Grass Fed Cows Vs Grain Fed Cows? (For Their Milk)

[glutenfreemomma188]

FORGIVE ME IF THIS POST IS IN THE WRONG AREA, PLEASE PLACE IT IN THE RIGHT ONE IF THAT IS POSSIBLE OR TELL ME WHICH ONE IT BELONGS IN. 

 

 

I have had an intolerance to milk for a long time. I can handle cheese (in moderate quantities) but milk seems to bother me. 

I tried more organic milk in the glass bottles at my local grocery store but it still bothered me.  (Whole milk doesn't bother me as bad, which is weird.)

I then was told, that drinking RAW MILK from a dairy farm would be my best option. 

I tried it for a couple of weeks and unfortunately I am still having slight issues. 

 

My symptoms are:  tummy aches, gas & bloating. 

 

I had recently heard that cows who are fed grass instead of grains, don't bother people who cannot handle wheat and regular milk.

Is this true?. Are there any articles out there pointing to this being a fact?. 

 

I tried the raw milk when the cows were eating their grains (for the winter). 

Should I consider avoiding the milk in the winter months (go on a calcium supplement) & then try the raw milk again when they start

feeding their cows grass again in the spring and summer?. 

 

I'm just wondering if the grains can somehow be excreted into the milk and be what is bothering me?. 

 

Does anyone know?. 

 

Thank you for your replies in advance. 

[LauraTX]

If milk bothers you, then what the cows are eating and whether or not it is pasteurized is not likely to make a difference.  If lactose is your issue, you may want to try drinking lactose free milk for a while to see if that helps.  But overall, you'll just have to get your calcium Open Original Shared Link. Drinking raw milk has some Open Original Shared Link, I recommend being informed on those, as well.

 

Grains are not excreted into the milk.  There is no cross-reactivity with milk, see the University of Chicago's Stance on that Open Original Shared Link.  Milk is a safe gluten-free food for those with Celiac disease that can lack lactose intolerance.

[mamaw]

I agree with Laura..... I have heard Goat milk is easier to digest then cow milk...

[cyclinglady]

Besides being lactose intolerant (common among Celiacs who are still healing AND a huge chunk of the world's population who do not have celiac disease), you may have an allergy/intolerance to casein (milk proteins) and whey. Corn fed, grass fed, raw or whatever, if you are allergic to casein, you have to steer clear of milk period.

From the symptoms you described, chances are you are lactose intolerant. You can try lactose free milk or just wait a year or so to allow intestinal healing. I would not recommend raw milk especially for those that already have compromised intestinal tracts. There are risks in injesting raw milk. I would consider it if the cow was kept in my backyard!

Cheese and yogurt are okay for many with a lactose intolerance. Most of the lactose sugars are eliminated during the fermenting process. Butter too has a lot less lactose.

You can always supplement with calcium, magnesium and vitamin D if you are concerned about building bone.

[nvsmom]

I completely agree with the others. If milk bothers you, as it does in 50% of celiacs at diagnosis, it is the lactose that is the problem.

I do believe that grass fed cow milk is of a higher quality than gain fed, and it would be true for everyone. It s still milk though and would give you the same problems.

[Sock]

Grains are just different part of a grass plant. They've got a higher nutrient and calorie density that makes them easier to transport and feed (and easier for the cattle to gain/maintain weight).

 

There will be some differences in the meat and milk, but nothing that will bother your health. Personally, grain fed tastes better.

 

There can be health complications for cattle in either feeding program. Too rich of a diet (too much grain!) can get the bacteria in an animal's gut out of whack and lead to a pretty swift death, which ranchers obviously try to avoid...still, it can happen. Grasses (namely corn stalks or the many different sorghum varieties) in drougthy weather (or subjected to an early cold snap) can produce an alarming amount of cyanide containing compounds...also something ranchers want to avoid.

[bartfull]

Generally speaking, when most of us think of grain fed we think of feed lots where the cattle are standing in poop up to their knees and given lots of antibiotics. I will no longer eat beef from the grocery store because of that. I will eat bison and elk and beef that came to the meat locker straight from the ranch though.

 

I don't drink milk because I just don't like it. Never have.

[Sock]

...feed lots where the cattle are standing in poop up to their knees and given lots of antibiotics...

 

Despite what Chipotle says, no such thing.

[bartfull]

No, actually there IS such a thing. I live in cattle country and there is a feed lot in my town plus one to the north and another to the south. They are all like that. I know people who work there. And I know that what I said above is true.

[nvsmom]

Cattle lots can be gross.  We get our meat from the family farm and even that can be gross... poop up to the ankles anyways.  LOL

[Sock]

Cattle lots can be gross.  We get our meat from the family farm and even that can be gross... poop up to the ankles anyways.  LOL

 

Oh, nobody is saying it won't look disgusting.  Manure will hard pack about five inches deep, so dense that it'll even be waterproof.

 

We've drifted off-topic for the thread and WAY off topic for the board.

[bartfull]

You're right, this is not the place for this discussion, but I will just add that cattle don't only poop, they pee, and that keeps what they are standing in muddy enough to keep them knee deep. As I have said, I not only see it with my own eyes, but I hear from workers that that is the way it is, and the antibiotics are partially for the infections their hooves get from it.

[glutenfreemomma188]

Wow, a lot of information here. I love how you all got off topic because of poop lol!

By what you guys say, I know I am 100% lactose intolerant. I can eat cheese and what not, but the milk makes me the sickest. 

I am going to try different milks like the lactose free one etc. just to see how it reacts to me. 

 

Thank you guys for your information. 

I very much appreciate it.