Benefits of Raw Milk

One of the benefits of raw milk is that real raw milk from free-range, pastured, grass-fed cows is a complete food, containing all 20 amino acids necessary for the human body. It is one of the best sources for healthy natural fats that the human body loves and needs.

Here’s a link (www.realmilk.com/rawvpasteur.html) for a page that tells you all about the way the dairy products industry has changed the process of selling milk, if you want more information. It outlines the benefits of raw milk.

The Story of Milk

I am one of the Baby Boomers and grew up in the suburbs surrounding Atlanta, GA. One of the things I remember my mother saying is, “You know your kids have grown up when you cancel the milk delivery.”

Back in those days, fresh milk, cream and half-and-half was delivered directly to your door as often as you ordered it. It didn't have the benefits of raw milk, but it was fresh. There was a metal insulated box in which they placed the cold milk and you placed the empty bottles back in after you were finished drinking it. Simple, clean, efficient and no waste to recycle.

We not only survived on this set-up, we thrived on it! As a matter of fact, dairies competed as to who could have the most butterfat in their milk. Can you imagine that? High butterfat was a selling point!

Here is a picture of raw cow's milk that I get during the winter time when goat's milk is not available. Notice the cream sitting on the top of the milk. To "homogenize" it, you just shake it up.

Homogenization

So what happened? To cut down on competition, diaries started homogenizing their milk. That was the first step to losing the benefits of raw milk.

By doing that, all milk was then "equal" as far as fat was concerned. Milk in transport did not have all the cream rise to the top of the truck and so “cheat” some customers out of the butterfat.

It also solved the problem of the dead white cells and bacteria forming sludge on the bottom of the trucks. Homogenization spread the mess evenly throughout the milk so no one would notice it. The benefits of raw milk were starting to go.

In a brilliant coup of advertising, dairies also solved another problem. You see, to make butter, cream and half-and-half, they had to remove the fat from the raw milk. There went some more of the benefits of raw milk. Of course, that step gave them all this fat-less milk left over, which was waste material then.

So they came up with the concept of selling the public on drinking the left-over garbage of non-fat and low-fat milk as a health promoting product. They could make much more money selling the butter, cream, etc. and make a profit on their waste products as well.

Clever strategy – but there’s just one problem. Americans have cut back on fat a great deal in the past decades and the rates of obesity have still skyrocketed. So clearly, fat, per se, is not the cause of weight gain. This will be discussed in a separate article "Good fat, Bad Fat" (see the link for more information).

Pasteurization

Homogenization came about after pasteurization. So that dairies in filthy urban places didn’t have to clean up their act, they developed pasteurization (http://www.realmilk.com/untoldstory_1.html), a process to destroy the bacteria in raw milk.

Along with killing the bacteria, it destroys many of the vital nutrients that make raw milk so beneficial. So again, you lose out on the benefits of raw milk. Homogenization also causes the cholesterol in the milk to become oxidized, making it rancid and thereby contributing to atherosclerosis and heart disease.

The dead bacteria from pus caused by mastitis in the cows (due to eating a diet that is not designed for them) remains in the milk and causes a histamine reaction in susceptible people. The majority of the people who think they are lactose intolerant are really reacting to this dead bacteria and have no problems whatsoever when they switch to all the benefits of raw milk.

Inhumane Agribusinesses

CAFOs (Contained Animal Feeding Operations) are horror stories with cows spending their whole lives on concrete. They are fed waste products from every conceivable place, from chewing gum past its date (but still in its wrapper), to used oil from restaurants to leftover parts from slaughterhouses including those of their own species.

They are fed “rendered meat by-products” which consists of road-killed animals and euthanized dogs and cats from vets and animal shelters. These animals may still have their flea collars on and these are thrown in the “pot” with them. Plus they will have the drugs used to put them down still in their bodies. By the way, this is what goes into most commercial pet foods too, sad to say.

These unnatural foods, along with grains (waste from bakeries) and (usually GMO) soy proteins change the pH level of the cow’s bodies and allow things to go through the intestinal lining that otherwise wouldn’t. Therefore they get sick more often and then need antibiotics to control the infections.

Then, of course, there is the synthetic bovine growth hormone (rBGH) that is given to cows to increase their production of milk, again unnaturally. These cows live an average of 42 months as opposed to 12-15 years for those raised on their natural diet of grass. For me, if I can’t get the benefits of raw milk, the least I can do is buy organic so as to minimize the risks and problems.

Skim Milk Is Not Heart-Healthy

One of the worst problems with pasteurization is that the body mounts an immune response, thinking it has been attacked. Not only that, but skim milk has dried milk added to it for “body”, to make it palatable. The process used to complete this is sickening, both literally and figuratively.

In “Dirty Secrets of the Food Processing Industry”,found at www.westonaprice.org/modern-foods/dirty-secrets-of-the-food-processing-industry," (which I strongly feel is an absolute MUST READ for everyone!) Sally Fallon states: “A note on the production of skim milk powder: liquid milk is forced through a tiny hole at high pressure, and then blown out into the air. This causes a lot of nitrates to form and the cholesterol in the milk is oxidized.

Those of you who are familiar with my work know that cholesterol is your best friend; you don't have to worry about natural cholesterol in your food; however, you do not want to eat oxidized cholesterol. Oxidized cholesterol contributes to the buildup of plaque in the arteries, to atherosclerosis. So when you drink reduced-fat milk thinking that it will help you avoid heart disease, you are actually consuming oxidized cholesterol, which initiates the process of heart disease.”

More Information on Cholesterol

Here is some more information concerning cholesterol that may shed some light on the subject. Remember all those studies that came out that said cholesterol was bad for you?

According to Ray Peat, PhD:

Around 1971, someone noticed that the commercial cholesterol used in feeding experiments was oxidized, that is, it wasn’t really cholesterol. Comparing carefully prepared, unoxidized cholesterol with the oxidized degraded material, it was found that pure dietary cholesterol was relatively non-atherogenic. (Source: Ray Peat’s Newsletter September 2005)

What does this mean? Bruce Fife, N.D., explains:

The cholesterol in fresh milk, eggs and meat is not oxidized and is utilized by the body to strengthen cell membranes, synthesize vital hormones, and build brain and nerve tissue. The drying process in making powdered milk, cheese, and eggs fully oxidizes the cholesterol in these products. Once oxidized it can not be utilized in the normal fashion to build and strengthen body tissues, but is packed away into the plaque of injured arteries. Eating such foods will surely clog your arteries faster than any other substance known on the face of the earth. (Source: Saturated Fat May Save Your Life)

Raw Milk is Superior for Your Health

One of the other benefits of raw milk to consider: fresh raw goat’s milk will last two weeks in the refrigerator. After that time it will sour but still be good for you to consume if you put some sweetener in it to counteract the sourness. Pasteurized milk past its prime will rot.

A further search of the Weston Price Foundation comes up with this quote:

"Pasteurization destroys enzymes, diminishes vitamin content, denatures fragile milk proteins, destroys vitamins C, B12 and B6, kills beneficial bacteria, promotes pathogens and is associated with allergies, increased tooth decay, colic in infants, growth problems in children, osteoporosis, arthritis, heart disease and cancer. Calves fed pasteurized milk do poorly and many die before maturity. Raw milk sours naturally but pasteurized milk turns putrid; processors must remove slime and pus from pasteurized milk by a process of centrifugal clarification."

I am blessed to have found a great source for raw goat’s milk and cow’s milk in my local Dawsonville GA area and thus am able to reap the benefits of raw milk. The state of Georgia allows the sale of raw milk for pet consumption, so for the record, I do have two cats.

There are such things as cow shares and goat shares where you can purchase a “share” in a cow or goat, and then pay the farmer to milk “your” animal. That is perfectly legal, as there are no laws against milking your own cow or goat and then drinking the raw milk.

There is now a place near Ellijay, GA off of Hwy 52 where you can get the benefits of raw milk. They sells raw cow's milk directly to the public from their farm. Here is the info from LocalHarvest.org, which is a great resource, about Mountain Valley Farm:

"Raw Cow Milk for Pets from our pasture grazed dairy herd is sold here on our farm (by appointment only). Our milk is filtered in-line and quick chilled to 34 degrees.

It is unprocessed, all natural, full fat, cream-on-top raw cow milk. No hormones, no antibiotics, no pesticides, no chemical fertilizers. Our dairy has been in operation for over forty years; cows are milked twice daily and enjoy grazing and relaxing on pasture between milkings.

Milk is not bottled until you arrive to purchase it, ensuring the freshest product possible. Each container is labeled "Raw Cow Milk for Pets" in order to be in compliance with Georgia regulations. For more information contact Suzy Wright at 706 889-0999. Thank you."

Real Milk--that is, milk that is full fat, unprocessed, and from pasture-fed cows or goats is the way to go to get all the great benefits of raw milk. Please do NOT consume raw milk from conventional confinement dairies or dairies which produce milk intended for pasteurization. There are no benefits of raw milk from these places.

Real Milk, produced under clean conditions and promptly refrigerated, contains many anti-microbial and immune-supporting components. This protective system in raw milk can be overwhelmed, and the milk contaminated, in situations where the seller does not follow healthy hygiene protocols.

The bottom line is, know your farmer! I will be happy to give any of the local Dawsonville GA people the information on where I get my raw goat’s and cow’s milk. I use it to make yogurt and kefir, both fermented items with all the great health benefits of raw milk.

Questions About Casein

One last concern to address is the question of casein. All milk has casein in it and some of it is A1 casein and some of it is A2, depending on the breed of mammal and sometimes the specific animal within that breed. A1 casein has been associated with Type 1 diabetes, autism, schizophrenia and heart disease. A2 casein has been shown to do the opposite. All goat’s milk is always A2 casein and therefore is never a problem. You can google this for more information.

Alternatives for Vegans or Vegetarians

If you are vegetarian or vegan, you can use coconut milk, almond milk or rice milk, all of which should be organic. The coconut milk, unless you buy fresh coconuts, will be in cans, which carry their own problems, and the almond milk will be not raw, in spite of the label. One other option is to use is kefir.

The FDA has just approved genetically modified rice so always buy organic on that. You can get around the cooked almonds by buying them direct from the growers and thus eliminating the middle men who by law have to irradiate or cook them. Then you can make your own almond milk with this recipe. Please go to the linked article for important information about raw almonds which are no longer raw for the most part.

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