Quote:
Originally Posted by lkw15
In addition, raw milk is NOT federally-regulated, unlike pasteurized milk. Some states do have separate regulations related to raw milk production, but most do not.
And while I don't disagree with your statement regarding the unsavory practices of some dairy farms or "feed lots", without personally inspecting each dairy farm (not to mention possessing the appropriate knowledge of GMPs, HACCP and other food safety measures) and following the milk from cow to bottle, how could you ever know what kind of facility is producing the raw milk? Whether treated with antibiotics, growth hormones, etc, cows are still animals, and there are still severe risks associated with eating anything directly from any animal. Would I rather have raw milk from a small farm with good sanitary and animal health and welfare practices vs the large feedlot farm? Absolutely. But it doesn't mean that one is going to pose no risk, a risk much greater than that of pasteurized milk.
Many scientists have examined the nutritional content of both raw and pasteurized milk, and with the relatively new methods (heating to a very high temperature very quickly), it has been shown that there is no substantial nutritional benefit to drinking raw milk. Raw milk and pasteurized milk are equivalent in terms of protein, nutrient, fat and carbohydrate makeup. The author of one of the leading studies on this subject concluded: "The risks of drinking raw milk outweigh any nutritional benefits."
Personally, I would say that for most of the general population drinking raw milk is not a good idea. It is an absolutely no-no for children, pregnant women, or those with immune disorders. But as Bobby_Light said above, do your research and if you feel comfortable with who is selling the milk, the risks associated with consuming the product, and it's legal in your state - then that decision is yours.
But at the end of the day perhaps picking up a gallon of good ol' fashioned organic milk might be the best bet.
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Raw milk is legal in 28 of 50 states. California is the only one where it is legal to sell in stores without the need to join a cow-share program from what I know. All states do apparently take a stand regarding raw milk.
I haven't personally been to Organic Pastures but have seen videos of the operation and heard the owner of the farm, Mark McAfee, speak on several occasion regarding his farming operations and how he took his dairy from a pasteurized operation to a raw operation because the demand for raw dairy was so great and the realization of how sustainable farming flat out makes sense.
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As far as the risk of consuming raw milk being greater than that of pasteurized milk, this simply isn't true. The health consequences of consuming non-bioavailable, processed foods are far greater because of the cumulative effect they have on the body. I have already written about the inflammation, autoimmune, and degenerative processed that result from consuming pasteurized dairy. This beats down the immune system leading to further susceptibility to other pathogens in the environment food borne and otherwise.
The nutritional benefits of raw milk usurp those of pasteurized/homogenized simply because YOU CANNOT assimilate the all of the fats, protein, vitamins, and minerals in the pasteurized/homogenized dairy. Having xx amount of protein and xx amount of fat means absolutely nothing if you cannot assimilate it. With raw milk, you know for a fact that you'll be able to assimilate what you're consuming because what is contained in it is bioavailable. Raw milk is a living food. Pasteurized milk is dead. You cannot gain vitality from something that is dead.
Here's a case in point. Osteoporosis is extremely common despite our consumption of a crap ton of pasteurized dairy. The countries that consume the most pasteurized milk and have the highest incidence of osteoporosis. Why is this so if milk is a good source of calcium like we are told? The answer lies in the fact that you need the enzyme phosphatase to use the calcium in the milk. Pasteurized milk is considered pasteurized when the enzyme phosphatase has been destroyed. No phosphatase, no calcium absorption. The calcium is not available to the body. This doesn't happen with raw milk. There is actually evidence to show that pasteurized dairy may actually increase incidence for osteoporosis because of the phosphorus and denatured proteins in the pasteurized milk.
So if the nutritional value isn't less than pasteurized milk and the risk is very, very low why do we have pasteurized milk again? Insert the closing to my last rant here.