The Many Benefits of Raw Milk
Raw Milk Dairy Under Investigation
May 18, 2016Urgent Update on Glencolton Farms
June 20, 2016
Benefits of raw milk range from help with allergies to boosting the immune system
Most people who frequent this site will know some of the many benefits of raw milk. For those who are new to the idea or who would like additional information to pass along to family and friends, here are some resources and references.
Dr. Josh Axe runs a popular website about health and food as medicine. He has a few things to say on the topic of the benefits of raw milk.
In one section of the article, Dr. Axe mentions the benefits of raw milk for those who suffer from allergies
Raw Milk Benefits for Allergies
Studies are now proving that children who drink raw milk are 50 percent less likely to develop allergies and 41 percent less likely to develop asthma compared to other children.
This study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology was done on 8,000 children and the researchers believe that by drinking raw milk you are “naturally immunizing” the body the way God created.
Nutrients like probiotics, vitamin D and immunoglobulins (antibodies) found in raw milk naturally boost the immune system and reduce the risk of allergies in both children and adults.
Another proponent of the benefits of raw milk is Chris Kresser, acupuncturist and integrative health practitioner. He covers some of the benefits of raw milk on his popular health website
He has this to say about the nutrition of raw milk
Nutrition
Many consumers believe that raw milk is higher in nutritional content than conventional milk, which may have some merit. Raw milk comes from cows that graze on grass. Some evidence suggests that milk from these cows is likely to have higher levels of fat-soluble vitamins and other nutrients. Cows fed fresh green forage, especially those grazing grass, have been shown to have higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and essential fatty acids in their milk. (1,2) Cows are natural herbivores and are healthiest when they eat grass, rather than the grain they are fed in confinement dairy operations.
The pasteurization process also reduces the nutritional quality of milk products. Research has shown a decrease in manganese, copper, and iron after heat treatment. (3) The FDA acknowledges that pasteurization destroys a substantial portion of the vitamin C in milk, and sterilization is also known to significantly impair the bioactivity of vitamin B6 contained in milk. (4, 5) Beta-lactoglobulin, a heat-sensitive protein in milk that is destroyed by pasteurization, increases intestinal absorption of vitamin A, so the supplemental vitamin A in conventional milk may be harder to absorb. (6) While pasteurized milk does retain some level of nutritional value, it seems that unpasteurized milk is superior in vitamin and mineral content overall.”
Dr. Deborah has her own story about the benefits of raw milk. She includes stories about people who the wonderful beverage has helped.
Today, raw milk refers to unprocessed, untreated milk straight from the cow. The milk you buy from the local supermarket nowadays is a different substance altogether. It has been pasteurized, ultra-pasteurized, or homogenized. This liquid is not really milk. It is a chemically altered substance, heated to remove pathogens and bacteria and to prolong its shelf life. The resultant low-enzyme activity makes it difficult to digest, the altered fat content renders the vitamins and minerals difficult to absorb, and the residual drugs and antibiotics pose a threat to human health. On top of this, the naturally occurring beneficial bacteria have been destroyed.
The real issue is not whether raw milk obtained from grass-fed cows is safe. Rather, it’s that milk from commercially raised cows is actually dangerous to consume unless it is pasteurized. Factory-farmed animals are routinely fed an unnatural, high-protein soy- and corn-based diet and given shots of BGH (bovine growth hormone) to artificially increase milk production. This diet is so contrary to their biology that it causes severe illnesses that can only be combated by continually injecting the cows with antibiotics. These animals, kept in inhumane conditions far from their natural environment, are subject to enormous stresses. Drinking raw milk from these cows would be an exercise in stupidity.
Raw milk from healthy, grass-fed, and pasture-raised cows is in a league of its own. Organically raised cows are happy, fed on their natural diet of grass and other cow-friendly foods. They enjoy access to sunshine and pasture grazing in summer, and in winter they feast on nutritious hay or silage.
There are many Dr., nutritionists, healers, and people of all walks of life who recognize and support the wonderful role and benefits of raw milk. If you are interested in finding local fresh raw milk, you can look for farms and sources near you. Please pass along this valuable information to anyone else who is interested.
To learn more about raw milk and other nutrient dense foods, visit westonaprice.org
29 Comments
I will admit that I am a milk-a-holic that knows very little about the benefits of raw milk and it’s benefits. I’m unsure that if it was legally available here in Florida for human consumption, if I would benefit from consuming it. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis & osteoporosis. Because of my RA, I have been pr constant nescribed two medications that suppress my immune system. If raw milk products were legally available for human consumption, I wonder if my physicians would advise against me using raw milk products because my immune system is being suppressed and probably not be able to protect me from anything harmful that could possibly be in the milk. Does anyone have any information either to share or
I would not recommend if immune system is compromised by allopathic drugs, if you have r.a. and osteo .you might consider not drinking pasteurized milk altogether it will cause inflammation and make matters worse. hopefully you are not prescribed drugs that will cause you harm as so many do even death.look into s.c.d. special carbohydrate diet to heal your gut first and if you have other issues neurological, sleep problems, eye floater type problems, and any unexplained other problems find a doctor that specializes in LYMES disease, you will have to step outside the box and hopefully find a non allopathic doctor that does this. this is interesting that people with lymes and co- inhibitor spirochetes that go along with lymes have these problems .a lot of people all around the world are having same problems, lymes is being diagnosed by the thousands. even if you have not been bitten by a tick. it is a bacterium and that said in it self we know how bad bacteria can react to humans and animals. ILADS is a good resource about lymes and co-inhibitors. unfortunately the allopathic system can not help unless you knowingly were bit by a tick and had antibiotics right away say within the first week. getting your gut healed first is number one and after that you have to be vigilante about the protocall or you will have trouble healing. it takes a time for a disease to manifest so it will take a time to heal . drugs are surly not the answer for your problems.i hope this helps you . and i hope yoe get health in love…. lisa
You should be more worried about the meds,and their effects on your health/diseases. Sometimes we’re too quick to accept the side effect-laden meds from a doctor, without question about their safety, but over question the. natural foods like raw milk, etc. Remember, the man-in-white is not always right.
Amen
I am not a professional. Just a sufferer of RA also. I acquire raw milk and work farm chores for it, plus belong to a herd share. The benefit of raw milk is first, in the quality of it’s fat. In the raw, un-boiled state these fats offer the best that “mother nature” has to offer in the whole matrix of the nutrition that farm fresh milk has to offer! However, on immune suppressing Rx’s it may not be advisable to use it, although I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment. The raw milk on the retail shelf in CA would be OK, and if you’d be worried, make kefir out it! (culture it before using it). Your immune suppressing Rx’s have so many side effects that would worry me totally aside from consuming clean, farm fresh milk. Also, your whole diet should be under great scrutiny…only healthy fats, very low added sugars, grass fed meats, poultry, clean fish, lots of organic veggies (greens) and moderate fruits. One just can’t consider a nutrient dense food like farm fresh milk and think that all the rest will just be OK. It won’t! This way of eating is not convenient…but truly necessary for any autoimmune condition. JMHO
I have been drinking raw milk from my own cow for 5 years now. I do not sell milk, so I have no financial interest in any opinion I give. Raw milk is fantastic. I definitely feel better drinking it (gives more health benefits than the veggies it get from my garden). I wouldn’t give it up for anything.
Grocery store milk gives me severe migraines. RAW cow milk fresh from the farm is wonderful with no problems. It has been great to enjoy a bowl of cereal or just a glass of real milk.
Dawn, I can totally relate ! I have noticed within the last few years every time I drank commercial milk I would get horrible stomachaches or a terrible headache. I have recently moved to WY and my best friend suggested I try raw milk. I will admit, I was very skeptical at first but now I am a definite believer! So nice to have cereal again and not have to worry about stomach pains! I have been drinking raw cow milk and raw goat milk from now on!! I even gave it to my older cat who Seems to have developed allergies since our move here. The allergies are all but gone ! I am so glad that I tried it!
I don’t think the government back in the late 30’s totally understood what legislation to pasteurize milk would do to the public health. If you think about it and educate yourself, you would realize what the government has done to our overall health!! All the allergies children have and all the cases of diabetes and other health issues people have now because of the government stepping in and changing our food!!! I have seen several blog posts from people who are lactose intolerant but could take milk and change it by fermenting it, (as well as other processes) and then be able to use it without any problems!! In a sense they were undoing what the large dairy producers had done by pasteurizing or ultra pasteurizing it which is totally unnecessary!!! Ultra-pasteurization totally destroys any of the good bacteria and enzymes in milk that are beneficial to our health!!!
We deserve to be able to purchase raw milk that is CLEAN and untreated in any way!! If people are worried about milk that has not been processed, they can easily heat milk to the proper temperature that will destroy any bacteria that could be harmful. When we make several varieties of cheese (and many other products), part of the process is to heat the milk anyway.
I wish everyone that takes the time to read this would write your state’s officials and the dairies that supplies your grocery stores and tell them how we are being ROBBED of a food source that’s perfect right out of the cow!! Every state should allow consumers to make up their own minds about what kind of milk they want to buy. Please let them know we want to be able to buy clean raw milk that has and has not been homogenized in the grocery stores. Yes they have a shorter shelf life but all that means is they would have to make more deliveries because they would not be able to stock raw milk like the ultra pasteurized milk. Yes, raw milk has a shorter shelf life BUT if people would educate themselves they would realize there are several milk products you can make with milk that is going bad so don’t throw it out!!
Please let’s fight for our healthy foods!! We have sat back far to long and allowed a government that is supposed to represent US, not big business and not the lobbyists that twists the facts into untrue truths!! Our children deserve to be healthy and happy!! We all are!! Don’t be silent anymore!!
There is no science to back statements that raw milk should not be given to infants or people with suppressed immune systems. Those statements are speculative and fear based. In fact the opposite is more likely true. The raw milk that our dairy produces is tested every day and it passes the food safety standards that are set for pasteurized milk, so any risks associated with raw milk can be eliminated with good production and bottling practices. The bacteria counts in our delivered milk are lower than what is allowed in pasteurized milk purchased from retail stores. When you consider that one of the primary purposes of raw milk to the developing calf is to prepare the immune system of the calf for a healthy life, it makes sense that giving raw, grass-fed cow’s milk to children under one year of age is most beneficial to their immune system development and that immunosuppressed individuals may benefit by drinking fresh raw milk (probably the fresher the better).
I’ve been drinking raw milk for about 2month now. Probably too soon to tell if its helping me nutritionally but I can tell you it tastes so wonderfull. Oh my gosh. It is the best. My seven year old grandson told his mother it was the best milk he ever had. And it’s so so so cold!
I just started feeding my 3 month old baby raw goats milk and so far she is much happier and less fussy than on the store bought formula the doctors told me to feed her. Does anyone have an opinion on raw goats milk and babies?
I heard that raw cow’s milk is better for babies because it contains folate and b12 vitamins whereas the goat’s milk does not. Hope this helps.
Sally Fallon Morell replies: Yes, this is correct. You can still give raw goat milk to your baby but you need to make sure baby is also getting a source of folate and B12–liver is best for this.
I was told that when I was born my mom could not produce much milk. To offset this, supplementing with cow’s milk was suggested. My response to cows milk was not good. My father obtained goats milk from a local farm and I tolerated it very well. I was born 1955.
Sally Fallon Morell replies: Baby needs a source of folate and B12, which are very low in goat milk. Try making a liver puree and having baby lick some off your fingers. The start this as solid food as soon as baby seems ready–hopefully by 4 months.
2 of my kids had horrible skin rash from about 6 months on. I bought some goats, drank the raw/filtered milk for several weeks – making sure it was safe and then offered it to my youngest son. he loved it and his skin cleared. I gave it to the other (older) who was suffering for 8 years. his skin also cleared within about 2 weeks. i gave it to my other kids and they flourished athletically and scholastically. they are all grown, very tall, thin, have beautiful teeth, hair and skin and have never needed medical care drugs/antibiotics. coincidence? i don’t think so!
Raw milk has saved my life in nutrition health for twenty years.
God bless the farmers who make this available for us.
Hi guys, this is a student that is doing a personal project about raw Milk , anyone wants to share their opinion on how raw milk is better , or how it is helping you, and how you feel about pasteurisated milk?
Good thing that you’ve pointed out the importance of grass-fed certification when drinking raw milk, and milk in general, because grass-fed ensures better nutritional profile, particularly when it comes to fatty acids and vitamins. Processing such as pasteurization does tend to diminish the nutrients in milk, it changes the structure of milk on a chemical level.
Pasteurization is done to avert the harmful effects of mass-produced milk, because we all know it contains growth hormones, antibiotics, pesticides and GMO residue from the poor diet that’s given to the cattle. Still, if considered organic or at least grass-fed, milk does have its benefits, but only if it’s consumed in little to moderate amounts.
As a nutritionist, I would advise that you don’t go too far consuming dairy, because it definitely has side effects, mostly because of the lactose. In case you want to know more about this, you can read here: https://organicpowerfoods.com/health-topics/side-effects-of-too-much-dairy-intake
Lactose is only a problem in pasteurized dairy. people with lactose intolerance can consume plenty of raw milk with no problems. That article you linked is obviously talking about pasteurized and homogenized milk, everything it talks about may be true for treated milk, but not for raw. Raw milk is not inflammatory, it doesn’t bother lactose intolerance and it has enzymes that help the body digest minerals like calcium. And cholesterol in the diet is not harmful, inflammation causes high cholesterol levels in the blood. If you didn’t eat it, the body would just make more of it.
several people in my family (mom, grandma, sister), my husband and myself have all had negative side effects from dairy, my mom sister and grandma are lactose intolerant, my husband is straight up intolerant regardless of lactose free milk and gets terrible muscle aches, and I also have issues with a weird pain in my kidneys. Raw milk on the other hand does wonders for us all, we feel great on it and we have more energy.
I am sorry but what are you thinking. We do not feed our dairy cows a high soy and corn based diet. If anything, we feed more haylage than corn. Also, the last time I gave a cow antibiotics was after she got a gash on her leg that i still don’t know where it came from. Also, he don’t shoot them up with a “bgh”. It would be illegal to sell the milk from that cow then. We also have to dump the milk from any cow that receives anti-biotics because that is also illegal to sell.
From a dairy farmer in Wisconsin
We are glad to hear your cows don’t receive soy and corn-based diets or continuous antibiotics (HGH isn’t mentioned in this article). But the statement in the article about the practices of many factory farms regarding corn, soy, and antibiotics is verifiably true.
4+ years ago I suffered a SEVERE reaction to a MANDATORY flu (a virus) shot and I started drinking raw milk as part of my recovery. I regained GREAT health because of the excellent nutrition provided through the raw milk. Fast forward to a little over a month ago the local Health Department “HD”unjustly attacked the wonderful dairy “Pot O Gold” that supplies my raw milk because of “possible” salmonella contamination stopping the production. Test results done by the dairy proved the HD was WRONG, but because of the ABRUPT change in my diet my body has gone into a tail spin and I have developed the worst case of shingles (also a virus). I can’t wait until the dairy gets the “okay” from the “uneducated and uninformed” HD to start raw milk production again as I am horribly ill. Those in medicine owe it to the people they serve to educate themselves apart from the “narrative” they are fed. I did and after 20+ years of practicing medicine I QUIT because I finally learned the medical industry is not about “curing people” it is about “creating patients”!
We live in southeast Texas and have access to two dairy farms within driving range. We have been drinking raw cows milk for about two months. It is heads and tails better than any milk you will buy in the stores. I’m not an animal activist but to see how commercial dairy farms treat their animals is appalling because all they care about is production and money. We have six children at home and they all love this milk. My youngest son appeared to be lactose intolerant because when he would drink milk from store his stomach would be in a mess for 24 hours. Drinking the raw milk we have not observed him having any side effects at all. Our local dairy has a Facebook so when they get extra milk they put it on sale and we jump in the car and stock up. (Yes you can freeze it without any problems). As for me I’m a fan and thank God we can get clean raw milk for a fair price within driving distance. Don’t see how I could ever go back to store bought milk again.
Hello everyone,
No one here seems to recognize another value of raw milk – sour raw milk!!!
Let the fresh milk sit in room temperature for 2-3 days until you see it turn sour. Then, put it in a fridge, chill well, shake well until smooth and drink. Sour milk provides the absolute maximum probiotic values.
I was born and raised in Poland, raw milk was the only milk there for until my departure to US in ’89. Sometime in early 90′ they switched to super ultra pasteurized (UHT) – this stuff sits in room temperature in stores, not fridges! This happened when polish dairy was pushed out by western ones after socialism collapse. Anyhow, for 28 years I drank raw milk, never got ill, no one I ever knew did. But, going back to sour milk – this is what we used to drink daily. As raw milk has the starters cultures for fermentation, the fermented product is really the fully developed benefit of it (somewhat like yogurt or keffir but not cultured after pasteurization and retaining all vital bacterial cultures while building their higher concentration).
So, guys, all you in favor of raw milk… go one step further – sour it, chill it, shake it to smooth and …. It may take a while for some to acquire the taste for it, but while you’re doing it, remember – this is the maximum value for your body.
I’m 60 years old now, full head of hair, almost none grey, lift in gym more than 25 year old gus do, practically never get sick and I’m just thinking – is this because of my 28 years of raw??? (followed here by active cultures yogurt, as I can’t get raw in IL) Can’t prove it, but considering, that a cup or two of raw, soured milk was a daily routine of our diet , there must be something to it, I believe.
One word of warning though – raw milk might not be suitable for infants, we traditionally used boiled in this case as their immune systems might not be developed well enough to handle some “bad” bacteria, which rarely but may be contained in raw. Typically we would introduce raw in the age over 1.
PS
Poland is also going back to raw now… they now have “milkomats” in the streets, where you get fresh, raw milk as you would a can of Coke. Still developing trend, muscling against big industry supported by governments. Read FDA info on raw milk, they claim no nutritional difference between raw and pasteurized, completely disregarding probiotic and enzymatic values of it on behalf of “bad case” once in a blue moon. It’s like saying, never leave your house because you may have an accident, or never drive for the same reason – insane from my point of view. Yes, raw milk can get contaminated but so can salad and other products. Benefits far exceed the risk – this is what FDA applies to harmful drugs but is completely bias towards milk and disregards the benefit to risk ratio.
Big industry and big pharma is in control, hope common sense will prevail and raw milk will be legal here in US everywhere, so that we all can make our own food choice. Can’t even believe we’re talking about milk as if we were about weed or other drugs. True insanity!
Thank you for your interesting comments. Some people can’t handle the taste of sour milk, but of course it is very healthy. Babies should get raw milk also, it is important for their developing immune systems.
In my previous post I commented on raw, soured milk. I wrote in it to place the milk in room temperature for 2-3 days to turn it sour. This was the case in Poland years back, where I was getting milk from retail store. This was a pretty long way from farm, so the milk would in fact turn sour quickly (sometimes even the same day). As I am on extended visit in CA and just found out I could get raw milk on the farmers market, I did get a gallon of it immediately. However the time between milk collecting and buying was so short, that 2-3 days in room temperature started the process but did not turn the milk into sour form yet (at this time some might think it’s spoiled as it is somewhere between fresh and sour, not the right time to drink it yet) Never had such fresh milk yet, that’s why 2-3 days info was incorrect. For those who don’t know the taste and texture of well soured milk, it would be disappointing and if you are to try, I want you to try the right thing. Update coming as soon as I get it completely soured.
In my previous post I noted that the US raw milk is not turning sour in 2-3 days, like it did in the past Poland. The milk I’ve got here was very fresh and the process took a bit longer. It takes solid 3-4 days. After that time a clear separation of whey in soured milk exists. In Poland back 30 years ago but also now, all it takes is to shake it well and kefir like milk tastes great. It’s so sour it leaves a “tingle” on your tongue. Unfortunately this was not the case here. The milk I got was raw but not organic or grass fed. Perhaps this was the reason but it tasted rather bad. Actually I got much better result using just organic pasteurized one with addition of some live cultures kefir (12 strains). Very disappointed, there must be a major difference in feed, animal genetic modifications, perhaps antibiotics etc making the raw milk souring so oddly tasting. Will try organic, grass fed yet, if I can find one.