My sense is that we can now find more information on raw milk than at any other time in our history thanks to Sally Fallon Morrell of the Weston A. Price Foundation. It’s even possible that many of you are tired of hearing about raw milk since it’s been written about in so many blog posts, magazines, and newspapers!
I’ve been drinking raw Jersey cow milk for over fourteen years, but in just this past year I’ve seen “raw milk rage” reach an all-time high. Farmers have been jailed and their raw milk confiscated. I’ve heard the story of one farmer who committed suicide after the government broke up his farm, which left him penniless and broke his spirit. It’s unimaginable! But that’s what Big Brother does when the sale of commercial fake foods are threatened in our stores.
Recently, a new family looking to transition to raw milk asked me to explain definitively why it’s so healthy. I’ve never really studied the issue in depth, so I decided to do some homework. Somewhat surprisingly, I’ve had quite a “raw milk awakening.” Allow me to share what I’ve learned. Whether or not you currently drink raw milk, you may find this information helpful.
I first started drinking raw milk long ago, after attending a seminar on September 20, 2003, by Sally Fallon, who is now president of the Weston A. Price Foundation. It was the first time I’d ever even heard of her. I learned from Jane, the nutritionist who invited me, that she was a Weston A. Price chapter leader, which I too later became. (I recommend watching the chapter leader welcome video to learn more about what we do.)
Jane was a writer for a health newsletter. I’d called her to complain about my low energy levels and how my asthma was nearly killing me. I couldn’t understand why I felt so bad because, as I told Jane, I was on “a very healthy vegan diet!” She was stunned, I kid you not. It was as though the world went silent, and you could have heard a pin drop. (You can read the full story here.)
Without voicing any criticism, Jane told me to be at a certain place to hear some astounding facts. At the seminar, I was mesmerized as I listened to Sally Fallon, and I purchased her cookbook, Nourishing Traditions. Then I went out to the nearest restaurant and ordered a rib eye steak, medium-rare. It was the first meat I’d eaten in many months! Shortly after that, I found a Weston A. Price-approved dairy farmer at Ebert Farms, and I’ve been drinking raw milk ever since. Well, so much about me— let’s now take a serious look at some raw milk facts.
Raw Milk Facts and Resources
Did you know that raw milk is pretty much a complete food? In fact, certified raw milk was used as a healing therapy at the Mayo Clinic back in the early twentieth century.
Did you know that there are thirty-one easy-to-read articles on the incredible benefits of raw milk? Here are five of my favorites, along with some introductory words to give you a sense of each article:
Asthma or Brucellosis: The Dangers & Benefits of Raw Milk by Sally Fallon Morell
“Two articles appearing recently in the prestigious British medical journal the Lancet illustrate the ongoing debate on the dangers and merits of raw milk…”
Does Stomach Acid Destroy the Beneficial Bacteria and Enzymes in Milk? by Ted Beals, MS, MD
“Proponents of pasteurization have stated that it doesn’t matter whether enzymes get destroyed during pasteurization because stomach acids would destroy them anyway…”
Milk Homogenization and Heart Disease by Mary G. Enig, PhD
“One widely held popular theory singles out homogenization as a cause of the current epidemic of heart disease…”
Milk: It Does a Body Good? by Lori Lipinski
“It all depends on where it comes from, doesn’t it? The subject of milk sparks just about as much controversy as the subject of fats…”
The Milk Cure: Real Milk Cures Many Diseases by J.R. Crewe, MD
“This protocol [the milk cure] was an orthodox, accepted therapy in the early 1900s. Today the Mayo Clinic provides surgery and drug treatments, but nothing as efficacious and elegant as the Milk Cure…”
Personal note: I also found some very interesting articles in the SRP Historical Archives that would be of great interest to the more scientific minded. Below is an excerpt from “Pasteurized Milk—A National Menace” by James C. Thomson of the prestigious Kingston Clinic in Edinburgh, Scotland. I highly recommend reading this 1943 article in full, but I’ll provide you with the introduction. It begins with a question to the author from a local schoolmaster. His question makes it clear that at one time raw milk was provided to schoolage children:
“Formerly we had our milk from a local dairy coming from the farm unpasteurized. As I noticed a difference in the quality of the milk during the last few weeks, I found out that lately we are being supplied with pooled and pasteurized milk. The dairy is quite willing to supply us again with milk coming from a local farm [unpasteurized] and has done so at my request for a week. The milk is much creamier and gets sour naturally again (we use sour milk as a dressing with the salads).
“The pasteurized milk we found could not be soured; it just went bad under the same conditions. Accordingly, I am very pleased with this change. On the other hand, one hears so much about increasing tuberculosis among the cows in the country that I wonder whether we should risk it (giving the children unpasteurized milk).
“The herd from which the milk comes is not regularly examined…Would you kindly state your opinion on this matter, i.e., whether you think bovine tuberculosis is infectious to human beings—or any other reasons why we should not risk using the unpasteurized milk. Our children get about 1½ pints of milk per day at present—nearly all of it raw—and the children are happy and full of life and activity. We are anxious to hear your opinion on this problem.”
Minerals, Vitamins, and Enzymes in Raw Milk
Mineral content per quart (typical range):
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)
Approximate vitamin content per quart:
Vitamin A (375ug)
Vitamin C (19mg)
Vitamin D (38IU)
Vitamin E (940ug)
Vitamin K (47ug)
Vitamin B1 (425ug)
Vitamin B2 (1650ug)
Niacin (850ug)
Vitamin B6 (470ug)
Pantothenic acid (3300ug)
Biotin (33ug)
Folic acid (52ug)
Vitamin B12 (4.25ug)
Important enzymes in raw milk:
Amylase
Catalase
Lactase (through bacterial synthesis)
Lactoperoxidase
Lipase
Phosphatase
You’ll find much more detailed information on the nutritional aspects of raw milk at Raw-Milk-Facts.com.
Hopefully, by now you’re convinced that raw milk is the only real milk, and it’s worth it to find some in your own area. Check out the Real Milk Finder at RealMilk.com to locate raw milk resources listed by state.
Great Raw Milk Smoothies
Blueberry-Mango Raw Milk Smoothie
—Adapted from Healthy Smoothie Headquarters
Ingredients
1 cup raw milk
½ ripe banana
½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
½ cup fresh or frozen mango chunks
½ teaspoon vanilla powder or extract
½ tablespoon raw honey
Optional add-ons:
½ tablespoon carob powder
½ cup full-fat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Instructions
Blend all ingredients at high speed until smooth, around 30–45 seconds.
Wild Blackberry Smoothie
—Adapted from Healthy Smoothie Headquarters
Ingredients
1 cup raw milk
½ cup organic blackberries
¼ cup crispy walnuts (see recipe in my Cook Your Way to Wellness DVD)
1 teaspoon ghee or coconut oil, softened
1 teaspoon raw organic honey
Optional add-ons:
⅓ avocado
½ cup organic blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries
½ tablespoon carob powder
Instructions
Blend all ingredients at high speed until smooth, around 30–45 seconds.
Banana-Bone Broth Smoothie
—Adapted from Healthy Smoothie Headquarters
Ingredients
½ cup raw milk
½ cup bone broth, preferably nice and gelatinous
1 fresh organic banana (medium)
½ cup fresh organic blueberries
A little raw honey
Optional add-ons:
1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
¼ cup organic crispy almonds (see recipe in my Cook Your Way to Wellness DVD)
¼ cup organic coconut flakes or shreds
Instructions
Blend all ingredients at high speed until smooth, around 30-45 seconds, or until it’s at the desired consistency.
The author of the poem above goes on to write: “Ahhh, my poor little poem can’t really convey the situation or the frustration that I and all the other shareholders feel as our raw milk (that is our rightful property!) is being withheld from us, due to a flawed Order to Cease and Desist.”
Note from Maria: I am a Certified Natural Health Professional, CNHP, not a medical doctor. I do not diagnose, prescribe for, treat, or claim to prevent, mitigate, or cure any human diseases. Please see your medical doctor prior to following any recommendations I make in my blogs or on my website.
Images from iStock/GOSPHOTODESIGN (main image), catalby (milk sign), karelnoppe (girl drinking milk), baibaz (smoothy).
Maria Atwood is a semiretired Certified Natural Health Professional and Weston A. Price Chapter Leader in Colorado Springs, CO. Visit her website at TraditionalCook.com. Also check out Maria’s Cook Your Way to Wellness DVD (also available as an e-learning course) and be sure to follow her Tips from the Traditional Cook blog.
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