What Are The Ingredients In Milk?

By drinking a glass of milk or eating a piece of cheese or some yogurt, you get your dose of B vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin D, but unfortunately you also get antibiotics, anti-inflammatory compounds and hormones.

Milk is not as white as it seems. According to the Daily Mail, a group of Spanish and Moroccan scientists has recently concluded that the average glass of milk contains more than twenty substances, including painkillers, antibiotics and growth hormones. Even breast milk is affected. From samples of cow, goat and human milk, scientists have found a host of chemicals intended to treat diseases in animals and people.

This experiment shows that the presence of chemicals has become routine in the food chain. The largest quantity of drugs was found in cow's milk. According to the researchers, the origin of such a concentrated chemical is found in any growth hormones fed to cattle in the diet or due to contamination of the farm.

The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that cow's milk showed signs of anti-inflammatory drugs such as niflumic acid, ketoprofen and mefenamic, subdivision anti-inflammatory drugs, commonly used on animals or humans for its analgesic (pain-killing) and antipyretic (anti fever)properties. In addition, a form of estrogen (17-beta estradiol) was also detected. Tests have also found milk contained traces of ibuprofen and naproxen.

If you're concerned about chemicals in milk, you should know that there are some alternatives available. The first one that may come to your mind is organic milk. While this type of milk comes from cows that have not been treated with antibiotics or synthetic growth hormones, it is still processed at high temperatures to increase its life. In a regular pasteurization process, milk is heated from 145 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, but this does not guarantee the complete elimination of all bacteria.

Organic milk needs to stay fresh for long periods of time because in many cases it is not produced locally. Milk is packed and must travel long distances to stores in different cities across the country and sometimes even across borders.

A recent study showed that organic milk is rich in essential fatty acids omega-3, vitamin E and antioxidants to help fight against infections. Omega-3 is believed to protect against coronary heart disease. The study also indicated that organic milk is very rich in beta carotene and vitamin A. A major advantage of organic milk when compared to regular milk is that the grass that feeds the cows is not sprayed with fertilizers and pesticides. Therefore, people who consume organic milk are not at risk of being exposed to these harmful chemicals.

However, the pasteurization process may seriously compromise the quality of the milk, even if it is organic. For this reason, an even better alternative to regular milk is grass-fed RAW milk, which can be purchased from conscious farmers. In most of the cases it is better than organic milk, as it has basically the same properties, minus the pasteurization process, which is known to destroy part of the vitamin C in milk and for making the calcium in milk insoluble.

Raw milk has a range of good bacteria that offer protection from some diseases and are essential for a healthy digestive system. So, if you want to get the most out of the milk you drink, you should find a raw milk farm that you trust and make a habit from buying your milk there.

Posted in: Ingredients