Through my recent research, I have been learning a lot about American farming and how our food is produced. As a result, I no longer recommend mass-produced milk products as good sources of calcium and protein. Why? The mass-produced milk in America is riddled with pus, hormones, and antibiotics. You can get an inside look into how your milk is produced by watching the movie Farmageddon.
The cows in the majority of dairy farms stand knee-deep in manure, which is a breeding ground for e. coli. They are fed corn meal that includes ground cow bones and other parts of dead, infected cows. When the cows are slaughtered, their bodies are crusted with the e. coli-containing manure. Is there any wonder why they have to be shot up with antibiotics. To add insult to injury, any ground beef that is made from these cows is washed with an ammonia solution to kill the e. coli. Just makes me want to run right out and buy a hamburger.
Back to the milk...as history goes, the pasteurization and homogenizing of milk began as a result of industrialization and "modernization". The run-off from the new factories was contaminating the water and food sources of the dairy cows. So, to make the milk safe to drink for we humans, they started treating the cows/milk. Most people blame the cows for the bad milk when the blame falls completed on modernization/industrialization. Basically, the more technologically advanced we became, the more crippled we became in other areas.
Some people may not be aware that there is a movement to make raw milk legal in this country. It is "legal" in some states, but that message does not always reach the government. (read the article below) Other countries have been drinking raw milk all along. The government tries to scare you away from raw milk by saying that it is unhealthy and diseased. They are partially right. If you get raw milk from the government-backed, diseased cows, it certainly is bad for you. However, if you buy raw milk, cheese, butter, etc from farmers who raise their cows responsibly on chemical-free farms where the cows eat grass and don't wallow in their manure, then you have the opportunity to get all the health benefits from milk as nature intended.
People have to stop believing what the government-back agencies are telling us about our food. Their motives are suspect. Just look at the history of the FDA and their hiring practices for higher positions. There is so much conflict of interest in that agency that it would take 60 Minutes 10 years to sort it all out.
To be truly concerned about your health, you must educate yourself about what you are putting in your mouth. You must know how your food is being raised/produced, its country of origin, and how it was treated prior to it reaching your table.
You ARE what you eat!
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/omkara/2011/aug/6/rawsome-foods-raided-sad-day-america/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/31/food-industry-environment
http://www.polyfacefarms.com/principles/
