Raw Milk, is it ok to drink?

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

SunnyAndrsn

I grew up drinking it. Can't stand it now.

Do whatever makes you happy, and understand the risks.

MinMin97

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.

This is true! We have friends that own a very large dairy nearby my home. They drink their raw milk. Their dairy is well cared for and clean, because they care about their animals. I'm sure this is not true of EVERY dairy.

MeadowSong

It IS illegal to sell raw milk in the US by my understanding--we have a vibrant dairy industry lobbying continually that keeps it so, and a public that thinks if we have enough laws we'll never have to think for ourselves again. But it is NOT illegal to drink it! Goat milk can be safer--the two illnesses that are really what might cause your milk to be dangerous, Brucellosis and I've forgotten the name of the other one, are very rare in goats. But in either animal they can be tested for, and if your animals are clean, well, then there you go. Other than that, you just have food handling issues. All milk is strained--so NO there is not "hay" or hair or whatever in raw milk after it's strained. There may be some before straining esp if it was milked by hand--but it is strained right away. (I would imagine that this would be a bigger problem in a large mechanized dairy.) You DO want to know your farmer. You want that milk chilled quickly and handled right. But most folks that go through what you have to go through to milk do it pretty well right--it's a big job, why bother if not for a quality end result?

If you get raw goat milk it will also be 'whole', unless they have a separater. Cow milk can be 'skimmed' and doesn't have to be separated. I have dairy goats and personally drink their milk. And have gotten raw cow milk from a friend. But I do cook it or pasteurize it for others unless they are cool with it raw. Yeah, it's good. And most people prefer it raw. Many health benefits to raw milk, as long as it's done right.

MeadowSong

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.

This is true! We have friends that own a very large dairy nearby my home. They drink their raw milk. Their dairy is well cared for and clean, because they care about their animals. I'm sure this is not true of EVERY dairy.

I think it's true for the very vast majority of them--people are 'called' to dairy. Most do it very well, or not at all. There are some backyarders who just don't get it, they are easy to spot. Don't buy milk from people if you wouldn't eat in their kitchen! Or anyone who isn't a bit persnickity about getting things done right.

daj150

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!

That sounds AWESOME!

honeyandmilk

I think it's perfectly fine and quite healthy, but I'm a dirty hippie who loves raw milk and cheese, so take what I say at face value.

pyrowill

Well human breast milk is raw milk, and that does wonders for growing babies. Worth a try! I however cannot be bothered

foleyshirley

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.

Raw milk could carry Listeria, which is a ubiquitous microbe. And Listeria could lead to spontaneous abortions. I would never recommend raw milk to someone pregnant.

Mischievous_Rascal

Check out this site:

http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/

lisarfrank

My brother was allergic to cow's milk and we would buy raw goat's milk and we all turned out just fine! :happy: