How to hydrate better than water? Milk! It's kind of a super food.

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March 17, 2023

Staying hydrated plays a key role in your overall health.

Hydration levels affect so many systems of your body: urologic, gastrointestinal, circulatory, neurological. If you’re not properly hydrated, your physical and mental function will decline. It’s that simple.

In my opinion, hydration (or dehydration) is one of the easiest messages to receive from your body. It’s easier than knowing if you consumed enough protein, vitamin B12, or magnesium. You know what I mean?

When you feel thirsty or dehydrated, it’s pretty basic knowledge that you should drink something. But what? “Drink water,” they say. But, what if there was something better? Something that would hydrate you more and for a longer period of time? As it turns out…

Milk hydrates your body better than water!

March 2016 trial in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirms this. It was a randomized trial where 72 active healthy men, each starting with the same hydration level, were each tested with 4 different drinks. They considered 13 different common store bought drinks: still water, sparkling water, cola, diet cola, sports drink, ORS (oral rehydration solution), orange juice, lager, coffee, tea, cold tea, full-fat milk, and skimmed milk.

Following each drink, their urine output was measured over the course of 4 hours. This set a beverage hydration index (BHI) for each drink, which accounted for water content in each beverage. For example, still water contains 100% water, whereas full fat milk is 88% water (and, by the way, this correction had little effect on the final BHI).

The idea was that, the less urine you produced, the more liquid your body retained, the higher the BHI. Pretty simple.

The results? The 4 that came out of top, in order of highest to lowest BHI: skimmed milk, ORS (oral rehydration solution), full-fat milk, and orange juice,

Milk also resulted in lower sodium and higher potassium levels after consumption, making it really come out on top.

ORS (oral rehydration solution) raised sodium significantly after consumption, whereas orange juice and milk lowered it. Orange juice lowered it the most. Since high sodium levels could have negative effects on the body, ORS (oral rehydration solution) should only be used in severe cases of dehydration.

Milk and orange juice increased potassium levels, and ORS (oral rehydration solution) lowered potassium levels. Milk increased it the most.

The study concluded that the most hydration, the best maintenance of fluid balance, comes from drinks containing the highest macronutrient and electrolyte content.

Drinks with a high energy content, whether in the form of carbohydrate, fat, protein, or even alcohol, empty the stomach more slowly. They delay water leaving the body, which gives your body the most time to make use of the water and hydrate!

Let’s put it all together.

If milk from 100% grass fed cows on regenerative pasture produce the most nutritious and highest energy milk, then Miller’s milk would have maximum hydration!

We know our milk is delicious. We know it’s produced to the highest, most natural standards possible. And now we know that it’s super at hydrating, too!

This brings me back to an experiment I did a few years ago - The Great Milk Diet Experiment (as I called it). I heard a strange story about a man who damaged his digestive system as a toddler and drank raw milk only his whole life and was very healthy. So three of the ladies who work on the farm and myself did a milk diet experiment. We consumed milk only for 7-10 days.

The results? We lost a little weight. And, once we got used to not chewing, we felt great. Milk satisfied our hunger completely. And now I think that one reason why is that we were all fully hydrated!

How important is hydration to you? Have you noticed that you feel more hydrated after drinking milk? What drinks do you turn to for hydration?

Health and Nutrition

Raw Dairy

From farm to fork: Understanding the value of sustainable pork

Raising Pork the Old-Fashioned Way: Miller's Bio Farm's Commitment to Quality At Miller's Bio Farm, we're not trying to reinvent the wheel, we're bringing back the farming practices that sustained communities for generations. As an Amish farm, we understand that good stewardship of the land and animals isn't just about business; it's about honoring creation and providing wholesome food for families. When you buy pork from us, you're getting more than just meat. You're getting the result of careful, intentional farming that puts the well-being of our animals, our land, and your family first. Let's be honest: most grocery store pork comes wrapped in pretty words like "natural" and "humanely raised," but these labels often don't mean much. It's easy to put nice words on a package, much harder to actually do the work of raising animals properly. We'd like to show you how we do things differently here at Miller's Bio Farm. What Makes Our Pork Different Good pork starts with good practices. For us, that means healthy soil, happy animals, responsible harvesting, and thoughtful management of everything that happens on our farm. Here's what that looks like in practice: Pasture-Raised the Way Nature Intended Pigs aren't meant to spend their lives standing on concrete in windowless buildings. They're curious, intelligent animals that need fresh air, sunshine, and room to express their natural behaviors, rooting in the dirt, foraging for food, and socializing with other pigs. On our farm, hogs live outdoors on pasture in the woods where they can do exactly that. We move them regularly to fresh ground, which keeps them healthy and gives the land time to rest and regenerate. This practice, sometimes called rotational grazing is farming wisdom that's been passed down for centuries. When pigs root and forage on fresh pasture, they're naturally fertilizing the soil and helping plants grow back stronger. The land becomes more fertile season after season, storing carbon and building topsoil instead of depleting it. No chemical fertilizers needed, just pigs doing what pigs do best. This kind of farming takes more work than confining animals in one place, but it produces better results for everyone involved: healthier pigs, healthier land, and better tasting pork. Raising Animals with Respect Our approach to animal care reflects our values as an Amish farming community. We believe animals deserve to be treated with dignity and respect throughout their lives. Processing with Care When harvest time comes, we work with a small processor who shares our commitment to humane treatment. Our animals are handled calmly and respectfully, with immediate stunning to ensure they feel no distress. This isn't just the right thing to do, it also affects meat quality. Animals that are stressed at slaughter produce tougher, less flavorful meat. Properly handled animals yield tender, delicious pork that you can taste the difference in. Studies also confirm what traditional farmers have long known: animals raised on pasture produce meat with better nutritional profiles, including higher omega-3 fatty acids and more vitamins. Wholesome Feed, No Shortcuts We raise heritage breed pigs, traditional breeds known for their hardiness and flavor. These animals thrive on pasture with supplemental non-GMO grain, and they don't need antibiotics or growth hormones to stay healthy. In industrial pork production, antibiotics are mixed into feed daily to prevent disease in overcrowded conditions. This practice is creating drug-resistant bacteria that threaten public health, a problem we don't contribute to. Our pigs build strong immune systems naturally through good nutrition, clean living conditions, and low-stress environments. It's the way farming worked for centuries before shortcuts became the norm. Caring for God's Creation As stewards of the land, we take seriously our responsibility to leave it better than we found it. That's not just good farming, it's part of our calling. Building Soil, Not Destroying It Industrial agriculture depletes soil through intensive tilling, chemical dependence, and continuous monoculture cropping. This approach might boost short-term production, but it's not sustainable. We farm differently. Our rotational grazing actually improves soil health year after year. As pigs move across pasture, they naturally incorporate organic matter into the ground. Rest periods allow plants to regrow with deeper roots, which prevents erosion and captures carbon from the atmosphere. The result is living, fertile soil teeming with beneficial microorganisms soil that produces nutritious forage without synthetic inputs. Handling Waste Responsibly Large scale pig operations often store waste in enormous lagoons that leak pollutants into water supplies and release harmful gases into the air. These systems create environmental and health problems for surrounding communities. Our approach couldn't be more different. Because our pigs are spread across pasture and woodlands in manageable groups, their manure distributes naturally as valuable fertilizer rather than concentrating into a waste problem. When winter weather requires us to bring pigs into shelter, we bed them deeply with straw or wood shavings. This creates a composting effect that safely breaks down manure without environmental contamination. We also plant diverse pasture species specifically chosen to absorb nutrients and maintain ecological balance. Not all pigs like to go in the open shelter in the winter time and that's perfectly fine with us! The Real Story Behind Your Pork Chop Many people wonder which type of meat is most environmentally friendly. The truth is, it's not so much about whether you're eating pork, beef, or chicken, it's about how that animal was raised. Take beef as an example. You've probably heard that cattle are terrible for the environment. That criticism applies to feedlot operations where thousands of cattle are confined in small spaces and fed grain-heavy diets. But cattle raised properly on well managed pasture actually improve the land and sequester carbon. The animal itself isn't the problem; the farming method is. The same principle applies to pork. Factory farmed pork has serious environmental and ethical problems. Pasture raised pork from a regenerative farm like ours is a completely different product. One challenge specific to pork is that pigs need grain as part of their diet, they can't survive on grass alone like cattle can. This means sustainable pork production requires access to sustainably grown grain, ideally non-GMO corn and soybeans from farmers practicing regenerative agriculture. On our farm, we're committed to sourcing feed from responsible growers who share our values of soil health, biodiversity, and chemical free farming. What You're Really Buying When you purchase pork from Miller's Bio Farm, you're not just buying bacon or pork chops. You're supporting a way of farming that's been proven over generations, one that respects animals, regenerates land, and produces genuinely nutritious food. We're proud to raise pork the right way, even though it's more work. Because at the end of the day, that's what good stewardship looks like. And that's something worth bringing home to your table. Check out our: ✔️Corn & Soy Free ✔️ Vaccine, Drug, GMO-Free ✔️Heritage Breeds ✔️Woodland Raised PORK COLLECTION HERE: https://millersbiofarm.com/sto...

Eggnog's Medieval Magic

Well now, friends, let me tell you about eggnog - it's no yolk, this drink has been around forever! While history scholars are still whisking through different stories, most agree it sprouted from a Medieval drink called posset. Posset was hot milk curdled with wine or beer, served in a two-handled pot when folks caught the sniffles. Yup, that's right, I said sniffles. The warmth would settle your bones, the milk kept your strength up better than a day of plowing, and the alcohol and spices worked like nature's own medicine chest. Posset recipes were as varied as quilting patterns, every homestead had their own way to make it, and from this patchwork of kitchen wisdom grew a whole crop of milk based treasures, including... eggnog itself. Eggnog is a rich, chilled, sweet dairy drink that'll make you smile like you just finished morning milking. It's made with milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks, and spices, simple as that! Most folks only raise a glass during a short spell around Christmas. It was those fancy British folks in the 1700s who turned eggnog into a holiday tradition. They'd add expensive spirits and spices to milk to preserve it through winter (yep, aged eggnog, just like preserving pickles in the cellar). Eventually, eggnog crossed the ocean to the Thirteen Colonies. As times changed and food became easier to come by, common folk adopted it as a cherished holiday drink. Today, food is everywhere you look, but finding the right kind is harder than finding a needle in a haystack. Store-bought eggnog is stacked in every store, but I won't hitch my wagon to it. Store-bought eggnog is cooked up in factories to taste good and stay the same every time. But it's packed with additives, loaded with more sugar than a honey wagon, and has less than 2% egg yolks. Might as well call it milknog! And don't get me started on all that pasteurization business. If you've got the time, eggnog is easier than feeding chickens. Here's what you need: 4 egg yolks (fresh from the henhouse) ⅓ cup maple syrup (the real stuff, tapped honest) 2 cups raw milk (straight from Bessie, if you're blessed) 1 cup raw cream 1 tsp nutmeg (or whatever spices suit your fancy) 3 oz bourbon or rum (if you're of a mind to) You can mix these ingredients raw (like we do on the farm) or you can warm it up. Your barn, your rules. For a fuller eggnog, beat those yolks until they lighten like sunrise. Then fold in the rest. For a frothy eggnog that'll make you grin like a cat in the creamery, beat 4 egg whites until soft peaks form, then stir them into your finished batch. I highly recommend doing this whether you bought it from a farm stand or made it yourself. It's wonderful. So please, enjoy your eggnog this winter season. When you raise your glass, think on what you're celebrating. Toast to home remedies, good health, the wisdom of those who came before us, and honest food that comes from the land.

From Grass To Glow: Tallow Skin Care

Tallow might sound old-school, but this grass-fed goodness is pure skin food. Packed with vitamins A, D, E & K plus CLA, it mimics your skin’s natural fats for maximum absorption. The result? Happy, nourished, glowing skin, without the chemicals

How to hydrate better than water? Milk! It's kind of a super food.

Staying hydrated plays a key role in your overall health.

Milk hydrates your body better than water!

Milk also resulted in lower sodium and higher potassium levels after consumption, making it really come out on top.

The study concluded that the most hydration, the best maintenance of fluid balance, comes from drinks containing the highest macronutrient and electrolyte content.

If milk from 100% grass fed cows on regenerative pasture produce the most nutritious and highest energy milk, then Miller’s milk would have maximum hydration!

How important is hydration to you? Have you noticed that you feel more hydrated after drinking milk? What drinks do you turn to for hydration?

More from the blog

From farm to fork: Understanding the value of sustainable pork

Eggnog's Medieval Magic

From Grass To Glow: Tallow Skin Care

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Miller's Bio Farm, 523 Valley Road, Quarryville, PA 17566