Legalize Milk, Real Milk

An MP3 audio file of this article, narrated by the author, is available for download .

Got Milk?

Most Americans think they drink milk on a regular basis. In fact, virtually all these people are consuming pasteurized milk, not milk. Milk in its natural state – raw milk – is consumed by very few Americans, because it is illegal in many states and thoroughly discouraged by federal health organizations, regulators, and the Big Dairy lobby.

Raw milk is prohibited in Canada and Australia, although raw milk and raw-milk products are legal almost everywhere else. In fact, in countries with the best cuisines, such as France, raw milk and raw-milk products are considered the high-quality choice.

No wonder. Raw milk is fresher, better tasting, and more nutritious. It is fresher because only refrigeration is used to prevent spoilage, and you immediately know when it is going bad because of the smell and taste. It has to be produced locally or quickly shipped and consumed.

Raw milk is more nutritious than pasteurized milk. Raw milk has living white blood cells, mammary-gland cells, various bacteria (i.e., probiotics), and several active enzymes, which are all destroyed in pasteurization.

There are some European studies that indicate – although nothing is yet definitive – that raw milk might be useful in reducing allergies , asthma , and eczema. Raw milk is also more likely to come from "pastured" cows, which only eat their natural diet: grass. Therefore, the cows are less likely to have been regularly treated with antibiotics and growth hormones.

While we are on the topic of nutrition, it should be pointed out that even though the protein component of milk is one of the best available, the most nutritious part of milk might be the fat component. Butterfat is naturally beneficial . It also contains the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, in which many Americans are deficient. So stop buying skim and low-fat milk.

THIS JUST IN! New music from Talkdemonic, Blitzen Trapper ...

Although not a Portland native, she embodies some of the city’s greatest virtues, practicing and teaching community building techniques on a daily basis. Ana is a writer, business maverick, music specialist, entrepreneur, activist, mother, and patron of the arts. She regularly mentors young artists, instructing them how to earn a living through their art, and represent themselves accurately so that they will be seen, recognized, and their audiences will keep coming back.

And if you act today, Friday June 24, you have a chance to actually be in a Blitzen Trapper video. The band is promising to buy you a drink, and give you a chance to hear some new music if you show up at 1:00 pm at Mississippi Studios or 5:00 pm at Ella St. Social Club. Check the website for details .

Playing his debut Portland gig last Thursday, June 16th, Ryan T. Jacobs is ready to share his still-developing band Melville with Oregon audiences and make a name for himself.  Taking the cramped stage at a packed and noisy LaurelThirst Public House, Jacobs showed that although he’s new to town, he no rookie performer. (Not to mention he’s also a Southern Oregon boy, hailing from Grants Pass.)  Jacobs cut his teeth for years in Berlin and admits that it’s nice to be playing to audiences that can fully understand him, although, he’s clearly at his most confident while intoning his heartfelt lyrics in his stunningly emotive voice.  Combined with the pedal steel of Ben Cartwright (The Tumblers), Melville creates a truly affecting sound, painted with dusty melancholy.  The band has yet to establish a static lineup, but if these two can stick together, that might be all the glue that this project needs.

For full disclosure, Jacobs first came to our attention when he offered to write an article for OMN but we’ll let you decide for yourself if he’s worth checking out.  We promise he sounds as good live as he does on his standout track “Questions,” from Melville’s debut EP  Erstwhile Weird Al back with video for Lady Gaga parody “Perform This Way”

It is  a bit unsettling to watch Weird Al Yankovich’s face superimposed on the body of an attractive woman, but that is exactly what the affable, goofy performer delivers in his self directed video for “Perform This Way,” a pardoy of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.