CHOLESTEROL DIET SECRETS

What the Doctor Didn’t Tell You About the Milk…

When consumers become more health conscious, food manufacturers see it as an opportunity to market new products and increase their profits. Cholesterol has been on the radar of many consumers and it is no surprise to see plenty of brands offering low-cholesterol products. Milk is a basic necessity for the very young and the elderly. Elderly folks are also worried about their cholesterol, and cholesterol is found in milk naturally. Thus, this creates a new opportunity for some manufacturers to introduce “cholesterol-reducing, fat-free” milk.

Milk is consumed regularly, if not daily. Hence, it is very important to understand the potential harmful effects of processed milk. Consumers should be asking “how else could milk be cholesterol-reducing and fat-free unless it is processed, and whether is processed milk suitable for long-term consumption?”

We have been told since young that milk is good for our body, helps with strong bones and teeth. While this (that milk is good) may be true of natural milk, this is certainly not 100% true of processed milk.

Natural milk refers to milk which does not undergo major processing. Breast milk is no doubt the best natural milk, followed by those freshly-bottled goat and cow milk which we can order from responsible farms that do not administer their livestock any chemical feed or injection. Such freshly-bottled milk delivered to our homes every morning are natural and wholesome, and need to be consumed immediately upon delivery.

Any other forms of milk – packet, canned and powdered – with a date of expiry stretching from weeks to months are certainly considered processed milk. If a product is natural, it would not have an extended shelf life, unless it contains preservatives or unless the milk is “dead” (in other words, the milk has been pasteurized).

When milk is pasteurized (heated to very high temperature to kill bacteria), all valuable enzymes in it are destroyed, making it difficult to digest. Our pancreas may produce some of the enzymes in an attempt to help our body to digest pasteurized milk, but doing so puts undue stress on our pancreas which could lead to diabetes and other problems. Unfortunately, not all the enzymes can be produced by the pancreas. This leaves undigested milk in our body; the milk which turns rancid may promote bacteria growth, or worst, cancer.

In addition to being pasteurized, most processed milk today are also homogenized. This is a process of adding butterfat to the milk, which could make the milk turn rancid more easily. The other extreme is found in skim milk, in which naturally-occurring butterfat in the milk is removed. Butterfat enables the body to absorb the vitamins and minerals from the milk. Too much butterfat may complicate an existing cholesterol problem, while too little butterfat renders the milk worthless as the body cannot absorb its nutrients.

It appears that we should reduce consumption of processed (pasteurized or homogenized) milk, which leads us to wonder if we would be depriving our body of calcium and thus affect our bones and teeth. If you are worried about this, fret not! Calcium is available through a variety of food – in meat, poultry products, seafood, dark leafy green vegetables, beans, fruits. If none of these appeals to your appetite, you can still choose calcium supplements.

To your health,

(Courtesy of Cholesterol Diet Secrets)