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Paleo Plus: All About Dairy, Part 2.

Posted on Jun 20 2011 by Liz Wolfe

Alternative title: Cave Girl, LLC (Liz Loves Cheese.)

Before you read the rest of this post, you may want to review All About Dairy, Part 1. I discuss the health benefits and historical context of the usefulness of full-fat, pastured dairy from ghee, butter and cream (preferably from unpasteurized – “raw” – milk from exclusively pastured animals). Produced appropriately, it can provide some truly healthful nutrients – like vitamins A and K2 and Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) – not to mention the Happy Factor. Because – I don’t know about you – but heavy whipping cream in my (gasp!) coffee makes me very happy.

Weston A. Price, who literally wrote the book on the diets of healthy, thriving indigenous cultures, noted a high intake of the fat-soluble vitamins contained in appropriately produced (always pastured, local, and raw) milk and cheese products, as well as high-fat dairy products like ghee, butter and cream.

When I was introduced to “Paleo,” I heard a blanket demonization of all dairy. Even some of my favorite Paleo “gurus” who are now open butter-lovers were once quick to dismiss any and all dairy products, and I certainly swung that way. Now, many Paleo folks seem to have loosened their stance on dairy, specifically when it comes to full-fat dairy from pastured ghee, butter and cream. The line is blurry when it comes to milk and cheese. While I understand it’s a tough line to walk due to modern dairy production practices – and blanket statements make it easier to counsel large groups of people on optimal dietary practices – I think the wide world of dairy (and dairy lovers) deserves some extra explanation.

It ticks me off to hear folks say “cow’s milk is for baby cows” as a reason why we shouldn’t drink it. If that’s our logic, then we shouldn’t eat eggs – because the egg yolk is meant to feed developing baby fowl. Don’t fall victim to fallacious logic like this. What you eat should be evaluated on nutritive value alone. And the reason milk and eggs are historically valued as extraordinarily nourishing is precisely because they’re meant to nourish. As a member of the Weston A. Price Foundation, I’ve heard deeply personal stories from people who feel raw milk – the kind from pasture-raised cows - saved their lives. This is too powerful to ignore.

This post – All About Dairy, Part 2 – is intended to shed a little more light on the components of the staples of my childhood diet – milk and cheese. These are the dairy products with the highest concentration of milk proteins.

Look, my bottom line when it comes to standard commercial milk and cheese is this: it usually sucks. It’s usually a product of grain-fed, factory-line cattle. It’s pasteurized and homogenized into oblivion. It’s the Frankenstein of profit-driven products. Unless you’re drinking pastured, raw, unhomogenized milk (make it fermented if you’re set on dairy for post-workout recovery) it’s probably capable of doing more harm than good. America has been coddled into eating it as a tangent of mass agriculture, and according to Nora Gedgaudas, author of the newly re-released Primal Body, Primal Mind (4), the popular low-fat sludge is rife with oxidized cholesterol and damaged proteins. That’s disgusting and unhealthy, and this conclusion is supported in the scientific literature.

But the standard literature doesn’t study raw, pastured, unpasteurized milk. Because in many places, it’s illegal. The federal government has used your tax dollars to execute massive, five-year investigations and raids against - not drug traffickers, not Monsanto - but the Amish people producing raw milk on their family farm.

The main use for milk in America, admittedly, is poured over that other bastardized Franken-food: Breakfast cereal. Check out Gnolls.org for a fun and enlightening ride through the origins of breakfast cereals – suppression of masturbation sounds like great impetus for fostering sugar addiction while marching to the beat of a religious fundamentalist drummer!

10 things to know about milk and cheese (and if you don’t care, skip to the conclusion):

1) Milk is composed of three parts: the fat, the whey, and the “milk solids.” The milk solids are made up of lactose, sugars, and proteins, including casein. (1) Casein makes up 80% of milk proteins; Whey 20% (3).

2) Most cheeses are made from casein. A few are made from whey, like Ricotta. Whey is a source of leucine, among other muscle-building amino acids - part of what draws athletes to whey protein.

3) The “Gluten-Free, Casein-Free” diet is often prescribed for individuals on the autism spectrum, because casein can cross-react with celiac disease and gluten intolerance as well as cause extreme sensitivities. Milk from grass-fed animals may not fall into the same food sensitivity categories.

4) There are different forms of casein, but the one discussed most as a concern is beta-casein. (1)

5) Beta-casein is the point of controversy when it comes to what type of cow your milk is from. The oldest breeds of cows, like Jerseys, (called “A2”) are thought to have the best-tolerated milk. “A1” cows – most newer breeds like Holsteins – are thought to have experienced a mutation to part of the beta-casein chain of amino acids where proline mutated to histidine. This mutation increased the availability of a potent opiate that can cause problems, especially for people with already-compromised guts. (1) You can ask your dairy farmer if their herd is A1 or A2. A well-informed farmer will know.

6) The problematic opioid is not found in goat’s or sheep’s milk, which is why they may be better tolerated. (1)

7) Protein – whether from meat or from milk – stimulates insulin release. However, milk is unique in its ability to stimulate IGF-1 (see #10)

8) Gluteomorphins and Casomorphins are partially digested proteins of gluten and casein. If your digestion is compromised and the peptide chains are not broken down properly in gluten or casein, you may experience reward-center stimulation that may do a few things: According to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, this fosters food addiction. (In other words, you don’t really like that milk & cereal. You’re just addicted to them.) (2) According to Staffan Lindeberg, this stimulation may result in impaired communication between opioid and insulin receptors, leading to insulin resistance. (3)

9) Casein sensitivity is exacerbated by gluten intake by the gluten-sensitive and intolerant. My personal belief is that individuals who have eliminated gluten entirely may not have the same problems with casein as those who are still consuming gluten. As in, you may be able to enjoy some quality raw milk cheese without flipping your bean. (As in: relax. Enjoy some cheese.)

10) Much of the Paleo-community issues with frequent consumption of milk products are their insulinotropic properties and their ability to stimulate IGF-1 (Insulin-like growth factor). In stimulating the secretion of insulin and IGF-1, they represent the chronic conditions that underlie diseases of civilization – specifically, Type-2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, syndrome X, and cancers of the breast and prostate, among others. (3) HOWEVER, it is the growth hormone pumped into dairy cattle to stimulate milk production called rBGH or recombinant bovine growth hormone (a product once owned by Monsanto, or as I call them, the Evil Disease Cartel) that has been found to further elevate IGF-1 to a dangerous extent in conventional dairy.

CONCLUSION/BOTTOM LINE:

Okay, so the point of all this is that it’s not as simple as “Dairy is bad” or “cow’s milk is for baby cows.” Understanding the important points of the milk controversy is important, but it boils down to this:

I think it's critical to know that raw, pastured milk and cheese are completely different products than conventional (grain-fed), pasteurized milk and cheese. I would never recommend pasteurized milk to anyone. Especially children. So:

-If you love raw, pastured/grass fed milk and cheese from a trusted source, work it into your Real Food/Paleo Plan and don't worry about it. However, if you see detrimental affects, remove it. Duh.

-Use pastured/grass-fed pasteurized milk and cheese (such as Natural By Nature products or Kerry Gold cheeses) less; be aware of their affect on your body.

-I do not recommend the inclusion of conventional (grain fed) milk or cheeses to anyone.

If you just can’t imagine your life without a tall drink of milk, go to RealMilk.com and evaluate the available information to decide where you stand on raw milk. Then locate a local, pasture-based raw dairy and support their mission by buying their product. If you’re looking to use milk as a recovery drink, find or make raw milk kefir. (See the Garage Strength blog for more). If you want to use whey protein, find grass-fed (like what’s sold by US Wellness Meats) or unpasteurized whey.

If you feel your gut is healthy, high-quality milk and milk products of the pastured, raw variety can be enjoyed in whatever proportion enriches your life and maintains your health. Fermented raw milk products, like kefir and yogurt, are excellent probiotics. I enjoy quality cheeses made from raw milk often. I know of CrossFit games athletes who love their Greek yogurt.

The point is, quality is key. A little extra legwork is the price you pay for good health in this country.

Sufficiently confused? Let us know your questions!