I went to a conference a couple of weeks ago with Dr. John Taylor and in it he spoke about how all children, but especially children with SPD (sensory processing disorder), autism, ADHD, & Asperger's, exhibit many of their behaviors and symptoms because they aren't getting enough real good fats and amino acids. He noted that the easiest, #1 way to increase these for children would be to put them back on whole milk. For adults? The verdict is agreeably the same. Mike and I are working our way to whole milk...maybe we'll never make it to retraining our taste buds to love fresh cow's milk but whole milk would be a step up from the 2% we're drinking.
So why did WE choose fresh farm milk instead of just whole milk from the store? Well...we didn't. It chose us. Actually, I don't believe in coincidence but I do believe in God's power and His work...a couple of days before my conference when I was dropping the children off at the babysitter I commented to her that Xabe hadn't eaten well but thankfully he was still drinking his milk by the gallons. I joked that I was going to have to buy a milk cow for the back yard and our sitter's husband graciously said, "if you all want milk, just let us know...we have plenty to go around" (they are dairy farmers). So after the conference I texted our babysitter and asked if they were serious??? And, {blessing to us} they were serious! I do not in any way feel like the fresh milk will harm our children, and in reality, they've been drinking this milk since they were weaned from the bottle (while at the sitter's) so their bodies are already adjusted to it. Here's what I considered before deciding for certain to make this switch, given the warnings by many people and organizations about how dangerous raw milk can be: God designed the cow and it's milk WAY before he made machines and 'stuff' to 'fix' it, my mom grew up drinking raw milk (they were dairy farmers) and it didn't kill her, my brother-in-law grew up drinking raw milk & it didn't kill him, my sister's friend, Leann, grew up drinking raw milk & it didn't kill her and she's sure it made her have super healthy antibodies (ask her...she'll tell you!)...do you see the trend? So now you know...our children are happy little cow juice drinkers and I'm learning new things like shake the cream before you pour. :)
If I had it to do all over again I would have never switched them off whole milk after starting them on it when they weaned from the bottle and I probably would have searched for a healthier alternative than soy milk for Natalee when she was going through her stage of allergies. But we're in the here and now...not the past!
We have also switched completely to butter in cooking, baking, etc., however I mentioned in a goals update post that I hadn't convinced Mike it would be a great idea to get rid of his soft tub of margarine to go to butter. Little did I know that you can leave butter out so it's soft & servable but I've gotten many comments telling me that you can! (Thanks you all!!) While at the store this weekend I bought a small tub of butter just for trial - ingredients are only cream and salt and we had it with bread tonight with no complaints from the eating crew. It looks like the Beeler's will be looking for a butter dish just like Grandma had! (Wonder how I thought SHE kept her butter soft??) I'm not currently making my own butter but I'm intrigued by trying new things so maybe someday...probably not until summer though.
So there you have it...how our dear friends and children's babysitter & her husband saved us from putting a cow in our back yard {smile} and why we switched to whole milk & butter when all of America swears they'll make you fat.
Photo Courtesy of: http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/raw_milk_health_benefits.html
We've also been blessed to find a co-worker friend of mine who will sell us good brown chicken eggs. During the spring & summer we were able to buy eggs from my niece's very happy, wholesome chickens but they are taking a season off so we were back to the store for our eggs until just today when I got 3 dozen pretty brown eggs! Thanks, Leslie!
This article gives a lot of good information on the benefits of raw cow's milk:
http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/raw_milk_health_benefits.html
I really do enjoy & appreciate your comments AND questions! Answering them helps me remember WHY we're doing this and how we're getting there!
4 comments:
I am enjoying following all your posts. My older three children grew up drinking raw milk fresh from the milk tank, and they were all fine. It was hard for them to switch to boughten milk when grandpa sold the dairy farm. Keep posting I love learning new things and am trying to be more conscious of our diets and how they affect our health. Baby steps.
Jenn, I talked with Lori tonight and she shared you new adventure. What a wonderful momma you are. Just wanted to let you know that. Natalie is one lucky lady to have people who care so much about her. I will enjoy following along and getting tips!!
Courtney
Jenn, good luck on this adventure of parenthood. Natalie is one lucky gal to have an amazing momma like you to work so hard to make her life better.
Hey Jenn- On the butter topic, my Aunt Peg uses a Butter Bell like these, or a "butter crock": http://www.butterbell.com/ I guess it just keeps the butter a little more fresh/protected than leaving it on the counter, and the water you change out every few days in the bottom softens the butter as well. She said that surprisingly enough, the butter stays in there upside down when not in use... I think these have been around forever, but I'd not heard of them until she had one.
I'm sure there are knockoffs that you can order, and some are cheaper on Amazon. I think they're cute!
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