Your Dairy Questions Answered

This recap was created in collaboration with Midwest Dairy as part of the dairy community’s Undeniably Dairy campaign . I was compensated for my time, but the content and opinions included are my own.

Back in September, I had the privilege of visiting a dairy farm in Chicago. I loved getting to see where our milk actually comes from and what the process of caring for and milking cattle looks like. I was able to meet the dairy farmers who own and run it, as well as ask them any questions I had. It’s really cool being more connected to our food supply.

And if you follow me on IG, you may have noticed that I recently did a Q&A regarding dairy on my stories. I addressed all of your questions, as well as a few details I thought were important to touch on. If you missed it, you can see my answers on my highlight reel HERE.

If you aren’t on Instagram, are a visual processor, or simply prefer cliff notes, here is the shortened version of what I discussed:

Can dairy cause acne?

1. Diet and acne is still a controversial topic, with conflicting information.

2. There is research that supports a diet high in high-glycemic foods may worsen acne. Additionally, studies have shown dairy and acne to be weakly associated. Skim milk had a stronger association with worsened acne than whole milk. (1)

3. Milk can cause rashes or eczema, but is more likely related to a milk allergy (so get tested!).

Is it unhealthy to drink whole milk? What about the saturated fat content?

• A research study showed higher intakes of saturated fat from dairy was associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.

• Full fat dairy has been associated with decreased risk of metabolic syndrome. (2)

• Full fat dairy leads to increased satiety and fullness.

• Full fat dairy can help with blood sugar stabilization (fat is slower to digest, so your blood sugar doesn’t spike as much).

Don’t the hormones given to the cattle pass into milk? Are they dangerous to our health?

• Dairy cows used to be given rBST to increase milk production. Consumers didn’t like this, so the majority of dairy farmers no longer use this and sign agreements not to.

• rBST is digested into individual peptides and amino acids (so it’s not absorbed into the bloodstream as a hormone). Additionally, our body lacks receptors for this hormone, so it can’t bind to anything to elicit a response.

• There are naturally occurring hormones that pass into the milk (just like hormones pass from human moms into their breastmilk!), but the amount passed through is not significant.

• Addition for you guys (not in my videos): 1 8-oz cup milk has up to 2.2 ng estrogen; 1 Tbsp flax has 26,556.6 ng estrogen; ½ cup pinto beans has 154,800 ng estrogen; 3/4 cup tofu has 34,050,000 ng estrogen. A prepubescent child produces 41,000 ng/day; an adult male produces 136,000 ng/day; a non-pregnant woman produces 513,000 ng/day; and a pregnant woman produces 19,600,000 ng/day. (3,4)

I heard dairy is not easily digestible, so it’s not meant to be eaten?

• It’s true that some people have a difficult time digesting lactose in dairy, and for those, I suggest taking lactaid, drinking lactose free milk, or eating low lactose products like hard, aged cheeses or Greek yogurt.

• There are a lot foods our bodies may have a difficult time digesting (high fiber foods, fats, proteins), but that doesn’t mean we make a blanket statement that no one should eat them. If that were the case, gas-producing veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts would be nixed. ;-)

Is dairy nutritionally necessary?

• Dairy is not necessary in order to have a healthy, nutritious diet (or else people with dairy allergies would be in trouble!), BUT it is a very convenient and affordable source of great nutrition. Dairy is a wonderful source of protein, carbs, fat, calcium, vitamin A & D (fortified dairy), potassium, and phosphorous.

• Additionally, dairy is delicious (in my opinion), and eating foods we enjoy is helpful for having a healthy relationship with food and having a nutritious food intake.

Greek yogurt for lactose intolerance?

• For those with lactose intolerance, Greek yogurt (as well as hard, aged cheeses) can often be well tolerated, as the majority of the lactose is discarded along with the whey when strained.

• For those with high sensitivities to lactose, some companies actually make lactose free yogurt, including Yoplait and Green Valley Creamery.

Milk for lactose intolerance if I don’t like the taste of soy milk?

• Try lactose free milk, such as Lactaid, Fairlife, or Horizon!

Calf care concerns

• Pregnant cows are separated from the herd and not milked for 2-3 months before giving birth.

• While it varies from farm to farm, it is standard practice for the calf to be separated from the mom within 24 hours after delivery for the safety of the calf (to prevent infection from eating or lying in mother’s manure, some cows don’t pay attention to their calves, etc). Farmers ensure the calves are given quality colostrum (quality colostrum=increased chances of a strong immune system) and then milk either from the mom directly or through a bottle .

• The calf is separated from the herd for the first 3 months in a dry, clean place to ensure the calf is healthy and growing properly.

• Cows’ well-being is of upmost importance to the dairy farmer. Sick cows are expensive to treat, and unhappy or stressed cows produce less milk. Less milk=lower profit.

Organic vs. conventional dairy

• Certified organic dairy farms have to uphold set standards (5): only organic fertilizers and pesticides on crops; at least 120 days of access to pasture (and then supplemented to ensure a balanced diet); and if an animal is given antibiotics, it must be sold.

• The only nutritional difference is that organic milk is higher in omega-3 fatty acids and lower in omega-6 fatty acids. However, milk (organic or not) is not a significant source of omega-3s. Some companies do fortify their milk with DHA, so if milk is your go-to source for omega-3s, opt for a fortified product.

Antibiotics in milk?

• When a cow is given medications or antibiotics for conditions such as mastitis, the cow’s milk is thrown away and not saved for consumption.

• Shipments of milk are checked for antibiotic residue before leaving the farm as well as at least one other time in the manufacturing process. If antibiotics are found in the milk, the entire tank is thrown away at the expense of the farmer. (6)

• Added (not on my videos): Testing for antibiotics have only gotten more stringent over time. More rigorous testing=higher quality assurance for the consumer. (7)

If your interested in what a dairy farm looks like and how it functions (but can’t go visit one in real life), you can check out this online farm experience here.

Sources:

1. Dairy and acne https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0190962209009670

2. Full fat dairy and Metabolic syndrome https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/146/1/81/4616088

3. Estrogen found in flax seed https://www.salon.com/2014/04/13/4_otherwise_healthy_foods_crammed_with_estrogen_partner/

4. Estrogen found in various foods and produced by humans: http://www.iowabeefcenter.org/information/IBC48.pdf

5. Certified organic requirements https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Dairy%20-%20Guidelines.pdf

6. https://ww6)w.fda.gov/media/111169/download

7. antibiotic testing resources https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2009/an/b817836d/unauth#!divAbstract ; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165993609000776 ; https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/antibioticresistance/animal/truthmilk.pdf ;

Favorite Oatmeal Recipes Roundup

Sooo...let's get real. I like oats. A LOT. One look at my instagram account and you'll discover that very quickly. I went scrolling through my account to get some inspiration about my favorite recipes and holy moly. It made me want to eat oatmeal for every meal for the next week!! Okay, maybe not every meal, but it reminded me of how dreamy oats are.

I love eating oats because they can be hot, cold, creamy, doughy, cakey, etc. The possibilities are endless!! It honors my cravings for sweets, fills my desire for doughy textures, and the fiber content keeps me full and my blood sugar stable for several hours. I wanted to share several of my favorite recipes with you so that you can mix up your breakfast routine or get into oatmeal if you're not already into it. I seriously had oats in some form for breakfast for like a year straight. I can help you out!

This is one of the first oatmeal recipes that got me into the world of oats--whipped banana oatmeal. I love topping it with chopped apples, flax seed, and walnuts. <3

http://www.katheats.com/kaths-tribute-to-oatmeal

Then after my whipped oatmeal phase, I got into various baked oatmeal recipes. Here are a few of my faves...The one below is from Immaeatthat. Kylie knows how to do a baked oatmeal :-D

http://immaeatthat.com/2015/12/30/pumpkin-snickerdoodle-baked-oatmeal/

For the chocolate brulee below, I just top it with peanut butter instead of stuffing it inside. LOVE the crunchy topping! I'm all about mixing crunchy with a doughy texture.

http://athleticavocado.com/2014/11/26/chocolate-peanut-butter-oatmeal-brulee/

This one is even doughier than the brulee one. It's more like bread pudding (insert heart eye emoji here). Ooey gooey in the middle, crunchy on the top!!

Then I got into overnight oats. I make mine a variety of different ways. Cooled coffee gives it a nice flavor like in this recipe. 

http://24carrotlife.com/2015/05/03/latte-overnight-oats-vegan/

Other times I mash part of a banana, add oats, chia seeds, pb2, and milk into a bowl, stick in the fridge and then top with fruit, nuts, and peanut butter in the morning. Ohemgee...

And now with the weather FINALLY getting cooler, and my love for espresso continuing to grow, I canNOT wait to try out this recipe below for an oatmeal latte. It's genius!!

http://www.howsweeteats.com/2016/03/how-to-make-an-oatmeal-latte/

What do you think? Have you tried any of the recipes above? Have a recipe I just HAVE to try? Let me know!

*GIVEAWAY*!!! How to make an iced latte with an aeropress

Although Aeropress is sponsoring this giveaway, I was not compensated for my time and all opinions are completely my own. 

If you've followed me for a hot second on instagram, you know that I love iced lattes. I can't think of a meal that an iced latte wouldn't make complete. Iced lattes all day, every day :-) However, at $5 a drink, it's not a habit I can afford to keep regular. I mean, Isaac only lets me allocate $40 a month for blow money #budgetprobs. So awhile back I started to experiment with making my own iced lattes. 

Then came a string of very disappointing iced drinks. I tried brewing strong coffee over ice, cooling brewed coffee and adding milk and ice, instant coffee with ice and milk, and even tried making espresso with a mokapot. All resulted in watered down coffee/milk (or a disgusting, bitter product with the mokapot) that I always poured down the drain. Wah wah.  Then an amazing thing happened. My husband bought me an aeropress (and burr grinder--fancy fancy) for our anniversary. Really, I think it was more of a gift for himself than for me (sorry, babe), but it turned out to be the best. gift. ever. After a few failed attempts, and reading multiple blogs and watching several youtube videos, I finally came up with a delicious drink that strongly resembles an iced latte made with espresso! 

Now, this can't be considered true espresso, because apparently there are strict guidelines for the temperature and pressure in order for it to be considered espresso, but this tastes pretty darn close. (in my opinion at least). The secret is to use freshly ground espresso beans, press the grounds tightly in the aeropress, and to add a filter on top of the beans (in addition to below the grounds). This increases the pressure needed to push the water through the aeropress, which I'm pretty sure allows it to extract more flavor. 

The aeropress can be used to make more than just espresso. I think it was originally intended to make regular coffee. It just happens to be the perfect tool for making espresso :-). The great thing about it is that it takes up barely any space, it's portable, it's super affordable, it makes great coffee/espresso, and all you need is boiling water and coffee grinds. Two thumbs up. 

So I wanted to share with you all, the how-to on making this perfect iced latte. Aaaand, the makers of the aeropress were generous enough to offer a free giveaway for one lucky reader!!! See below for how to enter!

The first step is to make ice cubes made from brewed coffee. This isn't absolutely necessary, but I think it's much better because I don't like watered down iced lattes. I bought the ice cube tray in my picture on clearance at target. Isn't it so cute??

Once you have coffee ice cubes prepared, you're ready to get started. Pour 2/3 cup of milk into your cup and add 2 tsp of flavored coffee syrup. I'm personally a fan of vanilla, but you choose whatever flavor is your favorite. Oh, and go with cow's milk if you can handle dairy. It is waaaay better. Why drink something you don't even really like?! (I'm looking at you almond milk)...Then add a few coffee ice cubes and a few regular ice cubes. Place your cup in the freezer (that way your milk gets niiiice and cold). 

Next, set-up your aeropress. Place a paper filter in the black filter basket and wet with water. Screw it onto the bottom of your aeropress. 

Grind your espresso beans finely with your coffee grinder. You'll need the equivalent of 4 cups, which is 1/4 cup finely ground espresso beans, or 16-17g. Place your grounds into the areopress.

The next step is to place another filter on top of the grounds and to press it down firmly. Be sure to shake the aeropress a little before you tamper it down so that the grounds are even. I use a spice bottle to press the filter and grounds down because it happens to be the perfect size in diameter and length. Now you're ready to make your espresso! (see picture above)

Boil 1/3 cup water and add to your aeropress. Place the plunger in and slowly press down until you reach the bottom. You will hear some hissing. I've read instructions that say to stop when you hear this, but I've had better luck pushing until I hit the bottom. I've been able to almost get a crema doing that. 

Congratulations! You have just made a shot of espresso!!! Add to your cold milk, stir, and enjoy!!! Just an FYI, if you want a hot latte, just heat and froth your milk before adding the espresso instead of chilling it. It's delicious that way too. :-)

Gosh, I just think the coffee is just so beautiful! Don't you agree??...I know, I'm ridiculous. As far as the giveaway is concerned, the drawing begins today and ends Sept 26 and you can enter two different ways. The first way is to comment below with your favorite coffee drink (make sure to put your first name and last name initial). The second is to find my instagram giveaway post and comment by tagging a friend! I will be drawing and contacting one lucky winner Sept 27, so keep an eye out.

Can't wait to hear what you think about the final product. I hope you love it as much as I do!  I'm sure your budget will  :-)

If you're interested in buying an aeropress yourself, click here. Their product page is here, and their facebook page is here.