Organic Milk

Yes, it's more expensive; but pause and think. When we switched to Valley Pride Avalon Dairy organic milk recently, the girl at the Thrifty Foods check-out counter said "I was allergic to milk all my life until I started using organic milk."

So what's happening here? There's clearly something in regular milk that harms her. I now think of the cheap regular milk as "junk milk".

To back this up, the Soil Association, Britain's premier organic organization, found that organically reared cows, eating high levels of fresh grass, clover pasture, and grass clover silage produced milk which is 50% higher in vitamin E, 75% higher in beta carotene (a powerful antioxidant which boosts the immune system), and 200% to 300% higher in the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthine than non-organic milk. They also found higher levels of omega 3 essential fatty acids.

It makes sense. Cows that feed on grass from chemically treated, depleted soil are treated like drug addicts and deprived of healthy food.

PS. All dairy products require the male calves to be taken away; they are usually caged to turn their meat into veal. If you want to try a fully vegan diet with no dairy products, contact the Vancouver Island Vegetarian Association at http://www.IslandVeg.com and see also http://www.govegan.net.

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From the May 2005 EcoNews newsletter:
EcoNews, 395 Conway Rd, Victoria, B.C. V9E 2B9
Tel/Fax (250) 881-1304
guydauncey at earthfuture.com
http://www.earthfuture.com/econews