Introduction

Did you drink milk everyday as a kid? Or was that just me? Because I know I had at least a glass a day, if not more. I also remember seeing all of those“Got Milk” ads on TV where they would say that milk was an excellent source of calcium and it would help me grow to be big and strong. But something they forgot to mention in all those milk ads was that the milk that makes you big and strong is actually raw milk, not just any random gallon of milk that you can pull from the grocery store shelf.

These days, it seems like everyone is actually allergic to milk, or at least can barely tolerate it. There are many mainstream and trendy diets that encourage you to cut dairy products, but what if you don’t need to cut all dairy? What if you just need to cut pasteurized dairy?

Milk, natural and unadulterated milk is just that, milk. Today, it is common to distinguish between raw milk and milk or raw milk and pasteurized milk. But by doing this we are giving too much credit to pasteurized milk. Shouldn’t the original and natural form be the one that we refer to as just “milk”? So for the remainder of this post, milk is referring to raw, natural, untreated milk straight from the cow.

In my opinion, milk is one of the best foods you can give your family and I want you to be able to make that decision for yourself, with all the facts. So here are my top 9 facts you never knew about milk that may have you second guessing why it isn’t more widely consumed in its natural state.

1. Allergic to Milk? Try it Raw

If you are someone that is lactose intolerant or you typically don’t do well with dairy, you may be able to consume raw dairy just fine! People are more likely to be allergic to pasteurized milk because the pasteurization process negatively affects the allergenic properties in milk, making it harder for the body to digest it.

2. Milk is Cleaner than Pasteurized Milk

Your cleanliness standards matter. Some conventional dairy cows live in close quarters, standing in manure, allowed minimal movement, and 33% of them have mastitis. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to drink milk from a cow that is routinely given antibiotics to fight an infection like that.

Below is the filter for a natural milk milking machine and a pasteurized milk milking machine… you be the judge.

3. Milk is Safer than Salad

The CDC released a study showing that 46% of all food borne illness outbreaks between 2006 – 2015 were a result of contaminated produce, and not raw dairy products. And as you can see, the next biggest category for these outbreaks is meat and poultry, so why is milk considered to be too dangerous for human consumption while the two categories before it are not?

4. Milk is a Superfood!

That’s right! Milk in its natural form contains all twenty standard amino acids, all 8 essential amino acids, all 22 vital minerals, and all 18 fatty acids, all of which are 100 percent absorbed by the body. Pasteurized milk can’t do that.

And fun fact: some people in the 19^th and 20^th centuries lived exclusively off fresh, clean, and natural milk and thrived! If you are interested in learning more about the history of milk, check out my post, The Surprising History of Milk.

5. Unpasteurized is Uncompromised

The very vitamins and nutrients that make milk a superfood are made obsolete by the pasteurization process. And while there are many that will claim otherwise, there have been a number of studies that show this to be true.

For instance, it has been proven that those who consume natural, milk have longer and denser bones than those who consume pasteurized milk. Wasn’t one of the main points of drinking milk to have strong bones?

6. Babies Get Sick Less Often with Milk

A study showed that babies between 8 and 53 weeks of age that consume milk experienced 30% fewer respiratory infections, ear infections, runny noses, and fevers. Additional benefits include: a decreased risk of asthma, lower levels of eczema, a reduction in allergies, and the prevention of various allergic diseases.

7. Raw Milk has been Used as Medicine

In the 19^th and 20^th centuries natural milk was used to treat:

• Malnutrition
• Cirrhosis of the liver
• Skin conditions including eczema, dermatitis, skin ulcerations, and hives
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• High Blood Pressure
• Heart Attacks and Heart Failure
• Urinary tract infections and other urinary system conditions
• Kidney issues
• Muscular strength and growth, preventing and reversing osteoporosis

And it was proven to help with:

• Increased immune function
• Nervous system dysfunction and disorders
• Improving the reproductive systems of women
• Increasing the milk supply in mothers
• The prevention and treatment of certain cancers

Raw milk can do all of that? Honestly, I was shocked when I found this out.

8. Pasteurization Doesn’t Guarantee Safety

Pasteurization kills many harmful bacteria – at the expense of the nutritional benefit of milk – but that does not mean you can consume it without risk. Between 2005 and 2016, a study of all food borne illness revealed that there were a total of 17 deaths due to outbreaks from pasteurized dairy products and only 5 deaths due to natural, raw dairy.

The takeaway? Raw dairy products are a low-risk food that are subject to an unfair bias, and, despite an increase in the distribution of raw dairy, the number of outbreaks has declined since 2010 by 74%!

9. Last but Not Least: Real Milk Does Not Spoil!

Gone are the days of your milk rotting in your refrigerator – yes, I said rotting – it doesn’t just sour, it rots and becomes unsafe for consumption.

But real milk doesn’t spoil! All those wonderful microbes that are killed by pasteurization actually prevent raw milk from spoiling. Instead, it merely starts to ferment. This fermented milk can be kept for at least a month or longer, and can be used in baking or to make cultured butter and buttermilk!

So What Do You Think? Could Raw Milk Benefit You or Your Family?

I am sure you can tell, but I definitely thinks so.

I am not a doctor, and this is merely my personal opinion, but I believe that the benefits of real milk far outweigh the risks in today’s dairy industry. And a bonus point: whole, fresh milk tastes significantly better than store-bought milk. Trust me, once you try it, there is no going back.

If you are sourcing your dairy from a local farm where the cows are raised using organic practices, are free of antibiotics and vaccines, and are able to graze on open pasture – not being fed byproducts of ethanol, soy, leftover bakery goods and other unnatural foods for cows (a diet very common in conventional large scale dairy farms) – then your milk will be a low-risk food and an excellent source of many bio-available nutrients for you and your family.

We buy our milk from a local farm because I want my family consuming the purest and best foods that help us feel our best. We buy milk, cream, cheese, butter, and yogurt from CT Ranch, a local, family-owned ranch in east Texas, and we love it! As a family of 5, we easily consume close to 3.5 – 4 gallons of milk in a week. And one of the things I love most about sourcing our food from local farmers is that I can ask them anything, and I can even take my kids to see where all their milk and dairy products come from.

Do Your Own Research

Raw milk, and a lot of the topics that I cover on Ladenbod may be considered controversial to some, but my only motivation is to provide you with as much information as possible so that you can make an informed decision for your family’s best interests. However, if you have any doubts, please do your own research. Use Ladenbod as a jumping off point, but always make sure you do your own research because your situation or circumstances may be different from mine. I am not an expert; I am merely a mom with three kids that are three and under, and I want to share with you everything I have learned over the past four years so that you can create a healthy, natural, and holistic life for your family.

To find raw milk near you, visit:

• Get Raw Milk
• Raw Milk Finder