For the Southern Hemisphere:

In winter there is a natural accumulation of mucus, dampness and dryness due to cold and wet weather, so efforts should be made to keep warm and dry. Warm baths sauna, sunbaths and living in an insulated and heated house are beneficial. Heavy, warm and dry clothes should be worn.

Warm drinks and foods have a heating effect and should be preferred to cold, raw and frozen foods and drinks. A light diet is recommended consisting of a lot of soups and stews. Enjoy a lot of root vegetables and leafy greens in combination with legumes (lentils and beans) and gluten free whole grains (quinoa, brown rice, buckwheat, millet and amaranth), as well as nuts and seeds. Also, use fresh ginger, turmeric, coriander, rosemary, thyme and cumin in your cooking which aids digestion, improve circulation, creates internal warmth and counteracts mucus production.

As the external atmosphere is so cold, the body retains heat and attempts to preserve it. Therefore, the internal digestive fire becomes stronger and is able to metabolize oil and fats as well as soft cheeses (e.g. goats and sheep’s feta). So if you have a strong digestive fire, enjoy more cold pressed oils during winter.

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• Powdered skim milk is a source of dangerous oxidized cholesterol and neurotoxic amino acids which is added to 1% and 2% milk. Skim milk is devoid of fat and enzymes necessary for calcium absorption.
• Low-fat yogurts and sour creams contain mucopolysaccharide slime to give them body.
• Pale butter from hay-fed cows contains colorings to make it look like vitamin-rich butter from grass-fed cows.

A study that followed 12,829 children ages 9 to 14 years found that weight gain was associated with drinking reduced-fat milk but that drinking full-fat milk was not associated with weight gain (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, June 2005).

Myth: Children benefit from a low-fat diet

Truth: Children on low-fat diets suffer from growth problems, failure to thrive & learning disabilities (Food Chem News 10/3/1994)

Butterfat in whole milk, particularly butterfat in milk from cows that graze outside on green pasture, provides unique nutrients that support thyroid function and help the body put on muscle rather than fat.

If milk is tolerated well, one should strive for the best quality available (organic milk from grass fed cows or unpasteurized (raw) goats milk which is generally more healthful than cow’s milk). Also, milk should be heated to counteract its mucus forming qualities and to aid digestion.  By adding spices such as cinnamon, cardamon and clove the digestibility can even be further enhanced.

For more information on Real Milk, please click here.

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An increasing number of people are diagnosed with lactose (an enzyme that digests milk sugar or lactose) or casein (one of the most difficult proteins to digest in the body) intolerance which may be due to the degradation of today’s milk and milk products.

The majority of today’s supermarket milk is pasteurized and/or homogenized, and may contain high levels of growth hormones.  We have been taught that pasteurization is beneficial, a method of protecting ourselves from infectious diseases without taking into consideration that the modern milking machines and stainless steel tanks, along with efficient packaging techniques and distribution, may make pasteurization totally unnecessary for the purpose of sanitation.  Also, the side-effects of pasteurization are never really mentioned:

• Destroys enzymes
• Diminishes vitamin content
• Denatures fragile milk protein
• Destroys vitamin B12 and B6
• Kills beneficial bacteria
• Formation of histamines

Pasteurized milk is also often homogenized which destroys the structure of the butter fat and can therefore not be processed by the body.  It has also been linked to an increased risk in heart disease.

Another problem that may contribute to the high rates of milk-protein allergies could be the use of inappropriate feed for dairy herds. High protein soybean meals are a popular feed for cows which stimulates the cow to produce larger quantities of milk but contributes to a high rate of mastitis and other problems of sterility, liver problems and shortened lives. Little research has been conducted to determine the effects of soy feeds on the protein quality in cow’s milk.

The overuse of antibiotics also contributes to the rising number people, suffering from lactose intolerance.

Milk is not the only source of calcium. A lot of ‘living nutrient dense whole foods’ such as for example sea vegetables, wheat or barley grass, almonds, amaranth, parsley, brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, quinoa can serve as an excellent source of calcium and essential co-factors.

If milk is tolerated well, one should strive for the best quality available (organic milk from grass fed cows or unpasteurized (raw) goats milk which is generally more healthful than cow’s milk). Also, milk should be heated to counteract its mucus forming qualities and to aid digestion.  By adding spices such as cinnamon, cardamon and clove the digestibility can even be further enhanced.

For more information on Real Milk, please click here.

Continue Reading