TSC x Volkalize: The Debate on Pasteurization

Got milk?

Ehhh, not so much.

I hate pasteurized milk.

To each their own, but I prefer real coconut milk/almond milk/raw milk to pasteurized milk.

I also prefer cold pressed juice to pasteurized orange juice.

Ok let’s back up though, first thing first: WTH is pasteurization?? Because it’s a big scary word ( in my opinion ) & kinda scary. I’ve teamed up with Jordan from Volkalize to bring you guys everything I know about pasteurization.

Ahem!

Let’s start with milk. According to Natural News, “the popular milk campaign has been very successful in reversing declining milk sales in America over recent years. Common teaching is that milk is a ‘perfect food,’ for building strong bodies in children and preventing osteoporosis as we age. The modern dairy products that are available in most supermarkets are nothing like the unpasteurized, unhomogenized milk of yesteryear however. Today’s milk looks the same, but it is not the same product. Pasteurization was discovered by Louis Pasteur in the mid-1800s. Pasteurization compromises your milk. It destroys vitamins and interferes with calcium absorption. When you boil a liquid, you kill any bacteria and make that food sterile. In the process, you can’t help but affect the taste and nutritional value of that food. Pasteurization is the process of heating a liquid to a high enough temperature to kill certain bacteria and disable certain enzymes. Milk can be pasteurized by heating it to a temperature of 145 degrees F for 30 minutes or 163 degrees F for 15 seconds (called flash pasteurization). Ultra High Temperature (UHT) Pasteurization completely sterilizes a liquid. This process is utilized for the “boxes of milk” that can be shelved at room temperature. For UHT Pasteurization, milk is heated to 285 degrees F for a second or two. Many studies have linked consumption of pasteurized milk with lactose intolerance, allergies, asthma, frequent ear infections, gastro-Intestinal problems, diabetes, auto-immune disease, attention deficit disorder and constipation. During a period of rapid population growth, the market for fluid pasteurized milk has declined at 1% per year for the past 20 years. Fewer and fewer consumers can tolerate pasteurized (and ultrapasteurized) milk.”

Ouch…so basically pasteruization destroys vitamins & minerals and is linked to many health issues. Interesting.

We’ll dig deeper though: a lot of people don’t want any bacteria touching their products so in many cases they prefer their food/drink pasteurized. On that note, this article states: “if heating something can destroy the bad bacteria, you better believe that it is going to destroy the good too. What does that leave us with then? Perhaps a miniscule amount of nutrients, but only because most juice manufactures acknowledge this travesty, and attempt to “fortify” their juice with “vitamins”. Hey! On the bright side, 100% juice products are, at least, not chemical ridden, and full of additives, like regular and diet soda pops. When juice is pasteurized, it is heated to a high temperature for a short period of time. Pasteurization destroys bacteria, molds, and unwanted micro-organisms, that might be lurking in the juice. Pasteurization also prolongs shelf-life, making it a much more cost-efficient product.”

Aha!

There’s the billion dollar word: MONEY.

A lot of the reason pasteurization is so popular is because it saves companies money.

Naturally.

So back to the article: “after the pasteurization process, the brightly packaged juices, the ones that can sit for an eternity on the shelves of every market, are about as rich in nutrients as a pack of “natural” gummy worms. And that ain’t saying much. In other words– we are left with sugar. Lots and lots of sugar. Fructose, the kind of sugar that is found naturally in fruit and vegetables, is fine in moderation when consumed R-A-W. This is because the live enzymes and nutrients that chaperon the sugar, offer the body much needed nourishment, and help the body to break down and assimilate itself, all the while, nourishing the body. Fruit and vegetables juices, that are freshly pressed, are quite possibly one of the most hydrating, nourishing and healing drinks you can consume.”

YES.

That’s what I like to hear: hydrating, nourishing, & healing…all these words have absolutely nothing to do with pasteurization.

Now here’s the deal: do what works for YOU. For me, I never drink pasteurized shit & I’ve never been sick from it; in fact, I’ve never felt better ESP after drinking a cold pressed juice. YUM.

& when it comes to milk, I avoid it like the plague. My favorite raw milk ( & products ) are by Organic Pastures. Remember when I talked about raw butter?

More on why I hate pasteurized milk here.

Pretty much “the bottom line is that today’s milk may contain assorted drugs and antibiotics, pesticides from treated grains, bacteria from infected animals, and genetically engineered growth hormones ( nasty-ass GMO’s ), in addition to being chemically altered into something that is incompatible with our bodies ( source ).”

Yuck.

Ok, so what’s your take? Would love to hear your opinion in the comment section below. Also, if you want to engage in a debate regarding pasteurization head over to Volkalize & share your opinions.

{ Check out my last collab with Volkalize on the dangers of BPA here }.