My Baby's Got a Secret (Part 2: Pasteurization & Homogenization)

Tim and I are relaxing on the couch with Indy, How It's Made is on Science Channel, and Flynn's diapers are in the wash. Today was an extra stinky diaper day. Once they start solids... things get REAL. That's part of the "fun" of cloth diapers. Even though I work, I still have the pleasure of seeing everything that came out of my sweet baby boy at the end of the day. This is definitely something only a mother could love.

Flynn still poops two or three times a day. He's never constipated and never gassy. Seriously... never! I credit 3 things: half of his milk still comes from me, the probiotic powder in his formula, and the fact that he's getting natural enzymes from raw milk. A digestive trifecta.

Here are some crazy stats for you:

- 40 million Americans are lactose intolerant.

- 75% of all African-American, Jewish, Mexican-American, and Native American adults are lactose intolerant.

- 90% of Asian-Americans are lactose intolerant.

[Even Leonard Hofstadter, everyone's favorite TV nerd is lactose intolerant]

This is my crude understanding of lactose intolerance. Bear with me, I'm no scientist. Lactase is the enzyme our bodies naturally create to digest lactose. Most people worldwide experience a drop in lactase production around age 5. When our bodies don't produce enough lactase, we become lactose intolerant. 

I realized I was lactose intolerant in college. Growing up, I fought my parents about finishing my milk and ice cream always gave me a stomach ache. Duh - my body didn't know what to do with it! I've tried going dairy-free a few times, but it's so hard. Those sneaky food manufacturers use casein (a dairy protein) in practically every processed food as a binder, especially cheese. Eating too much casein has also been linked to cancer.

So why is raw better?

Milk straight from a cow contains awesome enzymes specially designed to make it easier to digest. However, these enzymes (and all the other lovely nutrients in milk) are very fragile. Once milk is heated to a certain temperature through pasteurization, these enzymes are destroyed forever. The molecules that comprise them are literally flattened and the enzymes can no longer do their thing.

Pasteurization heats milk to just below boiling temperatures, while ultra-pasteurization forces milk through pipes and steam outside of the pipes heats it for 15-20 seconds at 171 degrees, and for 1-2 seconds at up to 275 degrees. Bacteria is killed, as well as all the good enzymes.

[See this website for more details]

Pasteurization is very helpful to Big Dairy because it extends shelf life dramatically and allows them to ship their products all over the country without the risk of it going bad. Obviously when you support a local farm and buy their milk, it's a much shorter distance from cow to store. I'm sure you've taken a whiff of conventional milk that's past it's prime - gag. Do you know what spoiled raw milk smells like? Sour cream! The way it's supposed to be if you think about it.

No homo

Now let's talk about homogenization, which is the process that removes cream from milk. When I buy raw milk, the cream naturally rises to the top and I have to shake it up before I pour it. According to my Mom, who grew up drinking raw milk on a farm and is still alive to tell about it, everyone used to just skim the cream off the top themselves and use it in their coffee. Now, the dairy industry uses centrifugal cream separators to speed up the process. And then we buy our cream separately with a bunch of additives thrown in. Makes total sense.

The Weston A. Price Foundation sums up the problem with homogenization better than I can: During homogenization there is a tremendous increase in surface area on the fat globules. The original fat globule membrane is lost and a new one is formed that incorporates a much greater portion of casein and whey proteins. This may account for the increased allergenicity of modern processed milk.

[The good old days]

Enter Digestive Aids

After pasteurization became the norm, people started feeling all icky after eating dairy. Instead of wondering WHY this was happening, they turned to drugs to solve the problem. Gas-X, antacids, Pepto, Mylicon for babies. The pharmaceutical industry started reaping the benefits of pasteurization big time. People wanted to enjoy their ice cream without the unpleasantness that followed, so they popped a few pills and ate it anyway. This paved the way for "alternative" milk products like Lactaid, and even lactase drops. Ahh, problem solved. Butttt, not really.

[Silly Lactaid, conventional cows are too sick to dance]

Who wants to rely on drugs their whole life just to eat dairy? If you choose raw dairy products, you don't have to. You're giving your body everything it needs to do its job.


In Part 3, I'll give you all the details about Flynn's homemade raw milk formula. Breast milk is always best, but I'm so glad I found a healthy alternative to commercial powdered formula when I needed it.


Are you lactose intolerant? If so, how do you deal with it? Do you love Big Bang Theory as much as I do? Discuss...

How we do it: Making & Storing Baby Food

I always slightly dread the next stage in Flynn’s development because:

1) I fear change 

2) I like routines and 

3) I feel like if I have anything else to accomplish in one day, my brain is going to have a nuclear meltdown.

But then once that stage arrives, and I accommodate it for a few days, it’s no big deal. Two months ago, I was not looking forward to Flynn eating solids. I mean, I was excited to have him try new foods, but I had the nursing/bottle routine down and now I’d have to deal with baby food, also?! Ahh! But like all the other stages that have come and gone, it’s really not a big deal at all.

In fact, it’s pretty fun to make baby food. And did I mention it’s SUPER easy? Especially since their diet consists of one ingredient purees to start. Peel it & mash it. Steam it & blend it. Roast it & puree it. 2 steps! Maybe 3 if you include washing & cutting up produce. And buying it. OKAY 4, but let’s not get too technical…

[There is a newer version available here]

This book has been my go-to source for the recipes I’ve made so far, but it’s mainly inspirational because once you make a few of them, you’re like, “Wait, I needed a book for this?” That’s how simple it is. Pick pretty much any fruit or vegetable; decide how to make it soft enough to be pureed and just do that. Want pear puree? Core pears & cut into quarters. Steam until soft (7-9 min), remove skins and toss flesh into a food processor or blender. 30 seconds later, boom, done. Want apple/carrot/sweet potato/pea/green bean puree? Do virtually the same thing. Cook until soft, puree.

The recipes get more complex for older babies and start to incorporate multiple ingredients and spices, but you’ll already be a pro because you started out with one-ingredient meals.

In my opinion, the hardest part was figuring out how to store the food so that it was also easy to transport to my Mom’s house (Flynn's "day care"). There are lots of baby food storage containers on the market but I just went with ice cube trays that I already owned. They're probably not BPA-free, but I'm only using them for a short period of time & I'm not heating them up, so I couldn't justify buying special trays.

Helpful Tip

1 cube = 1 oz. (or 2 tablespoons)

Every other week, I make 2 different purees (usually a fruit for breakfast, to eat alone or to mix with the Earth’s Best baby oatmeal he so loves, and a veggie for lunch). I fill up my ice cube trays with the purees and pop them in the freezer overnight. Then, I dump out the cubes and put 2 cubes each in plastic snack baggies. Everything is pre-portioned and ready to bring to my Mom’s house along with Flynn’s milk for the day. I can’t tell you how convenient it is to just grab a bag of this and a bag of that from the freezer in the morning. It keeps me slightly more sane.

To thaw, either put the cubes in a bowl and let them soften slowly in the fridge or give them a 30 second zap in the microwave and stir, stir, stir to get it all to the same baby-friendly temperature. If necessary, add a little water/breast milk/formula to thin out the puree. To thicken a puree (like pears, which tend to be watery) I add a little oatmeal.

[Flynn's first avocado experience]

There are foods baby’s love that don’t need to be cooked at all, like bananas & avocados. Flynn loves mashed avocado with a pinch of salt, and we often mix in banana with his oatmeal.

Learn from my mistake: When I first made apple puree for Flynn, I used Granny Smith apples because that’s what I like to eat. You should have seen his face - it was like I gave him a sour apple blow pop. Oops! A little cinnamon warmed him up to it though.

As far as baby-proof dinnerware is concerned, I haven’t bought any yet. My sis-in-law gave me a bunch of Gerber baby spoons, and I serve Flynn his food in small, ceramic ramekins. When he starts feeding himself, I’ll obviously need some kind of unbreakable bowls and plates that are BPA-free/Phthalate-free/Latex-free/PVC-free made of rainbows & sunshine. My mom has this cute bowl for feeding Flynn and she loves it because you can just mash & mix whatever you want right in the bowl and serve.

There are lots of pre-made baby foods available, but the freshest and most cost-effective way to feed your baby is to get in the kitchen and make your own. If you're an ingredient control-freak like me, it’s the best way to go.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t completely object to pre-made baby food. It definitely has it's perks! During our summer vacation in July, I say bring on the convenience of organic fruit in a pouch & disposable diapers! Everyone needs a break once in a while.

[Asparagus. Not a fan.]

What were your baby's favorite first foods? Do you have your own baby food making/storing routine?