Raw Milk Explained: Nature’s Complete Food Source
October 25, 2024
What is Raw Milk?
Raw milk is a perfectly designed complete food source. Unprocessed, it provides us with essential nutrients, complete protein, fats, anti-inflammatory and digestive enzymes, vitamins and minerals, antibodies, and diverse, health-promoting bacteria—all in a natural form from which the body can most readily use. (5)
What makes milk “raw” is simply the fact that it is unprocessed, unaltered, and not pasteurized.
The Pasteurization of milk is a process that heats milk to a specific temperature for a set amount of time to kill harmful bacteria. However, this process also destroys beneficial nutrients, digestive enzymes, gut-friendly microbes, and much more. For this reason, pasteurized milk is difficult for our bodies to digest and assimilate. Most all US supermarkets only sell pasteurized and homogenized milk. Homogenization is when the milk is forced through a very narrow gap at extreme pressure to break down fat globules. This is purely for cosmetic reasons so that the texture is smoother. Real milk has cream on top.
Raw milk is often described as “alive” because it is rich in enzymes and nutrients in their natural biochemical form, which our bodies need. In its natural state, these enzymes digest the milk for you, reducing the stress on your digestive system and making it much easier for us to enjoy. I will explain this more below.
The History Of Humans Drinking Raw Milk
Scientific evidence shows that humans began drinking milk from animals at least 10,000 years ago. It is also evident that ancient civilizations who consumed milk had an advantage over those that did not have a steady source of readily available food. (1) Ancient baby bottles, made from clay pottery, have provided evidence that babies were fed raw milk from animals thousands of years ago.
Since there was no refrigeration, any milk that was not consumed quickly would naturally ferment. Unlike pasteurized milk which putrefies, raw milk slowly sours with time, turning into delicious, probiotic-rich yogurt. Raw milk contains diverse bacteria and enzymes that enable fermentation. The lactic acid produced as milk sours naturally inhibits putrefying and instead facilitates growth of diverse health-promoting bacteria (probiotics). Ancient cultures from all around the world have long consumed fermented milk in the form of kefir or yogurt. It is highly practical since cultured products are less perishable, easily digestible, and extremely nutritious.
To say the least, raw milk from animals was a miracle that sustained human life and allowed for flourishment.
Three cultures—located in the Himalayas, Ecuador, and Georgia—are known for their populations that regularly live into extreme old age. These communities rely heavily on a diet of fermented dairy. Moreover, in all three cases, their livestock graze on lush green pastures nourished by mineral-rich water from glacier runoff. This incredible relationship between water, soil, plants, animals, microbes, and humans is what is believed to have made these people so healthy. All the way down to the water sources that feed the soil that grow the grass that feed the cows that give the milk we drink, is essential for a healthy ecosystem that will sustain healthy humans. (2)
Raw Milk And Lactose Intolerance
Lactase is an enzyme that is essential for the complete digestion of whole milk. Found in the intestinal tract, it breaks down the sugar, lactose, into a digestible form. Only about 35% of the overall population worldwide have this lactase persistent gene. (3)
So how were humans flourishing 10,000 years ago on raw milk without the lactase persistent gene? Miraculously, the incredible makeup of raw milk facilitates the production of the lactase enzyme in the intestinal tract. (1) Thus, it is unlikely ancient humans suffered from lactose intolerance and were able to enjoy fresh milk straight from the udder.
Since the pasteurization of milk destroys the enzymes that facilitate digestion, it is apparent that most lactose intolerance cases are actually just pasteurization intolerance. Humans have evolved for thousands of years consuming raw milk, most of our bodies thrive on it.
A survey of Michigan raw milk drinkers reported that out of the 155 people diagnosed with lactose intolerance, 118 reported having no lactose intolerance symptoms from consuming raw milk. Thus, 76% of those diagnosed with lactose intolerance were able to consume raw milk without any digestive issues. (4)
Pasteurization: The Destruction of A Perfectly Designed Food To Mask Sickly Milk From Poorly Treated Cows
Only when dairy cows started making their way into big cities did raw milk begin making humans sick. Most dairy cows in the United States are confined to filthy, cramped pens, with dirty water, no sun or fresh air, and are fed everything but what they are designed to eat—a green pasture.
Not surprisingly, these cows became sick. They produced sickly milk leading to a tremendous amount of deaths. In the late 1800’s, it was recognized that raw milk being produced in these conditions was fatal to infants and adults. Instead of improving the living conditions and health of the animals, it was decided to pasteurize the milk. Pasteurization would sterilize the milk, killing harmful bacteria and pathogens. Yet, it would also destroy beneficial bacteria, enzymes, nutrients, and more.
Rather than spending the energy to create clean milk from healthy cows, pasteurization became the solution to commercialize milk, enabling inhumane and unhealthy farming practices. As long as the milk is pasteurized, producers can prioritize production without concern for the cows’ health, using regular antibiotics as needed. If you are drinking commercialized milk, don’t doubt that you too are getting a dose of those antibiotics. Most of what these cows are injected with passes into our milk. According to a study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, one glass of pasteurized milk can contain up to twenty different chemicals. If that’s not enough, the vast majority of dairy products in US stores come from the Holstein-Friesan breed, which have been extensively bred to produce very large animals, yielding more milk than any native breed. These animals are highly susceptible to infection and a large portion of them have mastitis, suffer from a variety of illnesses, and often die from cancer. As a result they are regularly given drugs and hormones. (6)
Additionally, nearly all commercialized milk is homogenized to extend shelf life and create a smoother texture. This process oxidizes fats (changes fat globule structure) and creates free radicals. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules that are known to weaken the immune system and cause inflammation throughout the body.
Raw Milk Compared to Other Milks
Raw Milk In Today’s Age
All this said, it is widely accepted today that pasteurized milk is considered “safe,” while raw milk is viewed as “dangerous”. Yet the health of the United States shows otherwise. With widespread immune depression, food sensitivities/allergies, mental health disorders, and autism on the rise in children, America has never been more unhealthy. Today, pasteurized milk is now recognized as a top food allergen and difficult to digest for many.
Both the animal health and the processing methods of milk can classify dairy as either one of the healthiest foods in the world or one of the worst. Safe raw milk has been rediscovered by those who understand the history and science of its innate ability to sustain healthy humans. Raw milk that is carefully produced for direct human consumption differs significantly from milk intended for pasteurization.
Children and adults in America desperately need the nutrients and gut-microbiome support found in raw milk. Source organic milk from native breeds such as Jersey, Ayrshire, and Guernsey. Support your local farmers who value the health of their cows and their milk. Dairy cows that live as nature intended—enjoying fresh air, abundant green pasture, and clean water—produce superior, nutrient-rich milk. Additionally, their natural way of life improves earth’s soil health, contributing to an overall healthier planet.
Nourish yourself and your kids, educate your friends and family, and care for our earth.
Find raw milk near you: getrawmilk.com
Sources
- (2020, July 7). Why Humans Drink Raw Milk. Raw Milk Institute. https://www.rawmilkinstitute.org/updates/why-humans-drink-raw-milk
- Shetreat-Klein, M., MD (2016). The Dirt Cure. Atria Books.
- (Lactase – Uses, Side Effects, and More. Webmd. https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-540/lactase
- (2008, March 28). Pilot Survey of Cow Share Consumer/Owners Lactose Intolerance Section. Real Milk. https://www.realmilk.com/lactose-intolerance-survey/
- “Lactose Facts.” Raw-Milk-Facts.com, 2012, www.raw-milk-facts.com/lactosefactsT3.html.
- Dohoo, I. R., Wayne Martin, S., Meek, A. H., & Sandals, W. C. D. (1983). Disease, production and culling in Holstein-Friesian cows I. The data. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 1(4), 321–334. https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-5877(83)90003-x
This was such a good read!! Engaging and informative. I really enjoyed the history from Georgia and other places. Makes me want to find a local farmer for raw milk!
Great read and easy to follow! I’ve wondered about the history of milk and why so much of today’s population is lactose intolerant, thus lays it out perfectly. Thanks!!
I loved learning about this! Thank you for all the information! I’m not a big milk girl, but I might have to start getting some raw cheeses!!