Susan Waibel

I tend not to argue safety with folks who try to convince me that I am putting my kids at risk. I just tell them my story and why it led me to MY choice: when my husband and I learned of the benefits of raw milk, we did have some concerns because of the broad view that it is very unsafe. He was a medical student at the time and I hold a BS in biochemistry and worked in scientific research. Therefore we felt confident we could sift through the literature ourselves rather than relying on secondary information. What surprised us is what we DIDN'T find. In the dairy industries own journals, we found NO research on safety of any sort. With all the media buzz about safety of dairy being of mega-importance, it was odd to me that ongoing studies were absent in our findings. What we DID find was study after study about how to best market (pasteurized) milk to the masses. When we got to the study where they had a panel of taste-testers see what they thought of pasteurized milk from cows with mastitis, determining that YES they could sneak this milk in but it would need a slightly shorter shelf life, we knew we were done with our research and done with pasteurized milk forever.

This is the story I told my state representative when I met with her about Minnesota's Fair Milk Access Bill when she asked me about safety. I will not tell another family how to determine what foods are safe and nourishing for their family, but the above is how our family decided on which milk to drink. I now advocate that ALL milk drinkers do their own research. Drinking pasteurized milk is a choice too -- so I feel when people ask me to "learn about the dangers of raw milk", its fair for me to urge them to learn more about their choice too.

Another important aspect in any food safety discussion is "terrain". For us raw milk is part of a nourishing, whole foods diet. We want our bodies' terrains to be able to handle any pathogens that we may come into contact with. When we start sterilizing our food supply, we take away the massive contribution that whole, living foods confer on our ability to fight these pathogens.

A great resource is realmilk.com. There are several articles right on the front page that may be of interest to those who want to learn more.

I haven't studied this in depth. I have run into online resources that vilify meat, lumping it all into the acidifying category. I think those authors would be wise to consider Michael Pollan's "you are what your eat eats". Pastured animals eating their native diet will provide meat that is not acidifying like confinement animals eating food-industry byproducts.

I am eager to learn more so would like to hear what others think too.

My daughter battles candida. We keep it in check by avoiding refined grains and sugar, limiting even relatively healthy sweets like fruit and honey/maple syrup. We lean more towards lower sugar fruits like berries and have them with plenty of fresh cream. When she was acutely ill, we completely eliminated all sweets and she ate no more than two small servings of fruit each day but now we can be a tad more flexible. Watch for bloating -- it can guide you to which foods might be feeding the candida.

We eat plenty of nourishing fats, bone broths, and ferments too. Sometimes what you DO eat is more important than what you DON'T. Candida will cause you to crave sugar and carbs - the very foods to be avoided for healing. So I find if I work TO include certain foods, it's easier to avoid the culprit foods. Fats (lots of butter from grass fed cows, lard, coconut oil, fresh cream) really nourish the body and reduce cravings. Ferments help beneficial bacteria outcompete the yeast. Have some at every meal (but start slowly if you are new).

The GAPS protocol can help heal the gut if it is damaged to the point that the full WAPF/NT way isn't enough. My personal opinion is to really work WAPF/NT first and then go deeper if need be. We seem to do well on a varied diet but really push the healing broths, ferments, meats and fats that are echoed in the GAPS protocol.

It's pretty tough to say what my favorite thing about last year's conference was. It is no over exaggeration to say it was life changing.

The food was phenomenal. The speakers top-notch. The expo informative and fun. The fellowship wonderful. Such a positive experience.

Synthesizing the information presented helped me uncover and connect with some of my family's underlying blocks to optimal health. We are in charge of our health and that of our children. This conference and the work of the Foundation serves as a major guidepost when making decisions that safeguard our health -- our most valuable asset.

Thank you WAPF!