Pathways - Summer 2012

microorganisms our sys Tems need have disappeared;

commercial milk lacks much oF the ability to helP us digest Protein, lactose and Fat and to absorb vitamins and minerals.

standards, inserting additives for taste and consistency. The final product differs as much from raw milk as night differs from day. Microorganisms our systems need have disappeared; commercial milk lacks much of the ability to help us digest protein, lactose and fat and to absorb vitamins and minerals.

Processed milk advertisers have persuaded us that we need low-fat and skim milk products. This picture leaves out the truth about butterfat, which we desperately require for its fat-soluble vitamins. This diminishes our ability to absorb calcium and protein. Milk from grass-fed Guernsey, Jersey or Devon cows, raised by organic methods in clean barns, produce the richest, most butterfat-laden milk.

If raw milk is safe to drink, then why do we insist on pasteurizing milk?

For thousands of years people drank raw milk. In fact, natural milk was once used at the Mayo and other major clinics as a medicine for patients with serious illnesses. But around the middle of the 19th century, large dairy farms, located inside cities, began producing “swill milk.” They fed the refuse of nearby distilleries—hot and acidic byproducts of grain—to the cows for their regular feed. The animals themselves were confined in dirty stalls, and often milked by sick people. It’s no wonder that, in these circumstances, milk would carry disease, much illness and death.

But instead of assuring cow health by cleaning up the barns and workers and stopping the poor nutrition practices, pasteurization presented itself as the best solution. The process cost relatively little, and the cheap, inferior milk that resulted replaced “real” milk in many markets. Although certified raw milk remained widely available until after World War II, natural milk came to be seen as dangerous and pasteurized milk as truly safe.

What’s wrong with the processed milk we are so accustomed to?

For one thing, pasteurization—exposing milk to high heat in order to destroy potentially harmful bacteria— manages to reduce enzymes, as well as many minerals and vitamins. Beneficial bacteria and other substances which strongly support our immune systems are absent in pasteurized milk.

Then, homogenization, the breaking up of fat globules, causes milk to lack the appearance of containing fat. Consumers have no idea how much fat they imbibe, but proceed to drink a substance lacking the minimal amount of nutritious fat.

Over the long haul, what health benefits could you or I expect to see from drinking raw milk?

Flack, who has sold natural milk for many years, points out how greatly natural milk strengthens our immune system and, as mentioned before, helps us use the proteins and calcium we consume.

“If people drank raw milk regularly in this county,
and never ate processed foods, the dentists would soon
go out of business,” says Flack. “It’s a known fact that
many societies depending solely on raw milk never
knew a tooth cavity. Their mouths had well-developed
dental arches with ample room for all the teeth. Gum
disease simply didn’t exist.”
I checked out this claim with a woman whose chil-
dren have always consumed natural milk.

“I’m not dead-sure about the teeth,” she replied to
my query. “But when my son broke his wrist in three
places last summer, the doctor who treated him could
not believe the speed at which the bones healed.”
Convinced of the benefits of raw milk, most seek-
ers of good health will want to know where and how
to obtain it. In 26 states you can buy it directly from
the farm. Retail sales occur in 10 states, most widely in
Connecticut, California, Maine, Pennsylvania and South
Carolina. You can log into realmilk.com for information
about obtaining natural milk wherever you live.

To observe hand-milking, as our young friend did, you probably need to visit a goat farm.

What about 1 %, 2% or 3% milk?

For these varieties, the processor separates cream and skim, then recombines them in a way that meets legal

Nini Worman, retired special education teacher and administrator, has lived in Franklin County, the center of Vermont’s dairy industry, for 50 years, and has been consuming raw milk from a neighboring farm for some time. She coauthored The Complete Book of Insulating (with Larry Gay) and The All-Around Pumpkin Book (with Margery Cuyler), and over the years has written articles on a variety of subjects. View article resources and author information here: pathwaystofamilywellness.org/ references.html.