So I am watching Good Morning America this AM after my ass-kicking workout with Dom (Life by the Bells) and it’s like EVERYONE is jumping on the health kick wagon – they are showing you just HOW many calories (again) are in your favorite foods –
ex. this morning – Johnny Rockets
Double Bacon Cheeseburger
Sweet Potato Fries
Apple Pie Milk Shake (actual piece of Apple Pie blended into it. yes).
Take a guess? 3500 calories.
Um let’s say that again. 3500 – maybe spell it out T H I R T Y F I V E H U N D R E D C A L O R I E S.
The average person’s diet requires 1800 calories. That’s DOUBLE. Just do a double check when you walk outside on your lunch break – see all those over weight people walking around? Yeah, that’s why!
FLASSSSSSHBACK.
Last night I was laughing with Adam and Connie about MTV (yes we’re all 30 and still watch it, no judgement). We are addicted to Catfish, but the other show, Buck Wild is about these wild country folk growing up in West Virginia. While we were quite a bit more ‘wild’ than these people, I can’t help but laugh every time Claudio says, “look at you get all excited – it’s like you growing up!” Cause he is right! I did grow up a country girl, milking cows on the farm and all. (here’s proof – since I know you probably don’t believe me – these are REAL PHOTOS! Don’t Faint!!)
Yes we rode dirt bikes with no helmets in the woods, I would go deer hunting with my grandpa and was never afraid to jump in and cut it up and get bloody, and I was even kicked in the face by a cow once when I was milking them. Yes. True story. I have lots more – buuuuuuut, let’s space them out and save for later hahaha.
My Point.
on the farm with my dad after he was in the tornado – you can still see his stiches
I grew up on a dairy farm. We drank milk right from the cow. Not literally (stop picturing me sucking on an udder), but we milked the cow and then that’s what we had in the fridge – NO hormones, no antibioitcs, no pasturizing, no SKIM milk. Just pure, creamy milk. And it was delicious – and guess what – I NEVER DIED FROM IT.
SHOCKER.
Our cows were all ‘happy cows’ – grazing in the pastures, and we spent our days milking them and then out in the fields bailing hay and corn that we would chop and stock to feed them in the winter in a silo.
So I am just dumbfounded anymore when I go to a store and it says – “HEY GUESS WHAT! Our cows are happy cows! We’re Organic!! We graze in pastures!”
However, DID YOU KNOW – “organic pasture grazing means they get 4 MONTHS out of the year to graze. UMMMM that’s 1/3 the year. That’s it. That means the other 8 months they can be barricaded in a barn.
Just to clarify this – I am paying $5 for a half gallon of milk that they HAVE to let cows graze for 4 months. It’s like it’s an inconvenience for them. This was never an inconvenience for us. Having cows meant having pastures, just like going out for a drink meant you have to have money to tip the bartender. It’s just common sense.
It just seems odd to me that I am paying all this extra money for ‘organic’ milk – when I don’t even understand WHAT I am paying for?? It’s cheaper for them to add all those chemicals? Again, I never DIED or got sick from drinking milk from a cow and vegetables right out of the ground. Our Amish neighbors gave us eggs right from chickens (that were ‘free ranging’ all over their yards and even the road). In fact, I am pretty sure the reason I RARELY get sick, is because I have eaten these growing up – I built up my immune system to any ‘bacterias’ they claim they need to kill to sell in the store. Pretty sure most people back in the days used to eat and grow up this way too.
Remember old milk mans? They delivered it to the door in a glass jar? Pretty sure that wasn’t ‘pasteurized.’
So hopefully that makes you think before you buy items in the store anymore – remember ‘less is better’ and check the ingredients. Even if it says ‘organic’ make sure you know what that means too. No I doubt we can all have milk delivered daily from my grandparent’s dairy
farm – but to feel better and eat better you have to KNOW BETTER.
Just like one of my great friends Todd said in a Facebook status the other day –
Maybe the movie Wall-E isn’t far off – we might be only a few years away from all being fat and flying around in hovercrafts! Scary!
You’re welcome for the educational lesson today. Yes, I am a expert in dairy farming (WHO KNEW!) We were a Holstein dairy farm (that’s the black and white spotted cows lol) Feel free to shoot me any questions you might have about REAL farming.
You are describing my childhood, except we had beef cattle instead of dairy cattle – which in my opinion was a lot less work! To this day it makes me sad to beef in a grocery store. Our cows were also organic and free range. Sometimes so free range that a cow was once nicked by a car on a dark, foggy morning after she busted through the fence. It happens, the farm vet said she was fine. It was my grandfather’s farm and my dad was always over there helping out which means that his children were too. My Mom worked in insurance so helmets on our four wheeler were required but who lets their 8 year old run a four wheeler all through the woods? This girl’s parents! He also had a bunch of chickens, so we grew up on the farm fresh eggs. To take it a step farther… I ate cookie dough that was made with raw farm fresh eggs and I lived and have never been sick from it. Oh the memories.
Amen Emily! I can remember getting the 3 am phone call from the neighbors saying – COWS ARE OUT! lol – just in time for the 4 am milking….but it’s sooo true. What they make you think is ‘organic’ today is just plain good ol’ farming when we were growing up. It’s sad – but I am afraid to eat raw cookie dough anymore! Not back then! That was the best part! Licking the bowl!!!
OMG! LOVE the pics from my Mom’s farm – you were SO cute even back then! And the cast of characters in the pics – you certainly did network even then!
Thanks Kimmy! I thought you might appreciate them 🙂 they’re all I have at all! Not much but memories from those days on the farm –
You know, much of the milk doesn’t come from cows like the ones you grew up with, but I have my doubts about how much better “organic” milk really is. I mean, if you want to get all down into it, how about the corn they eat and all of that? I mean, to some extent, we are completely “defiled” or whatever word you want to use. I let my kids run around and eat things straight out of the ground, too (but we live in the country).
I hate seeing the family dairies going under in our area, and I love hearing stories like yours. Thanks for sharing it.
Thanks for sharing Sarah! Yes it’s sad to see the American dream farmers losing out to corporate farms. Kills the whole aspect of farming – I loved growing up riding on the tractor with my grandpa – I doubt many children get to do that anymore. Pretty soon people won’t even know milk comes from cows!
I started buying milk from a local farm that is available right up the road from me in Pittsburgh. It’s not organic or at least isn’t certified organic, but I’m super happy to support a local farmer. And the milk is way better! It is pasteurized, but it’s vat pasteurized, which I guess is supposed to be better than the high temp pasteurization. I didn’t know about you on the farm, even being good friends in high school!! Probably wasn’t important then, since we were more into trouble than babies then! Lol! Love your blog girl!
Oh I bet it is WAY BETTER than organic! LOL @ high school – yeah being a trojanette and milking cows didn’t mix well apparently at 18!