Pariprashnena — Q&A Archive

Human milk is good for humans....

Cows milk? As Srila Prabhupada explained - you can get animal protein from cows milk without harming the animal. Human beings can process an omnivorous diet. They can eat meat and animal protein. So they can process milk, etc.

I would say that in the correct moderation and as part of a properly balanced diet, and free from GE, chemicals, and hormones, cows milk can form an integral part of a healthy human diet.

How much of that is dependent on unprocessed foods, whole grains, living with the animals in contact with the land, Im not sure. Once you start making everything artificial, separated, processed, "enhanced", and alienated, pretty much anything becomes unhealthy.

Modern Dairies Turn Cows Into Milk Machines
Gone are the days when cows roamed freely, were milked by hand and were recognised as part of our families, culture and ecosystem. Today, cattle in tabelas spend their lives confined to narrow stalls, where they are forced to stand in their own excrement and are impregnated and milked over and over again. To boost milk production, some farmers give cows injections of oxytocin '96 a banned substance that is harmful to both cows and humans '96 or they painfully shove sticks into the cow'92s uterus. When their worn-out bodies can no longer produce milk, cows are discarded, sent to illegal slaughter or abandoned on roads to starve to death.

Cows create milk for the same reason that all mammals do: to feed their babies '96 not other species. Calves born to cows on tabelas are usually killed for leather or tied up and left to starve to death. Other calves'92 stomachs are slit while they are still alive for rennet, the acid that is extracted for making cheese.

Milk: A Human Health Risk
Think milk does the human body good? Think again.

'95 The fat and cholesterol in dairy products not only pack on the pounds, but they also clog arteries, agitate hormone levels and feed tumours. Dairy products are linked to heart disease, cancer and adult-onset (type II) diabetes.
'95 Milk is bad for your bones '96 its excessive animal protein leaches calcium from bones, making them brittle and easily broken. A ground-breaking Harvard study of more than 75,000 nurses found that the women who drank the most milk had the most bone fractures.
'95 About 33 per cent of Indians, including 70 per cent of South Indians, are lactose-intolerant '96 milk gives them painful bloating, gas, stomach cramps and diarrhoea.
'95 Dairy products are frequently contaminated with pesticides, hormones and antibiotics. Farmers often inject cows with prolactin and oxytocin, which seep into milk and cause spasms, muscle contractions and hormonal imbalances in humans.
from http://petaindia.org

OXYTOXIN:side effects:
What side effects may I notice from receiving oxytocin?
Side effects with oxytocin are rare. Serious side effects with oxytocin include:
'95chest pain or difficulty breathing
'95confusion
'95difficulty passing urine, sudden weight gain
'95excessive or continuing vaginal bleeding
'95fast or irregular heartbeat (palpitations)
'95seizures (convulsions)
'95severe or continuing headaches
'95skin rash or itching (hives)
'95unusual swelling

http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/DVH/Uses/0,3915,516%7COxytocin,00.html

Pure organic milk:

Milk should be organic, whole and non-homogenized. Homogenized milk is very difficult to digest and can easily clog the finer channels of circulation. It is probable that milk that is not certified organic may contain rBGH. These are hormones that artificially increase milk production in the cow. The only way we know to avoid rBGH is to purchase organic milk because currently the FDA does not require labeling on milk products that may have come from cows injected with the hormone. Cows milk is considered to be the best but raw goat milk is fine to use too.

Milk should not be mixed or eaten with sour, bitter, salty, astringent, or pungent tastes. That means the old American tradition of drinking a glass of cold milk with dinner should be avoided and the milk replaced with pure drinking water or juice. When combined with incompatible tastes, milk becomes indigestible and causes the build-up of harmful toxins in the body. Meals cooked with milk and fish or meat should be avoided such as in the popular clam chowder. However, warm milk may be consumed with sweet tastes such as rice, cream of wheat, dates, mangos, and almonds. If you wish to have warm milk then it is best to wait at least one hour after you have eaten a meal.

Warm milk consumed 30 minutes before bed can aid in falling asleep or a cup of warm milk with a teaspoon of Almond Energy can make a good late afternoon snack that provides nourishment and energy and is also very satisfying if you are hungry or have a sweet craving. Warm milk with a little natural sweetener makes a great afternoon snack for children when they come home after school.

http://www.organicconsumers.org

http://www.mapi.com/en/newsletters/ayurveda_&_milk.html

http://varnasram.org [harekrsnafarms]

ps. As there are practically no organic milk,from protected cows, we are getting only milk from exploited cows.Otherwise,milk is the most precious liquid food,as confirmed by ayurveda.

Hare Krishna.

Then again, Srila Prabhupada established regular store-bought milk offered regularly in the Temples to the Lord. So we should offer Lord Krishna milk which is boiled for a bit (or three times) and then sweetened with sugar, like Srila Prabhupada taught; this is nice for Him, good for the cows; whose milk is offered to God, for the farmers who help provide it, and good for the devotees and people and animals who honor the Lords prasadam. However, some persons with chronic diseases do not do well with milk, and should avoid it or take it with herbs, spices and/or digestive enzymes. Some acute disease conditions require abstinence from milk (such as fevers). Srila Prabhupada gave several excellent remedies for colds which (surprise) use milk as a base. Many Ayurvedic medicines are taken with milk as a kind of absorption vehicle. Dr. Vasant Ladd told me that homogenized milk coats the arteries because the body does not know how to separate the fat back out. And similarly the body does not know how to utilize de-mineralized white sugar, so demara (natural cane) or sucanat should be used to sweeten milk. Boiling it lightens and purifies it and spices counteract kapha tendencies and increase digestability. Other medicines can help clean the arteries. In Dallas, Srila Prabhupada instructed that the children must each drink at least half liter of milk everyday (two cups). Seems the positives outweigh the negatives in Srila Prabhupadas expert opinion. For two main reasons that i can see: Lord Krishna likes cows, milk and milk products. It nourishes finer brain tissues so essential for spiritual understanding.

Srila Prabhupada said that milk should be drunk "pipping hot", which means it almost burns the tongue, ie. is so hot it must be sipped..such hot milk nourishes the finer brain tissues so we can consider deep spiritual matters and it should be taken alone at night while hearing Krishna Book! Sometimes ripe bananas were added to reduce lusty tendencies. We also heard he said that cold milk does not rise to the brain, but goes down and out in the urine. As an aside, Srila Prabhupada also said that wrestling nourished the brain in men by raising the semen upwards. Wrestling is one of the "two Vaisnava sports" (along with swimming). To persons who say it is only for calves, Srila Prabhupada explained that the cow produces more milk than is needed for her calf--that milk is for the rest of the creatures, thus she is Mother. If possible we should offer Sri Gopal the raw, organic milk, since it is the best, otherwise store-bought will be acceptable.

Some devotees drink soy milk or even feed babies with formula made of soy. Dr. Mercola discourages this.
Roseann from Califon, New Jersey, has this to say:

"Wow! And to think, Ive stopped drinking cows milk because of my inability to obtain it RAW here in New Jersey, so Ive switched to SILK Organic Unsweetened Soy Milk thinking it was healthier. Having had both thyroid and breast cancer, I thought Id be getting the Isoflavones that are supposed to prevent cancer in hopes of preventing the cancer from returning. I figured since its organic and doesnt contain any GMOs, and it wasnt sweetened with any high fructose corn syrup or cane juice, that it was safe and healthier to drink. Oh well, guess I was wrong about that one. Thank you for providing this very interesting and informative article. It seems the FDA is out to kill us all eventually. They want to make us sick with the food they promote so that we will have to buy the drugs they promote. I am now in the process of obtaining a permit to have a barn built on my 5.5 acre property so that I can house the two Jersey cows I plan to purchase. My neighbors have already expressed concern about us having livestock here. One neighbor said she finds the deer fence that surrounds my organic vegetable garden unsightly. Ask me if I care! Once I have my own cows, I can have raw milk and cream and can make my own cheese."

Pamela from Wilbraham, Massachusetts, comments:

"I have read Dr. Daniels book and have found it to be an excellent resource. When I realized that soy that has been force-fed to cattle for years will not only cause them to gain large amounts of weight, but cut their life-span in half, I made an effort to give up all forms of soy. Not easy, as it is in nearly everything at the conventional supermarket. Out of curiosity I asked my friends who consumed tofu and soy milk and was surprised to find that they all had some form of thyroid disease, including Graves Disease, Hashimotos Disease, and some were taking large amounts of thyroid medication. Soy also causes a big problem with flatulence, which makes me wonder why so many people think it is such a good thing. It is my belief that the problem with soy is only going to worsen with the new ... soybean oil, Vistive produced by Monsanto. Most restaurants wanting to lower their trans fats will be found to be using this. It is genetically modified and in my opinion will cause great harm to the consumer."

NOW they are admitting...

(NaturalNews) Most people are unaware that clean, raw milk from grass-fed cows was actually used as a medicine in the early part of the 20th century. Raw milk - straight from the cow - has been called the "stem cell" of foods. It was used as medicine to treat, and many times cure, some serious diseases. From the time of Hippocrates until just after World War II, this miracle liquid nourished and healed millions.

Clean raw milk from pastured cows is a completely balanced food. You could live on it exclusively if you had to.
Raw milk ingredients that make it such a powerful food:
Proteins
Raw cows milk has all 20 of the standard amino acids, which saves our bodies the work of having to convert any into usable form. About 80% of the proteins in milk are caseins (reasonably heat stable but easy to digest). The other 20% fall into the class of whey proteins. These are also easy to digest, but also very heat sensitive.

The immunoglobulins are an extremely complex class of milk proteins also known as antibodies. These provide resistance to many viruses, bacteria and bacterial toxins and may also help reduce the severity of asthma symptoms. Research has shown a significant loss of these important disease fighters when milk is pasteurized.

Carbohydrates
Lactose is the primary carbohydrate in cows milk. It is made from one molecule each of the simple sugars glucose and galactose. People with lactose intolerance do not make the enzyme lactase and so cannot digest milk sugar. Raw milk has its lactose-digesting Lactobacilli bacteria intact. This may allow people who traditionally have avoided milk to drink raw milk.

Fats
About two thirds of the fat in milk is saturated. Saturated fats play a number of important roles in our bodies. They construct cell membranes and key hormones, they provide energy storage and padding for delicate organs, and they serve as a vehicle for important fat-soluble vitamins.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is abundant in milk from pastured cows. This is a heavily studied, polyunsaturated Omega-6 fatty acid that has promising health benefits. Some of CLAs many possible benefits are (1) it raises metabolic rates; (2) it helps remove abdominal fat; (3) it boosts muscle growth; (4) it reduces resistance to insulin; and (5) it strengthens the immune system and lowers food allergy reactions. Grass-fed raw milk has 3-5 times more CLAs than the milk from feed-lot cows.

Vitamins
Whole raw milk has both water and fat soluble vitamins. No enriching is necessary. Its a complete food. Pasteurized milk must have the destroyed components added back in, especially the fat soluble vitamins A and D.

Minerals
Raw milk contains a broad selection of minerals ranging from calcium and phosphorus to trace elements.
Calcium is abundant in raw milk. Its benefits include a reduction of some cancers, particularly colon; higher bone density in people of all ages; lower risk of osteoporosis in older adults; lowered risk of kidney stones; the formation of strong teeth; as well as a reduction of dental cavities.

An interesting fact about minerals as nutrients is the special balance they require with other minerals to function properly. For example, calcium needs a proper ratio of phosphorus and magnesium to be properly utilized by our bodies. Raw milk is in perfect balance.

Enzymes
The 60 functional enzymes in raw milk have an amazing assortment of jobs to perform. Some of them are native to milk and some come from beneficial bacteria growing in raw milk. When we eat food that contains enzymes devoted to its own digestion, its less work for our pancreas. Other enzymes, like catalase, lysozyme and lactoperoxidase help to protect milk from unwanted bacterial infection, making it safer for us to drink.

Cholesterol
Milk contains about 3mg of cholesterol per gram. Our bodies make most of the cholesterol we need. This amount fluctuates by what we get from our food. Cholesterol is a repair substance. It is a waxy plant steroid that our body uses as a form of water-proofing and as a building block for key hormones.

Beneficial Bacteria
Raw milk is a living food with amazing self-protective properties. As most food goes bad as it ages, raw milk gets better. From helpful bacterial fermentation, the digestibility of enzymes, vitamins, and minerals all increases.

Today, the demand for raw milk from pasture-fed cattle is growing as word spreads of the tremendous health benefits of drinking raw milk. Those who want information can go to the following websites:

(www.realmilk.com)
(www.westonaprice.org)
Sales of raw milk are currently legal in 28 out of 50 US states. Specific information for each state can be found here: (http://www.realmilk.com/happening.html) .

Amalagaura,sitapati and gaurangaliladas please explain to me what you hope to acheive by attacking milk?Have you come to save us from COWS milk..! Are you all the latest vegan invasion ...please tell me you are not!

Imho, the main problem is with the milk quality and the situation of cows in mass production (himsa).

Vegans have a point, but bhakti yoga maintains that we do it not for our reasons or considerations, but for the pleasure of Krsna. If you think that Krsna can be pleased without cows milk in the offerings, you can join other movements, that do not worship Krsna; incidentally this New Vrindavana attitude to Krishna-bhakti becomes more and more widespread, where it is not love to Krishna that is the highest, but chanting his holy names (a very subtle difference). Based on that some do not do Deity worship as part of their preaching, and if you do not worship Krsna, you do not have to offer milk... to Him... and remain vegan.

However chanting of the Holy names (if one actually becomes advanced) means personally participating in the lila of Krsna. Can you imagine Madhavendra Puri saying it back to Gopal, "Sorry my dear boy, I am vegan:-) bring me something else..."

In New zealand the head of the nz vegan society while at aunty menas vegetarian restaurant in wellington....after a heated debate disclosed to us that the cows were destroying the planet!By farting they were destroying the ozone layer....Hence they should be done away with!......So this is the actual intention of his vegan group.Vegetarian vegan demons.......a first for myself.

Interesting piont about vegan devotees from New Vrindavan in new Zealand they also are seperatists,emphasis away from the deities as you piont out....yes when you do the deity worship of sri sri radha - krishna,he likes milk sweets especially Lots of ghee,butter,sugar,milk....they only have their gurumode of worship.Which is singularly ...on its own open to a naturally lopsided perception of krishna conciousness culture.Therefore these odd bods which are exported from the USA.... They are vegan till a fantastic kurd subji is served out....Then they take ,dont serve in our temples and then go away....just taking ....Used to be sanyasinis also,but thank godness that sahaja mood has been cleaned up!Even if it is still being preached!.....woman dont need men....ha, ha, ha.... liberated ....ha, ha, ha without husbands...all concoctions with ulterior motives.

>They are vegan till a fantastic kurd subji is served out....

That is not an argument. (BTW you can make a fantastic vegan kurd sabji...)

Prabhus and Matajis,

Sorry i do not have the exact reference for this, but i was told that Srila Prabhupada said, even though they killed them at the end, he appreciated the farmers in the US for caring for the dairy cows so attentively while they lived. (And maybe it was not US, maybe it was West, cant remember). In the California dairy belt, during the day, the cows are kept in groups outside, either in pens with mud or in grassy pastures. I know they use machines for milking and antibiotics when they get sick and hormones to increase production. I know they homogenize and pasturize most of it. Still, we city- dwellers have milk to offer. Its Kali yuga. They just dont know, we have to educate them: that man requires some animal fat in his diet and by merciful arrangement of Sri Krishna He gave us His cow so we can drink her blood in the form of milk without performing the sin of killing any animals; and we have to give them lots of prasadam. I hope a time will never come when there will be no more cows, no more milk, yogurt, butter milk, cream, panir, whey, cottage cheese, cream cheese, cheese, sour cream, ice cream, milk sweets, butter or ghee, cow dung, cow urine, cow product medicines and other after-natural-death products.

Because it is the home of the cows and cowherd people, Lord Krishna'92s abode is called by the name '93Goloka'94 (the world of the cows). Goloka, the realm of surabhi cows, is very difficult to attain. Only one who is always active in service to Lord Krishna, is qualified to enter Goloka.
(Gopala-Campu, First Champi, Text 40, Srila Jiva Goswami, translated by Kusakratha dasa.)

Krishna is most complete in the pastimes of Vraja. Therefore objects of sweetness like cows, gopas, gopis, cowherds'92 dress, butter, forests, fresh leaves, the Yamuna, and the flute are the only wealth of Vraja-Gokula, or Vrndavana. What is the need for opulence there?
(Sri Krishna-samhita, Ch. 7; Text 5-6, Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Trans. Bhumipati dasa. Vrajraj Press, 1998.)