Is organic milk really better?

Organic anything is better than the non-organic equivalent -- it's not necessarily better *nutritionally* but better for the body due to the care taken to avoid pesticides, unnecessary antibiotics, and so on. We are exposed to so much pollution and toxic substances as it is, so any opportunity to limit exposure is a big benefit in my mind.

It's also much better for the environment. I made sure the last bedsheets I bought were organic cotton, and not because I thought regular cotton sheets would be toxic to me in anyway. But the more we buy organic, the more pesticides we're keeping out of our air and water.

As you can tell, I'm pretty biased in this regard. :-)

Completely agree. I work for a fair trade cafe that uses locally organic food INCLUDING milk. I don't mind spending the extra $2.00 to drink a milk that tastes better, has less pesticides AND is bought locally therefore supporting our local farmers. My daughter drinks full fat milk (3.25%) because they are GOOD fats!

ANother thing to think about when you decide on organic milk or regular milk is a lot of people choose organic so you are not consuming the growth hormone that cows are given to increase milk production. Studies have shown that the acid and digestive enzymes we have will kill the growth hormone and thus posing no issue to humans.

It all comes down to a personal choice. No one is right or wrong based on which they feel is better.

If you don't like them drinking milk then why "must" they? Milk is really no better a source of calcium than spinach or other leafy greens. Why do you think cows milk is so full of calcium? Because they eat greens. And these days most dairy cows DON'T eat greens so their milk is refortified with calcium in which case you might as well skip that fattening cows milk and give them almond milk as well.

How is cows milk "fattening"... no single food is fattening. Fats are actually good for your body in moderation.

Personally I would go for regular milk over almond milk. More protein and good fats.

perhaps "fattening" was a poor choice in words. you are correct no single food is fattenting but if whole milk is drank in abundance then yes that is fattening. Perhaps a better choice in words would be "cholesterol filled"

First of all spinach isn't absorbed buy the body very well, making one of the worst sources of calcium and consuming vegetable oil in abundance can be fattening and dietary cholesterol has almost no impact on serum cholesterol. This sounds like the dogma pitch of vegetarian websites where people are primed to believe, as opposed to research.

True, spinach and other leafy greens are better absorbed when pared with vitamine C....yes, consuiming anything in abundance can be fattening which is why I said fattening was a poor choice of words. In healthy individuals with a healthy dietary cholesterol does have little impact on serum cholesterol but dietary cholesterol is the one way that we have any control whatsoever over our serum cholesterol....all of that aside, I'm simply pointing out that the OP mentioned she would rather her kids not drink milk but "if they must..." so I'm saying it's not something they "must" do. Pleanty of people do just fine without milk

I don't think so but I also drink 2-3 gallons a week and prefer to pay 3 bucks a gallon as opposed to 5-6 bucks a half gallon.... lol..... Best of Luck

I started by organic milk for my boys years ago and we learned that for one of my son's it made a difference with some allergies or something. He's not at stuffy anymore. Could be coincedental, but that's why I switched.

I buy my boys organic, I buy 2% Lactaid milk for my husband, and Non-fat Lactaid, but mostly coconut milk for myself. Usually, that's about $12 a week.

Both my kids were allergic to milk right off the bat, so they never drank it and they are healthy adults now. Milk is for baby cows and there really isn't a reason we need to drink it. Protein and calcium come from lots of other sources.:bigsmile:

Organic is better because the cows are not injected with hormones which means your children are not drinking the hormone infused milk.

I think it is if you must purchase milk at all.
IMO Milk is socially accepted inter species breast feeding. We're the only species that drinks milk after we have weened ourselves off milk from our mothers. There are plenty places to calcium that isn't milk.
Organic is better IMO, it lasts a lot longer and you don't have the hormones or antibiotics pumping into your system.

We're also the only species that buy our food from a grocery store. We're also the only species that drive cars, and use computers. We're the only species that write operas.

What was your point exactly?

(Also, my adult cat drinks milk when he sees it, he's several years past being weaned off his mother...)

Both my kids were allergic to milk right off the bat, so they never drank it and they are healthy adults now. Milk is for baby cows and there really isn't a reason we need to drink it. Protein and calcium come from lots of other sources.:bigsmile:

But why go to those other sources if you like to drink milk? Eggs are for hatching baby chickens and there really isn't a reason that you need to eat them. /end sarcasm Drink it if you like it, don't drink it if you don't.

If you don't like them drinking milk then why "must" they? Milk is really no better a source of calcium than spinach or other leafy greens. Why do you think cows milk is so full of calcium? Because they eat greens. And these days most dairy cows DON'T eat greens so their milk is refortified with calcium in which case you might as well skip that fattening cows milk and give them almond milk as well.

How is cows milk "fattening"... no single food is fattening. Fats are actually good for your body in moderation.

Personally I would go for regular milk over almond milk. More protein and good fats.

perhaps "fattening" was a poor choice in words. you are correct no single food is fattenting but if whole milk is drank in abundance then yes that is fattening. Perhaps a better choice in words would be "cholesterol filled"

First of all spinach isn't absorbed buy the body very well, making one of the worst sources of calcium and consuming vegetable oil in abundance can be fattening and dietary cholesterol has almost no impact on serum cholesterol. This sounds like the dogma pitch of vegetarian websites where people are primed to believe, as opposed to research.

True, spinach and other leafy greens are better absorbed when pared with vitamine C....yes, consuiming anything in abundance can be fattening which is why I said fattening was a poor choice of words. In healthy individuals with a healthy dietary cholesterol does have little impact on serum cholesterol but dietary cholesterol is the one way that we have any control whatsoever over our serum cholesterol....all of that aside, I'm simply pointing out that the OP mentioned she would rather her kids not drink milk but "if they must..." so I'm saying it's not something they "must" do. Pleanty of people do just fine without milk

That's fine, I'm just pointing out the flaws in your statement. It's not the Vit C in spinach it's the oxalate and zinc that bind to the calcium, so no spinach is not good source. There's also a reason that there's no RDA for cholesterol in Canada, because the studies show it doesn't matter and telling moms to skip milk. or eggs for the morning ritual for their children leaves lots of sugary stuff and funnily enough, sugar is what really messes with our cholesterol, I know it sounds weird, but true.

Organic anything is better than the non-organic equivalent -- it's not necessarily better *nutritionally* but better for the body due to the care taken to avoid pesticides, unnecessary antibiotics, and so on. We are exposed to so much pollution and toxic substances as it is, so any opportunity to limit exposure is a big benefit in my mind.

It's also much better for the environment. I made sure the last bedsheets I bought were organic cotton, and not because I thought regular cotton sheets would be toxic to me in anyway. But the more we buy organic, the more pesticides we're keeping out of our air and water.

As you can tell, I'm pretty biased in this regard. :-)

Totally agree here. Traditional milk is full of crap you don't want to feed your kids. Not to mention--it is just an ethical fail considering the horrible lives of most dairy cows. You also might want to Google it, but there is a big debate in the scientific communities as to whether or not the calcium in spinach can be absorbed. That is touched on in this other MFP thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/870206-milk

As I mention there, I'm a big supporter of Kalona Supernatural milk--it is hitting more and more stores. The cows lead better lives and are grass-fed. The milk is hormone and pesticide free. It's non-homogenized and vat pasturized to help retain more of the nutrients (as even a lot of other organic milk can process out some of the nutrients). Any way, more info here: http://www.kalonasupernatural.com/our-process/

No, I don't work for them or anything lol.

My mom hates hates hates milk, but this stuff she loves. I honestly don't know how 99% of the stuff people are drinking can even be called milk. 1% tastes horrid to me and is pretty much just a slightly less processed diet food.

There is really not a large difference organic vs. non organic milk....

First lets address the amount of growth hormones in non-organic milk. Farmers who go organic (BST_ growth hormone free) make a pledge to do so....but there is no scientific way to actaully tell if the hormones are used on cows because cows natrually produce BST all on their own. Son any test on any milk producing cow will show BST in its milk.

As far as no antibiotics goes....when an animal is sick no matter what farm it is on the farmer will treat the illness...antibiotics can be used, there are ways of tracing most antibiotics and milk from farms are tested to this point....most farmers dont add the milk from a sick animal into the tank of healthy animals as there are fines and possible money losses involved.

Organic milk lasts longer??? why?? well its not because its organic it is because they double pasturize it...which gives it a longer shelf life than regular -cheaper milk...in others words the pasturization process kills more of the enzymes that break down the fats that eventually cause milk to sour....if you notice skim milk also last longer (because there is less fat in it same amount of enzymes just no fuel for them to eat) . So one of the costs your are paying for is this doulbe treatment process that is not necessary to imporve the health benifits of the milk you drink.

On a side not e - I would not buy RAW milk unless you know the source....pasturization kills bacteria....raw milk can contain harmful bacteria...especially if you dont know how clean the working operations of a farm are dont buy the raw milk. In fact farmers who sell raw have to have a special license to do so...so make sure the source has this license...otherwise steer clear.

But still some feel that organic is better for them....let them spend the extra money....to each their own just know all sides of the choices you make.

That's fine, I'm just pointing out the flaws in your statement. It's not the Vit C in spinach it's the oxalate and zinc that bind to the calcium, so no spinach is not good source. There's also a reason that there's no RDA for cholesterol in Canada, because the studies show it doesn't matter and telling moms to skip milk. or eggs for the morning ritual for their children leaves lots of sugary stuff and funnily enough, sugar is what really messes with our cholesterol, I know it sounds weird, but true.

Weird! That led me to do some research. It seems that sugar actually lowers you HDL (good) cholesterol. I had no clue!

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20100420/high-sugar-diet-linked-lower-good-cholesterol

We always hear about the things that "raise" you cholesterol but never hear about what certain things are doing to otherwise send out cholesterol out of wack.

I have more I could certainly say, but really it would be just for the sake of argument and I don't want to further derail this thread.

There is really not a large difference organic vs. non organic milk....

First lets address the amount of growth hormones in non-organic milk. Farmers who go organic (BST_ growth hormone free) make a pledge to do so....but there is no scientific way to actaully tell if the hormones are used on cows because cows natrually produce BST all on their own. Son any test on any milk producing cow will show BST in its milk.

As far as no antibiotics goes....when an animal is sick no matter what farm it is on the farmer will treat the illness...antibiotics can be used, there are ways of tracing most antibiotics and milk from farms are tested to this point....most farmers dont add the milk from a sick animal into the tank of healthy animals as there are fines and possible money losses involved.

Organic milk lasts longer??? why?? well its not because its organic it is because they double pasturize it...which gives it a longer shelf life than regular -cheaper milk...in others words the pasturization process kills more of the enzymes that break down the fats that eventually cause milk to sour....if you notice skim milk also last longer (because there is less fat in it same amount of enzymes just no fuel for them to eat) . So one of the costs your are paying for is this doulbe treatment process that is not necessary to imporve the health benifits of the milk you drink.

On a side not e - I would not buy RAW milk unless you know the source....pasturization kills bacteria....raw milk can contain harmful bacteria...especially if you dont know how clean the working operations of a farm are dont buy the raw milk. In fact farmers who sell raw have to have a special license to do so...so make sure the source has this license...otherwise steer clear.

But still some feel that organic is better for them....let them spend the extra money....to each their own just know all sides of the choices you make.

Canada doesn't use antibiotics or growth hormones in any milk production, regular or organic, and organic has a shorter life up here....just to let people know not everyone lives in the USA.

So true, applies to EU as well, growth hormones, plus GM foods are banned

I'd be concerned about the hormones and stuff in regular milk. But I'd also have everyone in the house on the same milk. There is no reason for anyone to drink fat-free or reduced fat anything, period. Animal fats, especially from organic, grass fed products are very healthy.

I raised my son into a healthy and physically fit young guy without milk or milk substitutes. You honestly don't NEED to give children cow's milk for any real reason. Think about why a human might possibly NEED the milk of some other animal....really. What other animal in the world needs some other animal's milk to survive and grow? If you want to give them milk, and if they like it, that's a whole different thing. But they will grow and be perfectly healthy without it, I swear. My son is a very athletic guy--in his final years of studying professional ballet, so he dances about 6 hrs a day, and has danced that much on a daily basis since he was 11 years old. He's nearly 18 now. All without milk or milk substitutes.

What does "NEEDING" milk have to do with anything? You can make the same statement about pretty much any single food item. There is always an alternate source of those nutrients. The discussion is, Is Organic Milk Better. Not, who raised thier children on milk substitutes.