It is obvious that in order to keep our body working at peak efficiency the fuel on which we feed it needs to be of optimal quality. However, modern production methods are progressively leading to an inability to distinguish between the good and the bad. Milk provides us with a very good example.

Milk is the most nutritionally complete food on the planet and has been used by humans as a food source for thousands of years. Having as a young person had regular access to milk straight from the cow I am aware of the qualities of the original item, which never fails to satisfy. However, I have tried all the well-known commercial brands of milks and had great difficulty in finding one to achieve a comparable effect. As I can’t survive satisfactorily without good milk I persevered and eventually found a brand to suit me. In Byron I recently spoke to a girl who had a similar problem – she had a cat that rejected one type of milk after another. After some experimentation she managed to find a brand with which it was completely happy.

There can be no doubt that raw milk, straight from the cow, is infinitely more nutritious than the dead, processed liquid that we buy in shops and for anyone who does not suffer from a lactose intolerance or does not avoid animal products it would be a preferable choice but unless you live on a farm it is unlikely to be available. However, even amongst the brands that we find on sale there are considerable differences in quality. It does pay to experiment until one finds a more satisfying brand, while remembering that it takes time and patience to re-educate our taste buds.

Unfortunately, there can be no doubt that people are becoming less capable of distinguishing the good from the bad in their diet. Increasingly, anyone who wants to know about the content of their food is dependent on the results of laboratory tests and the reading of labels seems to be taking the place of exercising our taste buds.

Next Time: The Ayurvedic Concept Of Prevention