Raw Milk: Friend or Foe?

Did you know that 443,000 people die every year from smoking (nearly one in every four deaths in the US)?1 This represents an obvious health threat. In comparison, raw milk is demonized as something far more dangerous. Perhaps, it is because all of us have met hundreds of smokers throughout our lives that the incidents of lung cancer, strokes, heart disease and emphysema go unheeded.

But raw milk…that is something that most of us (that have not been raised on farms) are far less familiar. As such, many of us assume that the pasteurized milk we were given by our parents is the best option. After all, doesn’t the FDA enforce pasteurization to make milk healthier?

According to the CDC, there have been no deaths related to the consumption of raw milk in the last decade. As you know, cigarettes are perfectly legal to purchase if you’re of age, but raw milk can land you in jail if you sell it in certain states. You’re probably wondering why raw milk became illegal in the first place? I will go over everything you need to know about raw milk in this article.

Lactose Intolerant

Growing up, I realized I had developed lactose intolerance. Anything more than a bit of cheese or ice cream, and I was attacked by a demon trying to escape from inside of my body. I would have to stop and lie down due to the excruciating pains I got from drinking or eating too much dairy. It took me awhile to put two and two together and come to the conclusion that it was, in fact, dairy that was causing these pains. When I started doing my research on raw milk, I found that lots of lactose intolerant people were able to drink it, including myself, without any problems. It was pretty exciting to me because it was something I could eat that was calorie-dense, healthy, and could be consumed in a timely fashion. Eating is, in my opinion, my biggest weakness because I truly do not like to eat. Adding in 32 ounces of milk a day adds an additional 800 calories a day to my diet and extra protein as well.

Pasteurization

In 1924, the USPHS developed the Standard Milk Ordinance, known today as the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance.4 It was put in place to help prevent the spread of milk born diseases. At the time, living conditions and feeding habits for the cows were less than optimal.

According to a local raw milk provider, “Raw milk's reputation, in my opinion, boils down to nothing more than misinformation and politics. Big Ag [Big Agriculture] can compete with the organic push because all they have to do is feed organic grain. But for raw milk to be safe to drink, it MUST be grass-fed and larger dairy operations are simply not set up to provide this. Their business model depends on the milk being pasteurized. The FDA regulates the interstate traffic of raw milk...which is milk intended for pasteurization. So, their information on the safety of raw milk is based upon the milk in which they experience, which I agree is not safe to drink raw.”

With all we now know about what the living conditions need to be, it’s almost a certainty that the cows weren’t getting fed the proper diet to accommodate the needs to be able to produce a healthy raw milk product, creating the need for the pasteurization process.

Benefits

As I mentioned above, from both my own personal experience and that of many others, people who are not able to drink pasteurized milk can drink raw milk with no problems. This is because raw milk is filled with natural digestive enzymes. Proteins have a very delicate structure and changes in temperature and pH can destroy some of the enzymes, nutrient co-factors and protein species inherent in raw milk. During the pasteurization process, many of these beneficial components are destroyed because of the heat, causing problems for many different people who do still drink regular milk.3 "Raw milk contains both indigenous and exogenous enzymes.” The most significant and beneficial are AMYLASE, LACTASE, and phosphotase.

“The amylase, bacterially-produced lactase, lipases and phosphatases in raw milk break down starch, lactose (milk sugar), fat (triglycerides) and phosphate compounds respectively, making milk more digestible and freeing up key minerals.”2

Raw milk also contains numerous water-soluble vitamins that are very important to your body. Raw milk contains B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B6 (pyridoxine), B12 (cyanocobalamin), niacin and pantothenic acid. Raw milk also contains fat-soluble vitamins. It contains vitamins A, D, E, and K. A full list of the enzymes in raw milk includes amylase, catalase, lactase, lactoperoxidase, lipase and phosphatase.

“Our bodies use amino acids as building blocks for protein. Depending on who you ask, we need 20-22 of them for this task. Eight of them are considered essential (EAAs), in that we have to get them from our food. The remaining 12-14 we can make from the first eight via complex metabolic pathways in our cells.”2

Raw milk contains all of the EAAs, the amount will differ depending on the stage of lactation the milk is currently in, but all are present at any given point in its life. Raw milk happens to contain not 1, not 2, but all 8 essential amino acids.

The mineral content will differ greatly; you have to consider breed, living conditions, feed and even from cow to cow. One thing we can all agree on, is that no matter what, it’s going to be rich in minerals.

A typical quart will have:

  • Sodium 330-850mg
  • Potassium 1040-1600mg
  • Chloride 850-1040mg
  • Calcium 1040-1225mg
  • Magnesium 85-130mg
  • Phosphorus 850-940mg
  • Iron 280-570ug
  • Zinc 1880-5660ug
  • Copper 95-570ug
  • Manganese 19-47ug
  • Iodine  ~245ug
  • Fluoride 28-207ug
  • Selenium 4.7-63ug
  • Cobalt 0.47-1.23ug
  • Chromium 7.5-12.3ug
  • Molybdenum 17-113ug
  • Nickel 0-47ug
  • Silicon 700-6600ug
  • Vanadium trace-290ug
  • Tin 38-470ug
  • Arsenic 19-57ug *

* Low compared to levels typically found in foods (particularly oysters, dried shrimp and cheese)5

My Experience

I know there are too many factors that determine how much weight you can do, how you perform, etc., but since I began drinking raw milk, I had PRs in every lift. I was able to do a lot more assistance work than I had prior and I also gained, (what looks like muscle) weight for the most part. I feel much better, as that I haven’t gotten sick but maybe once since I began consuming raw milk. Like I said, it could all be a coincidence, but as my good friend Zane Geeting said, “Even if it's placebo, if you think it is working and getting the benefits, what does it matter?”

There are literally so many benefits to raw milk, and so much information about each thing that is great about raw milk, so I could literally write papers about it. If you wish to read further, I suggest you contact a local farmer about any questions or concerns you may have and get started with your raw milk adventure.

  1. http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking
  2. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CHcQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcourses.umass.edu%2Fchemh01%2FFall%25202006%2FProject%2520Reports%2FPDF%2520of%2520Final%2520Reports%2FGroup%25202.pdf&ei=AdrMT5SsCsSJ6AG38_3DDA&usg=AFQjCNEODS1nKNJVRKMs214HUhSHhICOLA&sig2=OCmCOoCme5qKQeCdUc1-HA