Raw Milk, is it ok to drink?

trainmean1

Hi everyone!
I'm thinking of exchanging my store milk into raw milk because my asthma goes away when I drink raw milk a few times in a row. ( I am a milk person! ) So I wanted to ask if any of you have any advice on this? Some people told me its very good and others said its gross and unhealthy.


Thanks,

Gallowmere1984

Welcome to one of the most argued over topics in the world. Some people realize that it was a huge part of the diet of various elite athletes of centuries gone by...and others believe it will do every harmful thing to your body, shy of giving you AIDS. The funny part is that both sides generally run on nothing but assumptions, anecdotal evidence, and poorly conducted studies from decades long gone.

My thought: it's worth a try at least.

Rocknut53

We always had milk cows when I was growing up so I was pretty much raised on raw milk. The cream we skimmed off the top makes excellent ice cream!

adry20

Yes! absolutely! Just make sure it comes from a reputable source, get to know a farmer.

lyndabyh

I work in a dairy and I know what raw milk is like. It containes hay, ( from the farms), it contains blood ( from the cows) )Milk is clarified to remove these. It however can also contain coli, coliform, lysteria and other microorganisms. Some of these just cause milk spoilage, some can cause serious illness. I would not recommend drinking raw mlk.

laurynwithawhy

I think it should be fine. I've had it a few times, but find it a bit too rich for my tastes. I would think that the worst that could happen (absolute worst case scenario) is if it's not properly handled you could get bacteria from it, which would probably just mean an upset stomach. If it helps your asthma then it seems worth it!

marinebiologist_girl

From a reputable source, yes. Should be alright.

trainmean1

I work in a dairy and I know what raw milk is like. It containes hay, ( from the farms), it contains blood ( from the cows) )Milk is clarified to remove these. It however can also contain coli, coliform, lysteria and other microorganisms. Some of these just cause milk spoilage, some can cause serious illness. I would not recommend drinking raw mlk.

Do you mean if they clean it, its not raw milk anymore?

THExNEKOxCHAN

DO IT.

I drink raw milk, and it's so so good. Not only is it a living food, you can absorb the calcium from it better.

Pasteurized and UHT milk are dead foods. They tend to be lower quality milk from sicker cows as well, with higher levels of blood, pus and microbes, as they plan to just cook everything till it's killed. It alters the taste of the milk, breaks up the molecules, and damages the fats and proteins, making them toxic.

The fresher the better.

If I have to buy milk from the store, I buy non-homogenized. The homogenization process breaks up the fat molecules and makes them harder to process.

trainmean1

DO IT.

I drink raw milk, and it's so so good. Not only is it a living food, you can absorb the calcium from it better.

Pasteurized and UHT milk are dead foods. They tend to be lower quality milk from sicker cows as well, with higher levels of blood, pus and microbes, as they plan to just cook everything till it's killed. It alters the taste of the milk, breaks up the molecules, and damages the fats and proteins, making them toxic.

The fresher the better.

If I have to buy milk from the store, I buy non-homogenized. The homogenization process breaks up the fat molecules and makes them harder to process.

Thanks! :-) The only thing Im worrying about is what lynabh said!

Fittreelol

Yes! absolutely! Just make sure it comes from a reputable source, get to know a farmer.

This. I drink raw grass fed milk daily, and it's the best milk ever! My cat occasionally enjoys it as well. It can contain pathogens, but so can any food that is handled improperly. Why the reputable source part is important.

THExNEKOxCHAN

Indeed, know your farmer. Is the cow healthy? is she grass fed? Ask if you can see the cow/cows your milk will be coming from. Make friends with your farmer.

THExNEKOxCHAN

http://www.foodrenegade.com/just-say-no-to-uht-milk/

This is why I found drinking milk at home (I come from the States and live in Australia) to be so disgusting. The stuff is foul.

trainmean1

Decided! Will try raw milk and if any bad symptoms happen, Ill stop. But most likely it will work out! Thanks everybody!!!!

THExNEKOxCHAN

Enjoy!

treetop57

Yes, raw milk is fine to drink . . . until you get a bad batch and get sick.

From 1998 through 2009, 93 outbreaks due to consumption of raw milk or raw milk products were reported to CDC. These resulted in 1,837 illnesses, 195 hospitalizations, and 2 deaths. Because not all cases of foodborne illness are recognized and reported, the actual number of illnesses associated with raw milk likely is greater.

http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/rawmilk/raw-milk-questions-and-answers.html#hurt

carrieous

i love milk!! I also have asthma but have never tried raw milk. I also live in a city so idk if there are any cows in my hood...

Fittreelol

Yes, raw milk is fine to drink . . . until you get a bad batch and get sick.

From 1998 through 2009, 93 outbreaks due to consumption of raw milk or raw milk products were reported to CDC. These resulted in 1,837 illnesses, 195 hospitalizations, and 2 deaths. Because not all cases of foodborne illness are recognized and reported, the actual number of illnesses associated with raw milk likely is greater.

http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/rawmilk/raw-milk-questions-and-answers.html#hurt

So in 11 years there were 195 outbreaks requiring hospitalization, or 18/year. The CDC reported spinach and spring mix blends causing 13 hospitalizations last year from e coli. Also last year was an e coli outbreak from clover sprouts at Jimmy Johns causing 7 hospitalizations. I think these reinforce my point that any incorrectly handled food can contain pathogens.

ldrosophila

Please DO NOT if you are pregnant, under the age of 2, elderly, or immunocompromised.

THExNEKOxCHAN

On the contrary, I think if you have good quality raw milk coming from healthy cows, milked and bottled in a clean environment, raw milk is perfectly fine for pregnant women. In fact, some think it helps a long way towards a pain free labor:

http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/easing-the-pain-of-childbirth-with-a-key-traditional-food/

Now, if you're feeding anything but breast milk to your baby while you still have the capacity to breast feed, then you are probably setting your child up for a world of problems.

haroon_awan

Not tried it myself but having read this I'm not sure I would:

http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/consumers/ucm079516.htm

JustJennie1

I honestly think my Grandmother fed me raw milk when I was a child and thinking back now it was the best milk that I have ever tasted in my life. I have not had raw milk since but the stuff I drink now doesn't taste like what I had at her house. There was a dairy around where I live that used to "advertise" raw milk but they don't any more. I'd love to try it again just to see if it was the stuff I had as a kid.

It was THAT good.

THExNEKOxCHAN

Yeah, see, here's how I view it: Every drug that has been recalled was once approved by the FDA. They are also in bed with big companies like Monsanto, who have it out for us with their GMOs and pesticides, and who knows what other shenanigans they've been up to. Since I don't follow blindly anymore with what "authorities" say, I tend to take a lot of their "wisdom" with a HUGE grain of salt.

I prefer, instead, to look at what my ancestors did, as they usually had it right, and in a far safer manner too.

m00glem0g

Where I'm from, the sale of raw milk is actually illegal! It's due to the risk of illness... So I guess it depends where you live.

THExNEKOxCHAN

It's probably mostly due to the big dairy industry fearing the loss of customers should they allow the sale of raw milk.

lauracort

I just switched to raw milk. I've done a lot of research on this topic as well as eating foods that come closest to their natural forms in general. If you think about it... The past 50-70 years our food has changed a thousand fold compared to the thousands of years before this time period AND we have the most health problems (including obesity/heart disease) than our ancestors did. As long as you get the milk from a reputable farmer (make sure you tour the farm) you should be fine. Watch the documentry 'Farmageddon.' But if i've learned anything in this world, I've realized that everyone has very strong views and not a lot of people are open minded to things. Forget what society told you and what the government tells you and trust your instinct. "To each their own'

Here's a link to raw milk as well: http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/raw_milk_health_benefits.html

pink_ribbon_1

I work in a dairy and I know what raw milk is like. It containes hay, ( from the farms), it contains blood ( from the cows) )Milk is clarified to remove these. It however can also contain coli, coliform, lysteria and other microorganisms. Some of these just cause milk spoilage, some can cause serious illness. I would not recommend drinking raw mlk.

OMG....enough said.

MinMin97

I GREW UP drinking raw milk. It's amazing nutrition. So sad how it is mass produced now...
I get Organic Pastures products (you can look them up online).
LOVE their raw butter too.

milkmaid1980

I work in a dairy and I know what raw milk is like. It containes hay, ( from the farms), it contains blood ( from the cows) )Milk is clarified to remove these. It however can also contain coli, coliform, lysteria and other microorganisms. Some of these just cause milk spoilage, some can cause serious illness. I would not recommend drinking raw mlk.

I agree--raw milk from a regular, conventional dairy would be dirty and I personally would not drink it. However raw milk from a small farm where they are careful and clean, is a wonderful product. I was raised on raw milk and I am raising my kids on it. I have always kept cows and milked my own milk, so I know it is clean. It is one of the best foods on the planet!

SuffolkSally

I work in a dairy and I know what raw milk is like. It containes hay, ( from the farms), it contains blood ( from the cows) )Milk is clarified to remove these. It however can also contain coli, coliform, lysteria and other microorganisms. Some of these just cause milk spoilage, some can cause serious illness. I would not recommend drinking raw mlk.

Unpasteurised milk is absolutely fine, much better for you, and over here (UK) there's a thriving market for it amongst those interested in nutrition and people with allergies, including those with lactose intolerance.

Just don't buy it from a dirty dairy, lol.

My local farm specialises in it, and if it ever contained anything like the above I think they'd shut themselves down in sheer mortification, before Health and Safety even got the chance.

714rah714

Pasteurized and UHT milk are dead foods.

Including the bacteria that makes you sick