Growing up most of us drink milk. Many of us (in particular older adults) may have grown up on a farm drinking organic milk but for most of us we go to the store a purchase milk from a dairy farm. There are many organic milk benefits for children, many of which are obvious but some that I think you will find interesting.

Benefits of Organic Milk for Your Child

(1) It lasts longer. Organic milk lasts 3-4 weeks versus 1 week with conventional milk. This is because the processing for organic milk is different as a result of the distances and distribution time of organic milk. It is put through a process called Ultra High Temperature (UHT for short) which kills the bacteria and will also will sweeten the milk slightly.

Children are expensive and with organic milk you rarely have to worry about milk going past it's due date.

(2) Not produced with antibiotics. 90% of organic farms do not use any antibiotics and the ones that do use homoeopathic and herbal techniques. No antibiotics means a cleaner end product and residual effects of antibiotics in conventional "non organic" milk are still unknown.

(3) No residual pesticide exposure. All organic milk has very low exposure to pesticides which are common within non-organic milk because of the food that is fed to the cows on non-organic farms. No pesticides means a healthier milk for your child.

(4) Higher Omega 3 content. Omega 3 fatty acids are critical fats to brain development in children and although both conventional and organic milk types are both excellent sources of “good fats”, organic milk contains higher levels of these fats.

(5) Lower rates of Eczema. A study done by the British Journal of Nutrition showed that the rates of eczema in children was reduced by up to 36% when consuming organic milk and other dairy products.

On top of these 5 benefits, you can sleep well at night knowing that the animal welfare on organic farms is much better . The cows on organic farms live longer, healthier and happier lives than those that are within the mass production farms that house sometimes 100,000’s of cows. The practices are far more ethical and take feeding, housing and managing disease into consideration.

Where can you get organic milk?

With the current trend of "organic" gaining huge popularity, organic products are becoming more and more available. You can get organic milk at your local health food story, and depending on the grocery store, you may be able to get it there.

Should you begin drinking organic milk?

This is a decision that is up to you as organic milk can be a little more expensive than the conventional pasteurized dairy products. If you are on a tight budget, you may want to stick with your existing milk, however if you are feeding your child non-organic you may want to consider the organic milk benefits for children when deciding on which milk to consume.