I go through half a gallon of milk in 3 work days, which in a 5-day work week means nearly a gallon a week. Milk has been one of my staples all my life. When I was a child, I remember having trouble pouring milk from the heavy gallon jugs, and was always afraid I was going to drop or spill it. Opening a new one was always the worst, but it never stopped me from drowning my cereal. My cereal consumption has tapered off significantly, I still go through a ridiculous amount of milk.
In recent years, I’ve begun to put a significant amount of thought into the foods I consume. Milk being so prominent in my diet, it has received as much scrutiny as anything. As a result, I’ve been drinking organic milk for a couple of years now. I did some reading on the conditions of dairy cows, the types of things they are fed, and the antibiotics and hormones they receive. I read about organic dairy farming methods, the reasons for the increased costs, and the ways that they handle things without all the antibiotics and hormones. What I learned was jaw-dropping. Now I drink organic.
I don’t want to argue about the science, because science is hardly ever absolute. It’s very difficult to prove anything beyond any shadow of a doubt, so I don’t want to talk about what’s “bad” for you. Everyone has their own choice to make, based on what few “facts” there really are. We all know that decisions are usually based on feelings, though, and I feel that artificially induced hormones probably aren’t good. That shouldn’t have any bearing on how you feel, so it’s now obvious that I’m not trying to make a point or sway your feelings. I’m only sharing my feelings with you. Awww.
A couple days ago, I heard a coworker talking about a news story in which a girls many medical woes were attributable to the milk she drank. The thing that shocked me is that she was surprised to learn that this specific brand of milk contains artificial hormones. Hormones boost milk production, so most dairies use them. They also use antibiotics and manufactured feed for the livestock. The only thing I was able to learn about this allegation was not surprisingly on Snopes. Their analysis is an interesting read.
Ok, back to non-science. I feel like artificial hormones are unnatural and scary. Screw science, that’s just how I feel. I’m also not big on antibiotics, especially if the hormones are what is causing the primary need for antibiotics. If I’m going to drink milk, I like the idea of knowing it’s from cows who eat grass like normal cows, and don’t need to take a bunch of medicine. That just seems reasonable to me.
This is why I buy only organic milk. Organic milk comes from organic cows who eat organic grass and don’t pop pills. Neat. They’re still hooked up to machines that milk them, but I guess humans use breast pumps, too, right? So maybe that part isn’t as weird as it initially seems. Now the Snopes article talks about milk prices, but I don’t find their analysis to be true, and I live in an area that isn’t known for cheap stuff. This morning, I bought a half-gallon of Organic Valley 2% milk for $3.29. The prices fluctuate a bit here and there, and last week I was getting Horizon Organic on sale for $2.99. That sale was going on for well over a month, too, so it’s not like a 1-week deal. Furthermore, I’d like to point out that Organic Valley has a coupon for 1.00 off a half gallon of milk on their coupons page.
While I was picking up my milk, I checked to see if Egg Nog was available, too. I’ve been keeping my eyes open for the last 2 or 3 weeks. I know it’s a bit early, but my love for the Nog is such that I don’t mind. They’ve had the Nog out for a week or so, but it’s been the regular non-organic variety, and Silk (soy milk brand) has a pumpkin spice one out as well, but it’s all up on with the artificial flavor No Thanks. Today, though, shining like a beacon of light from the top shelf, was Organic Valley Egg Nog. Permit me a moment to swoon.
So I bought a carton to take home. I can hardly wait to take that home, open it up, and mix in a touch of the whisky and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Swoon, indeed.
