Raw Milk is Real Milk. Health Benefits and Safety Donna Larson, December 17, 2024December 17, 2024 In light of recent political news, raw milk seems to be in the spotlight, and raw milk sales are increasing nationwide. Politics aside, raw milk is real milk, and most can enjoy the benefits that this natural food provides. What is Raw Milk? Raw milk is unpasteurized milk. A ruminant animal produces milk, which farmers quickly filter, chill, and consume. That’s it. We simply called it milk until pasteurization and homogenization transformed mass food production. Now though, we have to clarify because raw milk is no longer the norm. What is Pasteurization Pasteurization uses heat to kill harmful microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and molds, in food and beverages that cause foodborne illnesses. Louis Pasteur developed the process in the 19th century to prevent wine and beer from spoiling. Today, producers widely use pasteurization for milk, dairy products, fruit juices, and other perishable items. Different Kinds of Pasteurization: Low-Temperature Long Time (LTLT): The product is heated to 145°F for 30 minutes. This method is primarily used for certain dairy products. High-Temperature Short Time (HTST): The product is heated to 161°F for 15–20 seconds. HTST is commonly used for milk and juices and balances microbial safety with quality retention. Ultra-High Temperature (UHT): The product is heated to 275–302°F for 2–5 seconds. UHT treatment results in shelf-stable products that do not require refrigeration until opened. Flash Pasteurization: Similar to HTST but involves even shorter exposure times, typically used for products like beverages. Vat Pasteurization: A batch method where the product is pasteurized in small, sealed vats, often used for specialty or artisanal foods. The Cons to Pasteurization: Pasteurizing milk breaks down some nutrients. Vitamin C and folate, for example, degrade during the heating process. To combat this, dairy processing facilities add synthetic essential nutrients back into milk products for the store shelves. Raw dairy products contain probiotics (beneficial bacteria) that are destroyed during pasteurization. The process of heating milk doesn’t discriminate between good bacteria or harmful bacteria. Instead, all are killed, leaving behind a vessel of dead bacteria. Consuming this causes inflammation in the body. Other important components in milk are destroyed by pasteurization. The process ruins proteins and enzymes that help us digest milk. Raw milk has a better flavor than heated milk. Most people find that raw milk products taste better than their pasteurized counterparts. Of course, this is largely subjective, but I bet you can even test this yourself by comparing low heat treated milk with Ultra-high temperature processed milk. You’ll likely notice a caramelized flavor in the latter. A Place for Pasteurized Milk Despite these drawbacks, pasteurization remains essential for protecting public health when milk is produced on a large scale. The losses in nutrients and flavor are outweighed by the significant reduction in pathogens like E. coli, Listeria, and Salmonella, which can cause severe illness or death, especially in vulnerable populations. When pasteurization came about, many urban dairies were feeding their milk cows dirty feed that could be laced with mold or manure. Rodents were in close contact and they contaminated all parts of the cows’ housing quarters and the milking stanchions. We would not be able to feed the public masses without the pasteurization process. Let me be clear. While I recognize the need for such processing, raw milk is a superior product. If you can purchase raw milk from a trusted source, I highly encourage you to do so. Nutritional Benefits of Raw Milk Let’s begin with the parts that I’ve already touched on while discussing pasteurization. Unprocessed, raw milk contains important vitamins and minerals. Specifically, it’s rich in Vitamins A, D, E, and K2. You’ll notice these combined and sold together as supplements. Not only that, but raw milk is loaded with all the B vitamins, which play critical roles in maintaining overall health and supporting various bodily functions. Each B vitamin has unique benefits, but they often work together to support metabolism, energy production, brain function, and overall well-being. When you drink raw milk as part of your regular diet, there is likely no need to supplement with store bought vitamin capsules. (Disclaimer: Everyone is different, and you should consult your healthcare professional to be sure.) Raw milk contains many essential minerals to support healthy bodies too. Unlike vitamins, which are organic compounds, minerals are inorganic elements derived from soil, water, and food. The body must obtain minerals through diet or supplements. Consider that raw milk is the exclusive food for all infant mammals. That means that it must include all essential nutrients for proper brain function, circulatory health, muscle and skeletal growth, and more. Raw milk must contain everything needed for infants to not only survive, but to thrive. Grass fed cows produce higher amounts of calcium, copper, iodine, phosphorus, zinc and more trace minerals. Dr. Weston A. Price, an early 20th Century research dentist, traveled the world to find the healthiest populace by studying their teeth and the correlation to their diets. He quickly learned that those groups consuming nutrient-dense, traditional diets high in animal fats, specifically whole, raw milk, had exceptional dental health. The Benefits of Milk Fat People like to shout how fattening milk is. Well, I’ll give you the truth. Milk can be fattening, especially dead, skimmed milk. Removing the fat leaves you with less protein and lots of carbohydrates. Now that we’re finally recovering from the 90’s low fat diet fad, I won’t attempt to convince you that fat doesn’t make you fat. Instead, I’ll tell you what fat does for your body. Not only are they a dense source of energy, animal fats contain those previously-mentioned fat soluble Vitamins A, D, E, and K2. Their benefits range from helping you absorb other nutrients, to protecting the brain and healing nerve damage. They also work as antioxidants and boost immune health. Proper hormone function and cellular structure are all stabilized by animal fats. Animals on pasture provide more Omega-3 fatty acids for heart and brain health. They are anti-inflammatory. High fat foods satisfy hunger and satiate the appetite. They lubricate joints, and nourish skin. Butter fat, in particular, contains Butyric acid, a short-chain fatty acid which supports colon health. That’s right. If you want a healthy gut to support your immune system, (thereby supporting every other functioning body system), eat more grass fed butter. Butter fat especially contains linoleic acid. This is an important fatty acid that protects against some cancers, lowers insulin resistance, and helps to light a fire under your metabolism. This is obviously not a comprehensive list of what “good fats” can do for your body, but it’s a pretty good sampling that shows you the overall importance of consuming butterfat. Food Safety If raw milk is so great, then what’s with all the warnings? You’re right! Why does the United States FDA and the CDC continue to warn Americans against the dangers of raw milk? For starters, milking under unsanitary conditions is not only gross, it’s quite dangerous. Remember how I stated that pasteurization has a place in the large scale food industry? That’s because a dairy farm with several hundred lactating cows, cannot easily disinfect cows, housing, milk lines, and equipment. Further, the milk trucks that move milk from the dairy to the processing facility require sanitizing. Skipping steps in safety protocol increases the risk of tainted milk. It takes one bad batch, one sick cow, or one speck of manure to ruin the whole vat of unprocessed milk. Enter pasteurization to kill all of the bacteria, virus, and disease that may be present. It is the opinion of many raw milk producers that the only way to minimize health risks to raw milk consumers is to only use systems that can be totally broken down for sanitizing after each use. This is a pretty strict policy that creates more work than pipeline or robotic systems. The farmers’ dedication to cleanliness is not enough for many “public health experts.” Choosing Safe Raw Milk Instead of trusting the pasteurization system, with all of its drawbacks, look for a smaller, safe raw milk dairy. Talk to the dairy farmer. Ask to see where they milk. Ask about disease control. There are some simple steps that the farmer can do to provide raw milk without all the harmful germs. Raw milk producers generally have a strong commitment to choosing the extra work, ensuring clean milk for their customers. Afterall, they’re feeding their own families from their own farms as well. They want it clean. First, using disinfecting iodine and clorhexadine on udders and teats is essential. Properly strip the foremilk before collecting milk for consumption. Next, filtering any minor debris from the milk. (dust, random hairs, a flake of dry skin). Dump milk when appropriate. A hoof in the bucket means that milk should be fed to chickens or pigs. Third, wear disposable gloves. This helps keep the milk clean and prevents the teat orifices of dairy cows from being exposed to human skin pathogens. Fourth, keeping milking areas clean between milking cows. Fifth, sanitizing equipment between milking cows with full sanitizing at the end of every milking. Routine testing of milk for somatic cell counts to determine quality milk or disease in the cows. Also, routine disease testing of cows. At least test for tuberculosis and brucellosis if these are issues in your state. Everyone should be testing annually for Johnes, BVD (bovine viral diarrhea), and BVL (bovine leukosis virus). Always treating sick cows immediately and appropriately, but also separating their milk from the good milk. Last, chilling the milk below 40°F within the first hour of milking and keeping it chilled until its consumed. What about Homogenization? Homogenization is the process that incorporates the cream (the butterfat) into the the rest of the milk so that it remains suspended there and doesn’t rise to the top of its container. Blasting the fat globules into smaller particles keeps them emulsified in the milk. The mainstream dairy industry tells us that this gave a more uniform product that didn’t need to be shaken before consuming. In actuality, homogenization was first used to disguise low quality milk. Some dairymen were watering down their milk to gain profit. Additionally, they learned that the pasteurization process often left a dark sludge that settled to the bottom of the milk container. Homogenization remedied that by incorporating the sludge into the milk much like it does the fat particles today. Although large dairies no longer utilize these practices, homogenization still reduces the quality of a naturally perfect product. Is Raw Milk Illegal? U.S. Federal law prohibits the interstate commerce and transportation of raw milk, and each state has differing legal requirements regarding the sale of raw milk. I can’t really speak on other countries specifically, but I know that they vary widely. Raw milk consumption is the norm in less developed countries while western culture has largely deemed it as nothing other than dangerous. Some states require purchasers to buy a portion of a herd in order to collect their “own” milk through programs known as herd shares. Some states allow farmers to sell their raw cow milk right from their farm, but they can’t take it to the farmers market or stores for retail sale. In my state, milk may be sold for pet consumption only and the seller must hold a state-issued Master Feed License in order to sell raw milk. Sales must be reported to the state on a quarterly basis, and labels must state “for pet consumption only” or “not for human consumption.” Most buyers understand what they’re getting into when they take the risk of ignoring the label. Some states and countries have totally banned the sale of raw milk. What is A2 Milk? Folks researching raw milk sometimes conflate it’s properties with that of A2 milk. A2 milk is a type of cow’s milk that contains only the A2 beta-casein protein and lacks the A1 beta-casein protein commonly found in most conventional cow’s milk. It is marketed as a potentially easier-to-digest alternative for people who experience digestive discomfort after consuming regular milk but do not have a diagnosed lactose intolerance or milk allergy. For many people who have a milk sensitivity, choosing raw milk is enough of a difference to gain some relief in their health. For a few select consumers, A2 seems to make a real difference in their being able to use dairy. Summary Raw Milk Safety The consumption of raw milk is making a come back in western culture as a “super food.” Making sure that your raw milk producer takes the necessary steps to provide a clean, superior product is the key to enjoying nutritious, delicious raw milk. Do not let the federal government scare you into believing raw milk is never safe. Demonizing the natural foods industries will go down in history as one of the silliest things we’ve done. Remember, raw milk is real milk. Happy Homesteading! Donna and her family have been homesteading for most of their 20+ years together in some shape or fashion. She currently lives on their 20 acre farm where they grow as much food as possible. What started as a just a few laying hens, has grown into large gardens, pastured poultry, pork, and lamb. They are continuously evolving their small farm to not suit their family’s needs, but also providing to their local community. Donna’s favorite part of the family farm is her self-built micro-dairy, where she gets to love on dairy cows while serving her local community. Milking, cheesemaking, and processing dairy have become the soul of their homestead and the center of their farm. Dairy Homesteading