Raw Milk - Do you drink it?

[Mothering]

With the Raw Milk Symposium coming up we thought this would make a great discussion for the MDC community. What are your arguments for or against raw milk? We all have heard the concerns about unpasteurized milk - but are they valid? According to the CDC at least ten million Americans now consume raw milk, which is a pretty large number of people.

 

Do you drink raw milk? 

 

 

[Adaline'sMama]

I don't really drink milk, but my family consumes raw milk and I eat it in foods. I 've made raw milk yogurt, and have had raw milk butter. It is amazing. I think its really important to know where your raw milk is coming from and really trust the farmer.

[MamaofLiam]

I haven't had raw milk recently, but when I was living in Germany as an au pair the family I lived with drank raw milk. They lived in a tiny village and one of my weekly duties was to go collect the milk from the local farmer in the village who had the cows. I lived with the family for a year and drank the milk the entire time with no ill effects. The only thing that was difficult for me to get used to was how the milk naturally separated, with the thickest cream at the top. I usually waited till someone had drank some off the top and then I'd go for it.

Edited by MamaofLiam - 4/13/11 at 3:15pm

[natbabe]

We only drink raw cow and goat milk.  It has helped with my hubby's GI issues, and prevents eczema in my DD.  We also research where we get our milk.  It is wonderful!  The raw butter is delish too!  We switched to raw after reading "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon.

[Vermillion]

We drink it. I personally love me a glass of milk now and then but could never drink it because my tummy DID NOT agree Raw milk doesn't bother me a bit. We also do raw butter, yogurt, cheese, etc. Yum!

[blackannis]

We don't right now because it's too hard to get, but I'm hoping to persuade my husband that we should get a cow in a couple of years once we've got our hobby farm going. That will make it a bit easier to actually get raw milk without having to jump through hoops.

[MrsBone]

Yep! we drink it and have used 3 different farmers over the past few years that we trust. I'm even drinking it in pregnancy, although I typically heat it for a latte, so it's not technically "raw" anymore. I think it's important to trust your farmer, but I definitely believe it's way better for you than pasteurized, homogenized milk. Plus it tastes amazing!

[Piglet68]

We just started getting raw milk from a local farmer. I use it to make cheese, yogurt, and other goodies. I believe it is definitely a superior product than organic pasteurized milk, but can't afford to have all our milk be raw. We go through at least 12 litres a week, and pay $12/litre for raw.

[miriam]

I have drank raw milk all of my life, cow and goat milk.  Delicious. Healthy.  The one luxury I allow myself.

Editted to add that I drank raw milk every day of all of my pregnancies.

Edited by miriam - 4/14/11 at 12:16pm

[weliveintheforest]

We drink it when we can get it!  We don't currently have a source but as soon as we do we will be drinking it again.  We love the taste, the creaminess, and we feel healthier drinking it.  

[jazzybaby9]

Just bought a cow share (in Colorado) since that's the only way to legally obtain raw milk here. Goat and cow milk. I trust the farmer. The milk is delivered to a local co-op once/week for us to pick up. I can really tell a difference. We're not usually cow milk drinkers- we drink coconut milk and almond milk occasionally, but I just finished reading Cure Tooth Decay and it suggested raw milk as a good way to help treat and prevent cavities- so I jumped on the idea and now I'm VERY happy with it. http://www.realmilk.com

[7thDaughter]

I decided to try raw milk - just once - after reading several books on traditional nutrition and finally The Untold Story of Milk by Ron Schmid.  After trying it once I immediately switched my family over and now we go through 3 gallons of raw jersey cow milk a week.  Our milk comes from a local dairy, one of the few in Washington State that is certified to sell raw milk.  It's very expensive.  I buy it because the vitamin and mineral content is so much better and more digestible than "factory" milk.

My kids are teens, both showing problems that I am sure are related to early nutrition. (The things I didn't know about nutrition when I was pregnant and when my children were small just breaks my heart.  I can only partially rectify my mistakes.)  So now I do what I can to provide the absolute best in high mineral nutrition.  My son has grown 3 1/2 inches this past year on raw cow milk.  His temperament has also improved.

Raw cow milk, handled responsibly by a careful dairy farmer, is a completely different food when compared with low-fat, pasteurized, homogenized factory milk. Read Ron Schmid's book, it discusses the nutritional and safety issues in detail.  Our organic raw cow milk comes from 100% grass fed jerseys.

BTW, I tried milk from another farm, and was amazed at how different it tasted.  So don't be afraid to try milk from different sources, you may find one suits you better than another.

[goldenwillow]

Yep, raw milk family here.  I drank it throughout my pregnancy (got flack on that from my MW) and my son still drinks it to this day.  Loves it.  I must admit I only drink a swig or two a day anymore.  DS is so strong, smart and was alert from day 1.  I am so very grateful.  We make our own cheese and many other goodies with it.

I was lactose intolerant all my life, yeah to raw milk!  Drinking store brands just doesn't make any sense to me.  Why mess with the real deal? 

[cristeen]

Ive drunk commercial raw off and on for a few years. But just last week i got my first jar from my cow share. Its amazing the difference in flavor.

Ive never been a milk drinker - i use it but dont drink it. But i had to ration that half gallon to make it through the week. I picked up a gallon last night, and we'll see how it goes. Im buying from a local farmer who does herd shares, and he tests every cow before they buy them for A1/A2 milk.

[Fay]

We go through 3 gallons per week.   I can never go back to pasteurized milk again, the raw cow's milk is so delicious.  The raw goat's milk is even more delicious, but I can't justify the additional expense.  Our farmer tests the milk for various bacteria every other day.  There are a lot of things to keep in mind regarding raw milk safety.  First, the farmer has to keep a relatively small herd.  It is impossible to maintain a safe milk supply with an enormous herd.  The farmer also must test the milk regularly and maintain hygienic handling practices.  I pack my milk into coolers with ice when I pick up, and it goes straight to the back of my fridge at home.  It is important to keep the milk cold at all times -- I guess I'm paranoid that way.  But I haven't had a problem with raw milk since we joined the co-op in 2007.

I admit I'm biased.  I'm a lifelong milk lover.  I tried a dairy-free diet for my DS1 for a year with no improvement in his health, and then I started him on raw milk and saw immediate improvement in his digestive problems.  I think of raw milk as a nutrient-dense fast food.  I've heard all the arguments about cow's milk being bad for humans, and I have to disagree because of how it has helped my family.

[LovingMama2]

We switched to raw milk about a year ago. I refused my husband's suggestion to switch, at first, because I thought we were likely to get sick (Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria ))) -   thank you FDA). I chose to read up on it and the pro-raw milk arguments made sense to me.

From what I gathered, milk was not always handled in a clean way therefore allowing the milk to become contaminated and causing people to get sick. It was found that boiling milk (pasteurizing ) fixed this problem by killing the contaminants.

The way I see it if poor handling of milk can contaminate milk and make us sick then there are two solutions: either have clean handling practices or pasteurization. I believe in going to the root of problems rather than finding quick fixes (there are usually/always secondary effects) so cleaning up the processing of the milk makes sense.