beverage of choice

I have been (perhaps inordinately) happy with my choice of milk lately.

Because the other adults in the house are all lactose intolerant, they drink Fairlife ultrafiltered milk, which has a good taste, unlike milks with lactase added, which I find too sweet.

However, when my doctor recommended that I increase my calcium intake, I decided that I would save the Fairlife for others in the house and choose a less expensive option for me. The problem is, though, that I don’t like to drink milk from the standard plastic jugs that are most common here in the US. It tends to taste a bit plastic-y to me, so I thought I could buy milk in cartons.

This was easier said than done.

It turns out that few milk producers use cartons anymore, but, at our local Wegman’s, I found another solution.

It is so much fun to have milk in a glass bottle, as it was usually distributed before they went to paper cartons. This dairy also vat pasteurizes their milk and even offers non-homogenized milk so that a layer of cream rises to the top of the bottle.

I have chosen to drink 2% milk, as a compromise between those who think one shouldn’t have dairy fat and those who think dairy fat is helpful to your diet.

A bonus is that the dairy is relatively closeby, about 120 miles from where I live, which is close enough to qualify as local in locavore terms.

Another bonus is that the bottles are returned and reused, cutting down on the waste stream or the processing needed to recycle.

The milk is delicious! It somehow seems colder when it is poured fresh from the fridge. Research shows that that is all in my head – or perhaps in my fingers as the difference in conductivity of a thick glass bottle versus a paper or plastic container is going to make the glass bottle feel colder. Glass is also good because it doesn’t transfer flavors into the milk as some plastics can.

I am drinking more milk than I was, which is helping my calcium intake go up. I am also taking supplemental vitamin D, knowing that light can degrade it, although, once I get the milk home, it is in the dark most of the time.

Unless that little light is not going off when the refrigerator door closes…

SoCS: drinking problem

I have a drinking problem.

But probably not the kind you are thinking of…

Because I have a condition called interstitial cystitis, also known as painful bladder syndrome, I can’t drink a lot of things that most people do.

Some, like coffee, are not a hardship for me to not drink because I don’t really like them. Same with black tea.

I do wish I could drink green tea, though. I can drink some herbal teas.

Soda and other carbonated things are no-nos!

Fruit juices are problematic as they are too acidic. I need to dilute them or take pills to counteract the acidity.

I do drink milk sometimes, but have had to give up one of my favorite drinks, hot cocoa, as chocolate is another irritant.

What I drink most of the time is water.

Which is safe, but a bit boring.

Oh, well.

Wells do bring us water…

(And, for the record, I don’t drink alcohol.)
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Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week is “drink.” Come join us! Find out how here:  https://lindaghill.com/2016/06/24/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-2516/

 

 

SoCS: grass-fed beef

I try to find grass-fed beef for our home. Cows evolved to eat grass and their digestion works best when they do. When you hear about cattle being major emitters of methane, it is often because they are being fed things like corn that they don’t digest well. The methane when it is in the atmosphere is a potent greenhouse gas and exacerbates global warming, so it is good for the environment for cows to eat grass.

There used to be a slogan about a dairy selling milk “from contented cows.” The cows probably got to eat grass! Science also has shown that cows are especially happy if they get to eat flax.

Grass-fed beef is also healthier for people to eat. It is lower in fat and the fat that it does have is higher in omega 3 fats rather than omega 6 fats. Corn-fed beef is high in omega 6 fats with little omega 3s.

I wish that farmers in the US would change their practices to go back to the older practice of cows eating grass. It would be better for the climate, the cows, and the people.
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Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week is “beef.” Join us! Find out how here:  http://lindaghill.com/2015/10/23/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-oct-2315/