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I returned to Nambour yesterday to the home of Brent and Janelle, pictured, for the second-last class of my Australian tour.
Everone seemed to enjoy the class, the camaraderie and the lunch.
The panir cheese, which we made from a local raw unpasteurized, unhomogenised milk was incredible. I transformed the milk into cheese by heating it and adding yogurt, pressed it briefly, then sliced it and pan fried it to a golden crackling succulence.
I told a few facts about the detrimental effects of homogenization and pasteurization, and thought to myself how nice it would be if I could get a bit more information on the subject.
To my surprise, when I got home there was a letter waiting for me from a friend, containing articles relating to raw milk versus pasteurized milk, taken from the US Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health June 2005, Vol. 59, Number 6: 502-505, reported in the US publication, Science Daily May 24, 2005.
The articles were lengthy but interesting. Most appropriate were comments by US natural therapist Dr Mercola, which are quoted here.
Dr. Mercola's Comment:
"Milk is a wonderful, natural food, and it contains one of the finest sources of calcium for humans.
Raw milk is an outstanding source of nutrients including beneficial bacteria such as lactobacillus acidolphilus, vitamins and enzmes.
Pasteurization is a destructive process that changes the physical
structure of the fragile proteins in milk (especially casein) and converts them
into proteins your body was never designed to handle -- and that can actually
harm you. Additionally, the pasteurization process virtually eliminates the
good bacteria normally present in the milk and radically reduces the
micronutrient and vitamin content of this healthy food.
The pasteurization process, which entails heating the milk to a
temperature of 145 degrees to 150 degrees F and keeping it there for at least
half an hour and then reducing the temperature to not more than 55 degrees F,
completely changes the structure of the milk proteins (denaturization) into
something far less than healthy. While the process certainly destroys germs and
bad bacteria, it also destroys the milk's beneficial bacteria along with many
of its nutritious components.
Pasteurizing milk destroys enzymes, diminishes vitamin, denatures fragile
milk proteins, destroys vitamin B12, and vitamin B6, kills beneficial bacteria
and promotes pathogens. You may notice that raw milk left out will sour
naturally but pasteurized milk will rot. This is because the beneficial
bacteria in the raw milk helps to keep putrefactive bacteria under control.
Pasteurized milk, however, does not have any of the beneficial bacteria left to
keep it from rotting.
It is equally important to consider that reduced-fat, low-fat, or
fat-free versions of milk are virtually void of metabolically beneficial
vitamin D and calcium. These milks are also typically homogenized, a process
that keeps the milk from naturally separating. The homogenization process
creates a substance known as xanthine oxidase, which is thought to play a role
in oxidative stress by acting as a free radical in the body.
If you want to drink milk, I'm all for it, but I recommend finding an
authentic raw-milk source, whose cows are pasture-fed. I have seen so many of
my patients recover their health with raw milk that I actually believe it to be
one of the most profoundly healthy foods you can consume (if you can tolerate
it based on your body's unique metabolic type).
Finally, if you have a difficult time digesting milk, especially if you
are lactose intolerant, I would recommend obtaining some raw milk and making
kefir out of it. Kefir is a cultured milk beverage that tastes a lot like
yogurt. It is made by adding kefir starter, a powdered probiotic mixture, to
fresh milk and allowing it to ferment for a day or so. This process not only
eliminates most of the lactose present in the milk, it also predigests the milk
protein casein, another common culprit in milk sensitivities, making it easier
for you to digest and absorb."
If anyone would like some more information, let me know and I will send it.
Kurma
Posted by Kurma on 12/6/05; 3:41:18 AM
from the Travel dept.
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Sunday, June 12, 2005
