Should you use organic dairy products?

Choosing organic food can bring up a lot of questions such as: What does it actually mean to be ‘organic’? Is it really any better than conventional food? And is it worth the cost?

Each type of food will have a different set of rules and regulations it has to pass in order to be certified as organic. As an example, for milk to be certified organic, it must meet 4 criteria. 1. The cows cannot be fed anything with harmful pesticides in it, nor non-organic fertilizers. 2. No bovine growth hormone is allowed to try to increase milk production. 3. No antibiotics are to be used on the cows, and if they do need antibiotics, they cannot be returned to the herd for one year and 4. The cows have to have access to a pasture.

So, great. Just because there are regulations, does this mean that the organic dairy products are actually better for you? If you think about it, you know that cow’s milk really exists to feed a calf. The cow’s body compiles a bunch of nutrients and concentrates them into the milk. The problem is that the process isn’t very precise. Anything in the cow’s body will end up being concentrated into the milk. And I do mean “concentrated”, so you are getting more nutrients and unhealthy products per measurement of milk than that which exists in the cow. Cheese and butter are even more concentrated forms of the same stuff, so provide even higher “doses”.

Is it worth the cost? I think so. Human mothers don’t drink alcohol, don’t take medications and don’t even take most herbs while breast-feeding because they don’t want to pass these things along to their babies, right? So why would you drink milk from a cow that also has growth hormones, antibiotics or pesticides in it? I wouldn’t. Dairy is just one of those food groups that I will choose to buy organic. When I add up the cost difference and compare it to the cost people can incur trying to treat a neurological condition that has developed from an overload of toxic chemicals, its not even close. After all, it’s your health we’re talking about and you’re worth it!