Why Organic Dairy Products Are Worth the Cost

As many of us walk up and down the grocery store aisles, we have to wonder if buying that container of organic yogurt is worth the price. Can the organic brand be healthier than the conventional brand or is it just a marketing ploy? Will the health benefits outweigh the extra money you will spend on organic milk or yogurt?

What is Organic Dairy?
To get the USDA Organic label on a dairy product, that animal that produced the dairy product has to have been feed organically. That organic feed needs to have been grown on land that meets the organic growing standards put forth by the USDA. On top of that, it has to be shown that the animals were not give treatments of antibiotics or growth hormones.

The pastures that organic cows feed upon must meet stringent standards as well. The pasture must maintain biological diversity while replenishing soil fertility and they must remove all pesticides and fertilizers.

More Nutrients in Organic Dairy
Most organic dairy farmers rely on high forage diets for their animals. This insures that a higher nutrient base is passed on through the dairy product. Organic dairy tends to have higher concentrations of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, D, and E as well.

Organic dairy includes more than just milk, cheese, and yogurt. You will find organic half-and-half, butter, and ice cream. Organic dairy products are the fastest growing segment of the organic food industry. Also growing in popularity is dairy products coming from organic goat's milk. Goat's milk has been shown to be easier to digest than cow's milk in some people.

Organic Dairy Means Healthier Animals
An organic dairy cow is only able to produce about half as much milk as a conventional diary cow. The reason is that organic cows are not pushed to produce higher milk productions. An organic animal is not given antibiotics and hormones to keep it healthy, when it stays healthy without them. Most common growth hormones are not used for the animal's health but induced to help promote more milk production.

There has been a multitude of studies showing that eating organic foods are a health benefit. There are clear health benefits from consuming organic dairy products. These organic dairy products have shown a reduction in allergic reactions that many people suffer from when ingesting conventional dairy products.