INDIAN DESHI COWS MAKE MORE NUTRITIOUS MILK THAN EXOTIC COWS (HF & JERSY)
Dr.Shanker Singh, TVO,Galudih
Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, US, has confirmed that a happy cow milk is more beneficial than the cow giving milk in stress and not properly managed. Cows that are well looked after give substantially better returns, and have lower veterinary costs. Cows given a daily dose of the ‘happy hormone’ Serotonin produce milk with higher nutritional content. Our all Indian Deshi cows grazing on the pasture land are happy cows producing A2 milk which is wholesome n beneficial for our health as compared to milk from other cows like Jersey n HF . According to Hindu mythology and sayings of sages the Kamadhenu is the mother of all cows. Since thousands of years, we worship cow as “Kamadhenu”, the God who fulfills our desires. Cows are venerated as the earthly embodiment of Kamadhenu. We worship cow as the mother of all entities, which gives all pleasures to everyone. Even when a mother is unable to feed her baby with milk, the cow’s milk meets the need. From the spiritual perspective, cow plays a vital role in providing core ingredients for worship. The worship becomes redundant without those ingredients. Hence by all such reasons cow is considered as the mother and also respected her with offerings and prayers.
The Indian native cow will have Hump of the Shoulder, Long Ears and the Skin is hanging on the Neck. They have Suryaketu nerve on the back and it is believed that Suryaketu nerve absorbs medicinal essences from atmosphere and makes milk, urine and cow dung more nourishing. The ability to shake only a particular part of the body, for example it can shake only the skin the stomach area without shaking the other parts of the body. It can withstand the tough climatic conditions of this country, either hot, rain or cold. It delivers around 15 to 20 calves in her life span. It can walk for more kilometers and work hard accepting the climatic conditions of this part of the world. A cow in its lifespan feeds thousands of people and one cow is sufficient to do natural farming in about 30 acres of land according to Padmasri Subhash Palekar system.
India possesses 27 acknowledged indigenous breeds of cattle and seven breeds of buffaloes. These well-defined breeds are found in the dry parts of the country. Other types of breed are non¬descript and do not belong to any defined breed. The Indian breeds of cattle are categorized into Milch Breeds such as Gir, Red Sindhi, Sahiwal & Deoni and Dual Purpose Breeds Like Hariana, Ongole, Gaolo, Rathi, Krishna Valley, Tharparkar & Kankraj and Draft Breeds like Nagauri, Bachaur, Kherigarh, Malvi, Hallikar, Khillari, Kangayam & Amritmahal and Exotic Breeds like Jersey, Holstein-Friesian, Swiss-Brown, Gurnsey, German Fleckvich & Ayreshire and Cross-Breeds of Karan Swiss and Karan Freis are the recognized breeds of cattle in India.
During the 1970’s there was an open flood of exotic cows. Crossbred cows were in vogue for their higher milk yields. However, the quality of milk was not kept in mind. Some crucial points were missed: these cows are more susceptible to diseases. The hot, tropical climate of India doesn’t suit them. The food is incompatible. Jersey and other crossbreds suffer from gas and diarrhea. They consume great amounts of fodder. As a result they are more expensive to maintain. Besides, they have a short lactation period, after which they are killed for meat. Apart from milk and meat, they make no other contribution.
With a little intelligent manipulation (by selecting the best pedigree) indigenous cows can attain equally high levels of milk production, as has been demonstrated by countries like Brazil and Argentina(which have been importing and breeding Indian cows of pure breed).The best bulls of India, such as the legendary Brahmani bull can be found there.
According to the latest reports, science says that A2 milk is consisting of the best combination of Omega fats is good for human health and the Indian breed cows are giving the best quality A2 milk for human consumption. Gir cow breed from India is highly reputed for A2 milk.
Difference of A1 and A2 Cow Milk:
Around 5,000 years ago, a mutation occurred in this proline amino acid, converting it to histidine (a different type of amino acid). Cows that have this mutated beta casein protein are called A1 cows. Proline has a strong bond to a small protein called BCM7 and therefore stops the BCM7 from getting into milk. So essentially, no BCM7 is found in the urine, blood or gastro-intestinal tracts of the original A2 cows. Histidine, the mutated protein, does not have a strong bond to hold on to BCM7. Hence, on consumption of the A1 milk, this protein BCM7 gets into the gastro-intestinal tract of animals and humans.
There are two varieties of cows based on their genes and they are high yielding one that produces A1 milk protein and the other that produces A2 milk protein. Recently, a relationship between disease risk and consumption of A1 or A2 genetic variants has been identified. Studies suggest that milk from cows with A2 genes far healthier than their A1 counterparts.
A1 and A2 are the two types of known cow milk available for consumption which are genetic variants of the beta-casein milk protein that differ by one amino acid. All milk was once of the A2 type, until a genetic mutation occurred thousands of years ago in some European cattle. The A1 beta-casein type is the most common type found in cow’s milk in Europe (excluding France), the USA, Australia and New Zealand. Cows that have the mutated beta casein are called A1 cows and include breeds like Holstein.
The National Bureau of Animal Genetic Research has recently demonstrated the superior milk quality of Indian cattle breeds. After scanning 22 cattle breeds, scientists concluded that in five high milk-yielding native breeds – Red Sindhi, Sahiwal, Tharparkar, Rathi and Gir – the status of A2 allele of the beta casein gene was 100 per cent. In other Indian breeds it was around 94 per cent, compared to only 60 per cent in exotic breeds like Jersey and HF. The A2 allele is responsible for making available more Omega-6 fatty acids in milk. The pure Indian breed desi cow produces A2 milk, which contains less Betacosmophorine-7 (BCM-7), as opposed to the hybrid cows which generally produce A1 milk.
Evidence linking A1 milk to ill-health is building up. These include conditions like type -1 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (IHD), delayed psychomotor development among children, autism, schizophrenia, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) auto-immune diseases, intolerances and allergies. There are certain people who are at a higher risk than others. Those with digestive disorders like stomach ulcers, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, Celiac disease on long term medication or antibiotic treatment are at higher risk. This may also explain the growing sentiment against dairy and increased number of people opting for vegan diets.
Milk with A2 protein, on the contrary, is known to have several health benefits. In fact, the health benefits and virtues associated with dairy and milk in our traditional texts are accrued from the A2 milk. The milk variety has been shown to prevent obesity among children and adults, improve brain function, promote digestion and increase breast milk production in feeding mothers.
The prevalence of A1 and A2 protein varies from one herd of cows to another and also between countries. A1 gene is found mainly among cattle in the western world, predominantly in the North European region (Friesian, Ayrshire, British Shorthorn and Holstein) while the Asian, traditional Indian and African cattle do not produce the A1 gene. Cross breeding of Asian and African cattle with European cattle in last few thousands of years, may have led to the presence of A1 genes in the cross bred species.
A2 gene, on the other hand, is found only in a few old species of cows, which haven’t been genetically altered – Channel Island cows, Guernsey and Jersey, Southern French breeds, Charolais and Limousin, Zebu original cattle of Africa and the Gir cow from India. Most dominant cows of today possess A1 genes, while the low yielding Indian Gir cow, on the verge of extinction, possesses the A2 genes. Human milk, goat milk, sheep milk and other species are ‘A2- like’. The only way out for an individual is to look out for organic milk preferably from traditional Indian (Desi) cows.
In our scriptures the milk from cows is described as “Amrit”, The Nectar. The native Indian cow milk is sweet in taste and has coolant effect on the body and mind. It improves Ojas which is considered as the factor responsible for the immunity of the body. A2 cow milk Nourishes the body tissues and acts as natural aphrodisiac. This A2 cow milk rejuvenates and increases life expectancy while improving intelligence and body strength. In case of feeding mothers, it increases breast milk. By assisting in easy movements of intestines cow milk relieves tiredness, dizziness, excessive thirst and hunger.
This subject matter was conclusively researched by various scientists and researchers, through a series of research activities in the West, during the late eighties. Originally cows all over the world produced milk containing the A2 type of beta-casein protein. All proteins are long chains of amino acids and beta casein is a chain of 229 amino acids in length. Cows that produce this protein in their milk with a proline (a specific amino acid) at number 67 are called A2 cows, i.e. the original breeds of cows.
To explain further, in the case of the A2 beta-casein milk, the milk proteins are broken down into peptides, which in turn are broken down into amino acids. This type of milk is easily digestible. However, in the case of the A1 beta-casein milk, the peptides cannot be broken down into amino acids and so they are indigestible.
According to Ayurveda, cow milk is useful in diseases like severe debility, relieving stage of fever, diseases related to urinary system, bleeding disorders such as nasal bleeding etc. Not only that, the cow milk is the next best thing to breast milk for the newborn. Cow milk is nutritive and good for the vital organs such as the Eyes, Brain and the Heart. For vegans the cow milk is a good source of Vitamin D which plays a huge role in the absorption of Calcium from the gut. Good absorption of calcium will lead to good bone strength. So Cow milk is very important for women who are nearing menopause because menopause increases the susceptibility to Osteoporosis.
A1 Milk is Toxic to Health:—–
It has been conclusively proved that consumption of the A1 beta-casein milk leads to milk intolerance together with an additional range of auto-immune diseases and hence, it has been called ‘the devil in the milk’.
Devil in the A1 Milk:—–
Cow-milk has always been a part of the Indian diet. Its spiritual and nutritional values have been known to our ancestors since time immemorial. Our ancient Vedas describe the Indian cow-milk as possessing a sweet taste, cooling in nature, highly nutritive, tonic for human vital organs, easily digestible and whose consumption promotes immunity and longevity.
“Since a few decades, with the advent of technology, commercialization and adaptation to western methods, the modern Indians and our governments have resorted to artificial insemination and cross-breeding with exotic (foreign) breeds.
The resultant ill-effects are quite evident. The populaces that depend upon commercial milk-production for their daily consumption of milk are prone to develop milk intolerance and succumb to various illnesses, hitherto unknown.”
Conclusions:
According to Vedas and Vedic sciences and the current research clearly reveals that the Indian native cow breed A2 type milk will play a vital role in human health care with multiple health benefits. Now the time has come to protect the native cow breeds which give us the safe and healthy A2 type milk for the good health of people and alongside they give us hundreds of value added products and they provide multiple socio-economic benefits to the people both the domestic and global.
Difference between A1 and A2 type milk?-—-
• Casein is the largest group of proteins in milk, making up about 80% of
total protein content. There are several types of casein in milk, and beta-casein is
second most common.
• Two most common forms of beta-casein are A1 beta-casein and A2 beta-casein
• Milk from foreign breeds (Jersey and Holstein Friesian) contain A1 protein.
• Milk from Indian cow breeds contain A2 protein. Happy Cows Milk is A2 milk
Harmful effects of A1 milk?—–
• Few of them mentioned below:
• Presence of amino acid called BCM 7 makes it harmful for consumption
• Type-1 diabetes
• Cardiovascular disease (IHD)
• Delayed psychomotor development among children, autism, schizophrenia, sudden
infant death syndrome (SIDS) auto-immune diseases, intolerances and allergies.
• Those with digestive disorders like stomach ulcers, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease,
Celiac disease, on long term medication or antibiotic treatment are at higher risk.
Benefits of A2 type of milk?———
• Prevent obesity among children and adults
• Improve brain function
• Promotes digestion
• Increase breast milk production in feeding mothers.
• Prevents joint pain, asthma and mental problems.
• Promotes good kidney health
• Increases immunity
• Reduces acidity
• Helps in reducing chances of colon, breast and skin cancer
• One of the best natural anti-oxidants
• After mother’s milk, it is cow’s milk only which gives energy and full protection
• Detoxifies Body
• Enhances Memory Power
• Increases clarity of Voice
• Helps in reduction against PMS symptoms in the menstruation cycle
• Prevents migraine headache
• Good for thyroid
Indigenous Indian cows (A2 cows) Verses Jersey and Holstein Friesian Cows (A1 cows)
• Milk of foreign breed cows contain a harmful oxidant, a chemical called Casomorphine
Jersey cows have lesser and smaller sweat glands, thus not suitable for tropical climates like in India
• Jersey cows have higher maintenance cost and more prone to diseases due their physical structure as they are difficult to be cured by means of native Indian medicines
• Jersey cows give A1 type of milk and also carries more amount of pathogens
• Jersey cows are lazy in nature and not suitable for hard work
• Indigenous cow breeds are intelligent and always prefer clean areas to sit which helps them to avoid any diseases.
• Maintenance cost is less for Indian cows since they eat limited amount of fodder and can be treated with local Indian medicines.
• Indian cows can also survive when there is food shortage and do not suffer from long term diseases (most of the times)
What is meant by SNF value and Fat content?—
• Milk SNF means Milk Solids-not-Fat comprising protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, etc in milk other than milk fat
• “Whole milk” means natural composition of milk without any processing.
• Homogenized” milk (abbreviated to refers to milk which is 3.25% butterfat (or milk fat).
• There are also skim milk, 1%, and 2% milk fat milks.
• Ideally quality of milk should be based on SNF. That is where nutrition comes from.
Why prefer cow milk over buffalo milk for urban consumption?—-
• Fat content is high (7.5) in buffalo milk as compared to cow milk (4.3)
• Fat intake in cities is way higher as compared to fat burn rate (via exercise)
• Cow milk is like mother’s milk. It has saturated fat (SF) 55-58%
• Melting point of cow milk SF is 37 degrees while buffalo milk is 40 degrees. Average human body temperature is 37.2 degrees. Hence easily digestible
• Cow milk is good for all, infant and adults
Why is Cow milk yellowish in color?—-
• Cow milk fat contains a coloring pigment called Beta-carotene (a carotenoid which is precursor of vitamin-A).
• Whereas buffalo milk lacks the same thus it is not yellowish like cow milk.
What is Pasteurized Milk ?——
Pasteurization is a method to control bacterial activity in which milk is first boiled to certain temperature and then rapidly cooled. Drinking unpasteurized milk can be dangerous for those with weakened or low immune systems, such as young children and the elderly. Pasteurization is compulsory under the Food Safety Act. Happy Cows milk is minimally pasteurized to ensure our community members relish safe milk.
What is Homogenised Milk ?–
Homogenization process involves high temperatures, agitation, and filtration to break down the natural fat molecules and mix these broken fat molecules in the Milk. When you homogenize milk, you not only change the size of the fat globules, you also rearrange the fat and protein molecules which could alter how they act in the human body. It is believed that this milk poses threat to heart health. Happy Cows milk is non- homogenized milk.
What is Toned Milk ?———–
Toned milk is a method, developed in India, of treating buffalo milk by adding skim milk, powdered skim milk and water to buffalo milk. This process decreases the fat content, increases the quantity of available milk, and ‘tones up’ the nonfat solids level to the original amount thereby reducing the cost. Happy Cows milk is non toned milk.
What is Whole Milk ?——–
• Milk containing all its constituents as received from the cow is called Whole- Milk.
• Milk from which no constituents such as unsaturated fats and other essential minerals have been removed.
• Happy Cows milk is Whole Milk.
What are Gir cows? (All Indian cows have similar basic traits)————
• The Gir is a famous milk cattle breed of India. Native tract of the breed is Gir hills and forests of Kathiawar including Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Amreli districts of Gujarat.
• Coat color of Gir animals varies from shades of red and white to almost black and white or entire red.
• Skin colour is dominantly black but in a few animals it is brown
• Forehead is prominent, convex and broad like a bony shield. This overhangs eyes in such a way that they appear to be partially closed and the animal shows sloppy appearance. Ears are long and pendulous and folded like a leaf with a notch at the tip. Horns are curved turning back at the tip. They orient downwards and backwards from the base and incline a little upwards and forwards, thereafter.
• Gir animals have moderately developed dewlap: males have a large and pendulous sheath.
Tail is long and whip like; hooves are black and medium-sized; hair is short and glossy; skin is loose and pliable; hipbones are prominent; the body is well proportioned; the udder in cows is well developed and round and teat tips are round.
Reference-On request.
