So I've started drinking raw milk and...

[avendesora]

I've put on four pounds and my bm's are quite loose (sorry, TMI). Does my body not like the raw milk? Or am I detoxing from pasturized milk?

The weight issue might be related to the fact that I've fallen off the wagon with my 'no sugar' rule over the past month. I haven't quite gotten back on the wagon yet. But the raw milk coincided with that, so it's a possibility that the raw milk is related somehow.

I don't drink much milk. A small splash in my oatmeal or with my cereal, then in my tea later in the morning. I'm not drinking it by the cupful. My husband has also had troubles with loose bm's too.

We've only used two gallons of it over the past three weeks.

Any thoughts please?

Aven

[kdmama33]

I would think the weight gain had much more to do with the sugar than the milk. Especially as it doesn't sound like you're actually drinking much of it at all. Also, four pounds is not an excessive amount to chalk up to normal fluctuations over the period of a month. I really don't think the raw milk is causing you to gain weight.

Not sure what to tell you about the loose BMs. The only time any of us (my family) had that problem was when we first introduced cultured milk products, like kefir and homemade yogurt. Straight milk was not an issue, though. Perhaps someone else will have more to say on that topic.

[nicolelynn]

Yeah, I concur and can testify that sugar and other sweeteners (mainly corn syrup) have more to do with weight gain than anything else.

5 years ago I did a 3 month Bible School in England. So basically I sat all day long studying, didn't exercise besides an occasional stroll for fresh air (not a powerwalk)...and we had a cook that fed us oh so well (roasts will all the trimmings on sundays)...plenty of fried stuff, etc. So, little exercise and more food than I was used to eating, right?

Well, I lost 15 lbs in 3 months!

All I can figure is I was dirt poor in England couldn't affoard the sodas I had on a daily basis at home. And that's it.

[newcastlemama]

I can gain or lose rapidly depending on my sugar intake alone.

Nicolelynn-I can eat a lot and not excerise and not gain as long as I have no sugar too. I was quite happy to discover that so I did not have to be a slave to the traedmill to stay slim!

[RootBeerFloat]

The farmer who tends to "our" cows (you have to own an animal to legally drink raw milk in Colorado) told us to expect up to 2 weeks of loose bowels upon starting the raw milk. She said that, if this occurs, it's the action of the healthy microbes "cleaning you out," meaning that your gut is populated with unhealthy bacteria and the good bacteria in the raw milk are taking over. She stressed that we should NOT stop drinking the milk during this time, but to let it pass. We never had problems like this, though; we're pretty big on yogurt and kombucha around here.

[almasmom]

my favorite part of keeping my cow, Zorka and drinking from her was that my poos were yellow and soft serve cone like. exactly how the nutritionist says they should be. And they smelled sweet. Kind of like breasktmilk poos. Enjoy!

[avendesora]

Thank you, that makes me feel better.

I've also been terribly gassy - would that also be good bacteria taking over? How much longer will it take, would you guess?

[kbchavez]

I don't want to be the downer, here, but some people ARE allergic to milk. And I'm not referring to lactose intolerance, which usually goes away on raw milk since it has all its enzymes intact. I have a cow's milk allergy (the proteins) and can't drink it, even raw. I use raw goat's milk. I'm not saying this is your problem, but if the problem doesn't go away while drinking the milk, you might want to get an allergy blood test (ELISA or ALCAT) to find out for sure.

[avendesora]

I don't think it's an allergy, simply because I've never had troubles with dairy before. This GI discomfort has only started when I switched from pasteurized milk to raw milk. (If I had been dairy-free, and then introduced raw milk, I would agree with you.)

My guess is that the weight gain is related to the sugar, but the GI stuff is related to the milk - the healthy bacteria in the raw milk is cleaning me out.

Now I have a new concern - it's fall and the cows are drying up some, and it's harder to get raw milk. I won't be able to get raw milk every week. Will i re-detox every time I switch back to raw milk? Or will my body get used to it eventually, but it'll take longer if I'm not strictly raw?

Thanks,
Aven

[MrsTittlemouse]

I wouldn't rule out allergy,
however, I had a similar experience when I started drinking raw milk. I was doing a lot of diet shifting at the time and it took a few (3 at most?) weeks for everything to seem normal. I think that overall, slightly loose is healthy, so maybe it is just a proccess that will find its balance between the two extremes?