Part of the reason his first 15 months were so sleepless and tiresome was due to his weakened immune system. If we dropped him off at the nursery at church or at the gym he would get sick. At birth he was given antibiotics. At 7 weeks old when he contracted RSV and was in the ICU, they initially put him on heavy duty antibiotics for two days because they thought he was septic. His gut flora was cleaned out, and thus his immune system suffered. After that every runny nose left him in respiratory distress, and I was told he would most likely be labeled asthmatic after a year. He also developed an allergy to my breast milk during the first year. Through naturopathy we were able to heal him of this. I thought for sure at a year his immune system would kick in, but before flu season hit he had the flu and RSV again.
Before I delve into the food we eat for healing I want to emphasize that GOD is the one who heals. I believe he created the earth and everything in it for us. As I see the benefits of food in it's natural state and herbs I am in complete awe of how God designed the earth to provide everything we physically need for health and healing.
So I started researching ways to build his immunity and our "real food" journey began. Raw milk was the first change we made. I had done research on the closest milk in nutritional value to breast milk. I was led to raw goat's milk. I found a farm, joined a co-op and started giving BooBoo raw goat's and cow's milk on top of breastfeeding him. We abandoned drinking pasteurized milk completely. Raw dairy, when obtained from grass-fed, pasture grazing animals, is a nutrient dense food. It is a complete food. Meaning if you needed to survive on strictly raw milk, it would provide you with all the nutrients, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes, cholesterol, and beneficial bacteria that your body would need. If you want more scientific evidence check out this fabulous raw milk website dedicated to the scientific evidence and historical use of raw milk, Raw-Milk Facts. It is a fabulous resource with loads of links to research and other resources.
At first I only fed raw milk to BooBoo and Littlemiss. It seemed gross at the time to drink a milk that wasn't homogenized, meaning the cream separated on the top of the milk when let to sit. But once I started drinking it, I couldn't stop! I now drink 2-3 glasses a day of it. I can't imagine drinking pasteurized milk. We ran out of raw milk a weeks ago, so I tried a Whole Foods lightly pasteurized, non-homogenized milk and it still can't compare to raw milk. In the past I've had a cow's milk allergy, but my body tolerates raw cow's milk completely. Hmmm... That's one to really think about.
You may be thinking, "Isn't pasteurized milk beneficial too?" Well, in short, pasteurizing milk kills enzymes, lowers nutrient density, and destroys beneficial bacteria and certain vitamins. Not only that, but you need to think about where your milk is coming from. Due to the commercialization of milk in the food industry and demand, most milk is obtained from sick cows who are overcrowded, and in unsanitary conditions. Thus requiring the pasteurization of the milk to remove the harmful pathogens. Also, unless milk is labeled as grass-fed (I've seen a few brands at Whole Foods), it is likely fed grains and corn which are not meant to be digested by cows. Eating corn and grains leads to a host of other problems, such as disease and preterm death (their lifespan is decreased significantly) of the cows. Since these cows are sick, they are fed antibiotics to keep them well. More about this issue at this website, A Campaign For Real Milk. Raw milk can sit in my fridge for WEEKS, even months while the beneficial bacteria builds. Pasteurized milk doesn't act as raw milk in it's ability to increase in benefits, because it doesn't have the beneficial bacteria that transforms the milk over time. So pasteurized milk becomes rancid and harmful to drink, while raw milk builds in beneficial bacteria. I had a friend recently let her raw cow's milk sit in her fridge for 4 months until it turned solid, upon which she mixed it with herbs to make a lovely and beneficial cheese spread. I can't wait to try this!
BooBoo went from every runny nose sending him to respiratory distress to having almost no respiratory issues. In part due to the raw dairy we consume, but also the other lifestyle food changes we have made. This was the beginning of our "real food" journey as I explored eating for our health, and challenged my food beliefs. There is so much more, so I will write more on the other changes we have made and how they have affected our health!
So I started researching ways to build his immunity and our "real food" journey began. Raw milk was the first change we made. I had done research on the closest milk in nutritional value to breast milk. I was led to raw goat's milk. I found a farm, joined a co-op and started giving BooBoo raw goat's and cow's milk on top of breastfeeding him. We abandoned drinking pasteurized milk completely. Raw dairy, when obtained from grass-fed, pasture grazing animals, is a nutrient dense food. It is a complete food. Meaning if you needed to survive on strictly raw milk, it would provide you with all the nutrients, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes, cholesterol, and beneficial bacteria that your body would need. If you want more scientific evidence check out this fabulous raw milk website dedicated to the scientific evidence and historical use of raw milk, Raw-Milk Facts. It is a fabulous resource with loads of links to research and other resources.
At first I only fed raw milk to BooBoo and Littlemiss. It seemed gross at the time to drink a milk that wasn't homogenized, meaning the cream separated on the top of the milk when let to sit. But once I started drinking it, I couldn't stop! I now drink 2-3 glasses a day of it. I can't imagine drinking pasteurized milk. We ran out of raw milk a weeks ago, so I tried a Whole Foods lightly pasteurized, non-homogenized milk and it still can't compare to raw milk. In the past I've had a cow's milk allergy, but my body tolerates raw cow's milk completely. Hmmm... That's one to really think about.
You may be thinking, "Isn't pasteurized milk beneficial too?" Well, in short, pasteurizing milk kills enzymes, lowers nutrient density, and destroys beneficial bacteria and certain vitamins. Not only that, but you need to think about where your milk is coming from. Due to the commercialization of milk in the food industry and demand, most milk is obtained from sick cows who are overcrowded, and in unsanitary conditions. Thus requiring the pasteurization of the milk to remove the harmful pathogens. Also, unless milk is labeled as grass-fed (I've seen a few brands at Whole Foods), it is likely fed grains and corn which are not meant to be digested by cows. Eating corn and grains leads to a host of other problems, such as disease and preterm death (their lifespan is decreased significantly) of the cows. Since these cows are sick, they are fed antibiotics to keep them well. More about this issue at this website, A Campaign For Real Milk. Raw milk can sit in my fridge for WEEKS, even months while the beneficial bacteria builds. Pasteurized milk doesn't act as raw milk in it's ability to increase in benefits, because it doesn't have the beneficial bacteria that transforms the milk over time. So pasteurized milk becomes rancid and harmful to drink, while raw milk builds in beneficial bacteria. I had a friend recently let her raw cow's milk sit in her fridge for 4 months until it turned solid, upon which she mixed it with herbs to make a lovely and beneficial cheese spread. I can't wait to try this!
BooBoo went from every runny nose sending him to respiratory distress to having almost no respiratory issues. In part due to the raw dairy we consume, but also the other lifestyle food changes we have made. This was the beginning of our "real food" journey as I explored eating for our health, and challenged my food beliefs. There is so much more, so I will write more on the other changes we have made and how they have affected our health!
This is fantastic, thank you for sharing!
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