If you saw my blog last week, “Food for Thought,” you know that we recently switched over to organic milk. But the other day, I was looking at the expiration date and noticed that organic milk is good for much longer than non-organic milk. The milk is “ultra-pasteurized” which gives it a longer shelf-life but also takes out much of the nutrients. So that leads me to the question — which is better for kids, milk pumped full of hormones or milk devoid of much of it’s nutrients? It seems that neither is a win win situation. What’s a mom to do if she can’t actually buy a cow and keep it in the backyard for milking?
And here’s another thing about organic milk (aside from the fact that it is twice as expensive as it’s hormone pumped counterpart), it’s not packaged in a recyclable container. What’s up with that?
Milk question
Betsy Stein | 05/29/09
One Response to “Milk question”
About Betsy Stein
Betsy Stein has been editor of Maryland Family magazine since 2002. Her main and most fulfilling job, however, is her family — husband, Chris, and children, Maggie, 12; Lilly and Adam, 11; and Jonah, 7. Before kids, Betsy was a reporter for the Howard County Times beginning in 1991. She covered education, planning and zoning, and courts and cops at various points in her career.
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I only buy organic milk that has been pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized for the reasons you mentioned). In my neck of the woods (Houston, TX), I can usually find it in gallon containers (the plastic recyclable ones). I have also found it in half-gallon cartons, but you have to look a little harder (most of the stuff in cartons is ultra-pasteurized). The benefit of the carton is that they are opaque so the milk is not exposed to nutrient-sucking light. If I can’t find pasteurized, I buy Borden or another brand from cows without hormones.
You should be able to find pasteurized plastic gallon containers of brands like Organic Valley in your local Whole Foods. Have you also switched to organic butter – the difference is amazing! Unsalted cultured butter from Organic Valley is great stuff.
The way to get the most nutrition out of milk is to get it raw, as pasteurization and homogenization rob the milk of nutrients. I have used raw milk in the past and it is not a big deal to shake it – you don’t have to do it that often. If you are interested in finding out more about raw milk, see http://www.realmilk.com. I checked the website and Baltimore does have delivery, including in your area. In general we are using a lot less milk, so I am planning to go back to raw. It is more difficult to buy it via the co-op, but you can buy extra and freeze some for later.