So the Dairy debate blog got a few people thinking and some great questions have been emailed through...
Don't we need milk for strong bones?
Now here's a fact that might shock you....countries with the highest dairy consumption have the highest rate of osteoporosis. According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, Europe and the United States account for 51% of all fractures from osteoporosis.
The United States Department of Agriculture states countries in the United States and European Union are the number one and two milk consumers in the entire world. Europeans and Americans not only consume the most milk, they also suffer the most cases of osteoporosis across the globe and New Zealanders are not far behind them.
That’s the total opposite of what we have been taught our whole lives.
You may find that all a bit shocking and wonder how that all works. Here's a brief look at it from a chemistry perspective.
The body has to maintain a strict pH level of between 7.35 and 7.45 in order to function. This slightly alkaline pH level is kept by the body at all costs as it’s that essential to life. If your pH drops below 6.8 or rises above 7.8 the body become extremely sick, and it ultimately leads to death (Young, R and Young, S, 2010). Any disease state thrives in an acidic environment - stow that thought!
Processed, refined foods (in my opinion non-foods) make our bodies chemistry become acidic.
Our bodies want to live, so constantly have to find ways to counteract this acidity and keep our pH between 7.35 and 7.45. The body does this by leaching alkaline reserves from other places in the body. Our biggest reserve of alkaline minerals is the bones. If you do this day after day for years you can get a picture of what happens your strong bones become frail, weak, and riddled with holes. Osteoporosis translated means porous bones.
The more milk and acidic foods we eat and drink the more acid we bring into our bodies. This high level of acid is called acidosis and Osteoporosis is one of the many chronic diseases linked to acidosis (Young, R and Young, S, 2010)
Now back to dairy: Milk in its natural state, ‘raw milk or real milk’ is an alkaline food.
Once it goes through the pasteurization and homogenization processes it becomes an acidic food.
An ah ha moment for all. You can see where the problem lies.
What is Milk Kefir and how do you make it?
Kefir is a fermented milk product that is probiotic rich and has incredible medicinal benefits.
For centuries, it has been used in European and Asian folk medicine due to the wide variety of conditions it has been known to cure. It originates from the Turkish work “keif”, which means “good feeling” (Lopitz-Otsoa F, et al 2006).
Milk Kefir contains high levels of vitamin B12, vitamin K2, calcium, magnesium, biotin, folate, enzymes and probiotics. These levels will vary in each batch of kefir depending on the milk source, the cultures used, and region where it is produced. Even with the range in values, Kefir has incredible nutrient levels (Lopitz-Otsoa F, et al 2006)
Benefits gained from adding Milk Kefir to your diet include:
Aids healing of inflammation in the digestive tract
Increases Bone Density
Diminish Allergies by healing the gut
Improves Lactose Digestion
Boosts Immunity
Supports beneficial bacteria colonies (Society for General Microbiology)
Supports Detoxification
How to make:
First you have to source “kefir grains” which are not actually grains, but a delicate balance of yeast and bacteria (Ask around there's probably someone who is making or there are online stores that sell the grains)
Secondly you need to get a litre of raw milk.
Method:
Put 3 TBS of kefir grains into 1 Litre of fresh milk.
Cover with a muslin cloth secured by a rubber band. Place in a warm spot (about 20°C) to ferment.
Leave for 24-36hours. Strain through a sieve to remove grains and then put in the fridge for 6-12 hours to firm up.
Once fermented, milk kefir has a tart taste kind of like tangy yogurt. How strong the taste depends on how long the kefir fermented; longer fermentation usually leads to a stronger tarter taste and can taste a bit fizzy
http://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/milk-kefir/how-to-make-milk-kefir/ has a video if you're a visual learner.
And the WINNER of the $20 Dolly milk card and glass bottle to get you started on raw milk is:
Congratulations Alex and thank you to everyone who entered!
References
Young, R and Young, S (2010) The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health
Lopitz-Otsoa F, et al. (2006) Kefir: A symbiotic yeasts-bacteria community with alleged healthy capabilities. Rev Iberoam Micol; 23:67-74.
https://www.iofbonehealth.org/
Guzel-Seydim ZB, Kok-Tas T, Greene AK, Seydim AC (2011) Review: functional properties of kefir. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 51(3):261-8.
Society for General Microbiology. “How Probiotics Can Prevent Disease.” ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401200433.htm (accessed Ocotober 10, 2016).