4 thoughts on “The Health Edge: Raw Milk Consumption – Risks vs. Benefits”

  1. Marianne

    You presented compelling info of which I was totally unaware. I’ll scout out raw milk and add it to my cup of Ethiopian coffee. 😉

    I get it that pasteurization alters the protein structure in milk. Taking as a given that raw milk is much better, If one buys pasteurized milk (for example, while traveling), is there any reason to prefer regular pasteurized milk with shorter shelf life over ultra pasteurized? Also, I have not seen any indication on pasteurized milk cartsons as to the type of cow it came from. Can one buy pasteurized milk from a Jersey Guernsey cow and if so how can one find that?

    You said you were talking about the milk of an entirely grass fed animal. I checked some websites for farms that produce raw milk in my area and saw verbiage that it doesn’t work for cows to be totally green pasture fed. Those farms use hay (dried pasture), grain (grass seed), and green pasture. I guess all that is pasture at different stages . . . .

    Thanks very much for the education! Sourcing of foods is my new focus/priority thanks to your podcasts.

    Reply
  3. Sam May

    Thanks Mark and John for the episode on raw milk. You’re preachin’ to the choir for me. I would like to hear your comments on things I have read in the past on the process of homogenization, which almost always accompanies pasteurization. Specifically, I have read about homogenization as the atomization of large, full fat globules and the result of much smaller physical agents. Do you have any insights into the homogenization process and its effects on health? I am probably remembering talking points from Sally Fallon and Mary Enid, PhD., the their book, Nourishing Traditions.

    Reply
  4. Marianne

    I found raw milk, but one option was for a gallon with an expiration date two days hence and the other option wasn’t from Jersey cows. I ended up with Saint Benoit Organic Whole Jersey Milk: “Organic, non homogenized and vat pasteurized milk from pastured Jersey cows [outside 365 days a year and fed from the pastures they graze on, with an average of two acres per cow]. No more than 1/4 of the cows’ diet comes from organic grains. In addition, the farmer grows his own supplemental grass for those extremely dry or wet months, to ensure maximum quality nutrition for the ladies. We pasteurize our milk in a very small vat [or very low heat] at 145 degrees F min., which is less than the commonly used HTST (161 degrees F min.) or UP (275 degrees F min.) pasteurization, leaving it closer to the natural state.” The milk comes from the first milking of the day. They bottle it in reusable glass bottles right on the farm, within hours, in small batches, so there are no delays in transport or storage.

    What is your take on this (A2 milk pasteurized at the lowest temperature legally permitted and not homogenized) versus raw milk from Holsteins (A1 milk unpasteurized)? Thanks for your thoughts.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.