Before you go on, I suggest that you read this first: Milking It For All It’s Worth
I am not sure there is any issue more hotly debated in the health world than the one being battled on farms and in courts over raw milk. There is absolutely no way I can get into this issue in any depth in one little post but I do know this: If you choose to drink milk, it is best consumed raw.
Best of luck getting your hands on some.
The challenge I have with the debate about milk is not even whether we should consume it pasteurized or raw, but really whether we should be consuming it at all. At the Holistic Nutrition Conference I attended, I heard Michael Schmidt speak on the subject of raw milk. He is a raw milk farmer, has been for his entire adult life and is fighting the courts to continue to provide this substance to those who want and in some cases, need it. He spoke about the beauty of his farm and of his cows, and the life giving power of raw milk.
He told the story of when he was first arrested for providing raw milk to consumers. As he was waiting to be put into the police car he went to have a cigarette and offered one to the police man standing beside him.
“No thank you”, said the officer, “It’s not healthy”.
“But it’s legal”, replied Schmidt. “How about some milk? Would you like some milk?”
“No thank you”, replied the police officer, “It’s not legal”.
“But it’s healthy”, replied Schmidt.
With more and more vitamin supplements being pulled from shelves, our almonds and spinach being irradiated for safety and raw milk being sold on the black market, our government continues to control our food supply and our health continues to deteriorate.
Would I recommend anyone drink milk off the shelf at your local super market? Not ever! I can not list even a single benefit to drinking conventional milk. Even Mr. Schmidt mentioned conventional milk as one of the most harmful substances to our health. And we certainly do not need milk for calcium. When clients come to me with any sort of digestive problem, the first thing I suggest they remove from their diet is conventional, pasteurized, homogenized, unnaturally low-fat, protein tangled, antibiotic ridden cow’s milk (and lactose has nothing to do with any of these issues).
Raw milk, with all of it’s life giving nutrients, enzymes, and immune building bacteria, has incredible, potentially unparalleled, health benefits to the sick, nutrient deficient, malabsorbing or even weakened infants, children and adults. Raw milk can and has brought the near dead back to life with its life giving nutrient density.
Do I believe in the value of raw milk for health? I do. Would I drink it? I would definitely like to try it, but would not make it a regular thing in my life. As my friend Josh put it as we were leaving the lecture, “Cow’s are big animals. I am not so big”.
What I do believe in is our freedom to choose what we want to eat, the right to know exactly what it is we are consuming, and total and complete transparency with the foods we choose for ourselves and our families. This basic right, has become nearly impossible, and the law is not on our side in this matter.
For testimonials around the the benefits of raw milk go here.
You kill me with your titles.
Hi Meghan, I first have to say how much I love your blog and recipes (and your cheery videos
). I was just wondering your thoughts on goat milk? I made the switch a little while back to goats milk and goat cheese due to having problems digesting cow’s milk and cheese. It seems to have helped the digestive issues but I am just curious your thoughts on the health benefits/concerns etc.
Amen sista.
You last line: “This basic right, has become nearly impossible, and the law is not on our side in this matter.” — really gets me. What can we do about all this? I saw Food Inc this weekend and it just ignited my passion even more that we need to DO something about all this junk. So much processing and pasteurization going on! What on earth is the health of our planet going to look like in 20, 50, 100 years?!!
Ami- So happy that you are enjoying my blog. Goat and sheep milks are my go-to if dairy is needed for anything- usually in the form of yogurts or raw cheeses. I will be writing about goat milk in a week or so- with a giveaway to go with it (no… not a goat).
Coconutgal- Great to hear from you! I saw the movie on Friday. Fantastic! And I know… what to do what to do. I think we just keep doing what we’re doing, living the way we live and leading and inspiring by example.
Amen to what Coconutgal said. I’ve been following Schmidt’s story for years and believe that if one is going to drink cow’s milk, raw is the way to go. I keep saying that if the milk is regularly tested before it goes to consumers there shouldn’t be a problem.
I wonder if the milk industry is behind this in any way.
i love these stories about milk – i’m always sending them out to friends and family.
when i got pregnant and told my GP i didn’t drink milk she looked at me in horror!
“How do you plan on getting enough calcium?” she asked.
“Spinach!”
she did not seem impressed.
doctors!
I am a 5th generation farm daughter. I drank raw milk everyday until I went to college. We skimmed all the cream off and made butter and whipped cream from raw milk.
Nothing beats fresh milk.
We sold our milk to HOOD and every other day when the 18 wheeler came up into our small Vermont Dell they tested the milk before they took it. There are stick rules on sanitation. Raw milk spoils faster that the super-pasteurized stuff in the stores. Giving milk a longer shelf life and getting it to more consumers was the original intent. Thanks for the great thought provoking post.
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I don’t.
Thank you so much for your insight!