Raw Milk Testimonials
January 1, 2000Raw Milk Vs. Pasteurized Milk, Japanese Translation
January 1, 2000
From Armchair Science, London
April 1938
Read this article in Japanese
There is no substitute for clean, raw milk as a food, so far as children are concerned. Science has not yet succeeded in providing, in the pasteurized variety, those essential qualities that are the only real foundation for a healthy child.
Unfortunately, many grossly distorted statements are current regarding our milk supply. If we are to believe the protagonists of the Pasteurization-of-all-milk-at-all costs Party, raw milk is as good, or rather as bad, as rat poison-although as the Minister of Agriculture recently stated, “the human race existed long before Pasteur was heard of.”
The process of pasteurization was debated in the House of Commons and the suggestion made that no raw milk should be sold for human consumption. This would mean installation of expensive machinery by every supplier, and if it should become compulsory there is little doubt that many small firms would shut down and the business pass in the hands of a few big dealers.
If we are to be compelled to drink pasteurized milk, we should at least understand what pasteurization means. It set out to accomplish two things: Destruction of certain disease-carrying germs and the prevention of souring milk. These results are obtained by keeping the milk at a temperature of 145 degrees to 150 degrees F. for half an hour, at least, and then reducing the temperature to not more than 55 degrees F.
It is undoubtedly beneficial to destroy dangerous germs, but pasteurization does more than this-it kills off harmless and useful germs alike, and by subjecting the milk to high temperatures, destroys some nutritious constituents.
With regards to the prevention of souring; sour raw milk is very widely used. It is given to invalids, being easily digested, laxative in its properties, and not unpleasant to take. But, after pasteurization, the lactic acid bacilli are killed. The milk, in consequence, cannot become sour and quickly decomposes, while undesirable germs multiply very quickly.
Pasteurization’s great claim to popularity is the widespread belief, fostered by its supporters, that tuberculosis in children is caused by the harmful germs found in raw milk. Scientists have examined and tested thousands of milk samples, and experiments have been carried out on hundreds of animals in regard to this problem of disease-carrying by milk. But the one vital fact that seems to have been completely missed is that it is CLEAN, raw milk that is wanted. If this can be guaranteed, no other form of food for children can, or should, be allowed to take its place.
Dirty milk, of course, is like any other form of impure food — a definite menace. But Certified Grade A Milk, produced under Government supervision and guaranteed absolutely clean, is available practically all over the country and is the dairy-farmer’s answer to the pasteurization zealots.
Recent figures published regarding the spread of tuberculosis by milk show, among other facts, that over a period of five years, during which time 70 children belonging to a special organization received a pint of raw milk daily. One case only of the disease occurred. During a similar period when pasteurized milk had been given, 14 cases were reported.
Besides destroying part of the vitamin C contained in raw milk and encouraging growth of harmful bacteria, pasteurization turns the sugar of milk, known as lactose, into beta-lactose — which is far more soluble and therefore more rapidly absorbed in the system, with the result that the child soon becomes hungry again.
Probably pasteurization’s worst offence is that it makes insoluable the major part of the calcium contained in raw milk. This frequently leads to rickets, bad teeth, and nervous troubles, for sufficient calcium content is vital to children; and with the loss of phosphorus also associated with calcium, bone and breain formation suffer serious setbacks.
Pasteurization also destroys 20 percent of the iodine present in raw milk, causes constipation and generally takes from the milk its most vital qualities.
In face of these facts-which are undeniable-what has the Pasteurization Party to say? Instead of compelling dealers to set up expensive machinery for turning raw milk into something that is definitely not what it sets out to be — a nutritious, health giving food — let them pass legislation making the dairy-farmers produce clean, raw milk — that is milk pure to drink with all its constituents unaltered.
The above was published in Magazine Digest – June 1938. Armchair Science is a British medical journal.
114 Comments
This is a perfect example of how society has got to the point where we are ignoring all common knowledge and relying on outdated scientific research to justify invalid ideas. The only reason people support this is because they are small dairy farmers who can’t afford the expensive equipment required to pasteurise milk. There have been deaths caused by the consumption of raw milk, and I therefore find it disgusting people support this.
I wholeheartedly agree
Has society got to the point where we are ignoring all common knowledge and relying on outdated scientific research to justify an invalid claim?
The people who support this are solely small dairy farmers who can’t afford the expensive equipment required to pasteurise milk. I truly want to learn more about the benefits of raw milk-are there any articles around that aren’t over 75 years old? I would appreciate any help someone could provide me.
In the many articles on our site there is a range of references from both older and newer studies. One problem is there was a lot of research done a long time ago on the benefits of raw milk. Then the government started encouraging confinement dairies, and studies at that time showed little difference between raw and pasteurized milk from confinement cows. The government attitude was that the matter was settled. Since the commercial dairy industry preferred to pasteurize and homogenize for financial reasons, they were happy to agree there was no difference and also push the idea that pasteurized milk was safer.
Fortunately, we are beginning to see a bit more research again, often out of Europe. This is one page with recent reference, specifically in regards to raw milk being protective against asthma: https://www.realmilk.com/health/raw-milk-protective-against-asthma-and-allergies/.
It is not true that the small dairy farmers can’t afford pasteurization equipment. Dairy farmers of any size who are producing milk intended for pasteurization typically send the raw milk to a plant that pasteurizes it. Modern milking machines and stainless steel storage equipment on a farm producing milk intended to be drunk raw is not cheap.
The “common knowledge” that pasteurized milk is safer is the result of a marketing campaign by the dairy industry. Their motive was financial, but the means of getting the public to accept this change in the milk they had always known, was to appeal to fear. You see this all the time.
There have been far more deaths and illnesses caused by consumption of raw produce, oysters, deli meats, eggs, and many other foods, as shown by CDC data. Milk, raw or pasteurized, is responsible for fewer illnesses and deaths than most other categories of food. Pasteurization is no guarantee of milk safety; there have been outbreaks of foodborne illness attributed to pasteurized milk. In states where raw milk can be sold, standards of cleanliness are higher and allowed levels of microorganisms are lower for milk intended to be drunk raw. See https://www.realmilk.com/safety/response-to-fda-anti-raw-milk-powerpoint/ for a good overview of the issues.
So are you saying that just because some foods have more deaths caused by them that it’s okay to make raw milk available for consumption? Because that’s like saying that we should make cocaine legal because there are more outbreaks of alcohol fueled violence than cocaine fueled violence. Adding another dangerous food to a market already filled with life threatening foods isn’t going to make anything better.
And for the tenth time…produce contributes to the highest number of deaths. as long as the cow and its raw milk are kept healthy and sanitary chances of death from drinking raw milk are minimal. And the other comment about people building up antibodies and other people (in cities) dont…not exactly.maybe one with a weakend immune sytem should take caution. lastly to the writer of this comment saying that the people supporting putting raw milk on the market are monsters. no. I just think someone you knew may have died from raw milk and now you think it is the armagedon. its not. theres a very slim little tiny chance that itll kill you. very rare. lighten up!
I have joined a ‘Cow Share’ program and pick up UNPASTURIZED milk weekly that is delivered from the farmer. My Son could not drink Pastruized dairy he would have stomach aches, and my daughter who is a vegetarian from birth would not drink pasturized milk. Both children have been drinking the unpasturized milk for 1 year now and have excellent health. My daughter drinks 2 glasses a day and my son drinks 2-3 glasses per day. As a baby in Italy I was drinking unpasturized milk from the family farm. Unpasturized Milk should be available as a free CHOICE !!!!
Just reading through from the link above:
‘Does raw milk prevent or treat asthma?’ section:
1st paper cited does not distinguish between raw and boiled milk
2nd paper found no significant difference in asthma and p-value is incorrectly interpreted
3rd paper (2011) has generalisability issues and significant difference was between ‘farm milk’ and ‘shop milk’ – clear differential misclassification bias where all milk that had been heated >72 degrees named as pasteurized if sold from a shop and raw if from a farm, plus shelf life of raw milk was not adjusted for in statistical analysis. Additionally, the only pathogenic bacteria were found in unboiled raw milk and PAPER CONCLUDES: ‘on the basis of current knowledge, raw milk consumption cannot be recommended because it might contain pathogens’
I could go on…
I completely agree with you that reading the cited papers sheds some light on the ‘raw milk’ debate.
I’m having trouble determining what link (‘from the link above’) you are referring to.
Hi there just clarify a couple of things…..I have farmed in New Zealand for almost 20years and have been on enough farms to know that most of our farms do not test our herds milk on a daily basis in fact it is solely left to chance that when our milk gets picked up everyday sometimes twice a day that the milk truck won’t reject the pick up. Other then that us farmers are fully liable for what we send. We get a docket after each pick up which tells us if we have a high cell count at which time we do check the suspect cows we feel could have mastitis she is then treated and left out of the milk collection. Once the next docket comes the cell count should have come back down if not then the herdis tested.
Cow’s milk is for baby cows. We are the only species of animal known to consume milk after being weened and milk meant for other species.
All types of mammalian milk have a lot of similarities, although there are some minor differences species to species. This is why our recipes for infant formula made with raw cow milk or raw goat milk includes some other ingredients to more closely approximate the nutrient profile of human milk. When breastfeeding isn’t possible, a formula made from the milk of another mammal is certainly a better alternative than a formula made from soybeans or other plant ingredients.
While we are the only species that widely consumes milk from other species past adulthood, there are many animals who will drink milk if offered it, or if they can sneak in and nurse. Farmers tell us about animals, even grown animals, nursing if they get the chance. Pigs and goats nursing or trying to nurse cows is common. In one case, an adult cow of a small breed liked to nurse from another cow of a much larger breed. So we do it because we can, and other animals perhaps only because they haven’t figured out how to get it on a regular basis.
So honey is made by bees for bees,we shoudnt consume it? NO. so what is wrong with the drinking of milk by humans?
unfortunately, these types are usually vegans, so they would agree that yes, honey is made by bees, for bees, and we are enslaving/raping/stealing, whatever anthropomorphism theyve chosen for the day, the poor bees to death for their honey for our greedy, glutonous ways… ::eyeroll::
obviously you have never met a cat. Or a dog… or a pig, a chicken, basically any animal. So… your comment is hogwash. Besides, there are a whole host of other things that humans do that “other animals” dont, what exactly is your point?
Not true!!! Many thousands of people from various countries who have fasted for various reasons will drink raw goats milks to sustain their bodies again with nutrients after their fasting. Your blanketed statement was not factual in the least!
We are the species that has found ways to thrive, create, and enjoy life in ways other animals don’t.
Milk is great for me,… I’m better with milk products, than without milk products.
I think milk is very healthy for everyone.
Most of the worlds’ population are intolerent of dairy, as thery havnt had cows milk for thousands of years, to learn to tolerate it.
hi, I want to know the advantages and disadvantages of pasteurised milk vs home boiling of milk….thanks
Boiling milk at home is essentially pasteurizing it if you bring it above the temperature that will deactivate the enzymes. You can’t achieve the sudden high heat and pressure of commercial pasteurization equipment so you may not be damaging the enzymes, beneficial bacteria, etc. as much as commercial milk, but you’ll likely lose a lot of the benefits of properly handled raw milk from grass-fed cows.
Boiling is much hotter than pasteurization, the same as sterilization that destroys and precipitates vitamins and denatures proteins; most baby deaths and diseases came from this sterilized milk.
I was brought up on a dairy farm I’ve drank milk both while still warm from the cows and cold from tank. Other then finding the odd hair, I never had any adverse effects from raw milk. After having only shop milk I started having digestive problems and they are on going 13 years later. I can’t eat quite a few things now. I blame the lack of beneficial bacteria in the bought milk.
1 in 3 people are lactose intolerant. How about we use our common sense here people. 1 in 3 people are not intolerant to raw milk. It’s really not rocket science. And Fred, you shoul be removed from this page. You clearly have no idea what you’re saying. Maybe you should lay off the cocaine.
Amen!! 🙂
what about boiled farm milk vs pasteurized ? I don’t think I could drink straight up raw milk.
Boiling milk at home is essentially pasteurizing it if you bring it above the temperature that will deactivate the enzymes. You can’t achieve the sudden high heat and pressure of commercial pasteurization equipment so you may not be damaging the enzymes, beneficial bacteria, etc. as much as commercial milk, but you’ll likely lose a lot of the benefits of properly handled raw milk from grass-fed cows. If you have read about the safety and health benefits of raw milk on this website but still can’t drink it raw, consider raw milk cheeses, available almost anywhere.
well boiled milk is not as good as raw milk but it still has a lot of vitamins and beneficial bacteria unless you boil it a lot. There are two differences between boiled and pasteurised:
1. boiled milk still has a small shell life. You cannot keep it too much over 1 day even in the freezer.
2. Although it looses some of the vitamins and beneficial bacteria it does not lose all of it.
Just think at pasteurized milk as boiling it 10 times over.
Why would boiling milk suddenly reduce the “shelf life” of milk to less than a day??? Especially if frozen? When raw milk has a much longer shelf life than that? seems illogical.
Great article. While we’re at it, there are several studies proving that not only is smoking not bad for you, it’s actually good for you! They came out in the 40’s and 50’s, more recent than some of what’s cited here. So, light up everyone! As proof, I don’t anyone who has died from smoking. I know smokers who lived into their 90’s, so obviously it’s healthy.
On a side note, using more recent statistics, in the U.S. between 1998 and 2011 there were 148 illness outbreaks (not individual illnesses but full outbreaks) due to raw milk or cheese made from raw milk. That’s an average of 11 outbreaks a year over the course of only 13 years. That came to 2,384 reported illnesses. Most were children. Where did I get that info, current statistic collection: “Among dairy product-associated outbreaks reported to CDC between 1998 and 2011 in which the investigators reported whether the product was pasteurized or raw, 79% were due to raw milk or cheese. From 1998 through 2011, 148 outbreaks due to consumption of raw milk or raw milk products were reported to CDC. These resulted in 2,384 illnesses, 284 hospitalizations, and 2 deaths. Most of these illnesses were caused by Escherichia coli, Campylobacter, Salmonella, or Listeria. It is important to note that a substantial proportion of the raw milk-associated disease burden falls on children; among the 104 outbreaks from 1998-2011 with information on the patients’ ages available, 82% involved at least one person younger than 20 years old.
Reported outbreaks represent the tip of the iceberg. For every outbreak and every illness reported, many others occur, and most illnesses are not part of recognized outbreaks.” (http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/rawmilk/raw-milk-questions-and-answers.html#related-outbreaks)
As for testing to make sure it’s safe, the germ / bacteria count in milk can change drastically each and every time an individual cow is milked, and drastically from cow to cow. Did the cow lay down in feces before being milked? You don’t know. Did the farmer adequately disinfect the teet before milking? You don’t know. Did the farmer remember to disinfect at all? Did he / she miss one teet? You will never have any way of knowing. Everyone makes mistakes, but this little mistake might lead to a severe illness or even loss of life.
So, yeah, I don’t know anyone who has gotten sick from raw milk yet either. But I don’t know everyone and neither do any of you. Is this a huge number of infected people. No. But then there is only an estimated 3% of people in the U.S. who drink raw milk at all. Is it worth one death at all when pasteurization has not been proven to harmfully effect milk in any way? I don’t think so. Pasteurization decreases the vitamin content a little. Eat better food. It kills some beneficial bacteria that may or may not be present. Eat some yogurt. You’ll be fine. Is there anything harmful in drinking pasteurized milk? Absolutely not.
The junk food we all eat and all the preservatives pumped into all the other foods, along with the herbicides and pesticides sprayed on our foods, are far more worrisome. Of all things to debate and worry about, this is a ridiculous one.
Oh, and for the writing tone impaired, the first part about smoking was sarcasm. Don’t smoke. Despite all the old scientific data to the contrary and all the “personal observation that no one I know has ever been hurt by smoking (or drinking raw milk)”, turns out it’s really bad for you. And yes, there really were experts who published reports in favor of smoking, just as there are published reports promoting drinking raw milk and that global climate change is a hoax. The majority of those studies in favor of smoking were published by pro-tobacco coalitions, kind of like this website who’s sole job is to promote raw milk or the proof from pro-coal groups that there is no climate change. See a connection? When you do your research, find info from someone who doesn’t have a horse in the race. The Center for Disease Control has one job, helping people stay healthy. One method is by being the police to help people avoid being victimized by those who don’t care about their health and just want to make a profit. This site represents those who want to make money selling raw milk to you. Do you really think that’s going to be a trust worthy source of non-biased information? Nope.
hmmm. You say ONLY 3% of people in the US drink raw milk (which is probably underreported since there is such a stigma attached to it in most states where it is often ILLEGAL… ridiculous as that is) and act as if two deaths in twelve years (while tragic that anyone died, further research shows that those two deaths were NOT FROM RAW MILK AT ALL! but lets pretend they were, for arguments sake) a little raw math might be in order here, just for the sake of scale… 3% of something might seem like a tiny number, a number that means 2 people are a large part of it.. until you think about the fact that there are 350MILLION people in the US. Which means that that tiny little figure of “3%” turns into roughly 10,000,000 people drinking raw milk, every day likely, for over ten years… when you look at it that way, i think ANYONE would say ONLY 2 people, instead of ONLY 3%…im poor at math.. but even i can figure there are going to be a lot of zero’s between the “Point” and the number when we go the other way on that equation.. i’ll let you figure it out.. what percentage of people died from drinking raw milk (pretending the answer is more than zero for now)? yeah. I’ll take my chances. Now someone remind me how many people died from food poisoning having to do with their spinach in the same time period… uh huh. ::goes back to her cow::
I am severely disappointed in the close-minded comments on this article. I have been drinking raw milk from a local farm that also sells milk on a larger scale for about 10 years now. I am never sick. I never feel ill. I actually have felt better since I stopped drinking pasteurized milk. I would love for everyone here (who hasn’t already) to try drinking raw milk before trusting any article written on it, whether it has credible sources or not. The only way to find out how amazing raw milk actually is, is to try it 🙂
do people living in India, Asia, Africa all the countries in South America, and so on, that drink cow’s milk is it raw, or pasturised?
The remarks that raw milk is promoted “solely [by] small dairy farmers who can’t afford the expensive equipment required to pasteurize milk” is bs. (There were several people who wrote in stating that they personally get raw milk for their families) just as people who say that the only people that support pasteurization are big dairy associations are wrong, there are legitimate health concerns. No matter which side you fall on in this debate the fact is milk is a liquid and like any other liquid it will take on bacteria in the air, so whether it be raw milk that is left out too long before refrigeration or pasteurized milk that is pumped through dirty fill hoses (or sits in the Wal-Mart truck too long) has a potential to harm you. Pasteurization is not the only thing separating you from life or death here. After milk is pasteurized it can still be exposed from the significant time gap between pasteurization and final bottling JUST LIKE RAW MILK. The people that say RAW MILK IS GONNA KILL YOU! (if this were at all true, there would be no argument whatsoever for raw milk… we would all be dead!) are just being silly, there are thousands of contaminated pasteurized milk recalls every year ranging from E-coli to Salmonella, so pasteurization gives a false sense of ”now I won’t die today because THIS milk is pasteurized.” My point here is I don’t take issue with people who drink exclusively pasteurized milk, so don’t take issue with people who drink raw. The real question we should be asking here is why does the Government get to dictate what we are ”allowed” to eat and drink?? It should be free choice!!
This comment was probably the best comment I have read to date! Bottom line…why are we allowing a government to control our eating and consumption habits. Bravo to you and your thought process!!!!
Note the name of the commenter “Richard Cranum”. Any questions?
It does not stand to reason that this website exists to promote consumption of raw milk for profit. If there is an outbreak of illness due to raw milk that farmer is out of business as his distribution is local and one absolutely knows the source…word spreads. Not the case with big dairy as they are protected and absorb the recourse from sickening people with their products. As a matter of fact you mostly won’t know you are slowly being sickened over time from consuming the toxins inherent in their production methods. I regularly drink three weeks old cows milk, have consumed raw goats milk left unrefrigerated for five days. An argument could be made for raw milk getting healthier with aging. I wouldn’t dare drink pasteurized milk or suggest anyone drink it especially after the expiration date. I have not consumed pasteurized milk since age 29 in 1989 (when its toxic nature became clear to me) though I grew up on it as a city dweller – drank no milk at all until I found out I could access raw milk in 2009. As a researcher of wellness through natural means since 1979, a frequent radio show guest, lecturer on wellness, natural health advocate and educator, I have done all the research needed to give me absolute confidence and I am healthier now from drinking raw milk.
To understand more – Louis Pasteur and his famous admission – here is a must read: http://www.whale.to/vaccine/shea1.html
hmmm. Im not sold on the paper. It contradicts itself at least once. It admits in the beginning that the bubonic plague was caused by fleas which bit rats then bit humans, spreading the disease.. then claims that humans and animals simply do not get the same diseases (they dont, usually, but there are exceptions) and goes so far as to basically claim that the entire medical industry is a hoax that has helped no one. I may be on the fence about certain vaccines, and i do want to live a more natural lifestyle for myself and my family, but to claim that the entire medical profession is a sham, no. Not when ive seen the effects of the lack of one drug. Rhogam. Not when ive seen women with my condition, a mismatch in the blood of myself and my husband, causing my own blood to attack that of my children, stopped in its tracks by the administration of a single shot whenever the blood of mother and child might mix… and because of one miscarriage, realized too late, i missed a shot, and every pregnancy from then on was adversely affected, almost killing my daughter. No. I owe much to the medical profession. My mother and grandmother were nurses, and while i believe more can and should be done through good nutrition, hygiene (something else that we can thank science for, but that may have gone a bit overboard recently…and that is something that i think is always pertinent… moderation is key, always and in everything… in ANYTHING one can go too far in one direction or the other, and i think the linked article has gone too far in the complete disregard of medical advancements, while the medical industry itself has gone too far in pushing a pill for every problem. Balance. Balance is key.
i wana an article or discussion regarding microorganisms in pasteurized milk and their actions
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11372936
Like above.
I cany get it to work and Im desperate to read it. Please could you email me a good link?
The domain rawmilk.org is not coming up for me right now. This is not our site so unless it comes back online, I can’t help you. Sorry! If someone else has saved the article in question perhaps they can share it with you.
I say, if you want to drink unpasteurized milk, go for it, and don’t let the govinmint stop you. A few less stupid people in the gene pool can’t be a bad thing.
Actually I recant what I last wrote. It was very insensitive and real people do die (or at least kill those that can’t choose for themselves ( the road to he’ll is paved by good intentions) ) from drinking unpasteurized milk. So don’t drink unpasteurized milk ( no matter how stupid you are).
I found an interesting power point presentation. Some of it is obviously side-stepping but what about the rest? On The Safety of Raw Milk (with a word about pasteurization) http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/UCM166069.pdf
The Weston A. Price Foundation compiled a point by point rebuttal to this presentation, which you can read here: https://www.realmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/SheehanPowerPointResponse-UpdatedAug2010.pdf
is this the same FDA who approves drugs before they are adequately tested that kill or injure THOUSANDS more people than raw milk has in recent history??? Uh huh. Know your farmer, or better yet, raise your own cows, and they will be clean and healthy, use sanitary practices when milking, and your milk will be safer than it was when people drank it every day, most of whom survived, despite horrid sanitation. Raw milk is NOT “Inherently dangerous” gimme a break. Bet they would like to say the same of raw human milk, but they would face the wrath of other agencies that KNOW better.
exactly. If the farmer follows some minimal rules regarding hygiene like washing their hands before milking and making sure the container in which the milk is put is cleaned thoroghly you are safe.
Let’s get to the root of the problem: too many humans, mostly living in large concreted-over areas. Population control and better land zoning would eliminate the need for unnatural food additives and treatments. Pasteurization is just one small aspect of a giant problem, and the government has its head stuck in the sand as usual.
Population control… code for controlling our lives and telling us when and if we are ALLOWED to have children. Yeah. No. The government has their hands in my cookie jar often and far enough, they arent getting them in THAT far… this honey dont play that way. No way, no how. I cant have any more children, but for my daughter’s sake. NO.
Oh, you did get ONE part right though… too many people living in concrete jungles.. but thats by CHOICE.. i dont understand it, but there it is. Meanwhile, in small towns all over the world, perfectly good houses sit empty. I should know, i own three now. Though im selling two on land contract so two other families can have their dream of home ownership rather than live in overpriced apartments squashed in with hundreds just like them.
The fact is raw milk is more healthy for you, however, according to you this is only the case if you live in the envoirment the milk is produced. That could also be true.
Following that logic I would say the problem is the people and the way we conduct ourselves and live in this modern world. If the milk is more healthy for you, but could kill you because you don’t live where the milk was produced… the milk is not the one I blame.
Completely agree! I grew up on animal milk like most everyone, but as an adult I’m able to see the problems with it and other things. Like; if you have to boil something to make it safe, should you really be drinking it? Seems like if we were SUPPOSED to drink other animal’s milk, we wouldn’t have to clean it, or fortify it. I’ve also heard human beings are the only creatures to drink milk from other species. Makes you think. Seriously, I’d like to know who or what group of people decided we should start drinking another animal’s food for their babies.
Personally, i’m trying to reduce my intake and I’d like to outright get away from it someday. It’s not an easy process though, when you don’t have time to cook. Lots of ingredient examining and finding dairy substitutes. And just plain cutting things out.
I did a study with 2 border collie pups from the same litter. 1 stayed at the ranch and got all the raw milk it wanted and the other was raised on quality store bough dog food.
The ranch dog turned out twice as big, muscular and even smarter than the shop food raised dog.
I myself grew up on raw milk til I was in my 20’s.
I was naturally bigger and stronger than almost every boy at school with a couple of boys raised similar to myself being the exceptions.
Raw milk does a body good!
Many people assume “natural” is better. But when it comes to milk – raw can make you pretty sick.
That’s not what you’d find on websites selling raw milk and touting its superior health benefits. The truth is, raw milk ranks among the riskiest foods because of dangerous pathogens lurking there.
Raw milk can harbor parasites, viruses and a long list of bacteria. One bacterium, Salmonella, can cause severe diarrhea. Others, like Listeria, can spread to the central nervous system and, in pregnant women, can lead to miscarriage, or even stillbirth.
Another bacterium, E. coli 0157:H7, causes diarrhea in normal adults, and ten percent of victims end up in the hospital. They’re usually immunocompromised, elderly or under the age of five, with children being most at risk.
They can develop three complications: bloody diarrhea, hemolytic-uremic syndrome, which can lead to kidney failure, or the last, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, which can be deadly.
You may wonder how these pathogens get into the milk? Well, they can be transferred by cow feces, cows with undiagnosed infections or bacteria on their skin, milking equipment, insects or the people working with cows.
There are so many potential sources of contamination, it’s hard for any farm to guarantee their raw milk is safe. That’s why pasteurization is so effective. It kills all pathogens by heating the milk to 161 degrees for 20 seconds.
Some people choose raw milk believing it’s healthier, but many studies show pasteurization has little effect on the nutritional value of milk. The vitamins that are affected, like thiamine, vitamin B12 and vitamin C, can be easily obtained from other foods.
Thanks for your comments. We have a variety of meticulously documented articles on this site refuting everything you’re saying. Starting with your claim that raw milk is among the riskiest foods–milk, raw or pasteurized, is one of the safest foods based on rate of foodborne illnesses as well as on a per serving basis. Produce is the biggest vector. Deli meats, oysters…there are many foods more likely to be the source of foodborne illnesses.
No farm or corporation can “guarantee” the safety of all of their food, all of the time. We recommend customers educate themselves, visit farms, ask questions, see for themselves. The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund and the Raw Milk Institute help educate farmers on best practices for safer raw milk.
Raw milk is healthier; again, there are numerous articles on this site explaining how and why, annotated with a variety of studies.
I know there is a big difference between pasteurized and raw milk. Pasteurized milk makes me sicker than a dog. And Raw milk doesn’t bother me at all. when I nursed my babies if I had Drank pasteurized milk they would get sick too. And get the worst gas. But if I drink raw milk they were fine too. even not knowing the technical stuff about pasteurized milk, I can tell that it’s bad for you just in the effects it has on my families health.
Two weeks ago The Guardian printed my letter, which was checked by their researchers. “The premature baby clinic near Belfast relies on unpastuerised goat’s milk because it does not putrify, unlike pastuerised milk which does”
You need a serious reality check if you think 2 doctors and 2 lawyers(lol) are enough to prove something as absurd as this. You’re no better than those anti-vaxers.
Yes Bob and I suppose we should believe everything pseudo-skeptics have to say on the matter.
You’ll never convince them, they revel in their ignorance, just like the anti-vaxxers. You can show them videos of people who have come within a hair’s breadth of death from drinking raw milk and they simply will ignore it.
Do you know a lot of people who have come within a hair of dying from drinking raw milk?
Well all I can say is I my family has been a grade a dairy farm for three generations. All of my family members consisting of many uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters mothers and fathers have all been raised on non_ pasteurized milk. No deaths or health issues have occurred and to boot we are all tall, strong, healthy individuals. I for one love the fresh taste of raw milk so to each their own but no need to say the raw milk believers are in the wrong because of the mass opinions of others.
a serious reality check? well good thing there are more people than “just 2 doctors” investigating the benefits of real milk.
I dont vaccinate, drink fresh unprocessed “raw” milk daily for years, my babies were born at home, and guess what? My family is the healthiest family around. I eat raw eggs too! Of course not the kind you get in your sparkly grocery store filled with USDA/FDA approved CAFO crap, but ones from local farmers that are clean and pasture raised. Meanwhile, friends I grew up with, current friends and even some relatives leading the mainstream life (mostly vaccinated) have children who are sick ALL THE TIME, dying from cancer, in the ICU for other non-congenital diseases or are headed down that road because they are obese have HBP or other issues. So get all those vaccines, eat your processed junk. We will see 10-20 years down the road who made the logical decision, I for one know mine are based on research. PS most “anti-vaxxers” who really just want you to stay out of personal medical decisions, are highly educated individuals who have done hours of research.
Aajonus Vonderplanitz faked his credentials. So he’s not actually an anything.
If you can’t refute the evidence, attack those who supply the evidence, eh!…
So, Bob, you do not refute the evidence, aptly presented, but refuse to accept that some individuals are able to dig up necessary valid evidence to support the case favouring consuming of clean, unpasteurized, raw milk
Nicole, I just stumbled across this site looking for answers. I am 34 years old and have been leading a mainstream life until recently. I have this insatiable thirsdt for knowledge right now.. I just cannot read enough on nutrition and health, and holistic healing. You sound like the kind of person who might be able to answer a lot of my questions. If you read this, please reply and I’ll give you my e-mail. Thanks.
To anyone out there arguing that raw milk is dangerous, I say a wholehearted, yes, you are right! Raw milk from CAFO cows is incredibly dangerous.
But on a more serious not, why do you people even come to website like this? Like people who drink raw milk are going to read your comments and go, “Oh, well, that one convinced me. Not going to drink this liquid death anymore. Praise the Lord that guy posted that comment, otherwise I might have died. Tonight.” Please. You’re not convincing anyone here. Have a good night anyway, though.
Even small suppliers have problems, one of the ones in California, I believe it was, caused illnesses in people who drank their raw milk. These faddists are simply in denial as regards the dangers of this stuff.
Um no they won’t. Do your research
Here’s the working link: http://russellyanderson.com/health/report-in-favor-of-raw-milk-06-07.pdf
There is also the middle road. basically boiling the milk just a little. It does not remove all the beneficial elements from milk and can be considered a bit safer by some. The main difference between pasteurisation is that in order to be able to keep the milk on the shelves more than a day they boil the milk so much that is no longer milk but water.
If you want to extend milk life or anything just add 1-2 drops of food grade (UV process) and it will last massively longer.
In fact in combination with a higher amount of natural enzyme in milk and hydrogen peroxide, is being look at to be used in tropical climates, so farmers without refrigeration can milk and still have safe tolerable product while it waits at the gate I reckon all they need is the food grade hydrogen peroxide. So what would that do for farmers with refrigeration in mild climates.
Just a tiny , tiny amount. Lets fund some studies and them screw them over with more facts. I woudl love to be able to have raw milk. Big agri business and GMO’s will create poorer health and eventually starve us. They are starving us now of quality nutrition, but the majority do not realise that at present.
I don’t believe this. I was raised on ultra-pasteurized grocery store milk, grocery store yogurt and grocery store cheese – nothing raw or from the cow, and my face developed just fine. No cavities, wide dental arches and high cheekbones. Raw milk isn’t necessary, in fact skim milk gives you more nutrients because most of the fat is removed.
Fat is a nutrient and it carries, among other things, the fat-soluble vitamins that are necessary to assimilate the protein and calcium in the water fraction of the milk. When milk is skimmed, the fat-soluble vitamins A and D are removed with the fat, which is why you see “Vitamins A and D added” on reduced fat and skimmed milks. These synthetic vitamins added back are not a perfect replacement for the natural vitamins that were removed.
Raw milk isn’t absolutely necessary, as Weston Price’s research showed. Several populations he studied didn’t consume dairy (though others did), so other factors in their diet were nourishing them. But raw dairy is one of the easier and more palatable ways for modern Westerners to get the needed nutrients. Organ meats are a hard sell to many. So are insects, tiny fish with the bones, raw meat, etc.
Great article and links and the comments are just wonderful. Obviously people are passionate.
My vote. Raw milk is awesome
How would I site this article in APA format?
[Dirty milk, of course, is like any other form of impure food — a definite menace. But Certified Grade A Milk, produced under Government supervision and guaranteed absolutely clean, is available practically all over the country and is the dairy-farmer’s answer to the pasteurization zealots.[
I am not a zealot but I am a child of a commercial dairy farm. If you think milk cannot get dirty, accidently, you are nuts! If it is not pasteurized from our farm and its got thousands of cows and their conditions are NOTHING like grassy fields, oak trees for shade with a pretty sparkling stream for water … get real. Americans consume MILLIONS of gallons of milk daily, and there is no way in the supply chain from the cows teat to your table that ANYONE can guarantee that you are not going to get a hurking mouthful of a very deadly form of E. coli! Or your baby suck down some listeria, your hubby, you and everyone can down pour cupfuls of salmonella milk on your cereal! Mmm good! NUTS! Of course you will lose SOME nutrients, but hello? Americans do NOT have a problem with getting nutrients .. OBESITY IS A PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM IN THE USA! So, no, this is BS, and the raw milk people … if you can find a cow you can get to know, at a farm you personally know, go for it! BUT those picking up gallons at groceries stores, stored next to dozens and dozens of other gallons? They come from the same lots as the milk does that is pasteurized. Trust me, you could not stomach going there. HA .. you might be like me. I hate the stuff UNLESS I manually milked the cow myself, and fed, watered and cared for her too!
What has obesity to do with nutrients?
All this scare mongering in get people to conform in buying damaged food, cos that what pasteurization does to milk..!
I grew up on raw goats milk from the age of 3, which was when we move to a farm, this milk made me strong and healthy, not ill or sick..!
Pasterization is a joke that kills the goodness in the milk, this also allows it to lay in your stomach because it doesn’t digest properly, this is what gave me stomach ulcers! I have since changed the milk I use to one that’s filered and not so heavy pasterized, which has solved my problem.
If raw milk was available I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it, as I know I would be getting the genuine product with all the health benfits..!
yes it is not available in au Victoria illegal to sell
and if you do dairy farmer fined up to 10K and sewed
so wrong
Try the set of links, there are quite a few..!!
http://rawmilk.simkin.co.uk/links.html
No it doesn’t I lived on a dariy farm with 30 goats, the milk was never pasteurized and it lasted at least a week if it was kept refrigerated, maybe more and I used to drink loads of it..!
The milk we couldn’t use was frozen in gallon bags and was bought buy the local hospital to treat eczema & leukemia sufferers..!
The milk story is more complicated in countries like India. Raw vs. Pasteurised is the lesser problem! http://www.huffingtonpost.in/dushyant-krishnan-/milk-or-white-poison_b_9553754.html
We drink raw milk and raw milk kefir. It healed my asthma. Now my husband is having a problem with psoriasis and the doctor recommended a food allergy test. It came back that he was very allergic to dairy. My question is: The test is just for pasteurized dairy since that is the common usage… Would the test be accurate for a raw milk drinker?
From Sally Fallon Morell: It is really hard to say with these tests–there are many false positives and also the test does not distinguish between raw and pasteurized dairy. You might try the pulse test (described in the intro to Nourishing Traditions). Or, just stop dairy and see whether that helps.
We drink raw milk and raw milk kefir. It healed my asthma. Now my husband is having a problem with psoriasis and the doctor recommended a food allergy test. It came back that he was very allergic to dairy. My question is: The test is just for pasteurized dairy since that is the common usage… Would the test be accurate for a raw milk drinker?
If he is allergic to dairy, he is most likely lactose intolerant. This intolerance comes from a lack of the enzymes in your digestive system that break down lactose. Without those enzymes to break it down, you have full, undigested lactose in your gut and your gut doesn’t like that, hence the lactose intolerant symptoms. Lactose levels do not change at all after being pasteurized, so if this is the case then any dairy will cause a reaction. If it is to something else, most likely it will still be in raw milk since you have to think of pasteurization as taking away, not adding, to what is already in milk (such as bacteria that cause stomach ulcers or e. Coli which is just a mess of an infection)
Isn’t “allergy” usually the reaction of the body’s immune system to a protein? In the case of milk, that could be either whey protein or casein. It seems like you usually hear of people having a problem with casein more than whey. Casein is most concentrated in cheese (the whey and lactose are mostly removed) so if that’s your husband’s problem you should see him have more symptoms from cheese.
“Intolerance” is the inability of the digestive system to handle something, which causes digestive distress like gas, bloating, etc. I don’t think the immune system is reacting in that case. Many people who are lactose intolerant because they no longer make lactase can’t digest pasteurized dairy well, but don’t have a problem with raw milk because it contains the lactase enzyme needed for breakdown.
More investigation is needed to figure out what your husband is reacting to and what to do about it.
Industrial meat and dairy are indeed problematic. This site is about grassfed, whole, unpasteurized, non-homogenized milk, which is very different. Research (see the many “health” articles on this site) shows it to be very good for health for most people. Many people do poorly on vegan diets.
I grew up before WW2 in Europe drinking 3 c/p liter raw milk. Had several cars accidents, 1 totaled, fell 30 feet and never broke a bone! Had a knee replaced and the surgeon said he had never worked with such strong bones. Maybe unpasteurized milk?
I didnt drink cows milk for 30 yrs, (had goats milk), at 44 I had a bone density scan, to my doctors surprise, (because she knew my diet of no dairy) she said I had stronger bones than normal for my age….
if u were drinking goat melk u ar not dairy free..just saing
Hey DRock,
indeed, “ramping up production to industrialized levels” is the real problem. Each farm should be able and allowed to provide their undamaged, clean raw milk to whomever wants it. If industrialized processors can create the distribution of their harmful, processed milk, farmers should be afforded the same distribution channels without penalties and give farmers their full, rightful revenues for their work…
“they will pull pasteurized cow’s milk off the market” – I don’t think so, too much profit in it… the only way this can happen if people rebel against the system and start buying only clean, raw milk.
It’s called people power, consumer power, but with the vile and distorted marketing for P milk, it’s going to be a tough row to hoe.
what bacteria
The process that gives the milk a longer shelf life is called ultrahigh temperature (UHT) processing or treatment, in which milk is heated to 280 degrees Fahrenheit (138 degrees Celsius) for two to four seconds, killing any bacteria in it.
Compare that to pasteurization, the standard preservation process. There are two types of pasteurization: “low temperature, long time,” in which milk is heated to 145 degrees F (63 degrees C) for at least 30 SECONDS ( not minutes like the article read) or the more common “high temperature, short time,” in which milk is heated to roughly 160 degrees F (71 degrees C) for at least 15 seconds.
The different temperatures hint at why UHT-treated milk lasts longer: Pasteurization doesn’t kill all bacteria in the milk, just enough so that you don’t get a disease with your milk mustache. UHT, on the other hand, kills everything.
High-Temperature-Short-Time Treatment (HTST) — this process uses higher heat for less time to kill pathogenic bacteria. For example, milk is pasteurized at 161°F (72°C) for 15 seconds.
Low-Temperature-Long-Time Treatment (LTLT) — this process uses lower heat for a longer time to kill pathogenic bacteria. For example, milk is pasteurized at 145°F (63°C) for 30 minutes. (google it)
I milked goats for 10 yrs, + brought up my 4 children on it, to stop constant ear infections (caused by Dairy products, they stopped overnight) I remember mum telling me we had constipation as babies, when on Pasterized cows milk, so she put sugar into the baby bottles, to fix it.
THE DESICION IS EASY .DRINK WHAT U WANT n do as u want period.
I see all these comments about raw milk is good, better than pasteurized and then I see comments about pasteurized is better, safer. It all depends on who’s righting the article. All I have to say when your loved one has a severe or fatal complication due to consumption of raw milk, then what or who will you blame. If you’ve been drinking raw milk your whole life then drive on. If you and your family have been on pasteurized, then drive on…………. Only one knows how our life will end! So just live!
Raw milk from completely healthy animals is safe and wonderfully nutritious. How many of you can guarantee with 100% certainty that the raw milk you buy is from animals that are 100% free of disease?
I can tell you that the majority of Cow herds have members in the developed world are infected with Mycobacteria Avium Paratuberculosis that isn’t even killed with normal pasteurization. MAP has been linked to Crohns disease and Ulcerative Colitus. It isn’t killed by making it into yogurt, cheese, ice cream, etc. either.
After all before Pasteur developed the process of pasteurization many, many people contracted disease from milk. If you want better milk I agree that raw milk from a known supplier is likely more nutritious but milk should be heat treated one time before consumption. The risk to your family isn’t worth it. If you buy raw milk boil it for less than 3 minutes, stirring constantly, and then bottle in a clean bottle and immediately refrigerate.
This has been the practice in India for generations and guess what. They have less incidence of IBD(Crohns, UC) than the rest of the world.
If you read the Key Documents on this site and the many articles on the health and safety of raw milk, you’ll see that the Weston A. Price Foundation disagrees with you. Pasteur’s process, which he developed for wine, was first used on a milk during a period when raw milk was unsafe because of the “urbanization” of dairy cows (crowding them into feedlots on the edges of cities and feeding them distillery waste that acidified their rumens) and the lack of sanitation procedures. Raw milk had not been a common vector for illness before this change in the handling of cows and their milk. Pasteurization was a way to make the milk of this time safe to drink, especially for feeding babies who were particularly vulnerable. However, soon stainless steel, refrigeration, public water and sewer infrastructure, and a better understanding of germs made it possible to produce safe clean raw milk.
IBD in the US is not likely linked to raw milk consumption. We get testimonials all the time from people whose digestive issues and other health concerns are improved when they start drinking raw milk.
Veganism shall shorten your life by 20 years. Compare the lifespan between India and France. See the “vegans” sentenced to life in prison: http://google.com/search?q=vegan+baby+death. Also vegetarians charged: http://google.com/search?q=SDA+baby+death. I put vegan in scare quotes as nobody is really vegan; everyone needs bees and dung for their crops, as well as to kill pests whether accidentally by combine harvesters or intentionally. Most dietary and topical diseases come from plants, as well as most cancers (from PAHs, acrylamide, acetaldehyde, aflatoxin, nitrites).
Milk comes from mammals, like humans; saturated fats other than palmitin (from a plant) do not cause heart disease or obesity, especially when taken with calcium, calciferol, and fibre (which can come from shellfish and insects), as it’s converted to HDL, unlike starches and sugars which become VLDL and LDL.
US food and drug Administration says a different story about raw and pasteurized milk..
but what are the ingredients in the milk that they added like a list of it separate from what the milk already had
This article is from 1938. So far as I know they are talking about straight raw milk vs. pasteurized milk, so in each case the only “ingredient” is “milk.” I am not sure when the industry began fortifying reduced fat milks with Vitamins A and D, or adding powdered milk to skim for improved “mouthfeel.” My guess is after 1938 though.
I don’t understand why people think it is ok to drink cow or goat milk.
Cow’s milk is meant for baby calves not human babies. Human breast milk is meant for baby humans.
There is good reason for this and we don’t need milk throughout all our lives so this whole pasteurized v raw milk is irrelevant.
In reality some industrial produced raw milk looks disgusting as it is full of blood and pus and no human would drink it if they saw it.
Funny, grew up milking cows on a dairy farm and um, the milk that went into the bulk tank was white. The only time the milk was pink with blood or had pus was if the cow had just calved or she had an infection. The first milk after a cow freshened (had a calf) was not put into the bulk tank and if a cow had an infection, she was being treated and certainly her milk was not going into the bulk tank ( that would be illegal ) and her milk was dumped. If you don’t want to drink milk that’s fine, but I absolutely can’t stand it when people go off and start talking about things they know nothing about and make claims that are 110% false.
Bovine milk is great for me. Goat milk is ok, but I get deficiency symptoms on my lower lip when I consume goat milk products as a common staple in my diet. The deficiency symptom is a whitish lesion on my lower lip. That only occurred when goat milk products were part of my diet for about a year and a half, everything else being pretty much the same. Other main difference is I’ve largely cut out starch from my diet,,.. though some oatmeal with milk (non homogenized being most important, so either raw or plain pasteurized) I have on occasion, no problem. Cutting starch out, such as bread, popcorn, rice, potatoes, tortillas, chips,…. has been a great thing for health and body integrity, and I’ve always been in rather good health overall.
That is what I know is true and I’m from Iceland..
if I drink 1 glass of store bought milk I get stomach pain but not from ice cold raw milk..Raw milk I can drink in liters. 😉
Please ignore my ignorance, but are there any home test strips or something like that for testing raw milk to make sure it’s safe? I would think something could be made affordably that would allow consumers of raw milk peace of mind especially when giving raw milk to young children.