The Raw Truth About Real Milk
Here is an article that is well worth your time to read, I own his book and it is very informative, read on…
The Raw Truth About Real Milk
There’s just nothing like fresh, raw milk. In terms of nutrient content, health benefits, and plain
good taste, nothing beats it. But I’d be willing to bet that many of you—or at least your children—
have never had the pleasure of enjoying a tall, creamy glass of straight-from-the-udder milk.
That’s because health officials are scared to death of it. They’re worried that it will spread all
sorts of harmful bacteria—a fear born out of the population exodus to cities in the early 20th century,
when milk demand grew without improvements in distribution. But instead of fixing the problem
at its root (that is, demanding cleaner dairies), the government decided to focus on the end result.
Enter pasteurization.
By the 1920s, pasteurized milk was mandated by the U.S. government. And in order to get
people to actually drink this chemically treated stuff, they even subsidized advertising campaigns
that convinced the American public that it was healthier. Just another media spin to justify more
government meddling.
The problem with pasteurization is that while it kills bad bacteria (some of the time, anyway),
it also kills all the good stuff in the process. What you’re left with is a nutritionless milky substance
that can actually do more harm than good.
5 arguments against pasteurization
This is just a partial listing of the problems with pasteurization, but it should be enough for
you to get the picture.
1. Pasteurization alters the quality and structure of the milk itself. For example,
when milk is pasteurized and homogenized, the lactose sugar is converted to beta-lactose—
a form that can cause milk allergies.
2. Pasteurization ruins the taste of milk. If you’ve ever had raw milk, you understand—
the pasteurized variety just isn’t the same. But beyond that, pasteurization
destroys the creaming ability of milk. It also destroys the souring bacteria of milk,
causing it to putrefy if kept long enough instead of souring normally. Pasteurization
also makes milk decompose when exposed to air.
3. Pasteurization sucks the nutritional life out of raw milk. The process diminishes
the vitamin content and destroys vitamins C, B6, and B12. Raw milk is an excellent
source of calcium, but once it has been pasteurized, your body can no longer absorb many
of the nutrients that are left. Plus, the pasteurization process destroys all the beneficial
enzymes, antibodies, hormones, and fatty acids (like cancer-fighting conjugated
linoleic acid or CLA).
4. Pasteurized milk can lead to a variety of health problems. The most obvious evidence
of this is that infants do not develop well on pasteurized milk. (Even calves do
poorly and sometimes die when given the pasteurized junk food.) Pasteurized milk is
more likely than raw milk to lead to tooth decay, constipation, allergies, arthritis, cancer,
and osteoporosis (so much for the whole “milk for strong bones” theory). And it may
diminish resistance to disease (especially in the young).
5. Pasteurization isn’t perfect. Most people are willing to give up all of the benefits of
raw milk because they’re concerned about safety. But the truth is that pasteurization is
not infallible: It may be carelessly done, which could result in various bacterial infections
such as helicobacter pylori, the cause of peptic ulcers.
Why raw milk should be the least of your worries
Raw milk contains good bacteria called probiotics, which are able to destroy any harmful pathogens
that may be present. But when milk goes through the pasteurization process, those protective probiotics
are destroyed. That alone makes pasteurized milk more susceptible than raw milk to carrying
dangerous bacteria.
Based on the Centers for Disease Control’s own numbers, raw milk was responsible for 1,007
illnesses and two deaths between 1998 and 2005 (though even those claims are unsubstantiated).
But over the past few decades, outbreaks due to pasteurized milk have led to well over 200,000
cases of food poisoning and over 600 deaths.
Even so, let’s step back and look at the big picture for a minute. These numbers are just a drop
in the bucket compared to other sources of food-borne illnesses. Fact is, of all the food you eat in
today’s society, raw milk is the food least likely to make you sick.
Dairy (pasteurized or not) causes less than 1 percent of food-borne illnesses. Want to take a
stab at what causes the highest percentage? Produce. According to a Center for Science in the
Public Interest report, produce accounted for 38 percent of food-borne illnesses between 1990 and
2004. The next two in line were poultry, at 20 percent, and beef, at 16 percent.
Like it or not, ALL food carries the potential of contamination. Most recently, the two foods
stealing the spotlight are tomatoes and cantaloupes (both tainted with Salmonella). Yet I don’t see
the CDC launching a national campaign mandating chemical treatments that would destroy the
nutritional value of these foods.
The FDA and the CDC treat raw milk as if it will lead to the mass destruction of the human
race. I guess they’ve forgotten that people have thrived on it for thousands of years. (Maybe all that
pasteurized milk is killing their brain cells…) It has even been used as a treatment for kidney disease,
allergies, rheumatism, asthma and a whole host of other chronic conditions!
The quest to annihilate the raw milk industry is nothing short of ludicrous. The only halfway
logical explanation for it is that they have a political vendetta against raw milk—or stocks in the
Big Milk industry.
In fact, in 2006 alone, the pasteurized milk industry was valued at $23.4 billion. It’s hard for
me to comprehend that a business could make so much money passing off fake milk for the real
thing and endangering your health in the process.
Still, in spite of efforts by Big Dairy, as well as wrong-headed public health officials from the
federal and state governments, demand for raw milk is actually growing.
Raw milk’s popularity grows by leaps and bounds
The public’s growing concern about all the nasty stuff (read: chemicals, hormones, and drugs)
used in commercial dairy farming has pushed them toward raw milk. In Washington state alone,
the number of raw milk dairies boomed from just six to 22 in only two years. And over the last five
years, Massachusetts has doubled its number of raw milk dairies to a total of 24.
Sally Fallon, the president of theWeston A. Price Foundation, one of the nation’s most vocal raw
milk proponents, estimates that more than half a million people in the U.S. now consume raw milk.
And I’m not just talking about the stereotypical toothless hillbilly that “doesn’t know any better.”
“You cannot categorize the people who are drinking raw milk. They are people from the blue
states and red states, farmers and yuppies and Birkenstock wearers,” said Nina Planck, author of
Real Food: What to Eat and Why.
Nowhere is that more evident than in New York City, where Wall Street moguls and starving
artists can stand side by side waiting for a weekly clandestine drop of raw milk. Why the secrecy?
I’ll tell you why…
The laws regarding raw milk differ from state to state—and in New York, the only place you
can legally get raw milk is on the premises of a farm that’s been approved by the state. And last I
checked, most New Yorkers don’t like to be bothered with weekly trips to an odiferous dairy
farm—hence, the covert drop sights…
On the other side of the country, the raw milk business is booming as well. Organic Pastures
Dairy Company, the first raw milk dairy in California with certified organic pastureland, expects to
gross $1 million MORE this year than it did last year (jumping from $4.9 to $6 million). And that’s
juts ONE dairy.
Raw milk is believed to be able to relieve allergies, asthma, digestive disorders—even autism.
Don’t let the “health authorities” tell you that pasteurized milk packs the same nutritional punch—
or that it’s safer for you. Not by a long shot.
The whole idea behind pasteurization was to protect people from diseases like TB. But it’s
obvious that the pasteurization process has no safety guarantee. So why waste your money on a
product that has virtually no nutritional value and that has made hundreds of thousands of people
sick? Besides, raw milk just tastes better. And with modern production methods, it’s safer today
than it has ever been.
How to get your hands on good, raw milk
Thankfully, the federal government has not yet overridden the individual states’ rights to determine
whether raw milk should be legal or not. In nine states, it’s completely legal. In 15 states, it’s
illegal. The remaining 26 allow raw milk, but with a handful of restrictions. One of the biggies is
that you can only consume it if it’s from your own cow. Thousands of people get around this law
by participating in cow-sharing programs. By paying a certain amount of money yearly, they
become part owners of a dairy cow. In return, they get to drink the milk.
Check out www.realmilk.com and click “Where” on the left side of the page to see where your
state fits into the mix—and to locate your closest source of raw milk.
If you’re still sitting on the raw milk fence, I suggest reading The Raw Truth About Milk, by
yours truly. Heck, even if you’re a die-hard enthusiast, it’s a great read—and a great gift to give all
the Doubting Thomases in your life. Now is the best time to order, too—because, my publisher has
agreed to cover the cost of shipping. And by all means, once you’ve made the switch to raw milk, write to me and let me know. I
enjoy hearing about your experiences (almost as much as I love telling you about mine).
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