Real and Raw Food Series #3: Raw Milk
Raw milk is a complete food, filled with nutrition and balance. It is filled with protein, fat and carbs as well as numerous different types of nutrients. Raw milk has not been treated by any pressure heating, the fat molecules have not been changed through homogenization and it has not sat in a tank for the past two weeks. Traditionally, raw milk has been used as a food since man domesticated animals. Not only has it been used as a food, there is also a small group of people with domestic wisdom that recommend using raw milk as medicine.
For some reason, this topic always creates a tremendous stir. Raw milk can potentially make an individual sick. By no means do I recommend going out and buying a gallon of raw milk from your local grain fed, factory farm dairy. These animals are under a tremendous amount of stress, given hormones to produce more milk and pumped full of antibiotics to protect their health in confined quarters. This makes for milk that may potential cause problems for the consumer. I recommend visiting a farm, researching its maintenance and cleanliness and then asking if the cow is out on pasture, living a low stress lifestyle. Cows on pasture consuming only grass are the cows that provide the highest quality milk. Most of the time, the milk from these cows will actually have a lower bad bacteria count than the pasteurized milk. This is quite amusing but neglected by many big wigs in Washington.
Raw Milk: Raw milk has countless advantages over its heated evil twin, pasteurized milk. It contains lactic acid producing bacteria that protects against pathogens. Obviously, the pasteurization process successfully destroys all of these bacteria, which if then exposed to any pathogens, becomes infected and results in disease breakouts (specifically, those seen in the 1985 outbreak in Illinois). The entire process of pasteurization is done by heating the milk to 155 degrees for 30 minutes and then immediately bringing the milk back down to lower than 55 degrees (F). This results in the complete denaturing of lysine and tyrosine, making the proteins less available during digestion. Not only does the heat ruin the proteins but it also does a great job of ridding the milk of B6 and B12. All of the unsaturated fatty acids are also altered by pasteurization and homogenization. Finally, the conclusion of pasteurization is to make sure there are no longer bad bacteria and healthy enzymes in the milk. These enzymes work wonders in your stomach but are killed by the intense period of heat.
Avoid: Stay away from milk that is commercially sold. This milk is normally pumped full of powdered skim milk as an additive and artificial Vitamin D, each linked to heart disease. Because there are no enzymes to assist in breaking down lactose, pasteurized milk has become the number one food allergy in the US. People who are lactose intolerant can drink raw milk but are advised to stay away from pasteurized milk for obvious reasons.
In regards to raw milk, avoid farms that have cows that rarely see the light of day. Cows are meant to graze on grass (hence the 4 stomachs) and they turn the grass into Omega 3 fats, cows that never get out on grass are high in Omega 6 (we get plenty of these) and live in high stress situations.
Goodness: There is plenty of goodness in raw milk. It is full of protein, specifically lactoferrin (an iron absorbing protein) and lysozyme, a protein that also protects against unwanted bacteria. It also contains lactobaccilli, a bacterium that aids in the breakdown of lactose but is lost during pasteurization. Raw milk also contains my favorite fats; these are used as a transport for fat soluble vitamins. The list of vitamins and minerals is incredible, both water and fat soluble can be digested from raw milk. Included in this list is calcium. Raw milk is quite possibly the best source for calcium on this planet and is probably the reason why most indigenous people sustained perfect teeth, despite the lack of modern medicine. The enzymes in raw milk aid the stomach in breaking down food as well as protecting us from unwanted bacteria.
Rating: 9.9 out of 10. I love raw milk. The taste is unbeatable and the nutrient density is astonishing. I prefer Jersey cow, Ayrshire and Swiss Brown milk over any other cow. The Ayrshire gives off a taste very similar to ice cream!! Guernsey cows provide a unique golden tint that has a very good taste. Holsteins have a thinner consistency but still a good flavor. I have never tried Shorthorn. I have heard sheep’s milk is amazing but have only had raw sheep cheese. Also, I love raw goat’s milk…especially from Nubians and Alpines. Some people prefer not to drink goat’s milk due to the distinct flavor. If you do not have a preference, start experimenting!!