Q. One of my friends mentioned that she has starting feeding her family Organic Milk Instead of regular pasteurized milk. She said they like it plain and when she was using the regular milk they always wanted flavoring like chocolate or strawberry. She also said she had read that is was more nutritious than the conventional pasteurized milk. It is more expensive for sure. Is there really more of a health benefit?

A. What a great question. There was a recent study done by scientists in Wales suggesting that a PINT of organic milk has higher levels of essential nutrients which help combat serious heart problems and arthritis. The Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, in Aberystwyth, found that the Organic milk contained two-thirds more Omega 3 essential fatty acids compared to the ordinary white stuff.

According to a recent article on the National Website of Wales Dr. Richard Dewhurst who led the study found that samples of milk from organic cows contained at least 64% more Omega 3 than conventional milk.

Dr Dewhurst said, "Our previous research has shown that milk from cows fed clover can contain up to 240% more Omega-3 fatty acids than milk from cows fed grass and concentrates. Organic dairy farmers feed much higher levels of clover because they use it as an alternative to using synthetic chemical fertilizers to ensure lush pastures."

People in both the US and the UK are deficient in Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids cannot be made by the body and must be obtain from our food source. Health conscious people mainly get their Omega-3 fatty acids from fatty fish like salmon or fish oil capsules. They are essential for good health and play an important role in lowering inflammatory health conditions like heart disease, join pain, and arthritis. They are also very important for fetal brain development.

We already know that organic are less likely to contain pesticides, hormones, and antibiotic residues. We also know that grass fed livestock contains higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids. There is now mounting evidence to suggest organic milk is more nutritious and safer than conventional. It also contains higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) 2 which helped boost the immune system. And now the latest findings by the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research showed that organic milk to be "a better source of Omega 3 essential fatty acids than conventional milk".

The mentioned article reported that just half a pint a day of organic milk as part of a healthy balanced diet gives a useful additional source of this Omega 3 fatty acid, as it provides approximately 10% of the recommended daily intake [RDI] of essential n-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid. Eating a matchbox-sized piece of organic cheese will give you up to 88% of your RDI of this Omega 3 fatty acid."

I must add that there are those that dispute these claims so there will be further investigations. Britain's leading co-operative for organic dairy farmers, OMSCo, is now calling on the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to recognize the health benefits of its milk.

Now organic milk is more expensive but think about long term health benefits and the savings. I think as soon as these findings are further substantiated, the price will go down because the demand will go up.

On a personal note: I feed my family organic as much as possible and you can find the milk on sale quite often. And as far as the taste, your friend is right. My family used to drink milk like water because it did not have a strong flavor. Now we drink modest and more appropriate servings of milk because it tastes so much better! My husband has sensitivity towards milk but says he tolerates the organic better.

I hope this helped.  Please contact me for further information or if you have another question!