Got Raw Milk?
I went to the grocery store today to pick up some blackberry jam for a cake I wanted to make. Yes, it seems that I can every single kind of jam you could image except for the one kind that I actually need for a recipe. As I was looking at the different jams, I noticed something very unnerving. There were two different jams- one natural, one regular. Both made by the same company, both the same price, and both were the same kind of jam. I picked up each jar and read the back.
Regular jam ingredients: Blackberries, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, pectin, citric acid.
Natural jam ingredients: Blackberries, sugar, pectin, citric acid.
My first reaction- “Um, why?” I looked at my husband, who was already gearing up for my emotional tirade.
“Why do they do that?” I exclaimed. “It’s the same price, the same exact product. Why do they always add unnecessary ingredients?!?”
High fructose corn syrup was the second ingredient. Ugh. I just couldn’t believe it. Why not just take it off the shelf and only offer the natural jam? It’s the same exact price. Then I thought, “I wonder how many Americans pick up each jar and compare the ingredients? Probably not very many.”
I can’t make a generalization for most of society, but it does seem like the average American doesn’t care what they’re putting in their bodies, then they wonder why they have so many health problems or why they feel terrible. While it may be the case that the two are not related, most oftentimes, our health is directly related to what we feed our bodies.
My overabundance of raw goat’s milk. I am very blessed!
So, raw milk. Where does it fit into this picture?
If we care so much about our health, why aren’t we educating ourselves concerning common misconceptions about real, raw food?
Let’s start with milk. More Americans are lactose intolerant now than any other period in America. Why is that? I don’t really have an answer for you. I’m not a doctor or a scientist. But it is interesting that many people with milk intolerances are able to drink raw milk or goat milk with little to no problem.
Pasteurization began in the late 1800’s when Louis Pasteur finally discovered an answer to many Americas’ unnecessary deaths. The reason for pasteurization made sense back then, and still does today, but there are tradeoffs to the process. Dairy’s back in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s were disgusting. The cows were constantly in ankle deep slop, often overcrowded, and often riddled with TB. Many of the larger cities were starting to grow even more, mixing farm life with city life. The cows in the city limit dairies were fed leftover slop from many distilleries, which made the milk even more terrible. No wonder they needed pasteurization! Many people died unnecessary deaths due to TB and dirty milk. It would’ve been a scary time to be alive!
There were some dairy farms that still pastured their cows and were able to sell safe, raw milk. Most of these farms operated with a smaller number of cows, and were better able to maintain safe, clean milking practices.
So, what’s wrong with pasteurization?
There are many necessary enzymes to aid our digestion process. Unfortunately, cooking food often kills these beneficial enzymes. This is why raw food is usually better for you in most cases. In addition to raw milk, purchasing sprouted grains and seeds are also a great source of natural enzymes.
““The amount of enzymes present in a food is proportional to its calorie content. Vegetables and fruits are thus poor sources of enzymes relative to raw milk, cheese, butter, and other animal products.””
If you don’t know the process of pasteurization, here is an infographic to help you out. Essentially, it is the process of heating milk to a certain temperature and maintaining that temperature to kill all enzymatic activity contributing to bacterial growth.
While pasteurization does kill all those bad bacteria, it inactivates all those essential enzymes. The most important enzyme being lactase! Lactase contains lactic-acid bacteria essential for fermenting certain milk products such as yogurt and buttermilk. Lactase is also a larger contributor to proper digestion of milk products.
Essential enzymes present in raw milk:
galactase
peroxidase
catalase
lipase
lactase
phosphatase
If you are interested in learning more about this topic, I highly suggest looking each one up and seeing what part it plays in the digestion process of milk. During the pasteurization process, all of these enzymes are either rendered inactive or diminished so greatly, they don’t make an impact at all.
So, imagine you are drinking pasteurized milk. It gets down to your gut; your gut microflora and acids are expecting all these beneficial enzymes to help it digest. Well, those enzymes are gone and in a fit of rage, your stomach says, “No way!” You get a stomachache, diarrhea, bloating, and all sorts of other terrible things.
Now imagine drinking raw milk. It gets down to your gut with all of the essential enzymes that should be there to aid in digestion. Your gut, gut microflora, and acids can now say, “Let’s work together!” Your stomach now feels relieved and healthy!
But what about safety?
Yes, there are always safety concerns with raw milk. It is essential to purchase raw milk from a farm that practices clean, safe milking handling. Farmers are able to test their milk and their animals for any transferable disease or bacteria. How you handle the milk can make all the difference. Cleaning the animal’s udder before and after milking, keeping a clean pen for your animals, milking into a stainless-steel container, and chilling the milk during the milking process are all parts that play into clean milk.
If you purchase raw milk from a farmer who follows all these safe practices, you will be just fine. My family has been drinking raw goat’s milk for 20 years, and we’ve never been sick from drinking it. The benefits far outweigh the risks for me.
Why is milk pasteurized today?
When you’re milking and housing 2,000+ cows, it’s difficult to worry about cleanliness. I worked on just a 200-cow dairy in Ireland for a month and quickly realized why we still need pasteurization. No matter how hard you try to keep things clean in a modernized, commercial dairy, the milk gets dirty, and it needs to be pasteurized.
I understand that not everyone can find nor afford raw milk. I understand that purchasing a cow or goat for your own milk isn’t feasible for some. I understand that this isn’t for everyone.
Believe me, I still enjoy my Arby’s French fries, my cheesecake, and my Five Lakes tea latte every now and again. I am not one to be extreme on any topic or any level. You do what is best for you and your family’s needs at the time.
But I will leave you with two more questions: Do you think your food habits and your health are related, and what are you prepared to do to change that relationship?
