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The best milk for toddlers

Human babies consuming raw cow’s milk, suffer from a lot less runny noses, fevers, ear aches, coughs and up set tummies than babies drinking boxed milk.

Breast milk is best…..

But,  you cannot breast feed forever and for humans that are lactose tolerant, milk is a fabulous source of nutrition.

So a transition, to cow’s milk is made.

Baby’s can be transitioned  to

• Pasteurized milk
• UHT or boxed milk
• Raw milk
• Boiled raw milk

NOTE : The consumption of raw milk is vigorously discouraged, but it is still done, especially in rural communities.

Does the choice a Mom makes, impact the health of her little one ?  This is the question a group of  European researches, asked.

The team  analysed the health of 983 babies during their first year of life, by pouring over the health diaries, diligently kept by their Moms.

More than just nutrients

Mommy cow’s  pack their  milk with lots of “goodies” that will help her baby survive. These “goodies” take the form of special proteins and oligosaccharides, designed to, feed baby, as well as,  help her baby’s immune system, cope with all the “nasties” it may encounter.  The same thing happens in humans, this is why breast fed infants have an advantage.

Now, officially these proteins are designed to communicate with baby cows, not baby humans.

But, interestingly enough, many of these proteins are similar enough to their human counterparts, that the message is not lost in translation.

Lactoferrin

For example, lactoferrin, is a protein, popped into milk, to “hide” iron, away. This is most helpful, because iron is a nutrient which is IN HIGH DEMAND.  And, if “BAD” bacteria, get their hands on substantial amounts of iron, they can wreak havoc.

Lactoferrin, keeps this precious commodity UNDER WRAPS

i.e. out of the hands of bad bacteria, but available for junior.

Bovine lactoferrin is not identical to human lactoferrin.  But it’s similar : officially it has a 69 % homology, with human lactoferrin at a protein level.

So, it is able to keep iron UNDER WRAPS in a human baby’s gut

and still, make it available for baby, to use.

Immunoglobulins

Another example, are immunoglobulins, also known as, antibodies.  Baby cows, play in fields, where they’re exposed to dust, dander, pollen and VIRUSES.  To protect, the calf, from these nasties, bovine antibodies are sent in.

Now, antibodies are antibodies……..the bind to whatever, they’ve been designed to bind to.

Effectively, taking the offending thing, out of commission.

In the process, they decrease baby’s exposure, to viruses and allergens, that have the ability, to trigger, baby’s immune system.   In the long run, this should give human infants consuming them, an advantage.

So does cows milk ALWAYS provide an advantage ?

Milk moves

The short answer is……………………..NO !

Our team found, in the cohort of Moms, they studied, that  80 % of the Moms, started out breastfeeding, but over the year, transitioned their little one from breast to alternative milk sources.

Frequency of consumption of raw and processed cow’s milk during  the first year of life. © 2014 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

The transition, typically started at the 3 month mark.

Mom’s used a variety of approaches and  what they transitioned to…………. impacted their overall health.

The big advantage

Adjusted associations of milk consumption and infections. © 2014 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

Infants receiving raw milk, were 30 % less likely to suffer from an “infection”, than little ones, receiving “nuked” milk. The more it had been “nuked”, the poorer the performance of the milk, so kids consuming boxed milk, suffered the most infections.

So why did this happen ?

Heated milk is less beneficial

Boiled raw milk, pasteurized and UHT treated (boxed) milk, have all been heated to some extent.  In the case of pasteurized and UHT milk, the boiling is quick quick, at a very high temperature.

This heating kills “all” the microbes.

But, heating  also “KILLS”, many of those “special” proteins.

When proteins are heated, they undergo structural changes and the changes are permanent.  Think of what happens when you cook an egg.  Eish !

It’s a trade off…………………………

But, there is more to this story, than HOT.

The boxed milk got an F

Heated raw milk, still provided more benefits, than the pasteurized and UHT milk.  Why ?

Well both pasteurized and UHT milk undergo  additional “processing”.

When milk, arrives at the diary, the first thing that happens, is it is spun (centrifuged), this serves to separate out the fat from the liquid.

The liquid is subjected to the heating. The fat, is homogenized.

Then everything, is put back together ………..and shipped to the supermarket.

Homogenization

Involves sending the fat drops, through small pipes, under pressure.

This changes the structure of the milk fat globules and significantly decreases the levels of polar lipids, in the milk that is consumed….

Milk fat globule membranes, are increasingly seen as beneficial components of milk.

Sterile NOT fresh

The other problem with boxed milk, it’s often been sitting on the supermarket shelf, for a while.

This is the selling point…………… it DOESN’T GO OFF, SOUR.

It can’t, there are no bacteria present, but that doesn’t mean the other bioactive ingredients , that are still intact, are not age-ing, i.e. losing their effectiveness.

The transition to cow’s milk

At this stage, WE really don’t know, what the protective factor(s) is……….. but we do know, it makes a difference, so when it comes time to make the transition from breast milk, to alternative milk sources.

If you can, go raw.

If you’re worried about milk-borne disease – BOIL IT.

If raw is not an option, take the pasteurized option, over the boxed milk – it’s going create BETTER BODY CHEMISTRY in your little one.

And whatever you do, don’t choose the low-fat  versions.  Click here, to learn  more

NOTE : Protecting your little one from snots and sniffs is a big deal. Those snots and sniffs can lead to a course or two of antibiotics.  And a course or two of antibiotics, can leave your little one’s microflora, changed, FOREVER.   And not having the “right” microflora, puts your little one, at risk of some serious health issues down the line.   Visit the microflora library page, to learn more.

Further reading

Want to discover more ways to create BETTER BODY CHEMISTRY ?