We will miss Shannon for the next month since she will be in France preparing to get married to a French guy. Isn’t that romantic? Shannon is cool anyway. One of my favorite food books is called A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle. Makes me want to get a trust fund and start cooking. Not to mention that even people that don’t know much about traditional foods or nutrition know that French people drink wine, eat duck fat and butter and are thin and healthy. So, when Shannon is in France I hope she eats a lot of delicious French cheese and wine. Clearly, those are not foods on the regular Paleo rotation. Remember, life has to be about enjoying yourself and eating well in every sense is a piece of that. Wine without sulfites and cheese without pasteurization deserve a prominent place in life on occasion. Am I contradicting myself?
This seems a good time to address the Dairy question. Here is the human dairy:
In case you can’t read backwards, my new shirt (from Rachel, visiting from Taos!!) says “Lactivist”. In short, I have spent a lot of my adult years helping women breastfeed their children as it is the superior source of infant and toddler nutrition. Breastmilk, human or cow, is a Living Fluid. It contains enzymes, antibodies, immune complexes, proteins, all types of fats including antiviral/antibacterial medium chain saturates, and probiotic bacteria to keep the gut healthy. Right-who wouldn’t want that? Right about now you are wondering how you can GET SOME! Your suckling days are long over or perhaps like many people my age you never had any to begin with. But wait-isn’t Dairy bad?
Clearly, Milk-The-Living-Fluid isn’t “bad”. There are cultures from all over the world, including some of the longest lived peoples like the peoples of the Caucasus Mtns, that have used dairy foods with excellent health. It is also true that the average Hunter-gatherer provides human milk to their children until they are about 4 yrs old. If you want to raise up your kids Paleo there is something to think about. Primates also nurse their offspring until they are about the equivalent of a human 4 year old. So, what is the deal with Dairy then if it isn’t necessarily intrinsically “bad”. Well, here is how these long-lived peoples used their dairy:
Not pasteurized or homogenized. Not from animals designed to produce high volume of milk with low fat content. It was straight from the tit of an animal chosen for producing a high fat milk, and never refrigerated. It was (and is for peoples still following traditional food ways) full of LIFE and beneficial fat. The proteins were not superheated with pasteurization so that they suffer denaturing and become indigestible. The enzymes and bacteria that provide and produce lactase (the enzyme that digests lactose) were still living in the Milk, not killed with pasteurization rendering tons of hard-to-digest lactose with no lactase. The probiotics that help our GI tract were still in there (no expensive probiotic supplements necessary). The photo above is my gallon of Raw Milk (available at The Food Conspiracy Coop and Aqua Vita). It is a daily staple for my kids. What? Don’t I keep a Paleo house? For the reasons I have already outlined, I believe that Milk-The-Living-Fluid can have a beneficial role in some people’s diets. Milk (in its true form) is such a dense, concentrated source of nutrition that it should be thought of as a growth food. Kids are growing. Milk-The-Living-Fluid=Right. I would prefer not to grow. Milk-The-Living-Fluid=Wrong. If you are unwilling or unable to consume Raw-Living Milk then whatever bastardization you were going to choose is Wrong. Consider yourself very fortunate if you do want Milk because Arizona is one of very few states that allows the sale of raw milk in the store. Raw cheese is also available to us here (don’t cook with it obviously). It is also full of excellent fats and enzymes. If you want growth then you might use some Raw Cheese. If you aren’t in the market for growth then don’t use Raw Cheese. Is this making sense yet?
Lastly, the majority of dairy consumed with excellent health results was not only Raw, but cultured, fermented or soured. The phenomenally wonderful proteges of that disgusting “yogurt” and “sour cream” available in the store (I include the “organic” versions here too) were pungent, strong and elixirs of life. I can leave a jar of Raw Milk on my counter in Tucson for 2 days and if I have asked the right food spirits, it will be sour, thick and taste delicious on my strawberries. Try that with your pasteurized “milk”! (Not really obviously). I hope this helps you all understand the Dairy issue a little bit better.
Merci vraiment Jen. J’admire toute votre connaissance et attends avec intérêt de lire vos blogs. Quand j’ai laissé la nuit dernière I pensée à la façon dont je manquerai des crossfitworks et chacun dans la boîte comme Andres indique.
English transaltion:
Thank you very much Jen. I admire all your knowledge and look forward to reading your blogs. When I left last night I thought about how I will miss crossfitworks and everyone in the ‘box’ as Andres says.
Last night after Crossfit Steph and I grabbed something to eat…Lamb and I was telling her how HAPPY I am to have found Crossfitworks.
Great place, great vibes and GREAT kick arse workouts!
So my jump rope is packed, crossfit T-shirt and a Tabata regimen! Thank you Jenny & Andres for ideas! There is Crossfit in France. Villeparisis specifically. I would love to drop in, but not sure if I will have time. I will try though.
Viva la France! Cheese and Wine on the menu.. and plenty of it. You know French lunches are three hours long. Heheheehehe.
I totally agree that Peter Mayle’s A year in Provence is GREAT and I also enjoyed Acquired tastes. He’s FUNNY!
Have a GREAT time at Friday’s Crossfit baseball everyone and a GREAT August. See ya’ll in September!
Au Revoir,
Shannon
Have a great time in France Shannon! And thanks Jen, for some more nutrition info. I’ve never been a milk drinking girl, so to take dairy out of my diet wasn’t that big of a problem. And the “idea” of raw milk still makes me squirm so totally eliminating milk is my path. But, in the future, this info will definitely assist in family meal planning, once Bruce and I decide when that will be. However, I do love cheese but have learned to limit that with my Paleo transition. And I do confess a weakness for ice cream, which is usually included in my “cheat meal.” Thx again Jen for passing on your knowledge!
Whoa…look at the warning on that milk jar! Why aren’t there warnings like that on processed food? sheesh. I still remember being a kid and visiting my mother’s family farm in North Dakota. We used to milk the cows and drink the milk straight from the pail.
Just saw a great video on youtube.com for tapping your hands and it is reusable! go to youtune.com and search on “how to tape hands for kettlebells”, going to by me some tape and try this out. Someone on facebook said they make a bunch up and through them in their gym bag, pretty cool!
Well there is at least 4 typos in my last post, hope you can discern what I was trying to say. The site is of course, youtube.com
Nikki,
I looked up the taping video, Im going to try that the next time for pull ups and see how it goes.
Midori,
For a brief history as to why milk has that scary label, and also why it is so expensive go to: http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/milk_history.html
The politics involved with why we as a country have come to think “regular” pasturized/homogenized milk is better is fascinating.
Also, on that note, has anyone been to the loft to see Food Inc? It was fantastic and made me want to go out to the farmers market right after!
I have been talking to Jen, and as many of the 9:00 A.M. class participants as I can and I am trying to save the 9:00 o’clock class. Jen told me that if we can get eight to 12 people who can be consistent in attending the class that they would be willing to put it back on the schedule. If this time works in your schedule please let Jen know. Thanks
I’m going to see Food Inc at the loft on Saturday @ 1:30 if any one is interested in joining. Just let me know if you see me at a workout.
As for the 9 am class, I attend sometimes but I can’t commit to being consistent in my participation. If there is a 9 am it would be the only am class that I’d go to. I go to sleep way too late to wake up earlier than that.
Just wanted to add to a post Ellie left a couple days ago. Everyone is welcome to come to the fire station for a tour this Saturday at 9am. It’s downtown, Station 1, 265 S. Church. The best parking is on the east side of the station or right in front(north side). I will be at crossfit baseball this Friday if anyone has any questions. Kids and adults welcome!
Jen!!!! I will make the 9am!!!! Please dont get rid of it…
You know that I can be at the 9a.m. class. karen
I can comitt to 9 am Mon and Fri, you can count on me
Back to the cheese…I rarely buy cheese or milk, but I pick up some raw milk cheddar at Trader Joe’s the other day, and I don’t recall seeing this in their section before. And to add to Jen’s great raw milk recommendation, I used to pick up raw goat’s milk at the Wild Oats (not sure if Whole Foods still carries it) as well as Aqua Vita. There is a HUGE difference in the taste of raw goat’s milk compared to the pasteurized version. Pasteurized tastes just like goat cheese…great on pizza, not so refreshing in a glass. Raw goat’s milk…a bit sweet…tastes incredible. Hmmm, makes you realize just how pasteurization not only ruins the nutritional values of many foods, but definitely the taste. I also recall that occasionally, some of the semi-local ranchers would show up to the various farmer’s markets and sell directly there, or allow you to make arrangements to pick-up at a later time.