Raw not grass-fed, or pasteurized grass-fed? Which is better?

[barefootmommy]

Raw not grass-fed, or pasteurized grass-fed? Which is better, if these were your only choices? The prices are the same.

If taste means anything, the grass-fed pasteurized tasted much better and had much more colour. Just wondering which one would be more nutritious.

[hjrowan]

Are you referring to milk? If so I wouldn't buy non-grass fed (i.e. normal corn fed) raw milk at all because of the increased risk of pathogens being present in the cow and milk in a corn-fed diet.

However if the cow is normally grass-fed and is having supplemental silage (hay) and a small amount of grain during the winter because there is much less grass available then that would be ok.

What's the situation specifically?

[MamaGwynn]

I would definitely go with the grass-fed pasteurized if those were my two options. This is what I drink when we're out of raw for the week. Grain fed raw is not a good idea (if the cow is fed an all grain diet all the time). I personally don't drink milk that is homogenized... so if the grass fed were pasteurized AND homogenized, I would go without.

[blueridgewoman]

I would probably do grass fed pasteurized as well- grain feed changes the gut of the cow SO much that I honestly would be hesitant to drink unpasteurized milk from completely grain fed cattle.

That said, our milk source uses a small quantity of grain they grow themselves to entice the cows to be milked. It's such a small quantity in their overall diet that I'm okay with it.

[barefootmommy]

Sorry I meant cheese!! Sorry I didn't clarify.

[hjrowan]

I'd buy pasteurised grass fed for the same reasons as the milk - but do you know for sure that the raw cheese is corn-fed? I would think it's unusual for a cheesemaker to go to the trouble of making a raw cheese but using corn-fed milk, although I could be wrong!

[Magelet]

grass-fed! so many more nutrients that way.

[serenbat]

for what it's worth- in my area (PA) I could buy RAW milk and cheese, but the farmer SPRAYS the grass (lots of nasty stuff!) the cows eat- personally I don't want any of it, I look for ORGANIC.

I would really check out where the cheese is coming from and all that you can on the company.