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Wagon Creek Creamery
Ron and Barbara Crain |
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Grass-Fed for Health |
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Why Grass-Fed Milk Matters to your Health: � It has 2 to 5 times the CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) of grain-fed milk. CLA is a substance produced by fiber-digesting molecules in ruminant animals like cows, goats, and sheep. It is the only compound originating in animals that has been show in research trials throughout the world to inhibit cancer. Research in France has determined that among 360 women, those with the highest levels of CLA in their breast tissue have a 74% lower risk of breast cancer than those with the lowest levels. The human body cannot produce CLA, but you can get it from eating grass-fed dairy products. In order for typical North American grain-fed dairy to claim the cancer preventing benefits of CLA, the content of CLA in milk would have to increase by as much as four hundred percent. Increased levels of CLA have also been shown in studies to increase metabolic rate, decrease abdominal fat, enhance muscle growth, lower cholesterol, enhance the immune system, and prevent adult onset diabetes. Furthermore, soft cheeses, like Wagon Creek Creamery yogurt cheese, have
higher CLA content than aged cheeses. Balance is needed between omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids, but omega-3 EFA's are in short supply in the average American diet. They may be gotten from cold water fish or mammals and from grass-fed beef and dairy products. These are the only adequate sources for omega-3 EFA's. Omega-6's and Omega-3's perform their nutritional functions together. One is useless without the other. Unfortunately, the steady diet of grain fed to the vast majority of cattle in the United States and other industrialized countries has greatly diminished the presence of omega-3's, so that typical supermarket beef and dairy products contain on average 3 or 4 times the amount of omega-6's as omega-3's. Keeping a cow on a traditional diet of grass yields a one-to-one balance of omega-6's and omega-3's in her milk. Omega-6 and omega-3 EFA's regulate approximately 50 bodily functions including inflammation and blood clotting. If they are not in balance, the omega-6 EFA's may become overactive, increasing inflammatory responses which lead to chronic inflammatory conditions like arthritis, and promoting the formation of inappropriate blood clots that may cause plaque buildup, stroke, and heart attack. Additionally, omega-3 fats are essential to brain and eye formation in embryos and are considered by some of the best researchers on brain health to be the most important fatty acids for brain health as we age.
� Grass-Fed Dairy has more vitamins. There are two reasons why grass-fed dairy a greater vitamin content. First, the cows have access to vitamins that occur naturally in grass. Because of this, grass-fed dairy products are full of vitamins A, E, and beta-carotene. But the supply of other beneficial nutrients is increased as well, because grass-fed dairy cows produce less milk than grain-fed cows. That means less supply for us, but more nutrition for you. A cow transfers a certain set amount of vitamins into her milk, and a smaller yield of milk produces more vitamins per glass. The difference is even visible. Wagon Creek Creamery butter and
cream have a rich yellow color because of their high beta-carotene content.
That beta-carotene comes originally from the grass our cows eat. Serve them or use them in your favorite recipes. Your family and friends will notice the difference! � Further Reading
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