I drink raw milk. Even better: I drink full fat raw milk.
This post has been on my ‘to-write’ list for a long time. But now, pregnant, drinking about a quart of the stuff a day, it seems more pertinent than ever.
But isn’t that dangerous? you ask. What about all those dreaded pathogens? The e-coli? The listeria? Aren’t you putting you and your baby at unnecessary risk?
Not at all.
I drink raw milk even (especially) when I’m pregnant. Contrary to most of the pregnancy nutrition advice out there, I believe raw milk is a vital part of the pregnant woman’s diet. And if you like and can tolerate milk (ie, you don’t have an allergy), then I believe raw is the only way to go, pregnant or not.
Here’s why:
1) Full-fat raw milk is a perfect, whole, naked food
Raw milk is a complete source of amino acids, good carbohydrates, and important nutrients such as calcium and vitamins A, C and D. Your body needs the fats in it to properly use and absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A and D. And it has the phosphate your body needs to digest the calcium, something that’s completely destroyed by pasteurization. There’s nothing synthetic or fortified here. This is a truly naked, nutrient-dense food.
2) Raw milk is an enzyme-rich living food
You might not think of milk as ‘living’, but when it’s raw, it is. It’s rich with enzymes, the most notable of which is the enzyme lactase that helps your body digest the lactose so many people struggle with. Raw milk digests itself and for many, it doesn’t present the digestive problems associated with pasteurized milk.
3) Raw milk comes with its own defense system
One of the biggest criticisms and fears about raw milk is that it’s dangerous because we haven’t killed all the bad bacteria in there. Unfortunately, when we kill the bad stuff, we kill the good stuff – pasteurization doesn’t just target the things we don’t want.
This good stuff – beneficial bacteria (those great probiotics we’re all trying to get more of in our diet) – acts as a defense against any pathogenic bacteria introduced into the milk. Yes, that means raw milk comes with its own defense mechanism – a mechanism completely destroyed by pasteurization.
4) The only safe raw milk comes from healthy, grass-fed cows in sanitary conditions
If you’re going to drink raw milk, then knowing the diet and living conditions of the animals it came from is crucial. This is the reason the FDA and big dairy companies don’t want you to know that clean raw milk is actually safe – it requires healthy animals and sanitary dairies. I don’t know about you, but clean milk from healthy animals is the only milk I want to drink.
Hmm… so that means pasteurized milk comes from unhealthy animals and unsanitary dairies? Bingo! As one of my favorite raw-milk advocates, Mark McAfee of Organic Pastures, says, “Pasteurization does not create clean milk; it just kills filthy milk.[1]” Yummy.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not drink raw milk from conventional confinement dairies or dairies producing milk intended for pasteurization. This milk is definitely not fit for consumption unpasteurized and can easily make you sick.
[1] McAfee, M. 2010. The fifteen things that pasteurization kills. Wise Traditions in Food, Farming, and the Healing Arts 11(2):82-86
5) When I’m pregnant, my body craves it
I’m a big believer in listening closely to what my body’s asking for, and listening “underneath the cravings” as I’ve described in other posts.
When it comes to being pregnant, as anyone who’s gone through this amazing experience can attest, your body gets very clear on what it does and doesn’t want. In my first trimester many of my favorite foods (healthy and not) were suddenly completely unacceptable to my body. One of the few exceptions was raw milk.
My body has asked for some weird things over these few months, but its one consistent desire has been for raw milk. Reading through pregnancy guidelines I know and trust from both the Weston A Price Foundation and Nina Planck in her book Real Food for Mother and Baby, raw milk is an excellent, nutrient-rich food for an expecting mother.
Want to learn more?
Here’s a link to an easy-to-understand chart comparing the difference between conventional milk, organic milk, and certified raw milk.
If you’d like to find raw milk in your area, start at The Campaign for Real Milk’s website. If you’re not able to find a reputable local source there, then contact your local Weston A Price Foundation chapter and ask for their recommendations.
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Written by Margaret Floyd on 25/01/12 am31 07:00 AM
As we stand at the beginning of this new, exciting year it seems appropriate to reflect on the year that just passed. I have started and stopped writing this post many times now. How to encapsulate such a powerful year in a few short paragraphs?
At the outset of 2011 I set the intention of being truly naked, authentic, real. Of walking my talk in all facets of my life. Transparency is a big part of this, and so, taking a big breath, here I share the inside scoop on what was going on behind the scenes of Eat Naked last year.
On New Years Eve, hubby Chef James Barry and I chronicled 2011 and realized that something life-changing and pivotal happened in all but two months of the year. I won’t bore you with all the gory details, but here are some of the most notable moments:
In 2011, I married the love of my life.
Three times.
The first time was (unintentionally) on Valentine’s Day in an LA courthouse. Unromantic and kind of funny in cowboy boots with a cupid cutout on the wall behind us, but poignant nonetheless.
The second time was in an intimate, family-only ceremony in my ho
metown Ottawa, so that my ailing mother could witness our vows. For many of the family members gathered, it was the last time they saw her alive. Powerful doesn’t begin to describe it.
And then a third time here in LA, with more family and our wider circle of friends, as a proper celebratory send-off to our new life together.
Ultimately, this wasn’t at all how we imagined our wedding to be (to begin with, we imagined it happening only once) but, as always with the unexpected, it was perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing.
In 2011, I launched my first book, Eat Naked
It’s hard to explain the amount of stretching and personal growth this endeavor asked of me.
From the moment I thought up the book until about two weeks before it launched, I felt with incredible (and uncharacteristic) certainty that this would be a huge success. Even though I had no experience in the publishing world, I had this deep knowing that it would give real value, maybe even change lives.
And then, two weeks before the book launched and I began my media tour, I panicked. I second-guessed every word I wrote, every moment of confidence, every strategy I’d devised. I felt (appropriately?) naked and exposed, with my face staring back at me on the book’s cover. I decided I’d been delusional to think I could do this. The shy little girl inside me balked at the TV cameras, the long list of radio interviews, all the attention. I just wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.
I think they call this the “terror barrier” and let me tell you, I hit it hard. I called many a friend in fits of gasping tears bemoaning the whole thing I’d set in motion, wishing I could somehow get off the train and make it all go away.
But of course getting off the train was not an option and all I could do was take a deep breath (or many) and put one foot in front of the other. I fumbled a few interviews, and nailed others. I learned little details the hard way (e.g., always bring your own water to the green room, even if it’s a big TV network). I even faced my biggest fears and did a few speaking engagements.
I grew a new patch of grey hair over those few weeks, but I survived and now am much better equipped as we head into the launch of the follow-up cookbook in a few months.
In 2011, I said goodbye to the woman who gave me life.
On July 1st, after the exhilaration of sending off the final cookbook manuscript to the publisher’s editing team, I got the devastating phone-call that my ailing mother was heading into emergency surgery, for the second time in a week. The prognosis wasn’t good.
Within a day, I was on a flight home to Canada and at her bedside in the intensive care unit. The following 10 days were some of the most difficult, memorable, important days of my life. I read to her, I held her hand, I sang to her, I said all the things I’d ever wanted to say, and I got to say good-bye.
She left this world far too early on July 13th, 2011. But now her pain is gone, and who can begrudge her that? It gives me great comfort to know she’s in a better place and her suffering is over.
In 2011, I discovered I am going to be a mother.
In October, my new hubby and I spent a month in Europe on our honeymoon, drinking wine, relaxing, and eating way too much pasta. It was blissful.
So blissful, in fact, that we came home pregnant.
Fitting in some ways, given the passing of my mother. Quite the cycle of life. It seems this is the year I move officially from daughter to mother, the passing of the torch. Serendipitously, my due date is a year almost to the day of my mother’s passing. Coincidence?
And so now, as we step into 2012, a whole new adventure begins:
- A new chapter in my life as I become a mother and bring this baby into the world. I’ve only been pregnant for 3+ months and already this little creature has taught me so much about surrender, slowing down, and listening to my body’s sometimes very confusing instincts. Lots and lots of fodder for future blog posts…
- A new book to launch that I co-authored with the amazing Chef James Barry. You asked for recipes and you got ‘em! 170 gluten-free, properly-prepared, naked foods recipes from the simple and speedy to the complex and impressive. The Naked Foods Cookbook comes out in May 2012 – and is already available for pre-order on Amazon.
Looking forward into 2012 I can hardly imagine the adventures, the joys, and the challenges that await us. What I do know is that I am committed to stepping into this year with the same intention as the last: being truly naked, authentic, and real. With perhaps a little extra dose of self-care for good measure.
Thank you to all of you – friends, family, clients, supporters, readers, the whole Eat Naked family – for being part of my community and coming along for the ride. It’s my honor and privilege to share my thoughts on food, health, and life with you, and I look forward to an incredible 2012 for us all.
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Written by Margaret Floyd on 17/01/12 am31 08:00 AM
2012 is right around the corner and with it comes a mountain of expectations, anxieties, and prophecies.
Self-care and grounding has never been more important than it is right now. Those of us living in Los Angeles were recently humbled by the powerful Santa Ana winds. May we receive Mother Nature’s lesson of surrendering to that which is bigger than us by reflecting inwards and feeding our souls. How that may look depends on your individual needs, and below is my list of suggestions on things you can do to prepare for the New Year.
1) Spend Time With Loved Ones.
The biggest mistake any of us can make is isolating ourselves while we are on this planet. Don’t assume because you are in the same room with someone that you have to be “on”. Just being in the presence of others can be nurturing to the soul. Also, don’t assume the “others” need to be human. Animals are incredible companions, as long as they’re not trying to eat you.
2) Eat Good, Healthy Food.
Don’t eat processed foods. Don’t eat food with unpronounceable ingredients. Just eat real, naked foods. Processed food and sugar will affect your mood and not in a good way. Get meals through Wholesome2Go or your other favorite source of healthy, tasty meals.
3) Drink Water and be Merry
Drink lots of clean water. Water feeds your cells, provides clarity, and satiates cravings. Start by drinking a full glass of water upon waking. You’ll be amazed by the shift in your energy from drinking more water and less of the sugar drinks, including juice and alcohol.
4) Go For A Walk Outside
Not a run, but a walk. So many of us are always pushing, pushing, going and going. How long has it been since you gave yourself the permission to just slow down? Do you remember how to move your body without the agenda of a performance outcome? Simply enjoy the outdoors and get some sun. Maybe smell some flowers. Hold hands with a loved one as you walk in silence and feel the wind on your face.
5) Turn Off the TV
I’m a movie watcher. I love movies, particularly after a long day. In many ways it’s my go-to when I need to decompress. I’m making a different choice in the New Year, which I’m already starting to incorporate now. Instead of a movie or TV, I’ll play a board game, read a book, write, or sit and talk with my wife. I love having people over for dinner and a board game. The amount of laughter that comes forth from that type of evening is incredibly healing. Yet, I rarely do it.
If we aren’t doing the things we love, then what are we doing?
There are so many other self-care suggestions I could add to this list but I’m going to leave it at five. Why? Well that’s all part of my choosing self-care. There’s no need to over-do it or to put pressure on being perfect. If you can incorporate one suggestion from this list, then you’re doing just great in my book!
Happy New Year. May 2012 be filled with everything you love.
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Written by Chef James on 13/12/11 am31 07:51 AM
Coffee is one of those topics in the nutrition community about which no one agrees. Friend or foe? There are good, solid arguments on both sides of that debate. As long as it’s consumed in moderation, it’s not one of the first things I address in working with clients. That said, there are ways to make its consumption much easier on the body, and my colleague Craig Fear has done a great job outlining some of these strategies. I love this post because I’ll confess that I have a soft spot for coffee as well. I’ve eliminated many things from my diet, and this is one that seems to keep popping back in. ~ Margaret
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On my intake forms one of the questions is, “Is there a food you are absolutely not willing to give up?” Chocolate, sweets and alcohol are just some of the obvious ones. But by far the most frequent item is…yeah, you guessed it…coffee.
I always encourage my clients to minimize too much coffee in their diet. I could go on and on about its negative health effects. But I’ll never tell anyone they have to give up coffee. If I did, the majority of the people I see would never come back!
However, it never ceases to amaze me when people do go off the stuff. When they come back for a follow up and say they’ve given up coffee and feel great, I always feel like saying, “Umm…could you show me how to do that?”
Perhaps this is not the best way to start my venture into nutritional blogging, admitting that I’m a coffee drinker.
So this blog is for you, my fellow coffee drinkers out there that scoff, smirk, sneer and roll your eyes at the seemingly endless barrage of how- to- quit -coffee articles out there and think, ”Yeah right”. Because I’m right there with ya.
And God knows I’ve tried to give up coffee. I’ve tried switching to tea and I’ve tried the coffee substitutes. None of it has worked. I even gave it up for 30 days once. It made no difference. Zippo. I craved it as much on day 1 as I did on day 30. I’ll never forget that first sip of coffee on the morning of day 31. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.
If you truly love coffee and there’s absolutely NO WAY you’re ever going to give it up, here are 6 tips that can turn a really addictive habit into a mild vice:
1. Choose organic
Conventional coffee is heavily sprayed with pesticides. There’s a plethora of organic choices out there. At the very least, do this. Better yet, support companies that promote fair trade practices. And stay away from the flavored coffees which are usually full of artificial flavorings.
2. Get the sugar out!
OK, this I realize is a tough one for a lot of people. It was for me. Until I did this I never realized that what I was really craving in my coffee was the sugar more than the caffeine. And once I ditched the sugar, my palette became more attuned to the various types of roasts and regional variations. I actually started enjoying the taste of coffee instead of the taste of sugar. Try adding just cream (preferably raw if you can get it) in place of sugar. That helped me get the sugar out once and for all. The fat in cream will cut the bitterness of coffee. Cream also has a natural sweetness that can help you wean off the refined white stuff. Lastly, please do NOT use those flavored cream/creamer concoctions! They’re made with hydrogenated vegetable oils, corn syrup and a whole host of other chemicals. Now some of you might be saying, “Cream?! What about low fat milk? Isn’t that healthier?” No. As Bill Cosby once said, “Show me the cow who makes skim milk and then I’ll drink it”. Low fat milk and all manner of low fat products are not health foods. But that’s another blog topic for another blog day.
3. Buy whole beans and grind them at home.
Coffee beans, like anything, will begin to breakdown and become rancid once the inner contents are exposed to oxygen and moisture. To see this process with the naked eye cut open an apple and see what happens. The white flesh starts turning brown pretty fast. This is due to its exposure to oxygen and moisture, the enemies of freshness. They’re also the enemies of anti-oxidants, those things you hear about that create stability and health in living systems and ward off disease. I’m skeptical about the anti-oxidant health benefits you hear about in coffee. But if it’s true, those anti-oxidants will start to oxidize immediately after grinding, which is OK if you drink the coffee soon after. After a few days however freshly ground coffee doesn’t taste so fresh anymore. And if you get the sugar out, you can start to taste this pretty easily.
4. Keep it to ONE cup per day.
For starters, one cup is not a Starbucks twenty plus ounce mega -grande french vanilla frappuccino with whip cream and chocolate syrup. Nor does it resemble a giant caramel coffee coolatta from Dunkin Donuts. It’s eight ounces. Your liver can handle that. I know more than a few people who drink coffee all day long – five, ten, fifteen cups. If you’re one of those, don’t even think about cutting down to one cup right away. Reduce it slowly. If you’re drinking ten cups, get it down to eight in a week. Then get it down to five, and so on and so forth. Other strategies for reducing the caffeine content include a second brewing from the same beans and including half decaf (Swiss mater method only) in each cup.
5. Drink coffee after a meal.
It’s definitely better to wait until you have some food in your system before downing that cup of coffee. Caffeine causes your body to release sugar into your bloodstream which in turn causes the pancreas to release insulin (another good reason to get sugar out!). On an empty stomach this can cause a sharp drop in blood sugar which can then set up more sugar cravings. Guess what will help spike that sugar besides sugar? Caffeine. Furthermore, the caffeine in coffee can suppress your appetite causing you to go longer without feeling hungry. This sets up further episodes of low blood sugar and further coffee and sugar cravings. Having food in your stomach will help modulate this blood sugar response and keep those cravings at bay.
6. Enjoy the heck out of it!
Yeah, that’s right. We live in a world where we’re made to feel guilty about food: don’t eat this, don’t eat that, this food will kill you, that food will kill you. Of course, a lot of that is true, but you can take any food, create negative thoughts around it and actually make it unhealthier to consume with those stressful thoughts. After all, stress depletes nutrients from the body, too. So don’t feel guilty it, your one cup per day of organic, ground-at-home-with-cream-coffee. Enjoy it! I do every day.
Craig Fear, NTP, is the owner of Pioneer Valley Nutritional Therapy in Northampton, MA. He chose the Pioneer Valley as an ideal place for his practice for both the wide and varied access to local farms and for the strong support in the community for local agriculture. He loves to hike, play guitar, travel and of course, drink coffee. http://www.pvnutritionaltherapy.com
Written by Margaret Floyd on 06/12/11 am31 07:50 AM
It’s that time of year again, folks. Whether it’s Santa, or a loved one, or whoever your preferred bearer of gifts, it seems this is the time to spread a little joy and abundance among those we love.
I both love and hate this season. I love it when I find the perfect gift. I hate it when I find myself trolling the overcrowded stores, searching for something that isn’t trite or just a gift for the sake of a gift. I’m a big fan of gifts of service – you know, a day at the spa or a dinner out – but even those have their limitations.
To help you out this year, I’ve compiled my shortlist of some naked gift ideas. See what they inspire in you:
1. For the eco-kid (or the kid in you) – stylish, eco-lunch boxes.
I’m a big believer in preparing your own food, which means brown-bagging it when it comes time for lunch. Trouble is, all those brown bags had to come from somewhere and end up in a landfill. How about this super stylish planet box? It comes with all sorts of cool compartments and designer bags. This one’s high on my wish list.
2. For the foodie – cultured veggies.
I bet most foodies haven’t had home-made lacto-fermented sauerkraut before. It’s naked – in fact, it’s better than naked! – and I’ll put my bets down that you’re the only one giving this gift this year. Make a big batch and pack them in small jam-jars for the newbies. Here’s a video and recipe to get you started. Or, if you’re feeling like home-made is too much work, Immunitrition ships their yummy cultured veg all over this great nation.
3. For the sweet tooth – raw chocolate.
Wanting to go the sweet treat route but not wanting to make the traditional sugar cookies with lots of refined sugar and white flour? Order some delicious raw chocolate from our friend Liz Marx at Sweet Nuit chocolates. This stuff is magical, and good for you too! They’re 100% raw, naked, and delicious.
4. For the physically active traveler – Felon Fitness.
Good friend and personal trainer Trey Teufel wrote a great book called Felon Fitness. It’s ideal for the frequent traveler because these are exercises you can do anywhere with little to no equipment. All you need are your gym shorts and shoes, and you’re set!
5. For the activist – a copy of Kristin Canty’s documentary, Farmageddon.
It’s a powerful and compelling call to arms to protect our right to choose the food we eat, and the rights of farmers to grow it. If you’re buying for someone who’s socially and environmentally conscious and likes to do something about it, this is a great gift.
5. For the conscious fashionista – a pair of Tom’s shoes.
You’ve probably heard of them: the really cool LA based company that gives one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair they sell. The concept is simple, and brilliant. Style for you, shoes for a shoe-less child. That’s what I call a win-win.
6. For the curious but uninitiated – their very own copy of Eat Naked.
Okay, I have to plug it. How about a copy of my book? If you’ve been living the naked lifestyle for awhile and your friends and family are curious but not quite sure why you think butter is the healthy option, spread the word! I wrote this book as an easy, accessible introduction to eating real foods, so it’s a great place to start. Email me directly if you’d like a special signed copy.
What’s on your holiday gift list?
Written by Margaret Floyd on 28/11/11 am30 09:10 AM
I drink raw milk. Even better: I drink full fat raw milk.
4) The only safe raw milk comes from healthy, grass-fed cows in sanitary conditions
