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Looking for a quality cheese? Or a simple-ingredient body building snack? Swiss Villa carries a smorgasbord of raw milk cheeses.
Let us tell you a little about the many benefits of consuming cheese made from raw milk!
Benefits of Raw Milk Cheese
We believe healthful raw milk holds real health benefits for the human body. Swiss Villa raw milk cheeses maintain the true raw milk attributes.
– No Sub-pasteurization
A good number of raw milk cheese producers will use the sub-pasteurization process to make their “raw” milk cheese. Sub-pasteurization heats the milk to near state-required pasteurization temperatures but not enough to legally be pasteurized. This kills many healthful enzymes that naturally occur in raw milk and can be maintained in the cheese provided the cheese making process keeps the temperature nearer to the cows’ natural body temperatures to activate the cheese cultures.
Sub-pasteurization makes cheese making less challenging and tends to give better shelf life with less carefulness in the cheese making.
Again, remember, Swiss Villa raw milk cheeses maintain the true raw milk attributes. We carry no sub-pasteurized cheeses.
– Aid to Digestion
Why choose raw milk cheese? Raw milk enzymes aid in the digestion of the milk and milk products. We realize better assimilation of the varied nutrients because of these enzymes.
– More Vitamins and Minerals
For example, numerous vitamins decrease with the heating of milk. And phosphatase is useful for the assimilation of calcium in milk for the human body. But alas, all phosphatase is killed in the pasteurization of milk! Enjoy the benefits of calcium and other nutrients more fully in raw milk cheese.
The Rennet Debate
In recent months, the subject of rennet used for cheese making has come to the forefront. Microbial rennet seemed to be sought after for some years, but, as has been highlighted, the possibility of microbial rennet being compromised with GMOs has placed this product on the list of concerns. Thus the traditional animal rennet seems to be the winner in this debate.
Animal rennet now dominates all of Swiss Villa block cheese offering being made. The chevre and goat curds have vegetable rennet. We anticipate that by January 2025 all of our inventory of hard cheeses will be only from animal rennet.
Animal rennet has produced the best tasting artisan cheeses in European cheese houses for years. American farmstead cheese finds premium taste profiles because of this award-winning rennet attribute.
High Standards of Milk & Cheese Production
The livestock producing milk for our cheeses never eat GMO feeds. The goats and sheep are fed a soy diet when they receive any grains. The cows, of course, never eat grains of any sort since they only eat fresh and dried grasses.
The farmers use no antibiotics or artificial hormones. We believe that careful animal husbandry will produce healthy livestock. Our small family farmers care very much about the conditions of their animals.
Chemical-free farming practices remove the use of pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals. Our farmers are interested in maintaining healthy pastures and sustainable, natural farming practices.
The milk is then processed in local, farmstead cheese houses in small batches, crafted with skilled and carefulness.
That’s the path to a delectable cheese!
Swiss Villa Cow Milk Cheeses
100% A2A2 Proteins — A1 Beta-Casein Free
Each cow must be tested to unsure there’s no A1 beta-casein in our cow milk. Scientists have discovered a genetic mutation in dairy cows that produces milk with a problematic casein protein labeled as A1. The original protein bears the name of A2. The milk label of A2A2 declares that the cows producing that milk inherited only the A2 genes from their parents. Some cattle may be A1A2, etc.
A1 Beta Casein produces a casomorphin BCM7, an opioid producing narcotic effects, a morphine-like peptide. Studies point to possible heart problems, diabetes, autism, and numerous other maladies stemming from this opioid from A1 protein.* (PMC Pub Med Central ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Some studies focused on athletes found many participants experienced GI discomfort when they consumed A1 protein but 100% A2A2 protein did not cause a problem. We recommend A2A2 milk products for a post-workout snack – say “Cheese!”
Boost your immunity with A2A2 dairy products. A1 breaks down immunity, causes inflammation, and may increase pain and discomfort.
Milk allergies can at times be resolved by choosing 100% A2A2 milk. Make certain it is not just labeled A2A2 while still containing a certain amount of A1 beta-casein. Choose the best substitute for A1 milk allergies – A2A2 Milk!
100% Grass-Fed Reasons
Grass milk offers healthful fats. Consume an abundance of naturally occurring omega 3 fatty acids from cows foraging on grass. Did you know that when a cow eats grains, the ration of omega 3 and omega 6 becomes unbalanced?
CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) offers tremendous health benefits as we consume it from the milk and meats we consume. As the grass grows, especially in cooler weather, it contains a naturally occurring antifreeze agent. As the cow ingests this grass with that antifreeze properties, she converts that into CLA. That’s something we cannot do! Only the ruminant bellies are able to make this conversion!
We do not standardize the milk for cheese making. Standardizing means that the milk fats are lowered to the standard 3.25% butterfat. Grass-fed milk runs greater percentages of fats, and healthy ones at that. You get it all with Swiss Villa raw milk cheese.
Have you noticed the richer yellow milk from grass fed cows than the milk from the conventional dairies? That’s because of the carotenoids—yellow and orange antioxidants that are good for eye health and more.
Yes, 100% grass feeding yields less volume of milk than the feeding of grains. But you get more vitamins and nutrients from the cheese you eat. Testing has shown up to 4 times the beta carotene and 50% more vitamin E. This certainly provides nutrient-dense milk and cheese.
Soy increases estrogen and thereby increases milk production, but those estrogens may come into the dairy products. All Swiss Villa cheese boasts the 100% soy-free status. Take a step away from soy by choosing our cheese.
Swiss Villa Goat Milk Cheeses
Goat Milk Healing Properties
For many years goat milk has been consider to have healing properties. Stomach maladies seemed to respond to goat milk. Folks with skin irritations found relief via goat milk and goat milk products. It is interesting that goats convert more of the beta carotene (gleaned from the grasses they eat) into Vitamin A which is a great healing agent. Perhaps we do not understand all that plays a part in this healing activation, but there may be some hints.
Goat milk is more alkaline whereas cow milk is slightly acidic. This may also be a contributing factor to the healing properties of goat milk.
Goat Milk Proteins
Some studies say that the proteins in goat milk have a positive effect on the bioavailability of minerals, especially iron and calcium. Magnesium and phosphorus appear to absorb better from goat milk than from cows’ milk. Is this fact of better assimilation a key in the healing powers? Whatever the reason, research is highlighting the therapeutic possibilities of goat milk for various health conditions. Perhaps this will be the reason you might choose Swiss Villa raw goat milk cheese.
These goat milk proteins hold health benefits including immunomodulatory effects, anti-inflammatory properties, and antioxidants. Research also points to benefits of antimicrobial and anti-cancer properties.
The bottom line? Improve gut health with goat milk cheese.
Easier to Digest
The smaller fat molecules of goat milk compared to those of cows’ milk make goat milk easier to digest. The smaller globules of fat break down more easily from pancreatic enzymes.
And remember the raw milk enzymes aid further in easier digestion.
Less Allergic Reactions
Goat milk offers a healthful milk alternative for the cow milk intolerant. This may be due to the lesser amount of lactose and different forms of proteins.
More Bio-available GABA in Goat Milk
GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid) is an amino acid that acts as a primary inhibitory neurotransmitter for the central nervous system. GABA reduces neuronal excitability by inhibiting nerve transmission. This is a scientific discovery as to why years ago milk was considered a great bedtime snack for children—GABA can reduce hyperactivity and thereby reduce stress, anxiety, and fears. Today more GABA is sought after for various neurological disorders regarding hyperactivity.
Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels) may be lowered with the presence of more GABA, according to some studies. This could provide a reason for diabetic patients to choose goat cheese for an increased amount of bioavailable GABA.
Goat milk, along with camel milk, provides a source of significantly more available GABA than cows’ milk. The modern-day drug, gabapentin, tries to mimic the naturally occurring GABA found in milk. How about choosing a serving of goat cheese to relax over versus going to the pharmacy for stress relief?
Goat milk Cheese for Fine Dining
Goat cheese can be an addition to fine dining – especially the soft goat cheese, chevre. Many upscale salad offerings are topped with some sort of crumbled goat milk cheese. Certainly goat cheese plays a role in fine dining, served with honey, nuts or fruits.
Swiss Villa Sheep Milk Cheeses
Superior Nutrient-Dense Food
Looking for natural-sourced nutrients? Consider those from sheep milk. It has been said that sheep milk products contain the best source of calcium due to the considerably higher amounts of Vitamins A & D as well as potassium.
Compare the protein in sheep milk – 15 grams – to the 8 grams in cows’ milk and 9 grams in goats’ milk. Or note the fat content of 17 grams in sheep’s milk versus the 10 grams of fats in goats’ milk. Cows’ milk offers less than half the fats; only 8 grams of the larger-molecule fats that can be harder to digest.
Great Living Nutrients in Raw Sheep’s Milk Cheese
Sheep’s milk contains many biologically active antibacterial, immunomodulatory, and antioxidant substances. Remember these great attributes remain alive and active in raw milk and raw milk cheeses. The higher levels of nutrients combined with the biological activity calls for consideration when looking for a nutrient-dense food for body building. Parents may do well in looking to healthful food options for growing children, especially those with health challenges.
Top of All CLA Sources
We noted sheep’s milk cheese is very high in fats and proteins. But even more importantly, we should remember the very high levels of CLA found in sheep’s milk. Sheep foraging on fresh growing grasses throughout the spring, summer, and fall seasons, with a very limited amount of soy-free, GMO-free grains given to them produce milk for Swiss Villa raw sheep milk cheese. That’s the recipe for naturally sourced CLA!
Better Taste
Some folks do not care for the taste of goat milk cheese, which tends to have a slightly gamey tinge. Interestingly, Sheep’s milk cheese comes with a clean taste for clean eating!
Delicious dining with super nutritious attributes makes Swiss Villa raw sheep milk cheese worth the extra cost!