To Drink or Not to Drink Milk

 To drink Milk or Not to drink milk? ......That is the question.

Milk is considered a nectar in Ayurveda.  It is the loving fluid coming form the mother’s blood carrying immunity and nourishment to the offspring  - whether cow, goat or human or whatever.  When we drink milk within 24-48 hours it nourishes all our deepest tissues. All other food that takes 30 days to reach the deepest levels of our physiology. In other words, to make Ojas or all the neurotransmitter and hormones that are essential for intelligent communication and transformation of all tissues, takes 30 days.  Yes, you heard me. What you eat today is not fully assimilated for about 1 month, whereas milk is assimilated within 2 days.  That is why it is considered a nectar.

However there are certain rules around drinking milk.  Firstly the source must be of good quality.  The cows have to be well treated. The individuals caring for the animal but treat it with kindness and respect.  They do not take the baby calf away from the mother as she will give enough to feed the calf and also extra for our consumption.  Taking the baby away from the mother breaks her heart.  The quality of the milk with me less.

How best to drink the milk so it is easily digested and assimilated.  By boiling the milk the proteins are broken down to amino acids  and more easily digested.  Adding 1/8 to 1/2 teaspoonful of turmeric while boiling the milk supports the liver to transform all the nutrients into the best nourishing blood for your individual system.  Milk is never taken with a meal but on its own or cooked with a grain and certain spices like cardamom and cinnamon. If you find that you are not digesting milk well then you can dilute it with water to make it lighter.  

Let’s say you have not drank milk for a long time. Maybe you were influenced by a Naturopath who told you you were not a baby cow and should not drink milk as it is clogging. But now you want to re-introduce it into your diet as you are more informed about tis benefits. Start with 1/4 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of water boiled with 1/8 of a teaspoonful of turmeric.  Drink it before bed which will support the fluids and neurotransmitters in the brain to give the best restorative sleep.

However in some cases if the body is struggling with serious imbalances the Ayurvedic practitioner will recommend eliminating milk and other foods that are difficult to digest and assimilate. For example, in autoimmune diseases, gluten and all milk products make have to be eliminated for some time giving our digestive system time to rebalance.  However slowly as things improve small amounts of milk can be re-introduced.