Just Food Fast - Milk

Milk is a big deal. Those of you going vegan can just avoid it for Lent, or for ever. Those of us who love milk will be happy to know that Pittsburgh has some great small farms and even smallish dairies that do great work. All these milks are available at the East End Food Co-op or at Whole Foods. One is a local, grass-fed, raw milk. Natural by Nature is pasteurized, but is grass fed and delicious. Turner is affordable and mostly grass fed, according to their marketing guy who I talked to a few years back. And Seven Stars Farm is a certified organic farm that does yogurt, it's really good!

All these products are whole milk, whole yogurt, or real half and half. The fats of grass fed cows, either in their meat or in their milk, is high in CLA, conjugated linoleic acid, which is very good for you. Its a long chain fatty acid that actually helps your body regulate and lower high cholesterol. It's also a more even balance between Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats. People who have heart problems are told to take Fish Oil pills to get Omega 3's, or they can eat a steak or drink milk if it's from grass fed cows!!!Milk from grass fed cows is also high in vitamins that are not present to the same levels as conventional milk.

For breakfast this morning I had Seven Stars yogurt with some Ezekiel Sprouted Grain cereal, not local but organic and very good. I finished it off with a little local honey bought from the bulk section at the co-op.

Soon I'll post a bunch more about the really remarkable benefits for the environment and biodiversity that a grass based farm brings.