Why Would Anyone Want to Drink Raw Milk?

And What Is the Difference Between Raw Milk and Pasteurized Milk?

Feb 27, 2009 Marie Thomas

Pasteurized milk isn't what it's cracked up to be and raw milk has been villain- ized; doctors and resear- chers defend raw milk with some lesser known facts about both.

Dr. William Campbell Douglass on his web site The Douglass Report, touts his new book The Raw Truth About Real Milk, a revised version of his first milk book from the 1980s entitled The Milk Book: The Milk of Human Kindness Is Not Pasteurized. His first statement is “There’s just nothing like fresh, raw milk.” But many people today don’t like milk, and no wonder; they aren’t old enough to remember when it actually tasted good.

In the 1920s, the U.S. Government mandated pasteurization, and “in order to get people to actually drink this… stuff,” says Douglass, “they… subsidized advertising campaigns that convinced the American public that it was healthier. Just another media spin...”

Salmonella Outbreaks In Pasteurized Milk

Sally Fallon, V.P. of the Weston-Price Foundation, in her article More About Raw Milk on the Real Milk web site, says that pasteurization is no longer required. “All outbreaks of salmonella from contaminated milk in recent decades — and there have been many — have occurred in pasteurized milk.” She explains that even the 1985 Illinois outbreak affecting 14,316 people, contained a salmonella strain in pasteurized milk that was genetically resistant to both penicillin and tetracycline.

Pasteurization destroys the organisms in raw milk that protect against pathogens, leaving it devoid of its protective mechanism against undesirable bacterial contamination. Raw milk reacts by souring normally, while pasteurized milk, lacking this beneficial bacteria, putrefies. Vitamin C content after pasteurization is less than 50%; and other water-soluble vitamins are as low as 20%. A high price to pay for an unnecessary process.

Why Would Anyone Want to Drink Raw Milk?

Another negative effect of pasteurization is destruction of the Wulzen factor (named after researcher Rosalind Wulzen) present in raw butter, cream, and milk. And one of the most common disease conditions of this age is arthritis. The Wulzen factor is a compound present in raw animal fat that protects against joint calcification, hardening of the arteries, and cataracts. Calves fed only pasteurized milk quickly get joint stiffness, but symptoms are reversed when fed raw butterfat.

In 2008, the FDA was questioned about the content of pus in pasteurized milk. The FDA answer sidestepped the question when defending the safety of pasteurized milk, and in spite of several further inquiries, has not responded to date.

Congressional Bill Filed to Allow Access to Raw Milk

In January 2009, U.S. Congressman Ron Paul introduced HR 778. This congressional bill is intended to prevent the federal government from ‘prohibiting, interfering with, regulating, or otherwise restricting interstate traffic of raw milk... solely on the basis that it is unpasteurized.’ Passage of this bill would enable U.S. consumers to obtain raw milk from other states without being in violation of the current federal law.

All U.S. states presently permit legal consumption of raw milk, but ironically, not the sale of it. Selling raw milk is illegal in about half of these states.

Paul says "Americans have the right to consume these products without having the Federal Government second-guess their judgment about what products best promote health. If there are legitimate concerns about the safety of unpasteurized milk, those concerns should be addressed at the state and local level.”

Dr. Joseph Mercola states on his health information web site, that “…he is right -- demand for raw milk is growing all across the U.S. In Massachusetts, for example, the number of dairies licensed to sell raw milk has grown from 12 to 23 over the past two years alone.” Mercola also states, “From a health perspective, there’s simply no rational justification to ever drink pasteurized milk, even organic pasteurized milk."

Sources of raw milk in New England can be obtained from the Northeast Organic Farming Association web site.

References: Pasteurized Milk or Raw: The Straight Facts

Like this article? Read my other Nutrition articles.

The copyright of the article Why Would Anyone Want to Drink Raw Milk? in Food Trends is owned by Marie Thomas. Permission to republish Why Would Anyone Want to Drink Raw Milk? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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Comments

Feb 27, 2009 7:13 PM

Stephanie Jolly :

I think raw-milk is excellent, although I've noticed it's quite a bit more expensive than pasteurized milk because of all the additional liability insurance the small farmers have to obtain. If HR 778 makes it more easily available, I'm all for it.

A warning sticker regarding the potential hazards of listeria for individuals with compromised immune system would be a perfect solution. I mean, you can sell cigarettes that way, so why not milk?

Mar 3, 2009 8:29 AM

Guest :

Raw milk is often a bit more expensive than mass-processed milk, but it's also a much more fair representation of what it really costs farmers to produce it. The Federal Government regulates the price farmers get for milk they ship to big processors -- currently about 90 cents per gallon -- and that's far less than what it costs farmers to produce the milk. Many farms are finding that by selling raw milk they can make up the difference and therefore afford to stay in business, which means they're able to continue stewarding the land, supporting the local economy, and providing their communities with nutritious food. Just about all states that allow raw milk do require the warning label you suggest.

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