Whole Foods: Milk

I grew up on 2% milk. I think there was a brief moment in time, during my college years, where if I did buy milk, it was skim milk - because I thought that was best for the waistline. Truth be told though, skim milk always seemed gross to me; it looks like water with a milky tint - ewww.

Over the past few years, I just started buying whole milk. I started this because a.) a lot of recipes I cooked with called for it and b.) my husband consumes enough milk to warrant us having our own milk cow and he likes whole milk to best. When I was prego, whole milk was also the only thing that gave me a brief moment of relief from the heartburn too. I am not a huge 'pour a glass of milk and drink it' kinda gal, but when I had that prego heartburn, I would literally stop at gas stations just to buy a little jug of milk and then chug it like it was going out of style!

So anyways, as I started to embark on the Whole/Real food journey, I was particularly struck by what I read about dairy in Nina Planck's book, real food. I always knew skim milk just wasn't right. This was a real eye opener for me. Milk is one of the most misleading products in the food market that gives people the perception they are ingesting something healthy. Unfortunately, just because you are drinking 'milk', doesn't mean it is healthy.

Our milk was usually Smith's brand, which is fairly local and sold at the local corner store down the street from us. But, once I discovered Hartzler's I made the switch. What I like about Hartzler's that is different from Smith's is their milk is non-homogenized and goes through Low-Temp Vat Pasteurization. And, there is cream on the top :) (Awesome side note: This totally grossed out my husband the first time he poured a glass and something plopped into his cup!) Since raw milk cannot be sold 'legally' in my state (which would be the #1 choice), Hartzler's Whole Milk is the second best option for us. Truth be told, I have never tired raw milk, but I'd be willing to if I had the chance.

Hartzler's is not 'organic' milk, and that is ok. Actually, it is better than organic milk. Whaaa? Yes, that is correct, it is better! People get too hung up on the term 'organic', and unfortunately, in today's age, you have to read beyond the marketing. Hartzler's milk comes from their cows that are pasture grazed as long as possible during the seasons. Once winter hits and pastures are not ample, they are moved over to a hay/silage diet. Silage isn't always the preferred diet but Hartzler's does note that they are completely Non-GMO! They do not inject any of their cows with growth hormones and there are no chemical pesticides or herbicides used on their farms. I recommend you check out their website; even if you don't live close enough to purchase Hartzler's for yourself, they have lots of educational information available.

So can you see that, while not 'certified organic', I'd take this any day versus an organic milk, that more than likely comes from a cow not living as happy a life* as a Hartzler cow? Organic milk is usually not from a grass-fed cow and is ultra pasteurized to maximize shelf life - which in turns, allows for it to travel across country. *Note, I didn't say all cows producing for organic companies have shitty lives, but I didn't say they all live in happy green fields with unlimited acess to lush green grass, either!
Things you want to look for when choosing your milk is a brand that doesn't allow growth hormones (rBGH / rBST) -- this link speaks for brands without rBGH -- allows their cows to be pasture grazed, doesn't feed GMO's and is closest to it's natural state [raw milk] as possible. As I already mentioned above, whole milk is the closest to natural state in terms of choosing between Whole/2%/1%/Skim. Hartzler's, offering non-homogenized, low-temp pasteurization makes their milk even one step closer to the milks natural state! Do your research to find out of you have a milk supplied in your area that offers this! This website may help.

Bonuses for me, with Hartzler's, is that they are a local farm so I am supporting local business/farmers. They supply their milk in glass bottles, and, among many other reasons, this is earth friendly and allows us to recycle. Sometimes I hold onto the bottles for other uses, sometimes I return them to their Ice Cream Shoppe for a credit, which I in turn use to purchase more :)

This is truly just the tip of the iceberg on Milk - sadly. But for those interested, I hope it has provoked enough interest for you to take it one step further when making the decision on which milk to buy. And if you are brave enough, check out where the milk in your fridge right now is from! (Way back before my Real Food Journey, I tried this with a gallon in our fridge and it was from Washington State. Really? We have so many dairy farms right here near us! Why would I want milk from all the way across the country!?)

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This post is linked up at Pennywise Platter, Monday Mania & Freaky Friday

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All opinions on this blog post are 100% mine. I was not compensated by any companies mentioned, for review of their product.