What's In That Glass Of Cow's Milk?

This fact about cow's milk is a bit hard to swallow...

"According to the USDA, 1 in 6 dairy cows in the United States suffers from clinical mastitis, which is responsible for 1 in 6 dairy cow deaths on U.S. dairy farms. This level of disease is reflected in the concentration of somatic cells in the American milk supply. Somatic cell counts greater than a million per teaspoon are abnormal and "almost always” caused by mastitis. When a cow is infected, greater than 90 percent of the somatic cells in her milk are neutrophils, the inflammatory immune cells that form pus. The average somatic cell count in U.S. milk per spoonful is 1,120,000.

So how much pus is there in a glass of milk? A million cells per spoonful sounds like a lot, but pus is really concentrated. According to my calculations based on USDA data released last month, the average cup of milk in the United States would not be expected to contain more than a single drop of pus.
As the dairy industry points out, the accumulation of pus is a natural part of an animal’s defense system. So pus itself isn’t a bad thing, we just may not want to have it in our mouth.

And you can taste the difference. A study published in the Journal of Dairy Science found that cheese made from high somatic cell count milk had both texture and flavor defects as well as increased clotting time compared to milk conforming to the much more stringent European standards. The U.S. dairy industry, however, insists that there is no food safety risk. If the udders of our factory-farmed dairy cows are inflamed and infected, industry folks say, it doesn’t matter, because we pasteurize—the pus gets cooked. But just as parents may not want to feed their children fecal matter in meat even if it’s irradiated fecal matter, they might not want to feed their children pasteurized pus."

From Dr. Michael Greger, www.nutritionfacts.org

Spotting Dairy Ingredients On Nutrition Labels

DEFINITELY DAIRY INGREDIENTS

The following list is from http://www.godairyfree.com/, based on the book of the same name by Alisa Marie Fleming

Acidophilus Milk Ammonium Caseinate Butter Butter Fat Butter Oil Butter Solids Buttermilk Buttermilk Powder Calcium Caseinate Casein Caseinate (in general) Cheese (All animal-based) Condensed Milk Cottage Cheese Cream Curds Custard Delactosed Whey Demineralized Whey Dry Milk Powder Dry Milk Solids Evaporated Milk

Ghee (see p109) Goat Milk Half & Half Hydrolyzed Casein Hydrolyzed Milk Protein Iron Caseinate Lactalbumin Lactoferrin Lactoglobulin Lactose Lactulose Low-Fat Milk Magnesium Caseinate Malted Milk Milk Milk Derivative Milk Fat Milk Powder Milk Protein Milk Solids Natural Butter Flavor Nonfat Milk

Nougat Paneer Potassium Caseinate Pudding Recaldent Rennet Casein Skim Milk Sodium Caseinate Sour Cream Sour Milk Solids Sweetened Condensed Milk Sweet Whey Whey Whey Powder Whey Protein Concentrate Whey Protein Hydrolysate Whipped Cream Whipped Topping Whole Milk Yogurt Zinc Caseinate

POTENTIALLY DAIRY INGREDIENTS

• Artificial or Natural Flavors/Flavoring – These are vague ingredients, which may be derived from a dairy source. A few of particular concern are butter, coconut cream, and egg flavors.
• Fat Replacers - Brands such as Dairy-Lo® and Simplesse® are made with milk protein.
• Galactose – This is often a lactose byproduct, but it can also be derived from sugar beets and other gums.
• High Protein or Protein – Ingredients noted with no further details may be derived from milk proteins (casein or whey). This is particularly true in “High Energy” foods.
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein - The processing phase may use casein, but only trace amounts would likely remain.
• Lactic Acid Starter Culture - These cultures may be prepared by using milk as an initial growth medium.
• Lactobacillus – This term is noted often as a probiotic. It is in fact bacteria, not a food byproduct, and is named as such for its ability to convert lactose and other simple sugars to lactic acid. Though often utilized in milk products to create lactic acid, on its own, this ingredient is not always a concern. However, in some cases it may have been cultured or produced on dairy, and thus have the potential to contain trace amounts.
• Margarine - Milk proteins are in most brands, though not all.
• Prebiotics – A newcomer on the digestive health scene, these are indigestible carbohydrates. They are quite different from probiotics, which are living microorganisms. Prebiotics, such as galacto-oligosaccharides, lactosucrose, lactulose and lactitol may be derived from milk-based foods.

RARELY DAIRY INGREDIENTS

• Calcium or Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate – Stearoyl lactylates are derived from the combination of lactic acid (See any potential concerns with lactic acid below) and stearic acid. They are generally considered non-dairy and safe for the lactose intolerant and milk allergic (again, see below). However, the stearic acid may be animal derived, which could be a concern for vegans.
• Calcium, Sodium, or Potassium Lactate - Lactates are salts derived from the neutralization of lactic acid, and are rarely a dairy concern. For example, it was noted that the lactate found in one brand of orange juice was made from sugar cane.
• Caramel Color – Anything with caramel in its title may sound like a dairy red flag, but caramel color is typically derived from corn syrup and occasionally from potatoes, wheat, or other carbohydrate sources. While lactose is a permitted carbohydrate in the production of caramel color, it is rarely, if ever used.
• Lactic Acid – Lactic acid is created via the fermentation of sugars, and can be found in many dairy-free and/or vegan foods. Most commercially used lactic acid is fermented from carbohydrates, such as cornstarch, potatoes or molasses, and thus dairy-free. Though lactic acid can be fermented from lactose, its use is generally (I said generally; where concerned, always check with the manufacturer) restricted to dairy products, such as ice cream and cream cheese.

SURPRISINGLY DAIRY-FREE INGREDIENTS

• Calcium Propionate
• Calcium Carbonate
• Calcium Citrate
• Calcium Phosphate
• Cocoa Butter
• Cocoa Powder
• Coconut Butter
• Coconut Cream
• Cream of Coconut
• Cream of Tartar
• Creamed Honey
• Fruit Butter (Apple, Pumpkin, etc)
• Glucono Delta-Lactone
• Lecithin Oleoresin
• Malted Barley or other Grain-Based Malts
• Malt Liquor
• Malt Vinegar
• Milk Thistle
• Nut Butters (Peanut, Almond, etc.)
• Shea Butter

For a thorough list of other animal ingredients found in foods, please visit:

http://www.happycow.net/health-animal-ingredients.html

Acidophilus Milk Ammonium Caseinate Butter Butter Fat Butter Oil Butter Solids Buttermilk Buttermilk Powder Calcium Caseinate Casein Caseinate (in general) Cheese (All animal-based) Condensed Milk Cottage Cheese Cream Curds Custard Delactosed Whey Demineralized Whey Dry Milk Powder Dry Milk Solids Evaporated Milk

Ghee (see p109) Goat Milk Half & Half Hydrolyzed Casein Hydrolyzed Milk Protein Iron Caseinate Lactalbumin Lactoferrin Lactoglobulin Lactose Lactulose Low-Fat Milk Magnesium Caseinate Malted Milk Milk Milk Derivative Milk Fat Milk Powder Milk Protein Milk Solids Natural Butter Flavor Nonfat Milk

Nougat Paneer Potassium Caseinate Pudding Recaldent Rennet Casein Skim Milk Sodium Caseinate Sour Cream Sour Milk Solids Sweetened Condensed Milk Sweet Whey Whey Whey Powder Whey Protein Concentrate Whey Protein Hydrolysate Whipped Cream Whipped Topping Whole Milk Yogurt Zinc Caseinate