Should we consume milk and milk products?
India has been consuming a lot of milk and milk products since generations. But suddenly there is so much talk regarding whether to consume milk or not and its link to heart and other diseases. So I will be discussing on what milk to choose and also providing recipes on how milk can be processed to a more suitable form.
Do different breeds produce quality milk and does it impact our health?
A1 milk A2 milk
No hump or flap below neck Hump and flap present
Back is straight through out the body Back is bent near tail
Cross Breed Pure indian breed
What is A2 milk ,Is it better than the milk packs(A1) available in the market?
A1 and A2 beta-casein are basically two types of proteins found in different milk varieties. BCM-7 is an opioid peptide that is released during the digestion of the protein found in A1 milk. Since it is not absorbed well by the human body, it may trigger adverse health effects. In New Zealand, there has been a clear distinction between two types of cows – the ones that give drinking milk and those that are known for draught power and used for ploughing, cheese making or their meat. The Bos Indicus cow is the desi breed that produces the A2 milk with the good quality protein but it has been conveniently replaced by the high-yielding cross breed, popularly known as HF or Holstein Friesian or Jersy in India which provides the A1 variety of milk.
So when people are saying A1 or A2 milk, they are referring to the type of β casein it contains (β casein A1 or A2). Originally all cows produced A2 type of milk, and then happened genetic mutations and came in A1!
Sun is the critical energy source for all living organisms.
Indian cows/African cows has the capacity to absorb this sun energy through hump (Suryaketi nadi) and pass it to its milk, urine, dung
Jersy prefers to stay away from sun
Studies have shown that the rays of sun enter the body of the cow through the hump which makes their milk, dung and urine medicinal. If they are not exposed to the sun, they will not get the Vitamin D required to produce calcium in milk. More and more people are going back to the milk procured from native breeds like Sahiwal from Punjab, Gir from Gujarat, and Tharparkar from Rajasthan.
A1 type milk causes inflammation of Gastrointestinal tract, causing delay in waste emptying and also softening of stools! Thus there is reasonable information out there to associate BCM7 and type A1 milk with digestive troubles.
The management of animals is the key to the quality of milk and nutrients. Animals in dairies are kept in dark, dingy places with no access to natural environment, fresh air or sunlight. They drink water from the dirty drains as they are tied in sheds . We have known that urea, soap, starch, and formalin (a preservative known to cause damage to the gastrointestinal tract, liver and kidney) regularly feature in our packaged milk. The dairy industry has been injecting cows with antibiotics to increase yield — the chemicals have been ultimately finding their way into our cuppa.Cows are fed stale and expired bread with oil cakes and dry fodder.
“How can we expect such cows to produce milk that is healthy and nutritious?
If your feeling bloated and uneasy with the regular milk packets switch to A2 milk. But some of you who are lactose intolerant might still face issues .
Curd is more nutritious than milk. Curd is easier to digest as compared to milk . Filled with good bacteria, curd helps in cleaning the digestive tract and also keeps infections at bay.
Boil the milk
Once the milk is luke warm
Add a tsp of starter curd to a bowl and pour the milk
Keep it at room temperature to set overnight.
I have noticed a significant difference in A2 milk. Its creamier and the curd tastes much better than store bought. Since i get a good amount of cream from the milk I am able to make butter and ghee to avoid chemicals and additives in the milk products I use.
Once you churn curd manually by adding water twice or thrice volume of curd, we get buttermilk and butter which are independently more nutritious than curd.
Again under low flame, butter is converted to ghee whose nutrition cannot be matched with any other food.
The butter below is made from the cream of 3 litre milk which i collected over a week. I added a tsp of curd to the bowl and then collected the cream in it.
Ferment the cream with a spoon of curd for two hours
In a mixer churn the cream,then add a glass of water and spin again. the butter will sepeare out.
Remove and separate the butter milk and butter.
Let the butter rest for 5 mins in a cup of cold water.
Strain the water and store butter in fridge.
Do not discard butter milk as it has a lot of nutrients in it.Ghee - This indian superfood is loaded with healthy fats. Not only can it help you with weight loss but it can improve metabolism and immunity.
Removing the milk soilds means ghee is an option for those who are lactose free and ghee is a rich source of butyric acid which can help maintain the integrity of your intestinal health. So ghee is a good option for anyone with a low metabolism,digestion issues and lactose intolerant.
Boil the butter on slow flame until you see a yellow gold colour liquid and the milk solids getting separated.
Choose milk and milk products based on how suitable it is for your body.
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