How many commercials have you seen lauding the praise of milk? Who doesn't recognize a celebrity's photo in an ad with a white mustache asking "Got Milk?" Unfortunately, none of this advertising is promoting raw milk, which actually has incredible health benefits!
IF these advertisements are referring to store-bought pasteurized milk, this advice is bunk. In fact, drinking pasteurized milk out of moderation can even be dangerous to your health!
What is the truth about milk - the RAW FAQS? Read on to hear more about the true facts of milk. It might not be what you're expecting! Goodness knows that we're not always fed the truth about this essential food.
1. The majority of milk consumed today is pasteurized.
But what does it mean for milk to be pasteurized?
Pasteurization is the process in which milk (or any food/liquid) is heated to a specific temperature (161F) for a specific length of time (15-20 seconds) and then immediately cooled.
- In the pasteurization process, the milk is heated destroying enzymes necessary for the body to assimilate the calcium found in milk. This destruction of enzymes also prevents the body from being able to absorb other essential nutrients!
- Heating milk in the pasteurization process also alters the structure of amino acids (proteins) present in milk making them also unabsorbable.
RAW MILK/RAW TRUTH:
Pasteurization is touted as a method of protecting us from infection. But the CDC notes that not a single person has died from drinking raw milk in over a decade.
- In 2006 alone, there were at least 1,300 people who got sick from pasteurized milk - just in California!
- The nation's largest recorded outbreak of Salmonella was due to PASTEURIZED milk contaminated with antibiotic-resistant Salmonella typhimurium. Occurring between June 1984 and April 1985, this outbreak caused over 200,000 to be sick and 18 deaths.
So that's one myth busted: That raw milk is universally dangerous for everyone, and you shouldn't ever touch it.
2. Most American dairies use Holstein cows who never graze on fresh grass.
The milk produced by these cows is about three times as much per day as a traditional family milk cow - thanks to growth hormones and high protein grains.
Thankfully, the movement toward more grass-fed dairy and free-range eggs liberated many of these animals. But the transformation of the industry is far from complete.
An interesting note - modern Holstein cows have high levels of growth hormone (naturally occurring from the pituitary gland) even when NOT being given Bovine Growth Hormone! It's all in the natural selection. We're encouraging the growth and additional lifespan of cows who grow up bigger and stronger than ever. But this is a bad thing—any animal that changes in a rapid period of time may react adversely. It makes you think about what is unnaturally forcing them to increase in size. That's what all of this is: unnatural.
RAW MILK/RAW TRUTH:
The most nutrient dense milk is obtained from cows feeding on green grass and especially the fast-growing grasses of the spring and fall. Milk from cows eating green grass, hay, root vegetables, plant foliage and traditional foods is the highest in vital nutrients, such as vitamins A, D, and K2.
3. We were duped into thinking low-fat and skim milk are good for us!
Perhaps, this was actually a marketing ploy of the modern dairy industry to sell poor quality, low-fat milk from high producing breeds! It's worth thinking about. Because we live in an age where everything has to be uniform and the same every time, we actually may be shorting ourselves on nutrition.
RAW MILK/RAW TRUTH:
- Butterfat contains vitamins A and D, essential for the assimilation of calcium and protein found in milk
- Butterfat is also rich in fatty acids which protect against disease and stimulate the immune system.
- Raw whole milk also contains conjugated linoleic acid which contains strong anticancer properties.
4. Other interesting RAW MILK/RAW TRUTH FAQS:
- Lactose intolerance may be a result of pasteurization! 80% of participants in a Michigan raw milk study considered themselves lactose intolerant according to a healthcare professional. Yet, they were able to consume raw milk without a problem.
- Raw milk has naturally antibacterial characteristics in the form of lactic-acid producing bacteria. These protect raw milk from pathogens.
- "The Milk Cure" written by Dr. J.R. Crewe of the Mayo Foundation (forerunner to the Mayo Clinic) and published in the Certified Milk Magazine in 1929, is a detailed a regimen of drinking 4-5 quarts of raw milk per day. This regimen obtained positive results for a wide variety of illnesses including cancer, kidney disease, skin problems like psoriasis, urinary tract problems, prostate problems, allergies and chronic fatigue. Pasteurized milk did NOT yield these results! This publication was the result of over 16 years of using raw milk from Guernsey cows almost exclusively in the treatment of various diseases.
- Calves fed pasteurized milk do poorly and many die before maturity. If it's not good for the cows themselves, how can it be good for us? Calves are the original audience for the milk. They should be the test for if it's good, in my opinion.
- Raw milk is legal in most of Europe. You can find it in vending machines in several European countries.
At the present time, retail raw milk sales are legal in 10 states.
Sources: Natural News, Real Milk, WAPF, Wikipedia
Bev Nohr says
Why oh why does the myth that calves fed pasteurized milk do poorly? Most female calves that are kept to be future milk cows are fed pasteurized milk. It keeps them healthy and fast growing because that's what dairies have to have to keep the $$ flowing because cash flow is all a dairy has. They don't really make any money, they just watch tons of it flow through. Almost all quality breeders of dairy goats feed pasteurized milk.
Now I am a big fan of raw milk and it's all we've used in our family for over 30 years. It does the raw milk cause no favors when untruths are pasted on.
Dina-Marie says
Bev, thank you for taking the time to comment! While I appreciate your point, it is important to realize that while calves fed pasteurized milk may survive, they also must be given antibiotics and supplements because of the poor nutritional quality of the milk. Here are a couple of links that refer to comparisons done on calves.
http://www.realmilk.com/health/tale-of-two-calves/
https://thebovine.wordpress.com/2010/06/04/the-tale-of-two-calves-one-calf-got-raw-milk-the-other-pasteurized/
vikram says
My hand were in pain from RA for last 1 year I was worried for my joints,I switched to raw milk..and then my pain is gone for more than a week no...WoW!!! No more anti inflammatory and pain killers
Dina-Marie says
Vikram, that is wonderful! If you begin to have more problems, you might want to try the GAPS diet. I had life changing results from it - my RA was so bad that my husband had to cut my pancakes in the mornings and I could not walk without pain.
kate says
I would love to connect with you and learn from you regarding how you helped your RA, I was sick for almost 2 years when I was finally diagnosed and started treatments in January, as much as I am against the fact that I am on big nasty toxic meds I had no choice as at 28 years old I couldn't even walk anymore, I recently bought a cow share and will be getting raw milk but would love more insight on the GAPS diet and strategies you used!
Dina-Marie says
Kate, if you read GAPS Review and GAPS - My Experience, you will have a lot of my story. If I can help you in any way, don't hesitate to contact me! It has truly been life-changing for me and my family!
Gwen says
I'm a colon cancer survivor, and making kefir, yogurt, and butter with raw milk not only has more vitamins & nutrients but it has also helped with acid issues in my system.
Dina-Marie says
Gwen, thanks for taking the time to comment! It is amazing how these foods can help your physical condition.
Megan says
Is kefir made from pasteurized milk healthy for you , or do you have to make it with raw milk to get the health benefits
Dina-Marie says
Megan, making kefir from store-bought milk still provides you with the beneficial probiotics!
Thelma says
I am in the UK. About 18 months ago a local farm installed a raw milk vending machine. The milk is delicious and I have just started making kefir. This week we have , what is for us extreme, bitter cold and snow and when I collected my 3 litres of milk it is almost all cream. It is making the most wonderful kefir and today I am going to try butter. As lovely as it is I hope it is back to normal when I get my next lot as cream in tea is not good.
Dina-Marie says
Thelma, I am sure that is delicious kefir! Butter is very easy to make and I think you are gonna love homemade butter! I hope for your sake, the weather breaks and is not so cold - I'm sure you feel about your tea as I do my coffee and I want it the way I like it. ;)
Judy Hawkins says
I started drinking raw milk 5 years ago when I had a lot of hip pain. I made a bunch of other changes around then, so I don't know how much of a difference the raw milk made to my hip -- but it certainly didn't prevent my hip from recovering completely.
I liked it so much I kept buying it, anyways. I never liked "regular" milk, but raw milk is totally scrumptious.
For the first couple years, I sometimes didn't bother to get some for a few weeks at a time, and I realized that every time I didn't drink raw milk for a week or two, my neck started getting stiff and it got hard to look behind me, for instance, backing out of a parking space.
Then I would go get another half gallon and after a couple days, my neck would loosen up.
For the past year or so, I have consistently bought my raw milk; I drink 12 to 16 oz per day. I don't feel like I'm getting old any more: the year my hip went bad on me, I was starting to feel like I was getting old and stiff, and that was very depressing.
I am now 59. My hip is all better. I am an energetic contradancer and hiker; both of those activities tell me I'm doing as well as I ever have. I don't get colds any more. I can sit on the floor, and get up with one hand helping, which is about as strong as I've ever been.
I can't prove raw milk is a significant element of keeping me healthy -- and making me healthier than I was before I started drinking it, but I'm pretty certain it is.
Also, it is tastier than ice cream, and that's with no sugar and a lower price per pint.
Dina-Marie says
Judy, I love your raw milk testimonial! Thanks for taking the time to comment and let us know of your success. Yes, I agree, you sound very active and I'm sure your milk, diet and lifestyle all work together for it!