Know Your Milk

NOTE: These are my thoughts and opinions on dairy, based on my own research and experiences. If this is something that interests you, please take time to research it also.


To some people, the thought of drinking milk straight from the cow (AKA raw) is gross. When I tell them that is the only way we will drink milk, they turn up their noses and say "ewww." Little do they realize that the picture of the happy cow on their store bought milk is the farthest thing from the type of cow that milk came from!

The cows of our ancestors were raised in green pastures grazing on grass and lazying around all day. Not so now. The modern day cow is stuffed into buildings where they barely have room to stand. They are plagued with deformities, abnormalities, and diseases that go untreated. They are fed GMO corn (not something cows were meant to eat) because it is cheap and available in abundance. The corn raises the acid in their stomach and causes stomach problems for them, resulting in death. To counteract this problem, they are given a low dose of antibiotics, which gets passed into their milk. Cows consume 70% of the antibiotics manufactured in the US today. Not only that, but they are given hormones to make them produce more milk than what is normal for a cow, to keep up with demand. This is also transferred into their milk. This is a large reason many women and girls today experience hormonal imbalances and the problems associated with it. But this is just the beginning.

As if it weren't bad enough that the cows are sick and the milk is laced with hormones and antibiotics, it goes a step further. Once the cows are milked, the milk is pasteurized, meaning it's heated at very high temps in order to kill off bacteria and other harmful substances. The thing is, this not only kills off bad bacteria, it kills all the good bacteria (yes there is such a thing!). The good bacteria that is killed is what is supposed to keep the bad bacteria from taking over. "Back in the day" it was customary to let the milk sit out to clabber, or ferment, before it was used. Our grannies knew this kept the milk longer and made it more nutritious. If you let a glass of pasteurized milk sit out today, not only would it go bad, but it would make you very sick! That's because there is no good bacteria in it anymore. Pasteurization also reduces the vitamin content of the milk. B vitamins are destroyed and vitamin C is reduced, along with minerals including calcium.

After it's pasteurized, the milk is homogenized. The milk is blended at super high speeds then forced at high pressure through tiny holes. This makes it unable to separate into cream and milk after sitting for any length of time. The process of homogenization changes the molecular structure of the milk proteins, called casein. They are damaged and turned into something the body cannot break down and digest. This is one reason that dairy is on the top of the most common allergens list. It becomes toxic to the body, and causes damage to the intestines.

It's all sounding pretty great, isn't it? In contrast, real milk (RAW milk) from grass fed cows out on pastures is free of GMO corn residues, antibiotics and hormones. It contains all the beneficial bacteria necessary to keep the bad bacteria at bay. It also has all the enzymes still intact that are necessary for digesting and breaking down the lactose and casein in the milk. It contains all the natural minerals and vitamins that are supposed to be found in milk. And it still naturally separates, making it easy to skim the cream off the top and use it for butter or baking, or making ice cream! Plus, if you were to let raw milk sit out on the counter in a jar, not only would it naturally ferment but it would keep longer in the fridge and contain more beneficial bacteria that contribute to healthy gut flora.

To prove my point, let me tell you about my kids and I. My kids have a really bad IgG dairy allergy (confirmed through testing). Any processed dairy, even in small amounts, makes us sick. Rashes, bed wetting, aggression, and an overall difficult disposition occurs when they consume processed dairy. When I have processed dairy, I get upset stomach, headaches, and clogged sinuses within 12 hours. After working on healing our guts and being dairy free for 3 years, I decided to try raw dairy. I was pleasantly surprised! Not a single reaction from them or myself! We have now incorporated raw dairy into our daily diet. We drink it, bake with it, and use it for kefir, butter, homemade ice cream, yogurt, and buttermilk. We are reaping the healing benefits of these things, and so thankful!

If you consume processed dairy, I challenge you to remove it from your diet for at least a week, even two. See if you notice a difference. ;) Allergies, asthma, chronic sinus problems and ear infections, rashes, bowel issues, and behavior problems can all be helped, if not cured, by removing processed dairy. Give it a try! And most importantly, don't take my word for it. By all means, do your own research. Read, watch documentaries, and look things up online to educate yourself. If you get a chance, here is a list of documentaries I found really eye-opening and educational:
Food, Inc.
The Future of Food
King Corn
The Beautiful Truth