You know, I really thought I was the one who was crazy living in the Sequoia National Forest, talking about the breast size of chickens, and taking pictures of highway art by raw milk enthusiasts. But there is some serious madness in the government here in California. On October 8, Governor Schwarzenegger signed a law that will effectively end the commercial sales of raw milk.
The bill is politically crazy because it was passed without the consultation of raw milk consumers. It is scientifically crazy as well - it has no scientific legs.
Crazy Politicians
Citizens in this country are increasingly concerned about food safety as food recalls make the news weekly. California law makers decided to do Californians a favor and protect them from raw milk.
The new law limits the coliform count in raw milk to 10 or fewer per milliliter. Coliform bacteria are a diverse lot, E. coli 0157:H7 (that pathogenic form of E. coli that is making the news so much lately) is a coliform. There are a lot of other coliform strains as well. Researchers have found that coliform Enterobacter asburiae reduces the growth of E. coli 0157:H7 on lettuce. Citrobacter freundii competes with Salmonella. So this group of coliform bacteria is a mixed bag.
What makes the coliform requirement particularly crazy is that there are tests available for pathogens. Lawmakers concerned with food safety could just test for those. Testing for coliforms, when more precise tests are available, is simply bizarre. I expect a high coliform count could make my milk spoil faster, but I cannot see why anyone is concerned about the flavor of my milk.
But most legislation has a real purpose even when it appears crazy on its face. The real purpose here appears to be to keep me from being able to meet the Organic Pastures driver Zeke on Highway 99 in Central California to pick up my milk order.
In about two minutes in a food science abstracts database, I discovered that the nature of milk is to have a coliform count above 10 per milliliter. Some milk would be under 10 but most would be over. A 2004 Journal of Dairy Science article shows the distribution of coliform counts in bulk tank raw milk. Eighty percent of the samples had coliform levels above 10 per milliliter.
It was clear to me from the first read of that article that California lawmakers are not trying to protect me from milk with pathogens, but are trying to restrict my access to raw milk.
California law, by the way, assures me that my access will not be limited. Section 35928f of the Food and Agricultural Code states:
The Legislature finds and declares that the state does not intend to limit or restrict the availability of certified raw milk and certified raw milk products to those persons desiring to consume such milk and such products, provided such milk and products meet standards of sanitation and wholesomeness at least equal to market milk that is grade A raw milk, as defined in Section 35891.
So the current law seeks to change the standards of "sanitation" and create a threshold so high that the milk I get from Zeke will almost never qualify.
And what is really crazy is that lawmakers passed AB 1735 with no input from raw milk consumers. At every stage in the process, the legislators were unanimously in favor of reducing my food choices.
I have to assume that many law makers were not fully informed of the law's impact. But I also have to assume that a core group of people knew well what the impact would be. After all, it took me two minutes in a food science database to realize the impact of the law. I expect dairy experts do not even need to do the literature search.
Brain Food and Bacteria
I have to admit that the reason I drink raw milk is only in small part based in food science. The primary reason I drink it is just passionate love. Although milk is not an official depression buster food (its 85% water content does not help), I do believe that in my case it was one of many important food tools in helping me recover. The bacteria are part of the story.
First, the food science. Among the strains of beneficial bacteria are bacteria that produce B vitamins. Food with these bacteria will become richer sources of B vitamins and those B vitamins will help alleviate your depression.
There is a fair amount of research that B vitamins help fight depression. Vitamins B-12 and folate have the strongest research basis, niacin (B-3) is used by orthomolecular doctors to treat depression, and Vitamin B-6 is critical in converting amino acids into neurotransmitters like serotonin.
One of the ongoing struggles in my case was with my B vitamin status, particularly folate. Most of America is deficient in folate, by the way, even with folic acid fortification (which has its own problems). In my book I recount a story with my doctor who claimed that my pale lips were a sign of my poor B vitamin status. For three years my doctors commented on my B vitamin status and as a postpartum and breastfeeding mother, I had a difficult time consuming enough to bring my levels up. (You can only eat so much beef liver, after all.) I never found a peer-reviewed article to support his claim but I find it interesting that it was raw milk that finally brought some color to my lips. A year of kefir (a cultured milk product) from pasteurized milk did not have this benefit.
And this is where we depart from the traditional food science because on its face, that raw milk surely was not that much higher in B vitamin content. But I absorbed it differently apparently. My mental health improved so much that I was able to wean off of my amino acid supplements. The $80 a month I spent on supplements I can now spend on milk.
Major Brain Power
My own mental health has improved markedly. I no longer have the long bouts of down-cycles that began in my pregnancy six years ago. It has been two years since the last one. But a great thing happens when you work on the root cause of depression (which in my case was largely based in food nutrient deficiencies). My brain power is better than ever. I think more clearly and work more efficiently than I ever have, including in my Ph.D. program.
As an example, in early August of this year I faced two major deadlines and it was not clear how I would meet them. I remembered the Seinfeld episode where George Castanza decides to "do the opposite" when his normal responses to life do not get him what he wants. When a beautiful woman talks to him in a bar, he decides to "do the opposite" and tell her he lives with his mother. They end up in bed together.
This August I decided to "do the opposite" as well and rather than simply finish these impossible deadlines, I added more to my plate and built a new business. I created a system to develop data-based graphics for California school administrators cheaper and better than anyone in the market. My husband will take over the business and market it to school administrators. (You can get a sneak peek here.)
I am still finishing up some of those deadlines and now working on the new business, but when Mark McAfee called me about this issue in California, I said "This is my busiest season ever but, yes, I have time to help." I also added that I need lots of colostrum. I made the incredible discovery in August, as well, that colostrum is a powerful brain food for me and I also realized that the dairy often runs out. My dad has made two special trips for me this season to pick up my "joy juice" from Zeke, as dad calls it. That's some powerful stuff. (Information I should not post at all since the dairy may run out more often now.)
My mother has become a raw milk convert lately as well, also based on her own personal experience rather than any sort of food science. She has had extreme pain associated with her sciatic nerve that chiropractic visits were not correcting. She decided on an extreme measure: an exclusive milk diet, much like I began in August. After just one week on the diet, she can sleep through the night and walk without pain. In the meantime, she claims that her mental clarity and focus have improved. We'll put that mental focus to work on new food videos once we help save our milk supply.
Save the Milk
So for Mom, for me, and for all of the other raw milk consumers in California, we need the freedom to make our own food choices. I can live without raw milk, but I do not want to. And I certainly would rather buy the milk from Organic Pastures than to add milking a goat to my already long list of chores.
What you can do is write to California lawmakers; write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper if you live in California; and post about this issue on your blog. Read more at the Organic Pastures website.
