I always assumed that organic milk or for that fact anything organic would be better than the normal, right? But it wasn’t until a recent health scare of mine when I decided to take a good look at what I could be doing to achieve the health I had 15 years ago, that I discovered how much better organic milk really is.  It seems someone in the lab put the wrong values down for my blood work, this gave me a pretty scary wake up call. I decided to do everything I could think of to improve my health.

One of the first and easiest things I decided to  change was switching  to organic milk. Before I just felt it was too expensive but when it came down to my health or money, my health was going to win. And my recent blood work was telling me that I had a possible serious and life threatening health issue.

It was only by accident that I came across some amazing facts about the actual difference  between regular milk and organic milk. These are some of the facts that I think you will be surprised to discover and may actually persuade you to switch to organic milk without having a scare like I did.
 
 
Health Benefits of Organic Milk     

The health benefits of organic milk include more Omega 3, more CLA, more antioxidants and more vitamins than conventional milk. Milk is one of the most important components of our diet as its consumption ensures healthy growth and development. The modern dairies, however, use different types of chemicals for milk production.

These include pesticides, and fertilizers for growing the fodder, and hormones, and antibiotics fed to the cows. Excessive usage of these chemicals in conventional milk production, and the harmful effects they create have resulted in an increased demand for organic milk from health conscious consumers.

Currently only 3% of the total milk sold in the US is organic milk; however, this segment is growing rapidly at a rate of over 20% per annum. The market for organic milk is growing in other countries as well, with over 30% in the UK. Why is the demand for organic milk increasing so rapidly? The apparent answer is – Organic milk is healthier than conventional milk.

While organic milk retains all the benefits provided by non-organic milk, it also provides certain additional benefits. The health benefits of organic milk were researched by a team from the Danish Institute of Agricultural Research. The research, which was presented at one of the Annual Conferences of UK’s Soil Association, is considered to be path-breaking. The Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative also provides various benefits of organic milk.
     
Organic Milk has More Omega3     

Organic milk has more Omega3 than non-organic milk. What is Omega3 and why is Omega3 important? Omega3 is an essential fatty acid which is required for healthy growth and its deficiency has been the reason of various health problems recently. Regular intake of Omega3 keeps you away from various diseases and helps you in reducing incidences of heart disease, inflammations (in skin diseases such as eczema), cancer, arthritis, etc.

Organic Milk has 71% more Omega3

Research conducted at the University of Aberdeen shows that organic milk has about 71% more omega 3 than conventional milk. Why does organic milk have more Omega 3 than conventional milk? According to the research conducted by Dr. Richard Dewhurst and his team at the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, organic cows, which are pasture grazed, are fed with more quantity of red clover than the conventional cows. Red clover contains large amount of Omega3 which passes to the cow and to you through its milk.

Organic Milk has More CLA     

More Conjugated Linoleic Acid: Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) increases metabolic rate, immunity to diseases and muscle growth. It also reduces abdominal fat, cholesterol, and allergic reactions. Itis worth noting that human body cannot produce this substance and most of our CLA intake happens through the milk and milk products that we consume.

Now, you will be surprised to know that cows that are grazed on pastures produce 500% more CLA in their milk than cows that are fed fodder. This definitely calls for preference to organic milk over non-organic milk. Recent animal studies have shown that conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is beneficial cancer treatment and this has further increased people’s interest in organic milk.
 
Organic Milk has More Antioxidants     

More Antioxidants: Organic milk has two to three times higher concentration of antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin than non-organic milk. Lutein is extremely important for eye health and is effective in preventing numerous eye diseases such as macular degeneration and cataract.

Zeaxanthin is also important for good eye health. It protects the eye from UV damage and free radicals. It is very helpful in preventing cataract, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and macular degeneration.

Organic Milk Does Not Have Chemicals     

No Chemical Contamination: Organic cows are grazed on pastures that are grown through organic means. Hence their milk is not contaminated with harmful chemicals such as residues of pesticides, fertilizers, hormones, etc.

Further, this nutrient rich organic milk does not contain traces of antibiotics, GM feed, urea, fertility hormones, etc., as these are not fed to the cows for higher milk production. You can also get valuable information about the health benefits of raw milk and milk in general, on the web page of Organic Pastures Dairy Company. It will clarify your doubts about processes such as homogenization and pasteurization, and role of enzymes and immunoglobulins.

By consuming organic milk, you also ensure that you do not harm the environment. The pesticides used in non-organic farming are wiping out numerous species of beneficial insects, butterflies, and birds. It is estimated that about 672 million birds are affected by large amount of pesticides used on US agricultural farms and 10% of these are killed due to these pesticides.
 

Moreover, the ratio of Omega3 to Omega6 is higher in organic milk. Though Omega6 is also required for healthy growth, excessive Omega6 can be bad at times. Increased consumption of vegetable oils such as corn, soybean, and sunflower, has resulted in an increased intake of Omega 6 in our body. Hence organic milk consumption serves as an effective means of controlling the balance between Omega3 and Omega6 proportions in our body.

So now that you know the benefits of organic milk and still not convinced that it’s really worth the higher price, just think about the saying “pay me now, or pay me later.” Staying heathly longer will save you money and grief in the long run.

Later note: While I always drank milk with most meals before, I didn’t really drink it beyond that. Once I started drinking organic milk I would find myself craving a glass of milk. Obviously I think my body was telling me something. Perhaps I needed something that I was missing in regular milk.