BLOG COMMENTS RE: Raw Milk? I'm Becoming Convinced
Drink raw milk? Isn’t there something dangerous about that? That’s what I always thought. I am a dietitian, and I have been trained in Food Science. We learned raw milk products can contain bacteria that can make people very sick. Well, actually, here is what I think: If you plan on drinking raw milk, you should make sure to know your dairy farmer and be comfortable that they have sanitary conditions for milking. My sister in-law is a proponent of raw milk. She lives on a farm, has a milking cow, and drinks raw milk everyday. She also makes her own raw milk products such as kefir, cheese, and yogurt. I have also seen her milk her cow. She always takes good care to clean the udder well.
After spending a week on my sister in-law’s farm in Montana and drinking and eating raw milk products, I think I am convinced it is better for you than pasteurized milk. I went there with a stomach acid problem that had started a month or so before. I had been popping acidophilus pills daily which only took an edge off. The discomfort was getting out of hand when we arrived in Montana. My sister in-law, suggested I try some kefir which she had made from raw milk. Kefir is high bacteria count raw milk culture. It tastes like yogurt with a little fermented flavor. I ate some periodically through the day and the next morning. By that afternoon, my stomach problems were gone! I was convinced it cured my stomach, so I kept eating kefir for the duration of our visit. When our visit to Montana was over, I was wondering if I needed to purchase some raw kefir from the store in California to keep my stomach problems from coming back. What if it came back?!? But to my pleasant surprise, my stomach problems did not return. I could not find raw kefir in the store, but I found some raw milk. I am still not ready to try it since I don’t know how clean their milking process is. I will drink and eat raw milk products only if I see that the dairy and milking processes are clean. I guess I need to find a local dairy farmer.
There is more to the story of why raw milk is so feared. My sister in-law has been reading a book called, ‘The Untold Story of Milk’. Apparently, back in the day, when mass production of milk had just evolved, there was more incidence of bacterial contamination in the milk causing people to become ill or even die. The problem was caused by unsanitary and inhumane conditions in dairy farming where cow feces, blood, and other bodily fluids got into the milk. Due to the large incidence of illness related to drinking milk, the government intervened and decided that all milk should be pasteurized to fix this problem. But they were not really fixing the source of the problem. They should have passed more rigorous dairy inspection laws and shut down dairies that lacked sanitary and humane conditions. Instead, unsanitary and inhumane conditions still exist today and are most likely worse than ever. And the milk we drink is devoid of beneficial bacteria which are healthy for us. Pasteurization kills the bad and good bacteria in the milk. After learning what falls off of the cow and into the milk, I will never drink any unresearched milk products again. I am going to get to know my dairy farmer.
-- Melinda
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I have been drinking raw milk/cream since 2004 with no ill effects. While I can't boast any miraculous health benefits, I feel better buying local, fresh, high quality, grass-fed products! If that isn't a salve for the mind and heart, then I don't know what it!
I am a HUGE advocate of letting people decide for themselves if raw milk works for them. The government shouldn't mandate what we can and cannot put in our bodies, my blog post on the subject highlights a terrible story of the farmer I work with, he is a great man with a great product. I hope you read it, learn, and share it!
http://www.quietthethunder.com/2008/05/i-like-it-raw-i-like-it-legal.html
I should clarify - I don't work "with" the farmer as a job. I just meant I buy his wonderful products!
