years, the FDA and its cahoots have been targeting and harassing the farmers who dare to sell raw milk direct to people who are willing to drive long distances to get the real milk for their families. Numerous health and medical organizations have been churning out a plethora of clinical
studies to warn the public against the perils of consuming
the raw milk – And, of course, the Colas and Mc-Burgers are perfectly safe and healthy foods!
May it be that the Raw Milk poses a danger to the health of the Multi-Trillion dollar Health Care Industry?
A Heavenly Drink
I grew up in a region where milk was an essential part of our daily diet. We drank milk as children. We drank milk after workouts, and we drank milk to recover from our injuries and sicknesses. And, we drank it raw.
Since we had tasted the Real Milk, the milk bought from the store shelves never appealed to our taste buds. It was difficult to digest and caused bloating and heaviness. Over the last two decades, we noticed the taste and odor of milk getting deteriorated to such a degree that we had to give up on milk.
That was until I stumbled upon the website of Weston A. Price Foundation – Thanks to them, we found the sources to obtain the grass fed raw milk in our area, and rediscovered the Real Milk again. It tastes like a drink direct from Heaven – Delicious, Creamy and easy on the Digestive System. We love it and enjoy the immune boosting effects of this natural milk.
These happy cows eat food that is appropriate for them, which is mostly grass, hay or silage, with only a small amount of grain, if any. The real milk contains all the fat, and has not been processed in any way — it is raw and
unhomogenized. It must be noted that most of the
important anti-microbial and health-supporting components are in the milk fat.
Health & Happy Cows:
Raw milk comes from cows that graze on fresh green forage, especially those grazing grass grass. Cows are natural herbivores and are healthiest when they eat grass
and live on pasture land. Nature has designed cows’ digestive system for eating grass and hay. Real Milk comes from such health and happy cows.
A diet based on grains is foreign to cows’ stomach. Vital nutrients like vitamin A and D, and K2 are greatest in the milk from cows eating green grass, especially rapidly growing green grass in the spring and fall. Vitamins A and D are greatly diminished, and K2 disappears, when the milk cows are fed commercial feed.
Commercially Raised Cows:
Commercial dairy cows, on the other hand, live confined in tiny spaces, and are fed Soy Meal,Corn, Cottonseed Meal, Bakery Waste, Chicken Manure, and even pieces of their herd mates. They are kept in confinements and pumped with antibiotics and a variety of other drugs as the cows get constantly sick due to the unnatural and unhealthy diet and confinement. No doubt commercial milk tastes and smells like Pus – Actually, it is part pus. Even at the organic dairy farms, cows are fed soy meal. Soy meal has the wrong protein profile for the dairy cows. Ingestion of these grains causes a multitude of health problems for cattle – the main issue being the premature aging of the animal’s organs.
Cows raised on grain diet, especially on soy bean, produce high volume of milk over a short period of time, and then die a premature death.
The Benefits of Grass-Fed Raw Milk
Raw milk from grass-fed cows is the only food that has all the necessary components essential for good health. While healthy fats in raw milk support the cardiovascular system, beneficial bacteria and antimicrobial components, absent in pasteurized milk, support the immune system boost and reduce allergies. It is an outstanding source of vitamins, especially vitamin A, zinc, and enzymes.
Clean raw milk from pastured cows is a complete and properly balanced food – You could live on it exclusively if you had to.
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Pastured raw milk is not associated with any of the health problems of pasteurized milk such as rheumatoid arthritis, skin rashes, diarrhea and cramps.
In a survey of raw milk drinkers in the state of Michigan, over 80 percent of those advised by a health care professional that they were lactose intolerant were able to consume raw milk without any complication.
Raw cow’s milk has all of the 8 essential amino acids in varying amounts. About 80% of the proteins in the milk are caseins - reasonably heat stable and, for most people, easy to digest. The remaining 20% or so are classified as the whey proteins, many of which have important physiological effects. Whey proteins, though easy to digest, are very heat-sensitive. These proteins include the key enzymes and the enzyme inhibitors, immunoglobulins (antibodies), metal-binding proteins, vitamin binding proteins and several growth factors.
The Latest research is also focusing on the fragments of protein (peptide segments) hidden in casein molecules that also exhibit anti-microbial activity.
Other Beneficial Ingredients in Raw Milk:
Lactoferrin, an iron-binding protein, has numerous
beneficial properties; including improved absorption and assimilation of iron, anti-cancer properties and anti- microbial action against several species of bacteria responsible for dental cavities . Recent studies also reveal that it has powerful antiviral properties as well.
Two other players in raw milk’s antibiotic protein/enzyme arsenal are lysozyme and lactoperoxidase. Lysozyme can actually break apart cell walls of certain undesirable bacteria, while lactoperoxidase teams up with other substances to help knock out unwanted microbes too. The immunoglobulins, an extremely complex class of milk proteins also known as antibodies, provide resistance to many viruses, bacteria and bacterial toxins and may help reduce the severity of asthma symptoms. Studies have shown significant loss of these important disease fighters when milk is heated to normal processing temperatures.
CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid), abundant in milk from
grass-fed cows, is a heavily studied, polyunsaturated Omega-6 fatty acid with promising health benefits. CLA’s many potential benefits: it raises metabolic rate, helps remove abdominal fat, boosts muscle growth, reduces resistance to insulin, strengthens the immune system and lowers food allergy reactions.
There are two groups of vitamins, water-soluble and fat- soluble. Whole raw milk has them all in easily assimilable form. Whether regulating your metabolism or helping the
biochemical reactions that free energy from the food you eat, vitamins from both of these groups are essential. Raw milk contains a broad selection of completely available minerals ranging from the familiar calcium and phosphorus on down to trace elements.
The 60 plus (known) fully intact and functional enzymes in raw milk have an amazing array of tasks to perform, each one of them essential in facilitating one key reaction or other. Some of them are native to milk, and others come from beneficial bacteria growing in the milk. The most significant health benefit derived from food enzymes is the burden they take off from our body. When we eat a food that contains enzymes devoted to its own digestion, it’s that much less work for our pancreas.
The amylase, bacterially -produced lactase, lipases and phosphatases in raw milk, break down starch,
lactose (milk sugar), fat (triglycerides) and phosphate compounds respectively, making milk more digestible and freeing up key minerals. Other enzymes, like catalase,
lysozyme and lactoperoxidase help to protect milk from
unwanted bacterial infection, making it safer for us to drink.
The Dangers of Commercially Produced and Pasteurized Milk
Commercially produced ‘liquid thing’ that is sold in the name of milk is deprived of these essential constituents of the Real Milk. It is not natural milk. It can be considered a product outright unfit for the human consumption.
Pasteurization destroys beneficial bacteria found in the
raw milk. It destroys the natural enzymes, vitamins and essential antibodies in the raw milk. The process also changes the chemical make-up of calcium in the raw milk, making it Bio-unavailable for our bodies. Calcium is vital to the growth and health of children.
Pasteurization has been implicated in everything from allergies to heart disease to cancer. Many studies have linked consumption of pasteurized milk with lactose intolerance, allergies, asthma, frequent ear infections, gastro-Intestinal problems, diabetes, auto-Immune disease, attention deficit disorder, and constipation.
Clinical Studies and Research on Raw Milk
Dr. Pottenger was a legendry physician. In 1940 he
founded the Francis M Pottenger, Jr. Hospital at Monrovia. Until closing in 1960, the hospital specialized in treating non-tubercular diseases of the lung, especially asthma. He was a regular and prolific contributor to the medical and scientific literature. He served as president of several
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professional organizations, including the Los Angeles County Medical Association, the American Academy of Applied Nutrition and the American Therapeutic Society. He was a member of a long list of other professional organizations as well.
In his article ‘Clinical Evidences of the Value of Raw
Milk,’ Pottenger writes:
“Some of the factors transmitted by milk are thermo-labile [sensitive to heat]. Though their destruction may not produce death, their deficiency may prevent proper development of the child. This may show in the development of an inadequate skeleton or a decrease in resistance. . . . delay in development of osseous centers is noted more frequently in those children. . . receiving heat treated milk. It is particularly absent from the raw milk fed children. . . . I am basing this discussion on analysis of 150 children whose parents have consulted me because of respiratory allergies. Many other workers. . . have also shown that treating milk by heating interferes with its proper assimilation and nutritional qualities. . . . The best milk from a nutritional standpoint is raw milk. . . . Heat-treating milk interferes with calcium metabolism causing. . . delay in bone age and small bones. . . . The interference with calcium metabolism as shown in the bones is only a physiological index of disturbed metabolism throughout the body.”
“I have prescribed raw milk from grass-fed animals to my patients for nearly fifteen years. Time and again I have seen allergies clear up and dramatically improved health. Particularly in children, middle ear infections usually disappear and do not recur on raw milk. Both children and adults unable to drink pasteurized milk without problems have thrived on raw milk. In hundreds-perhaps thousands-of my patients using raw milk, not one has ever developed a salmonella, campylobacter, or other raw-milk-related infection.”
Dr. Paavo Airola wrote this in 1971:
“If you cannot get a high-quality milk, raw and unpasteurized, guaranteed to be from
organically raised animals and 100% free from chemical additives, drugs, detergents, and insecticide and herbicide residues, then you will be better off to omit milk and milk products from your diet.”
Asthma: Three recent studies in Europe found that
drinking “farm” (raw) milk protected against asthma and allergies -(Lancet. 2001 Oct 6;358(9288):1129-33; J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2006 Jun;117(6):1374-8; Clinical & Experimental Allergy. 2007 May; 35(5) 627-630).
Human Studies: In early studies involving humans, raw
milk was shown to be superior to pasteurized milk in protecting against infection, diarrhea, rickets, tooth decay and TB; and children receiving had better growth than those receiving pasteurized milk ( Real Milk PowerPoint, slides 54-56, 58).
Animal Studies: In early animal studies, animals fed raw
milk had better growth, denser bones, greater integrity of internal organs, less anemia, fewer signs of anxiety and stress, and fewer signs of nutrient deficiency than animals fed pasteurized milk – (Real Milk PowerPoint, slides 57, 59-64).
Raw Human Milk: In recent studies, infants on
pasteurized human milk did not gain weight as quickly compared to those fed raw human milk (J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1986 Mar-Apr;5(2):248-53) and premature babies given raw human milk had more rapid weight gain than those given pasteurized human milk. Problems were attributed to pasteurization’s destruction of lipase (J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1986 Mar- Apr;5(2):242-7).
Notes and Cautions
Raw Milk, like the Raw Honey, may not be suitable in certain conditions. Some of us are genetically intolerant to any dairy product. If you have not been drinking milk for a long time, start on raw milk in small quantities. Consult your medical service provider if you have a medical condition before embarking on any new regimen.
Where to Buy
Raw Milk is not commercially available in most states in US. For information sourcing the Real Milk in your area, and to get more information, you may like to visit www. realmilk.com.