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What's best? Soy milk, cow's milk, raw milk and fermented milk (kefir) Tuesday, August 21, 2007 by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger Editor of NaturalNews.com Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/021986_dairy_products_cows_milk.html#ixzz2JJpIrpmX One of the most common questions I'm asked concerns my recommendations for milk or milk alternatives. My answer on this question has evolved over theyears, so today, I'll share my latest preferences for milk and milk-like beverages. Thumbs down: Soy milk A few years ago, I recommended soy milk as a natural alternative to cow's milk. But since then, far better alternatives have emerged (see below). Also, more information has appeared regarding the environmental impact of soybean farming (the Amazon rainforest is being devastated by clear cutting tocreate soybean agricultural lands) as well as the frightening fact that most soybeans grown today are genetically modified (GMO) varieties. On top of this, most popular soy milk brands (I won't name names, but these are likely the ones in your grocery store) have been bought out by big, profit-seeking food and beverage corporations, and as a result, they've been sugared up and made nutritionallyinferior. Check the ingredients on "plain" soy milk the next time you're at the store: It's loaded with sugar! Without question, most soy milk has become too mainstream, too sugary and too much controlled by the same food and beverage giants that are still manufacturing and marketing other products that promote degenerative disease. Because of these reasons, I no longer recommend soy milk (unlessyou make it yourself or get it from a small, truly natural company). Thumbs down: Processed cow's milk I'm also not thrilled about processed milk from cows. By "processed," I mean homogenized and pasteurized. The pasteurization kills all the beneficial microorganisms, and homogenization artificially modifies dairy fats in a way that ultimately harms the human cardiovascular system when consumed.Processed "mainstream" milk is also taken from dairy cows pumped up with antibiotics, rBGH (Bovine Growth Hormone) and usually treated very poorly in terms of ethics. Even the popular brands showing happy cows and claiming to be organic are under intense fire by the Organic Consumers Association (www.OrganicConsumers.org) for exploiting certain loopholes that allow nonorganic cows to be suddenlyconsidered "organic" on the day they're giving milk. Processed cow's milk is bad for your health and bad for the cows who give it. It's great for corporate profits, however, and that's why milk continues to be so heavily marketed as a nutritional beverage. They've even managed to so strongly influence the USDA that the latest dietary recommendations by this government agency essentially recommendthat everyone should drink more milk. And it's no surprise that infant formula manufacturers have, for decades, tried to convince nutritionally ignorant mothers that cow's milk is better for their baby than human breast milk. (An odd idea, isn't it?) Thumbs up: Raw milk Over the last two years, I've become a proponent of raw milk (especially raw fermented milk, see below). Raw goat's milk is mypersonal recommendation, but even raw cow's milk has merit. What's so good about raw milk? Because it's not homogenized or pasteurized, it's nutritionally superior to dead, cooked milk. Raw milk seems to be far easier to digest, and it contains living bacteria cultures that enhance digestion and even soothe the digestive tract. It's no surprise, then, that raw milk is under attack by both federalregulators and some members of the processed milk industry. They don't want people to find a "superior" milk that isn't as profitable to sell (because it has reduced shelf life), so they're trying to destroy the raw milk market and limit consumer choice to processed, dead milk. (The same is true in the almond industry, where the Almond Board of California is now trying to irradiate all almonds grown...