Milk as a foodstuff can be either the nectar of life or poison – it all depends on who consumes it, when and how. One and the same thing, substance or activity can be either a remedy or a poison.
During consultations, I am often asked for my opinion on milk and dairy products. Ayurveda – which, to put it in terms more familiar to Estonians, could be called common sense, the wisdom of grandmothers or simply logical natural science – has led me in recent years to realise that there are two sides to every coin. Nothing is inherently good or bad; it all depends on the context.
Life presents us with moments when we must look beyond the fragmented field of information and accumulated beliefs that surround us, and see the bigger picture, where everything is interconnected. Changing a single element can cause the entire system to become its own opposite and the substance itself to become its own antithesis. Historically, this has been called alchemy.
How milk supported my child’s recovery
My experience of the healing effects of milk dates back about three years, when my child was diagnosed with a degenerative neurological condition accompanied by difficulties with learning and concentration. We were considering having my child repeat the year. Previous positive experiences with Ayurveda gave us the confidence to turn to traditional medicine to resolve the situation. We took our child to India twice, a year apart, to undergo the panchakarma procedure. An important part of the home treatment in between was drinking warm milk with medicinal herbs and taking herbal mixtures mixed with ghee. The course of the illness reversed and the child has now made a full recovery.
The properties of milk according to Ayurveda
On a physical level, milk adds structure, promotes development and growth, and rejuvenates and renews the body. Milk nourishes the plasma and skin, the brain and nerves; it supports the immune system, improves memory, and promotes clear thinking and sleep. Milk is also known as an aphrodisiac. On a mental level, milk calms, stabilises and increases a sense of contentment.
Milk is nourishing, but it is difficult to digest and has a cooling effect by nature. To benefit from its therapeutic properties, milk should always be consumed warm and as a separate meal. Adding honey to warm milk enhances its beneficial properties. A cup of warm milk with honey and a quarter of a grated nutmeg before going to bed is a very suitable remedy for sleep disturbances.
Why does the type of milk matter?
Natural, organic raw milk possesses therapeutic properties. According to Ayurveda, all industrially processed foods generate toxins in the digestive tract on a physical level and dull thoughts and negative emotions on a mental level. Homogenisation and pasteurisation also alter the structure of milk, making it indigestible and causing the build-up of mucus.
If the digestive tract is out of balance and toxins have built up on the intestinal walls over a long period of time – whether due to poor-quality food, stress or an irregular lifestyle – then even warm, organic raw milk can exacerbate the toxins. This is the case, for example, with lactose intolerance. By gently cleansing the body, it is possible to rid oneself of these problems: in Ayurveda, this is achieved through panchakarma, a deeply balancing procedure that purifies and renews the body and mind. You can read more in the Alkeemia article on spring body cleansing.
Oat porridge with milk for breakfast
We have three schoolchildren in our family, and every weekday morning we eat porridge made from oats cooked in milk. Few foods have such a powerful ability to carry a sense of love, peace, stability and care through the whole day as porridge made from the milk of a cow cared for with love and organic grains grown with love. Cow’s milk cannot be replaced by almond, rice, soya or other ‘milks’, which, when bought from the shop, are all industrially processed. Goat’s milk does not have this effect either.
I do not add milk when I cook porridge just for myself, as milk has a structure-building effect which I do not need given my current level of physical activity. When having breakfast with my family, however, the joy of being together and sharing a delicious bowl of porridge outweighs all rational considerations. It’s a lovely, peaceful start to the day.
Generally speaking, milk should be enjoyed as a separate meal, as it does not go well with other foods. The exception is grains, which can be cooked into porridge with milk. Almonds and dates are ideal for sweetening porridge.
Cold dairy products
Cold dairy products are difficult to digest, cause blockages in the body and do not agree with many people. Their adverse effects can be minimised through mindful consumption.
- If your diet includes cheese, yoghurt, kefir or other cold dairy products, it is better to eat them at lunchtime rather than in the evening.
- Cheese lovers should opt for high-quality cheese and eat less of it. Thickeners and preservatives do not belong in high-quality cheese.
- The negative effects of cold dairy products are exacerbated by sugar. Sweet quark-based desserts, sweetened yoghurt and ice cream should therefore be consumed only very rarely.
- When trying to lose weight, it is worth considering reducing your intake of cold dairy products or giving them up altogether.
Cold, industrially processed dairy products slow down digestion, cause digested food to stagnate and introduce toxins into the digestive system, leading to weight gain, digestive disorders, allergies, food intolerances and negative thoughts. At the same time, consumption habits passed down through generations create a sense of normality: our children, for example, are used to adding sour cream to their soup, and this does not cause any problems.
Fortunately, according to Ayurveda, it is all a matter of moderation. If you have no digestive problems and any extra weight doesn’t cause you stress, you can eat anything in moderation. The body can cope with the odd indulgence, provided you generally follow the principles of a healthy diet that suits you. From time to time – on a Sunday or a special occasion – you can still treat your loved ones to a warm, homemade quark cake full of love and abundance – just as our mothers and grandmothers used to do.
Ghee, or liquid gold
When talking about dairy products, we cannot overlook ghee – clarified butter, or butter oil. Ghee is Ayurveda’s ‘liquid gold’, produced through an alchemical process in which a coarser, lower-grade butter is transformed, through prolonged simmering, into a completely different substance with very special properties. Ghee is an excellent food, medicine and cosmetic – I’ll write more about it in the post ‘Seven reasons to love ghee’.
Milk as a local complete food
All in all, milk is a foodstuff that should be treated with respect. In my view, the most important thing is that milk is a local Estonian wholefood – it does not need to be processed or bought from elsewhere. I like the approach where wholesome food comes from within a 50–100 km radius of home, and milk could be available on that basis. By buying organic milk and traditional dairy products from small-scale farmers in our local area, we support rural life and encourage a community-based way of living. It is even better when a family can interact directly with the dairy farmer and see for themselves that the cow is a beloved pet on the farm, not merely a source of income.
In our climate, cows have for centuries brought families together, fed communities and helped people get through hard times. The cow has been a symbol of wealth – why shouldn’t it become a symbol of caring, community-based cooperation and a clean environment, as they are in Switzerland, where every Alpine village greets you with the romantic scent of manure and you can buy artisanal cheese from almost every farm? Organic milk and organic butter are not luxury goods, but a sign of care.
I recently heard the news that there are plans in Estonia to increase organic milk production – unfortunately not for the production of organic butter and cheese for home consumption, but to process the milk into milk powder and sell it abroad. This is sad because industrially processed dairy products lose their health-promoting properties. The bigger picture is more important than the profit cycle.
Instead of looking for an external enemy – be it milk, sugar, wheat, the government or something else – we can turn our gaze inwards and lovingly explore the real causes of our dissatisfaction and health problems. Whether the cause is an irregular lifestyle, excessive sensory stimulation, stress, unsatisfying relationships or poor-quality food, it is certainly worth gently calming the mind and creating more simplicity, stillness, peace and love within oneself and around oneself. For example, by drinking a glass of warm milk with honey.
If you’d like to find out which dairy products are right for you, come along to an Ayurvedic health consultation in Tallinn or online.