What is store milk made from?

[DJ in WA]

My favorite snack is raisin bran with some fresh milk. We just had to dry up the cow and bought some store milk. Poured it on the cereal, took a bite and instant disappointment. I didn't remember it being so bland. Does it actually come from a cow, or from a laboratory?

I started thinking, we complain that kids would rather eat junk, or drink pop, rather than eat vegetables and drink milk. Yet so much mass produced stuff lacks flavor. Pretty much have to drown store vegetables in salad dressing to give them flavor.

Anyway, I'm not sure I can make it through the cow's dry period - need to stagger calving times of the cow and the heifer coming up so I always have real milk.

[Ralph in N.E.Oh]

DJ ... you are right. There is nothing like farm fresh food. The vegetables that are grown by big producers are bred for shipment , storage and shelf life. The real flavor was lost long ago.

Milk is processed in such a way to remove most all that is good and good for us ... but don't worry ....... They fortify it for us !!!!!

Our farm provides for us. We have eaten this way for many years .. I don't really like to go out to eat. The only thing good is that momma doesn't have to cook. The food however is usually a disapointment.

[steff bugielski]

This year I was not able to put up as many things as I would have liked. When I go to the store in need of vegetables I just can't bring myself to buy them. I prefer frozen at that point.
People that have never had fresh food really do not know what they are missing.
I am very thankful that I can do what I do, grow what I grow, raise what I raise.

[ginnie5]

when we first started drinking raw milk 15yo dd complained she didn't like the way it tasted.......now she doesn't like the way store bought tastes. My kids were never milk drinkers....had to force them to drink it and a gallon would often go bad before we could finish it. Now that we're doing raw we go thru about 6 gallons a week.

[Ken Scharabok]

Early in one of my sister's second marriage they lived with his parents on a small hog farm in MO. She said at first the eggs tasted 'funny'. I ask if it was because they even had a flavor and she agreed.

Now I have bought 'farm fresh' eggs at a farmers' market and really don't notice much of a difference in taste or appearance to store bought.

On vegetables the only significant difference I have noticed is tomatoes, with the store ones tasting extremely bland. Likely they were picked green and artifically ripened.

[arabian knight]

Originally Posted by ginnie5

when we first started drinking raw milk 15yo dd complained she didn't like the way it tasted.......now she doesn't like the way store bought tastes.

That is just the way it is. Milk tastes different direct from the farm vs direct from the store. It Has to it has been processed differently. So neither one is bad just what you get used to as in this statement.
I drink a ton of store bought milk and sure I can taste the difference~! Saying one is better then any other is just not correct. It is how you grew up drinking the white stuff.

[HermitJohn]

What is store milk made from? I vote for thinned down Elmers Glue with some cow pus thrown in. But thats just my opinion.

[lyceum]

My dad keeps buying cow milk from the store even though we have goat milk coming out our ears. We have had 2 gallons in a row (different stores, different brands, like a week apart) go bad 4-5 days before the sell by date. Now talk about gross.

They ultra-pasteurize the store bought milk to extend shelf life, taking out all the good stuff and then fortify it with vitamins to make it better for us, ya right. Rumensin has been approved for use in dairy cows (even while they are milking and the milk is being sold in stores). They also use other drugs to enhance milk production and to make udders look better.

Carisa

[arabian knight]

I agree that ultra-pasteurized stuff is bad, as well as the ultra-pasteurized eggs, both are not good at all. Same thing with the milk now that does not need to be refrigerated at all that stuff is nasty also. Tried both. But I am waiting form Carbonated Milk~~~ They have been working on that for quite a few years now, that way they could sell it in cans along with soda in cans. I like that "Bite" you get from the Carbonation~!!

[texican]

Store bought milk is a commodity, a commodity one can trust to taste the same, whether you're buying it in Key West, Florida, or Nome, Alaska. Just like a flame broiled whopper will taste the same. Consumers expect it.

When I'm drinking fresh squeezed milk, it's always different. When I drink from other single vintage squeezings (other folks cows), I can taste what the cows were eating. Buttercups, alfalfa, peas, silage, etc...

As far as I know, there's only one vintage of milk in the stores (outside out of the lightweight "can't handle the good stuff varieties" whole, half, 2, no fat...yuck)... basically just Milk.

Wouldn't it be great to have a row in the supermarket, with dozens of varieties of milk? Fresh wildflowers, Jersey Delight, Holstein Fat Milk, Raw, never strained... Single Vintage, individual cows... Betty Lou #2273 (o she gives a milk with a delightful boquet)..........okay, I'll stop now... of course it ain't gonna happen... because my niece in SC wants her milk to taste exactly the same as it tastes in TX.

[ladycat]

Originally Posted by DJ in WA

My favorite snack is raisin bran with some fresh milk. We just had to dry up the cow and bought some store milk. Poured it on the cereal, took a bite and instant disappointment. I didn't remember it being so bland. Does it actually come from a cow, or from a laboratory?

Not a laboratory but.....

http://www.westonaprice.org/modernfo...y-secrets.html

Milk
The minute you start to process your milk, you destroy Mother Nature's perfect food. You can live exclusively on raw milk, especially milk from nature's sacred animal, the cow. We have no sense of the sacredness of our animals today. Instead, we have an industrial system of agriculture that puts our dairy cows inside on cement all their lives and gives them foods that cows are not designed to eat—grain, soy, citrus peel cake and bakery waste. These modern cows produce huge amounts of watery milk which is very low in fat.

Milk from these industrial cows is then shipped to a milk factory. Emily Green wrote an excellent article in the LA Times, August 2000 about milk processing. Milk processing plants are big, big factories where visitors are not allowed. Lots can go wrong in these factories. The largest milk poisoning in American history occurred in 1985 where more than 5,000 people across three states were sickened after a "pasteurization failure" at an Illinois bottling plant.

Inside the plants all you can see is stainless steel. Inside that machinery, milk shipped from the farm is completely remade. First it is separated in centrifuges into fat, protein and various other solids and liquids. Once segregated, these are reconstituted to set levels for whole, low-fat and no-fat milks; in other words, the milk is reconstituted to be completely uniform. Of the reconstituted milks, whole milk will most closely approximate original cow's milk. The butterfat left over will go into butter, cream, cheese, toppings and ice cream. The dairy industry loves to sell low fat milk and skim milk because they can make a lot more money from the butterfat when consumers buy it as ice cream. When they remove the fat to make reduced fat milks, they replace the fat with powdered milk concentrate, which is formed by high temperature spray drying. All reduced-fat milks have dried skim milk added to give them body, although this ingredient is not usually on the labels. The result is a very high-protein, lowfat product. Because the body uses up many nutrients to assimilate protein—especially the nutrients contained in animal fat—such doctored milk can quickly lead to nutrient deficiencies.

The milk is then pasteurized at 161 degrees F by rushing it past superheated stainless steel plates. If the temperature is 200 degrees the milk is called ultrapasteurized. This will have a distinct cooked milk taste but it is sterile and can be sold on the grocery shelf. In other words, they don't even have to keep it cool. The bugs won't touch it. It does not require refrigeration. As it is cooked, the milk is also homogenized by a pressure treatment that breaks down the fat globules so the milk won't separate. Once processed, the milk will last for weeks, not just days.

Milk Allergies
Many people, particularly our children, cannot tolerate the stuff that we are calling milk that is sold in the grocery shelves. And you can see why. It starts with cows in confinement, cows fed feed that cows are not designed to digest, and then it goes into these factories for dismantlement and reconfiguration.

The protein compounds in milk have many important roles, including protection against pathogens, enhancement of the immune system and carrier systems for nutrients. However, like the proteins in grains, the proteins in milk are complex, three-dimensional molecules that are very fragile. The pasteurization process deforms and denatures these proteins. When we drink pasteurized milk, the body mounts an immune response instead of deriving instant nourishment.

Numerous animal studies in the 1930s and 1940s showed the superiority of raw milk over pasteurized in building strong bone, healthy organs and a strong nervous system.

Fortunately what we call real milk, that is full-fat milk from pasture-fed cows, milk that is not pasteurized, processed or homogenized, is becoming more available. Parents are discovering just how healthy and happy their children can be when they drink raw milk instead of pasteurized. (See realmilk.com for sources.)

Powdered Milk
A note on the production of skim milk powder: liquid milk is forced through a tiny hole at high pressure, and then blown out into the air. This causes a lot of nitrates to form and the cholesterol in the milk is oxidized. Those of you who are familiar with my work know that cholesterol is your best friend; you don't have to worry about natural cholesterol in your food; however, you do not want to eat oxidized cholesterol. Oxidized cholesterol contributes to the buildup of plaque in the arteries, to atherosclerosis. So when you drink reduced-fat milk thinking that it will help you avoid heart disease, you are actually consuming oxidized cholesterol, which initiates the process of heart disease.

[arabian knight]

you do not want to eat oxidized cholesterol. Oxidized cholesterol contributes to the buildup of plaque in the arteries, to atherosclerosis. So when you drink reduced-fat milk thinking that it will help you avoid heart disease, you are actually consuming oxidized cholesterol, which initiates the process of heart disease.

I take a exception to that~! If anybody drinks more Store Bought milk then me, I am yet to find that person~! And My Cholesterol was just checked last week and was 167. Low enough to be in the very good range~!
So just because some study says what is quoted above does not make it true in all cases~! Use your own brain matter, and go from there.
One cannot make a Statement like that and say that is a Blanket statement is for everybody,,, as everybody's BODY is different and should be noted as such~

[Ken Scharabok]

I believe some loss of 'shefl live' is simply due to a lack of refrigeration from udder to refrigerator. My understanding is most raw milk is chilled very quickly after collection and then refrigerator stored until consumed. There are just so many stages for store milk the temperature of milk can fluctuate. How many people do you know who buy store milk and by the time they get home it is almost at room temperature?

Either on the forum or elsewhere I read even raw milk can also be affected if not kept refrigerated. For example, at a meal the jug is left on the counter, then put back into the refrigerator afterwards. It undergoes at least some level of rise and rechill.

Many years ago now (remember I'm somewhat of a dinosour) I was on several aircraft carriers. On one the milk would go bad within a couple days of being at sea. In port I noticed the milk would be delivered to the dock and might sit there a couple of hours before being put in refrigerated storage aboard. I submitted a 'suggestion' to that being the reason and after that there was a work gang waiting on the dock for the milk truck so it quickly went into refrigerated storage. Thereafter the milk was good (drinkable) for a couple of weeks.

[willow_girl]

Wow, there is so much sensationalized and inaccurate information, also known as LIES, in this tidy little propaganda piece that I hardly know where to begin ripping it apart ... I'd almost have to take it sentence-by-sentence. Well, OK ... here goes, I guess!

Milk
The minute you start to process your milk, you destroy Mother Nature's perfect food.

It could also be argued that you ALTER a perfect medium for bacteria to grow in ...

You can live exclusively on raw milk, especially milk from nature's sacred animal, the cow.

SACRED??? Now, I joke about worshipping the Great Horned Goddess, but the serious usage of words like "sacred" -- by anyone except, perhaps, a Hindi -- should be a huge clue that you're not exactly getting objective information here!

We have no sense of the sacredness of our animals today. Instead, we have an industrial system of agriculture that puts our dairy cows inside on cement all their lives and gives them foods that cows are not designed to eat—grain, soy, citrus peel cake and bakery waste.

This is a vast generalization. Many commercial dairy cows spend part of their days on pasture. And when they're on cement, it's not because the owner wishes to be cruel, it's because cement can be kept clean, which is beneficial to the cow's health.

As far as feed goes, most farms pay a nutritionist to make sure their cows are getting the best possible diet. A cow represents a significant investment; why would a farmer not feed her well? Especially since her production will be linked directly the quantity and quality of the milk.

These modern cows produce huge amounts of watery milk which is very low in fat.

Funny, according to information I found via Google, milk from cows in 1930-1950 had an average butterfat content between 3.5 and 4 percent ... same as today

Milk from these industrial cows is then shipped to a milk factory. Emily Green wrote an excellent article in the LA Times, August 2000 about milk processing. Milk processing plants are big, big factories where visitors are not allowed.

Gee, does the word "biosecurity" ring any bells at all? How many factories of ANY kind do you know of that let uninvited guests roam at will?

Lots can go wrong in these factories.

A vague statement designed to plant fear in the minds of readers incapable of critical thought ... did it work on you?


The largest milk poisoning in American history occurred in 1985 where more than 5,000 people across three states were sickened after a "pasteurization failure" at an Illinois bottling plant.

Gee, I guess if there was a "pasteurization failure," that meant the people who got sick were drinking none other than ... RAW MILK! Amazing the folks at Weston Price didn't realize they were kinda shooting themselves in the foot here ... that is actually kinda funny!

Inside the plants all you can see is stainless steel.

Actually, that's a GOOD thing ... stainless steel is nonporous and can be readily sterilized. But this is an example of more of the "loaded" words or images that are supposed to plant negative emotions in the minds of readers who don't think critically. And that is why I called this, in the beginning, a propaganda piece ....

Inside that machinery, milk shipped from the farm is completely remade. First it is separated in centrifuges into fat, protein and various other solids and liquids. Once segregated, these are reconstituted to set levels for whole, low-fat and no-fat milks; in other words, the milk is reconstituted to be completely uniform.

Sure. Because if you're selling your milk as 2 percent, it darned well better not be 1.75. That's called fraud. So, yeah, it had better be uniform.

Of the reconstituted milks, whole milk will most closely approximate original cow's milk. The butterfat left over will go into butter, cream, cheese, toppings and ice cream. The dairy industry loves to sell low fat milk and skim milk because they can make a lot more money from the butterfat when consumers buy it as ice cream.

Wow, it sounds like that evil dairy industry is doing something really wicked here!!! But, stop and think for a moment ... no one is being FORCED to consume lowfat milk! Some people actually prefer 2 percent or half percent or even skim. And what is the dairy industry supposed to do with the leftover butterfat? Throw it away? Of course not. So, of course, they use it in other things. It simply makes sense. No?

When they remove the fat to make reduced fat milks, they replace the fat with powdered milk concentrate, which is formed by high temperature spray drying. All reduced-fat milks have dried skim milk added to give them body, although this ingredient is not usually on the labels. The result is a very high-protein, lowfat product. Because the body uses up many nutrients to assimilate protein—especially the nutrients contained in animal fat—such doctored milk can quickly lead to nutrient deficiencies.

Given the fact the vast majority of people drink supermarket milk, you'd think you'd see a sizeable percentage of the population going around with rickets and other such signs of nutritional deficiencies, wouldn't you? Funny, most people I run into look pretty healthy though. OK, here's the truth. Excessive protein intake (above the recommended daily allowance) CAN interfere with the body's ability to absorb calcium. But the key word here is EXCESSIVE. I don't think most people are consuming excessive amounts of protein, do you? Well, unless they're on one of those low-carb diets. Oh, I might add that milk is, ironically enough, an excellent SOURCE of calcium ...

The milk is then pasteurized at 161 degrees F by rushing it past superheated stainless steel plates. If the temperature is 200 degrees the milk is called ultrapasteurized. This will have a distinct cooked milk taste but it is sterile and can be sold on the grocery shelf. In other words, they don't even have to keep it cool.The bugs won't touch it. It does not require refrigeration. As it is cooked, the milk is also homogenized by a pressure treatment that breaks down the fat globules so the milk won't separate. Once processed, the milk will last for weeks, not just days.


Again, spoken like this is some sort of bad thing when it's not. There are some applications in which consumers might want milk that doesn't need to be refrigerated ... think "camping trip," for instance. Also, the part about the "bugs won't touch it" is obviously designed to stir fear ... what, you want me to drink this stuff that even bugs won't touch?! Oh give me a break. Truth is, ultrapasteurization removes even MORE "bugs" -- bacteria -- from milk than does the standard technique. That's why it will "keep" without being refrigerated ... because there is virtually no bacteria left in it. But if the milk is contaminated with bacteria after the carton is opened, the "bugs" will INDEED touch it ... it eventually will spoil.

Milk Allergies
Many people, particularly our children, cannot tolerate the stuff that we are calling milk that is sold in the grocery shelves. And you can see why. It starts with cows in confinement, cows fed feed that cows are not designed to digest, and then it goes into these factories for dismantlement and reconfiguration.

And some people can't drink milk straight from the cow ... it used to make my ex break out in hives. And this proves ... what?

CONTINUED ...

[willow_girl]

The protein compounds in milk have many important roles, including protection against pathogens, enhancement of the immune system and carrier systems for nutrients. However, like the proteins in grains, the proteins in milk are complex, three-dimensional molecules that are very fragile. The pasteurization process deforms and denatures these proteins. When we drink pasteurized milk, the body mounts an immune response instead of deriving instant nourishment.

Where are the citations of studies to support these claims? Google didn't turn up much, except references to an immune response in infants (we've all heard of babies who can't tolerate cow's milk, haven't we?) but studies indicate the problem resolves after age 9 months. (Most of these kids are able to drink milk as they get older, right?)

Numerous animal studies in the 1930s and 1940s showed the superiority of raw milk over pasteurized in building strong bone, healthy organs and a strong nervous system.

Citations, please? Funny, these studies came just at the time pasteurization came to be widely implemented ... guess they must not have been too convincing, eh?

Fortunately what we call real milk, that is full-fat milk from pasture-fed cows, milk that is not pasteurized, processed or homogenized, is becoming more available. Parents are discovering just how healthy and happy their children can be when they drink raw milk instead of pasteurized. (See realmilk.com for sources.)

This part actually made me SHUDDER. Children (along with the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems) are considered most at RISK of illness from drinking raw milk, because their immune systems generally aren't as robust as are healthy adult's.

Claims like the one above crosses the line from harmless propaganda to deliberate, harmful disinformation, IMO. Downright EVIL, if you ask me!

Powdered Milk
A note on the production of skim milk powder: liquid milk is forced through a tiny hole at high pressure, and then blown out into the air. This causes a lot of nitrates to form and the cholesterol in the milk is oxidized. Those of you who are familiar with my work know that cholesterol is your best friend; you don't have to worry about natural cholesterol in your food; however, you do not want to eat oxidized cholesterol. Oxidized cholesterol contributes to the buildup of plaque in the arteries, to atherosclerosis. So when you drink reduced-fat milk thinking that it will help you avoid heart disease, you are actually consuming oxidized cholesterol, which initiates the process of heart disease.

What they're babbling about here, as near as I can tell, isn't pasteurization, it's homogenization. Frankly, the jury's still out on homogenization and its possible impact on heart health. Oh, and I don't think you'd find a responsible physician ANYWHERE who would tell you that "you don't have to worry about natural cholesterol in your food"! But, statements like that just go with the general DISinformation in this piece, don't they?!

[arabian knight]

Wow what a nice write,,, willow, yes we need more people like yourself on this subject for sure. Great job

[jerzeygurl]

The dairy industry loves to sell low fat milk and skim milk because they can make a lot more money from the butterfat when consumers buy it as ice cream.

I know for a fact this is NOT true

dairymen will avoid jerseys because they cannot be rid of the butterfat...

people avoid whole milk and butter and cream because they have been taught its bad for them, dairy men are left with more cream than they can sell

skim milk outsells whole at the local self bottling dairy,

[jerzeygurl]

also as a child I could NOT digest whole milk, i could only handle skimmed

I did outgrow that


whole milk is about3-5 percent fat compared to 2 percent which is 2 percent fat so you are talking about maybe removing half of the butter fat to get 2 percent

[jerzeygurl]

Originally Posted by texican

Store bought milk is a commodity, a commodity one can trust to taste the same, whether you're buying it in Key West, Florida, or Nome, Alaska. Just like a flame broiled whopper will taste the same. Consumers expect it.

When I'm drinking fresh squeezed milk, it's always different. When I drink from other single vintage squeezings (other folks cows), I can taste what the cows were eating. Buttercups, alfalfa, peas, silage, etc...

As far as I know, there's only one vintage of milk in the stores (outside out of the lightweight "can't handle the good stuff varieties" whole, half, 2, no fat...yuck)... basically just Milk.

Wouldn't it be great to have a row in the supermarket, with dozens of varieties of milk? Fresh wildflowers, Jersey Delight, Holstein Fat Milk, Raw, never strained... Single Vintage, individual cows... Betty Lou #2273 (o she gives a milk with a delightful boquet)..........okay, I'll stop now... of course it ain't gonna happen... because my niece in SC wants her milk to taste exactly the same as it tastes in TX.

lol

some prefer crazee milk to rosie milk, I am know producing a fine blend of the 2, with the bouquet of fresh green grass

[AnnaS]

I think it might be the homogenization, not the pastuerization, that makes a bland flavor. When my does are on vacation, I buy Blackstar milk that is past. but not homog. and has no added vitamins. A local small dairy bottles it on the farm and sells it at the grocery store at regular milk prices. The taste is completely different than regular store bought cow milk- an almond vanilla taste.