Since childhood we have been told that milk is a must-have for meeting all our nutritional needs, especially in our growing-up years. Now the question we need to ask ourselves is, “Is the milk that we mostly drink today a nutritional boon or a ‘slow poison’?” Yes you read that right – ‘slow poison’ – that is putting at risk our entire generation.
There is a difference between A1 and A2 milk which we need to understand.
Cow Milk is available in two types of beta-casein proteins. These proteins are A1 and A2, which differ from each other by a single amino acid. Indian Desi breeds including Gir, Sahiwal, Kankrej, Rathi and Hariana are best when it comes to giving us top-quality A2 milk. Western cows, on the other hand, produce A1 milk.
To put it simply, while A2 milk is the nutritional boost we all need, A1 milk is invites diseases.
It has been scientifically proven that A2 milk improves our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. On the other hand A1 milk is nothing but ‘a glass full of diseases’. A1 milk has been related to Autism, Diabetes, indigestion and even schizophrenia.
Therefore we should be drinking A2 milk for our health and well-being and not A1 milk.
In India we have always cherished our cows. The Desi Indian breed nurtured Indian families since time immemorial until the White Revolution came.
The white revolution introduced foreign cow breeds to India which produced huge quantity of milk and replaced the Indian cow. It led to mass production, distribution and industrialization of milk and milk products. In the process the good old nutritious A2 Desi cow milk was replaced by the fast, convenient and easily available A1 milk.
With the introduction of technology and commercialisation of milk the government encouraged cross-breeding of our Desi cow breeds with exotic (foreign) breed of cows. The result was terrible because now the population depended on milk that not only led to various illnesses but also was subject to adulteration and contamination because of the prevalent unfair practices in the dairy industry.
Infact , there is an entire book written on this subject.
Devil in the Milk – Illness, Health and the Politics of A1 and A2 Milk by Keith Woodford.
In the book the New Zealander has explained the risks involved in drinking the A1 milk of the American, Australian, New Zealand and European cows (excluding the French cows). It shows research revealing a direct relation between a group of people who included A1 cow’s milk in their diet and suffered from autoimmune disease, heart disease, type 1 diabetes, autism, and schizophrenia.
In New Zealand and Australia there is now a trend of encouraging people to choose A2 milk over A1 milk. Because of the efforts of their government A2 milk now holds up to 8% of their market share.
In India too it is time that we come out of our ignorance and acknowledge the value of our Indian Desi Cow breeds and cherish and treasure them just like our ancestors did.
Physically too, there is a difference between the Indian cow and the foreign bred cow. The Indian cow has a hump on it whereas the jersey has no hump. The Indian cow has a flap on its neck and this is missing in the jersey cow.
In conclusion, A2 milk produced by the Desi cows is nature’s perfect gift and has a plethora of nutrients, vitamins and minerals that strengthen our immunity. On the other hand A1 milk from the foreign breeds is toxic and invites diseases.
When choosing our milk we must make a conscious and informed decision not only for our own health and well-being but also the well-being of our future generations.
