Chocolate Milk Solution

We could not figure out the best way to completely wean Hammie.  We were down to nursing only one time a day, but she did not like cow's milk.  We tried whole milk, 2%, and then we tried adding Nestle's Chocolate syrup (no high fructose corn syrup).  She didn't like anything.  So out of desperation I bought a gallon of chocolate milk. . . with high fructose corn syrup and all.  It worked!  She was completely weaned and she was happy.  We as parents were not happy.

We spent years eliminating high fructose corn syrup from our diets, (We are not of those that think it's fine in moderation. . . good luck with moderation when it's in everything you eat!)  and we were not okay with giving it to our 19 month old every morning.  We could buy organic I thought, but then we run into the problem of ultra-pasteurization.  If you want to read about ultra-pasteurizing This Website has a good article on what exactly it is.  Is ultra-pasteurizing really a problem?  We're not sure, but for US, we don't want to be eating or drinking anything that has gone through a process that can actually change its taste, texture, and proteins.  Our rule is that if it gives it a super long shelf life we probably don't want it in our bodies.

We asked around without much success.  Was there a chocolate milk on this Earth that we could give our daughter without worry?  What should you do when it doubt?  ASK YOUR MOTHER.  I texted my mom and she texted back, Oberweis.  OBERWEIS, DUH!  I'm not sure why it never crossed our minds, maybe because we have to leave our small town to even find it!

To read more about Oberweis milk, click here.  It is exactly what we were looking for.  Free of artificial hormones and antibiotics.  The proof is in the taste!  It is so delicious!  It is slightly pricier than other milk because you pay a deposit for that great glass bottle that naturally helps give your milk a longer shelf life.  The good news is when you return your bottle you get that deposit back!

Sometimes peace of mind is worth a little extra.

Update:  A good friend of mine that was born and raised on a Dairy farm messaged me the following useful information:

"If any cow has to be treated for any reason the milk is not allowed in the tank. Milk is tested everyday at the farmers house. If anything comes back positive the whole tank is dumped at the farmers expense. Any hormone that is in milk is natural to the cow. BST used to be ok but was banned years ago."

I should also say that our family has always bought our regular white milk from any store.  We ran into trouble with the chocolate milk having the added high fructose corn syrup and the organic being ultra-pasteurized.  But I will still say that the Oberweis Chocolate milk tastes SO much better than the first gallon that we bought.  So creamy!  I can't wait to try their other products!