An Experiment

Recently I bought a copy of Full Moon Feast by Jessica Prentice. She breaks the year down into 13 lunar months with each month being devoted to a specific food or food group. She describes how certain foods belong to certain times of the year, for example lean times in winter and times of plenty after the harvest. It is an thought-provoking book although sometimes she gets on her soapbox but after reading the section called Milk Moon I decided to try a little experiment. Jessica says that lactose intolerance may have something to do with pasteurization of milk since that process kills the enzyme naturally present in the milk which helps one digest lactose. The need for this process is due to the filthy & crowded conditions found in commercial production of milk in dairies (and according to Jessica the same is true for other commercial processes including eggs and meat) . If we would keep the production simple and natural as was done in the past, then the rampant disease issues would not be issues at all.
Anyhoo, to my experiment. Jessica mentions that raw milk should be digestible to many folks that are normally lactose intolerant. I cannot drink milk without have the most awful intestinal cramps, which feel very much link the early pains I felt with the birth of my first daughter. I decided to buy some raw milk and see what happens. I was scared of getting those cramps but they never came. It worked. I can drink raw milk with no problems. I have to admit that the milk tastes very green and different from the Lactaid that I’ve become accustomed to. The most wonderful part is the cream on the top. The best way to have cheerios is with cream on the top! Yum. I hope to write more about my little experiments as I finish reading this book. I’m in the process of searching for something, community or roots or something like that, and this book provides me several avenues to try and find what it is I’m looking for via food – my favorite pastime is eating.