Just revealed: What many of us knew all along -- organic milk really is more nutritious than conventional milk! This news had people like me forwarding the recent study (funded by the EU) to friends, family, and colleagues under the subject line "See, I f***ing told you!!!"
Organic advocates rejoice, we have more proof for our camp. In addition to stating the obvious -- that we're better off without pesticide residues and trace amounts of antibiotics and artificial hormones -- we can now tout superior nutritional quality as another reason why organic milk is worth it.
What do the researchers mean by more nutritious? Organic milk was found to be lower in saturated fat and higher in more healthful omega-3 fatty acids. Some experts suggest this may actually be more due to the amount of time cows spend on pasture. Organic cows in the UK eat more grass and less grain, which may account for the increased omega-3s.
While this is good news to those of us willing and able to buy organic milk, I can't help wondering about women who are on assistance. Did you know that in most states, WIC doesn't allow you to choose organic milk? Even if you're managing your WIC dollars carefully and manage not to overspend, you aren't allowed to use WIC money on organic milk.
Washington State says they could find "no nutritional benefit" of organic over conventional. Now that there's evidence contradicting that statement, will states change their policy? And why is pesticide-free, nutrient-rich food still considered a luxury poor people aren't worthy of? If you're not convinced by the omega-3 boost, what about the cost the American public pays for chronic illnesses associated with pesticides in our food?
Check this list to see if your state doesn't allow women on WIC to purchase organic milk.
Image via NYMilk
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Comments 12
I'm in WA and we used to be on WIC. They allowed organic, and with the newer "healthier" changes, they removed the ability to buy it. I was really disappointed.
My kids have been vaccinated, breastfed and we don't buy organic. I can count on one hand how many times my kids have been ill....little colds here and there don't count.
I was going to point out the UK aspect too. I imagine their agricultural standards are different than ours, even if they are a western country. Really tho, you have to decide if its worth it to pay that much more for fatty acids and less fat. I decide its not.
Taube - Organic is not a waste of money for people who don't wish for their children and themselves to ingest hormones meant for cows. It also tastes better (though that is obviously opinion) and has a longer shelf life.
When we had WIC overseas in Germany we were allowed organic milk, even after the changes they recently made. You definitely cannot get that in GA though. Although, they are finally allowing natural peanut butter here, which is nice.
I Love organic milk. It tastes so much better. I agree with the above poster's first paragraph (as the second one wouldn't pertain to me :) )
Awsome now how does it taste? And can I get it in the small town that I live in?
We have bought organic milk for a long time now, we love to get from our local small farms if we can.
Organic milk is still pastuerized which kills off the beneficial bacterias and basically makes what was a "living food" into a dead food. We did not give our older daughter milk until we could locate a raw milk source. Now, farms selling raw milk have been threatened and gone after due to so-called health risks (and yet you can still buy cigarettes at the grocery store). There are many people who normally cannot have milk but are able to drink raw milk because it contains the enzymes needed to digest it. Homogenizing the milk (in other words, making it all one consistency) is the reason that there are concerns with drinking whole milk. The fats are broken up in a way that causes more issues in our arteries than the fats in raw milk.
Unfortunately, we are living in times where the government will continue making decisions for our and not in ways that will truly make us healthy but decisions that are made due to who pays out the most money.
I do drink regular milk but my older daughter is drinking almond milk these days. Why? Her excema got worse while we were in South Korea (where she was drinking regular milk because raw milk is impossible to find). Her excema problems were barely present when she was on the raw milk and since she's been drinking the almond milk, they have disappeared. Our nearest raw milk source is about an hour away and $8/gallon.