALS:

…my doctor could not believe the readings!

“My pressure for the Glaucoma continues to be good. As well, my bone density had improved so much over the space of a year that my doctor could not believe the readings! I am still taking nine capsules daily and trying to space them at one and a half hour intervals. ”

Gail, USA, August 2008

SPECIAL ARTICLE ( Healthy Cows, Wholesome Milk, Happy Me… MOOoo )
A special contribution from Rodika Kiriac, ND

So much fuss today around milk… to drink or not to drink? Some say it’s bad for you, that cow’s milk was not designed for human consumption; others say that you should drink at least two glasses a day if you want strong and healthy bones.

Our ancestors did not argue about milk. To argue about the benefits of wholesome milk is like arguing about the benefits of an egg, or bread. Is it possible that milk in itself is not bad, but that the quality of milk has changed in the 20th century? Is it possible that we humans, driven by our desire to make everything bigger and “better”, have over-abused the cows and the milk to the point that it has become detrimental to our health? Imagine for a moment, when your grandparents wholesome and unprocessed milk was in your mug and let’s look at milk from a logical point of view.

Let’s agree that we should consume only foods that are beneficial and life-giving to our bodies. Milk can be one of these foods. Subconsciously we all know this, since most likely its the first taste we ever encountered and our most favorite food for the first few years of our life. So why can something as nurturing as milk be that bad for us?

Let’s start with the basics. What is milk? The dictionary defines milk is “an opaque white fluid rich in fat and protein, secreted by female mammals for the nourishment of their young”. It is meant to be rich in fat, rich in protein, nourishing, and it is meant for the young. Every species of mammals produces milk specific for its own kind, which is why its very important for human babies to drink human milk. Cow’s milk is meant to nurture the calf to grow into a big cow in a relatively short period of time, so its naturally richer in protein and calcium. Human milk is designed to promote brain growth and nervous system development as well as every other aspect of growing, so its naturally richer in complex sugars, essential fatty acids, gamma linolenic acid, adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals, highly digestible proteins and many more.

Milk is intended for the young; however, humans are the only mammals that continue to drink milk in the adult life. Some might find it strange and contradictory to our mammal nature. But milk can be a source of many nutrients, especially when whole and raw; rich vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and in enzymes that will contribute to its digestion. Milk is best suited for the little ones that are still growing; however, it does not mean that we, human adults, shouldn’t indulge in animal products such as cow’s or goat’s milk from time to time. We spread honey on our toast, we poach eggs, we indulge in cheese. Honey and eggs weren’t necessarily intended for our consumption, but many of us choose to eat some anyways, and we love it! These human habits evolved with our goal to survive – and that is a pure “mammal” instinct in itself!

Milk given by a healthy and vibrant cow can be quite beneficial to us. Everything that is beneficial to our bodies has got to come from a healthy environment: the tomato has to come from a rich and healthy soil, the egg has to come from a vibrant and healthy chicken, the milk has to come from a well nourished and healthy cow. Any breast feeding mother knows that her milk will only be as healthy as the food she eats.

The problem with milk nowadays is that it comes from cows that are unnaturally pushed to give more milk, not better milk, just more! And this milk is not wholesome — its filled with hormones, antibiotics, growth hormones and “beware”, lots of puss.

After the milk is collected, it goes through the pasteurization process, which is a heat treatment that is intended to kill most of the pathogens. This process, of course, does not make the milk any cleaner; it just makes it rich in dead micro-organisms (harmful and beneficial). Pasteurization denatures milk by killing beneficial enzymes and bacteria, which would otherwise aid in the digestion of milk. Have you ever wondered why people who are lactose intolerant have no trouble digesting raw milk?

Homogenization is another “marketing” attempt to improve “sales” of milk, by evening out its consistency, so that it becomes creamier and smoother. This prevents the cream portion from rising to the top. It is a mechanical process in which milk is passed with high pressure and at high speed through pipes and fine filters separating the fat portion of the milk into very small globules that will remain in suspension. In research done over a period of 20 years by Dr. Kurt Oster, this homogenization process was proven to allow these fat particles to pass through the intestinal wall into our blood circulation. So, instead of being digested safely in your digestive tract, these little fat particles enter the bloodstream, causing lesions to the artery wall and even damage the heart muscle itself.

BAC to the rescue of milk – Is there hope for the milk industry?

My father, doctor and researcher Michael Kiriac has been trying since his early 20’s to bring this hope to the whole livestock industry. He investigated algae in his quest to find super nutrition that is impossible to achieve with the regular food supply. Thousands of person years of research resulted in blends of micro-algae that hold extraordinary nutritional powers. The resulting blends of micro-algae were coined Bio-Algae-Concentrates (BAC). These blends improved health of the livestock and increased productivity in production studies and large empirical field trials. Dr. Kiriac was able to reproduce these results at a local dairy farm in his current hometown of Laval, in Quebec, Canada. In this ongoing 36-month study with Bio-Algae-Concentrates, the following results have been shown:

• • General health improvement of the herd
  • Better emptying of the udder from milking
  • Cows are much calmer during milking
  • Less feed needed
  • Increase of 12% in milk production: 2000 kg increase of milk per cow per year
  • Increase of the Breed Class Average (BCA) for milk
  • 9.3% increase in butterfat
  • 8.6% increase in protein count
  • Decrease in the somatic cell count (puss)

In summary, when Bio-Algae-Concentrates were incorporated in the diet:

BAC =

feed =

health of heard =

milk =

protein =

fat

By incorporating BAC into the feed of the heard, farmers notice health improvements such as: increased immunity of the heard, decline in the inflammation of the udder, increased energy of calves, calmer cows. Healthy cows give healthy milk! The milk given by cows fed on BAC was richer in proteins, fat, and calcium. All this was achieved by using less feed. These findings are quite astonishing to any farmer.

So, to drink or not to drink? For those who say cheers to drinking it, I would recommend to be picky and choose raw whole milk. Its milk the way it was intended to be drunk – no heating, no over-heating, no skimming, no filtering, no tampering! Raw milk farmers normally tend to be organic and only grass-feed their cows. The cows are healthier and their milk is naturally rich in beneficial bacteria, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, proteins, and healthy fats. It has been proven that raw milk contains antibodies and pathogen-killing enzymes that make raw milk less susceptible to bacterial contamination.

If you are convinced that raw milk is for you, you can consult realmilk.com for a farmer near you. I wish I had the privilege to have good quality raw milk available to me, but I don’t, like a lot of you, I suspect. Choose wisely, organic whole milk is always better, and its not that much more expensive. And if you want to be even wiser, drink fermented organic milk in the form of kefir.

Kefir – the wisest dairy choice

Kefir is a prized dairy drink which consumption has long been associated with longevity. It is obtained through fermentation of the mammal milk, a natural process or preserving and improving the quality of food. In vulgar terms, fermentation is a pre-digestion process, which breaks down the carbohydrates, fats and proteins in a food. Kefir has similarities with yogurt, only provides a much richer spectrum of beneficial yeast and bacteria. These micro-organisms contribute to a healthy intestinal flora and highly improved digestion. Kefir is a most favorable dairy beverage for those suffering from digestive disorders such as Crohn’s disease and lactose intolerance. Drink a glass in the morning with a slice of toasted bread, or on top of your favorite cooked grains. Its a breakfast your tummy will thank you for, and your whole body will benefit from!

Non-dairy options

If you choose to say, “no thank you” to dairy, no worries, there are plenty of options out there. Calcium is a mineral that whole foods abound in. The following food suggestions are generous in their calcium content:

• fish eaten with the bones: salmon, sardines or mackerel
• nuts such as almonds, brazil nuts, hazelnuts
• ground sesame seeds or tahini (sesame butter)
• fruits such as figs or apricots
• any green vegetable: broccoli, parsley, kale, spinach, peppers
• spirulina in BAC; its calcium content is much easier to assimilate

Some people choose to stay away from dairy, others choose to enjoy it. Having a choice is what makes life interesting and exciting. If you are going to choose the latter, you might as well ensure that you drink the best. I know from personal and family experience – the closer milk is to its natural state, the easier it is to digest, and the better it is for you.