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Can we be sure that the stores sell really healthy and safe dairy products? People retell each other “horror stories” about how animals are grown and fed on farms, they have heard a lot about antibiotics and hormonal supplements. On the other hand, there is no certainty in the milk that the grandmother sells at the market either. Who knows what the cow is sick with and under what conditions it is milked?
Milk is a real storehouse of amino acids, vitamins and minerals, the most important source of calcium. Whey proteins are the key to health and longevity, as they do not allow fat to accumulate around the internal organs. Israeli scientists have found that those who regularly drink milk lose weight faster. Volunteers who drank one and a half glasses of milk every day effortlessly lost an average of 6 kilograms in two years. The reason is in vitamin D, which supports normal metabolism and immunity. There is a lot of it in milk, and besides, it is perfectly absorbed along with milk fats.
And the opinion that milk is contraindicated for adults is a delusion. It is indeed poorly absorbed by people with lactose intolerance and gives them a lot of discomfort, but such among us are a minority. Milk sugar, lactose, is almost completely absorbed in a healthy body.
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“Moo is grazing in the meadow …”
The quality of milk primarily depends on decent living conditions for livestock. Many people imagine an idyllic picture – a cow grazes in flood fields … It turns out that this is not at all the case. Cows in the meadow are rather a sign of the plight of the farm. The taste of milk is highly dependent on feed, and in the field it is difficult to track what exactly a cow eats. She chewed wormwood – that’s all, the milk is worthless, with bitterness, and a rare smell appears from the colza. In addition, the soil, and hence the grass, can be contaminated with nitrates. Milking a cow in the field is unhygienic, besides, the milkmaid in such conditions is not able to track whether the cow is healthy or not.
Today, on many farms for dairy cows, quite decent living conditions are created without grazing. Even if they are kept on a leash, the cows are still taken to the promenade. “On our two Dubna-Plus farms, cowsheds are built in such a way that cows stay in them around the clock without a leash,” says Yuri Neyasov, dairy farm manager of the Cheburashkin Brothers holding. Family farm. – The movement has a good effect on the well-being of animals, they give more milk, rich in vitamins and nutrients. On each farm, we have built two buildings for the dairy herd that meet the requirements of the physiology of the cow – light, with good ventilation, non-slippery floors, equipped with all the necessary modern equipment. There is also a milking parlor, a maternity ward and two calf buildings. Two other farms – “Vasilyevskoye” and “Ilyino” – have the same number of buildings, but the animals are on a leash. In this case, milking takes place in a stall, and “walking” takes place on a special platform on the street. In the future, we plan to transfer all our farms to loose housing.
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Farms that adhere to the principles of natural farming have their own fields sown with grass and crops. More than half of the cow’s menu consists of hay, haylage (finely chopped clover and other herbs) and corn silage. These feeds, rich in vitamins and amino acids, are very important for obtaining high-quality, aromatic and tasty milk. In addition, animals are fed compound feed and minerals such as table salt, chalk and phosphate. In some farms, cows are even treated to a dessert – caramel, so that the feed is better absorbed. If the conditions for feeding and keeping cows are maintained, the milk has a pleasant, warm smell and a delicate, slightly sweet taste. Color – white, with a slightly yellowish tint. Baked milk has a creamy tint, and for a low-fat product, a slightly bluish color is acceptable. In no case should milk have a sour taste, fodder or barn smell – this indicates poor maintenance, poor quality feed and milking, improper storage of the product.
Dangerous Additives
Scientists from York University in Toronto found that 30-40 years ago it was easier for people to stay slim. Residents of the US and Canada in the 70s, who ate and exercised exactly as much as their compatriots today, weighed 10% less. According to scientists, the reason is in the hormones and antibiotics used today in animal husbandry. The first ones are used so that cattle gain weight faster and give more milk, the second ones – so that the animals get sick less, and the feed is better absorbed. Once in the human body, hormones change the metabolism, and antibiotics change the intestinal microflora, and all together leads to weight gain.
In addition to obesity, hormones can cause early puberty, cancer and allergies, and antibiotics can cause drug-resistant strains of bacteria.
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Hormones in the U.S. dairy and meat industry are officially allowed for weight gain and milk production, and until 2014 there was no ban on antibiotics either. Fortunately, in Russia and the European Union, hormones and antibiotics are allowed only in the treatment of sick animals. All meat and milk imported from abroad are examined in our country and, if dangerous additives are found, they are not allowed into stores. With internal control, the situation is more complicated: it is not yet possible to establish an uninterrupted check of each batch sent to retail chains from Russian livestock or dairy farms. Therefore, buyers have to rely on the integrity of the manufacturer.
Antibiotics on farms, in particular, treat udder mastitis, a common disease that often affects dairy cows. Hormones are used in violation of reproductive function. At the same time, the sick cow must be isolated from the herd, continue to be milked, but the milk is destroyed or, after thorough disinfection, allowed to feed the calves.
Conscious producers control the quality of milk at every stage – from feeding and milking to sale. Ideally, milk entering the plant should go through several stages of testing – first in the receiving laboratory, and then in the microbiological and physico-chemical laboratories.
“In the receiving laboratory, each batch of milk is examined for the content of antibiotics and inhibitors, as well as for purity, mass fraction of fat, protein and other important indicators. The microbiological laboratory tests the milk for bacterial contamination, such as E. coli. In addition, it is very useful from time to time to donate milk and finished products to independent laboratories, which we do,” says Vladimir Neyasov.
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What do we see on the shelves in stores?
The modern keeping of cows, the correct selection of fresh, environmentally friendly feed allows us to supply high-quality, safe, tasty and healthy dairy products to stores. But there is still a risk of getting a dose of hormones or antibiotics from unscrupulous manufacturers with a glass of milk. That is why you should carefully study the information about the manufacturers represented in your store, read the opinions of experts and find the results of independent checks (this is readily reported in the newspapers). After collecting all the information, make a choice in favor of those who maintain a compromise between farming and mass production of milk using advanced technologies. The path is not the easiest, but perhaps the only true one. To get more benefit from milk, buy not ultra-pasteurized, which “lives” open for a whole month, but ordinary, pasteurized, which even turns sour in the refrigerator on the third day. Gentle heat treatment preserves a maximum of precious vitamins, amino acids and trace elements in milk. And yet – nutritionists advise drinking milk separately from other food. So it will be better absorbed and not interfere with the digestion of food, the absorption of iron and other beneficial substances.