The case for (or against) raw cheese & milk

[theperceivingeye]

The Health Hype:

Raw milk advocates claim that unprocessed milk is healthier because pasteurization destroys
nutrients and the enzymes necessary to absorb calcium. It also kills beneficial bacteria and
is associated with allergies, arthritis, and other diseases, they say.

This is simply not the case, says Sheehan. Research has shown that there is no significant
difference in the nutritional value of pasteurized and unpasteurized milk, he says. The
caseins, the major family of milk proteins, are largely unaffected, and any modification
in whey protein that might occur is barely perceptible.

"Milk is a good source of the vitamins thiamine, folate, B-12, and riboflavin," adds Sheehan,
"and pasteurization results in losses of anywhere from zero to 10 percent for each of these,
which most would consider only a marginal reduction."

While the major nutrients are left unchanged by pasteurization, vitamin D, which enhances
the body's absorption of calcium, is added to processed milk. Vitamin D is not found in
significant levels in raw milk.

"Pasteurization will destroy some enzymes," says Barbara Ingham, Ph.D., associate professor
and extension food scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "But the enzymes that
are naturally present in milk are bovine enzymes. Our bodies don't use animal enzymes to
help metabolize calcium and other nutrients."

"Enzymes in the food that we eat and drink are broken down in the human gastrointestinal
tract," adds Ingham. "Human bodies rely on our own native enzymes to digest and metabolize
food."

"Most of the native enzymes of milk survive pasteurization largely intact," says Sheehan,
"including those thought to have natural antimicrobial properties and those that contribute
to prolonging milk's shelf life." Other enzymes that survive are thought to play a role in
cheese ripening.

Ingham says that pasteurization will destroy bacteria that may be helpful in the fermentation
of milk into products such as cheese and yogurt, "but the benefit of destroying the harmful
bacteria vastly outweighs the supposed benefits of retaining those helpful microorganisms.
Plus, by adding the microorganisms that we need for fermentation, we can assure a consistently
high quality product."

Science has not shown a connection between drinking raw milk and disease prevention. "The
small quantities of antibodies in milk are not absorbed in the human intestinal tract,"
says Ingham. "And there is no scientific evidence that raw milk contains an anti-arthritis
factor or that it enhances resistance to other diseases."

Fans of raw milk often cite its creamy rich taste, says Szalkucki, who adds that it is
creamier because it is not made according to the standards for processed milk. "If you go
to a grocery store and buy fluid milk, it's been standardized for a certain percentage of
FAT, such as 2 percent," he says. "Raw milk is potentially creamier because it has not
been standardized and it has a higher more unhealthy fat content."

Source: FDA

In Moderation Most Cheese Is Good Food. BUT TRY AN AMISH CHEESE TODAY !

GOT MILK?





Brought to you by the FDA :D

[stelios]

I try and drink raw milk whenever i can.
It is expensive £1.39 a pint but much better for you.

[theperceivingeye]

Care to expand on that stelios? I take it you disagree with the holy and all knowing FDA on this issue?

I know there is lost of info about this online but I'd like to hear from proponents of raw milk themselves about what they think the benefits are. I'm a relatively recent convert to raw cheese, have yet to try raw milk... but I am curious as to how much better raw is than pasteurized organic if it can still contain harmful micro-organisms...

Raw milk and cheese definitely can cause digestive problems too... I am not sure if this is my body adjusting to what I am eating or if it is trying to get rid of harmful micro-organisms found within the raw milk, possibly contaminated.

Would love to hear more from some of the raw milk proponents on this board. :)

[rosix]

the same FDA that has allowed aspartame for decades? endorses fluoride?

I drink rice milk myself but do seem to remember reading an article or 2 that pitched a bad angle on that.

[bluesworthy]

does anyone know much about the differences between raw goat's milk vs. raw cow's milk?

[the ultimate truth]

Stelios
I try and drink raw milk whenever i can.
It is expensive £1.39 a pint but much better for you.

Not consuming animal milk at all is much better for you,
Cows milk is the main dietary cause of bone diseases and cancer and contributes to most other diseases.

Milk The Deadly Poison WATCH THIS!!!
Milk The Deadly Poison WATCH THIS!!! - YouTube

Fox News Kills Monsanto Milk Story
Fox News Kills Monsanto Milk Story - YouTube

Why Cows' Milk is Unhealthy
Why Cows' Milk is Unhealthy - YouTube

Your Milk on Drugs - Just Say No 1/2
Your Milk on Drugs - Just Say No 1/2 - YouTube

Dairy: 6 Reasons You Should Avoid It at all Costs
Dairy: 6 Reasons You Should Avoid It at all Costs - YouTube

Do You Drink Milk? 28 Things You Should Know.
Do You Drink Milk? 28 Things You Should Know. - YouTube

Why Cows' Milk is Unhealthy
Why Cows' Milk is Unhealthy - YouTube

does anyone know much about the differences between raw goat's milk vs. raw cow's milk?

Goats milk is much less unhealthy than cows milk.

it's still not a health food though.


Healthy milks:

Freshly made seed milks > Coconut water > Nut milks > Coconut Milk.

Unhealthy Milks: Non organic cows milk > Raw Organic grass fed cows milk > Organic Goats milk > Soy milk > Rice/Oat Grain Milk > Cartoned nut milks with agave nectar in are not bad in moderation.

Other Healthy foods that normally contain Dairy and other unhealthy ingredients:

Ice Cream

Like eating ice cream ? If you limit your ice cream intake like most people because its unhealthy in general there is a healthy and not to mention cheap just as tasty alternative that can be eater as a desert that can be eaten regularly :P

Freeze fruit such as bananas (are great) and add and mix other fruits,
mash them together ca be done with a spoon or put them through a homogenizing juicer, a blender or food mixer.
And there you have 100 percent natural highly nutritious ice cream.

Add all the toppings you want, berries, fruit slices, nuts and seeds, cinnamon etc.

Taste almost identical to nor and just great and are also highly nutritious.

[blue2]

Anything processed is not good for us anyway it's had some goodness taken away. Casein the protein in cows milk and also lactose is a source of allergy to many and avoidance for autism and Gluten is causing no end of issues with peoples digestion. Undigested proteins cause Opiod peptides to break through brain barrier and wreck brain function. Enzymes we are not always producing and more people seem to be chronic with something or other and say if enzymes migrate to a different area of body to where they belong you may have cancers apparently. I go along with high calcium levels through drinking milk not being utilised.

[theperceivingeye]

Not consuming animal milk at all is much better for you,
Cows milk is the main dietary cause of bone diseases and cancer and contributes to most other diseases.

Milk The Deadly Poison WATCH THIS!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYpafipJyDE

Fox News Kills Monsanto Milk Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axU9ngbTxKw&feature=related

Why Cows' Milk is Unhealthy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTo5TulJLU8

Your Milk on Drugs - Just Say No 1/2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GpqwZDbMHU&feature=related

Dairy: 6 Reasons You Should Avoid It at all Costs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O-ehIkwGME

Do You Drink Milk? 28 Things You Should Know.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBBFTpTMUbc&feature=related

Why Cows' Milk is Unhealthy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTo5TulJLU8



Goats milk is much less unhealthy than cows milk.

it's still not a health food though.


Healthy milks:

Freshly made seed milks > Coconut water > Nut milks > Coconut Milk.

Unhealthy Milks: Non organic cows milk > Raw Organic grass fed cows milk > Organic Goats milk > Soy milk > Rice/Oat Grain Milk > Cartoned nut milks with agave nectar in are not bad in moderation.

Other Healthy foods that normally contain Dairy and other unhealthy ingredients:

Ice Cream

Like eating ice cream ? If you limit your ice cream intake like most people because its unhealthy in general there is a healthy and not to mention cheap just as tasty alternative that can be eater as a desert that can be eaten regularly :P

Freeze fruit such as bananas (are great) and add and mix other fruits,
mash them together ca be done with a spoon or put them through a homogenizing juicer, a blender or food mixer.
And there you have 100 percent natural highly nutritious ice cream.

Add all the toppings you want, berries, fruit slices, nuts and seeds, cinnamon etc.

Taste almost identical to nor and just great and are also highly nutritious.

please, spare me the vegetarian propagada... Not knocking that lifestyle choice at-all, I used to be a vegetarian myself.

Your statement that milk is one of the leading dietary causes of cancer seems just plain wrong. This thread is about RAW/ORGANIC milk not processed industrial garbage...

Also I drink rice-milk sometimes, would you mind telling me why you think it's bad?

[stelios]

Milk provides so many vitamins and minerals in a natural source.
Raw dairy is best but i mostly buy organic milk cos it's cheaper

[theperceivingeye]

Milk provides so many vitamins and minerals in a natural source.
Raw dairy is best but i mostly buy organic milk cos it's cheaper

I just had some raw organic cheese from a grass fed cow which had been aged for over a year and it was amazing. Hopefully I won't die. ;)

F.Y.I. the organic milk is apparently Ultra-high temperature treated which makes it last longer (1 (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=experts-organic-milk-lasts-longer))... I still think if it was pasteurized regularly it would last longer than regular hormone/antibiotic containing milk... But the fact that it is heated to a much higher temperature makes me wonder if the nutrients aren't completely destroyed...

I'm more interested in cheese because that is what I like whereas when it comes to milk I prefer the taste of rice-milk or almond... Here is an interesting piece I found from the perspective of the primal diet, which I do not personally follow but find interesting nonetheless:
Is All Cheese Created Equal?

The answer to that question is (hopefully) pretty obvious, but I’ll still explain why.

Short answer: No.

Slightly longer answer: C’mon – you really think that stuff you can spray out of an aerosol can is qualitatively identical to a 2-year old Gouda?

Long answer: The paleo purists shun all forms of dairy, but the Primal Blueprint takes a more nuanced stance. We note that while dairy certainly shouldn’t form the basis for an eating regimen, certain forms of it can easily be integrated seamlessly into a healthy, Primal diet as a sensible vice, especially the highest-fat choices (a bit of heavy cream in the morning coffee, some real whipped cream with strawberries for dessert) or even a staple (pastured butter for sautéing and drizzling over vegetables). Of course, for those who can more easily digest (lactose-wise) certain forms and who insist on including it in their diet, sticking to dairy that’s as close to the state it was in upon exodus from the animal in question is important (raw dairy, kids), as is avoiding the stuff treated with all sorts of preservatives and processing (homogenized semi-skim milk product with antibiotics, anyone?).

But we’ve tackled the dairy issue before. To recap, though – if you must have it, raw, full fat dairy, especially fermented, is best, followed by organic, non-homogenized dairy (for reference, milk homogenization involves exerting extreme pressure onto milk and forcing it through small holes so that the fat breaks up…. Yum!). I do think the paleo set is a bit too gung-ho about dairy, but they’ve got it mostly right. The long-purported link between osteoporosis and lower milk/calcium intake is grossly exaggerated (how else would you explain the US, one of the biggest dairy consumers in the world, having some of the highest osteoporosis rates?), but some people have obviously developed digestive systems that can handle dairy reasonably well. The most sensible position is this: if you can handle dairy and insist on including it, then have at it in reasonable amounts.

Cheese, though, is a different beast altogether. It’s technically dairy, but much of what makes dairy so problematic for people is mostly absent from the best cheeses. Take lactose, for example. Lactose, or milk sugar, is what keeps the roughly 2/3 of the world’s population that are lactose intolerant from consuming dairy (other than availability or cultural issues, of course). When most cheese is made, however, the lactose in milk is converted into lactic acid by bacteria. The resultant acid begins the curdling process that eventually results in cheese, and little – if any – lactose remains at the end. Sometimes even trace amounts of lactose can trigger sensitive individuals, but cheese is usually fairly safe. A good general rule is the longer a cheese is aged, the less lactose it’ll have. Another thing to remember: the less lactose a cheese has, the less carbohydrates.

Another problematic dairy component is casein, a type of protein that makes up the bulk of the dairy proteins (along with whey). Casein is a “slow burning” protein, making it popular among body builders who place a premium on maximum absorption, but casein is also an allergen for a small segment of the population. Casein allergy is more insidious than lactose intolerance, because it can result in tearing of the gut lining (akin to celiac disease), skin rashes, breathing problems, and hives. Though it’s fairly rare, people who are allergic to casein might want to avoid cheese: when cheese is made, most of the whey protein is removed (hence, curds and whey) while most of the casein protein is retained.

So depending on your sensitivities, cheese could either be incredibly agreeable or horribly antagonistic. It exists in Primal limbo along with raw dairy, a sort of gray area. On the one hand, cheese has admirable levels of fat, protein, and flavor, but on the other, it has the lactose and casein issues (as well as another, which I’ll get to later). As such, I can’t give you a definitive answer as to whether or not you should eat cheese. Personally, I enjoy a bit of aged cheese on occasion paired with fruit or wine, or in an omelet. It’s not a staple of my diet (don’t pull a George Costanza and eat a block of cheese like an apple), but it can definitely add texture, flavor, and aroma to a dish as a sensible vice. If you’re so inclined, there’s no reason cheese couldn’t be a harmless part of a healthy Primal diet.

But what kind should you be eating?

cheese 1

It goes without saying that the ultra-processed cheese that comes in plastic sleeves or pre-shredded in bags should be avoided. That stuff isn’t real cheese; it’s cheese product engineered in a lab and loaded with preservatives and emulsifiers that render it supremely meltable, spreadable, or (shudder) spray-cannable. I liken it to fast food – it’s somewhat reminiscent of the food it purports to represent, but the amount of processing and adulterating it undergoes makes it closer to plastic than actual food we should be eating. This includes American cheese singles, Velveeta, Cheez Whiz, and most shredded cheeses.

Try to stick to grass-fed cheese, raw if possible.
Raw, Grass-Fed Cheese

The best kind of cheese, in my opinion, is raw cheese from grass-fed milk. Depending on your state or country’s stance on raw dairy products, it can be difficult to obtain, but the benefits – both in terms of nutrition and flavor – are worth the effort. Betacellulin, a potentially dangerous epidermal growth factor that has been linked to cancer, is present in most cheeses. Paleo critics often point to the betacellulin present in dairy as a major deterrent to its inclusion in a healthy diet (rightfully so), but they tend to focus on pasteurized, homogenized non-organic dairy from grain-fed cows – the most common type of dairy consumed in the country. Raw, grass-fed dairy, on the other hand, contains high levels of conjugated lineolic acid (CLA), which has been shown to have anti-cancer properties. Raw dairy supporters suggest that the higher levels of CLA present in raw, grass-fed cheese may act as a counterbalance to the negative effects of betacellulin also present.

Specialty grocery stores and cheese shops might carry a few types of raw cheese, but a surefire bet is to visit local farmer’s markets or family farms. Most states in the U.S. have strict regulations on raw dairy, and, since cheese requires a bit more time to develop, raw cheese can be hard to come by. As I understand it, quality cheeses in European countries are more likely to be raw and grass-fed (I hear the best Brie and Camembert in particular tend to be raw and grass-fed), so Blueprinters across the pond probably won’t have too much trouble. For those Stateside readers unable to find anything, check out Eat Wild for listings of local farms and cheesemakers.
Grass-Fed Cheese

Pasteurized grass-fed cheese isn’t chock full of the delicious bacteria common to raw dairy, but it does retain the higher levels of CLA. Grass-fed cheese, pasteurized or not, also contains the heat-resistant vitamin K2, which Weston Price asserted was the key (along with vitamin D3) to the excellent bone and dental health in the primitive (but supremely healthy) groups he studied. One recent Rotterdam study noted that consumption of Dutch foods rich in vitamin K2 – which include grass-fed cheeses like Gouda, Edam, and Leyden – had a protective effect against cardiovascular events.

Raw might be hard for many of you to find, but grass-fed shouldn’t be too difficult to come across. Stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s carry various kinds, such as the Kerrygold Irish cheeses (they also make good, affordable pastured butter). Whole Foods usually has a fairly knowledgeable cheese monger who can tell you a lot about each cheese they carry (and you can sample most everything, too). If I’m ever curious about a cheese’s origins (and the workers can’t answer), I do a quick Google search of the farm’s name, and I’m usually able to get the info I want.
Goat and Sheep

For people who absolutely cannot tolerate cheese from cows (grass-fed or otherwise), give goat or sheep’s cheese a chance. Goat tends to be more tart and crumbly, while sheep’s cheese varies in flavor as much as cow’s cheese. Again, ask for samples and experiment with different kinds (while trying to stick with cheese from pasture-raised animals).
Other Types

Of course, we can’t always find grass-fed cheese. Other, more conventional cheeses are fine in moderation. The occasional cheese plate isn’t going to kill you, but if you are going to eat a cheese that isn’t organic or range-produced or raw or Primal, make sure that you enjoy it. Make sure that your sensible vice is a worthy one. After all, the best cheeses – regardless of their animal’s dietary habits – are full-flavored, with a little bit going a long way (especially with a nice glass of cab).

I don’t eat cheese very often, but when I do, these are my favorite choices:

Bucheron – A tangy semi-aged, rinded goat cheese with a semi-firm center. As you get closer to the rind, the cheese gets softer, almost gooey. It’s like having two cheeses in one, and letting it mature heightens the difference between the two layers.

Gouda – A Dutch cow’s milk cheese, Gouda (especially aged Gouda) is full flavored. The longer it ages, the sharper and firmer it gets. I like my Goudas aged and find the young ones a bit too mild.

Cheddar – The classic. Aged cheddar, in my opinion, is the only way to have it: sharper, denser, and with less lactose.

Blue Castello – An intense blue-veined cheese, Blue Castello is creamy and overpowering. A decent-sized wedge will last me for a month; it’s that flavorful a cheese.

Feta – Feta can be made with goat, sheep, or cow’s milk, and I love it all. It crumbles well and goes great with salads.

Grok probably didn’t eat cheese. But like chocolate, wine and other sensible vices, it doesn’t mean we can’t fit this more civilized food into a Primal lifestyle if we just know the loopholes. I hope this was a helpful, general guide to cheese. I’d be interested to hear your views on this particular incarnation of the much-maligned dairy. Anyone else have favorites?
-http://www.marksdailyapple.com/cheese-unhealthy/

[alexc]

does anyone know much about the differences between raw goat's milk vs. raw cow's milk?

In general, cheese made from raw milk tastes a LOT better.

[stelios]

F.Y.I. the organic milk is apparently Ultra-high temperature treated which makes it last longer (1 (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=experts-organic-milk-lasts-longer))... I still think if it was pasteurized regularly it would last longer than regular hormone/antibiotic containing milk... But the fact that it is heated to a much higher temperature makes me wonder if the nutrients aren't completely destroyed...


Is that true.
Oh dear what a shame. I sincerely believed Organic was better.
I hope now the government has changed they might relax and allow us to drink Raw Dairy like what the queen does.

[psketti]

Anyone got any links for where to buy raw milk etc in the UK?

[robbyblade]

Anyone got any links for where to buy raw milk etc in the UK?

http://www.realmilk.com/where-other.html#uk

[psketti]

http://www.realmilk.com/where-other.html#uk


Thanks :cool:

[pacoquerak]

short story, pasturized milk makes me feel sick, raw milk makes me feel GREAT

I used to be a very sick person until i started drinking raw goats milk, Now I hardly ever get sick and the only time I do is in the winter when I don't have my own milk.


Differences between goat's milk and cow's milk?

babies shouldn't drink cow's milk but they can drink goats milk

this is because cows milk is harder to digest and babies do not have fully formed gall bladders and other digestive organs in general.

Goats milk has more protein, but it does not have enough vitamin B's for humans alone like cow's milk does. I cannot remember which vitamin b's it is missing.

Most people should be able to handle raw goats milk. If you can't handle much raw cows milk, you should ferment it into kefir, with kefir grains and you should do that anyways.

If at first you have trouble with raw cows milk, start drinking kefir and you should be much more able to handle cows milk.

You need to make your own kefir or get it from a friend who makes it, you need real kefir grains, not the stuff they sell at the store.


Some companies make just pasteurized cows milk, at ultra low temperatures, for instance in and around ohio and in washington DC they sell SnowVille Milk, which is good quality and great for making Kefir, but it just doesn't give me ENERGY like real raw milk does.



I FUCKING LOVE MILK OMG


fuck rbst fuck pasteur fuck industrialization



Milk and honey are the only foods designed by nature to be foods... with the arguable exception of fruit. ok and some plants respond well to being cut haha

whatever, fuck all the haterz, raw milk for life

I started last year with 4 dairy does, lost one to a dog : ( this year the 3 bore me 6 kids, 3 does and 3 bucks, looking forward to getting dairy cows!!!

[93krystalmoons]

Raw milk's popularity spurs debate over safety
by Jason Blevins
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated; Monday, May 10, 2010 12:00AM
Raw-milk dairy farmers such as Keith Lafferty collect and bottle milk from the cows on their farms. Consumers purchase shares of the cows, which entitles them to raw milk.
Photo by JASON BLEVINS/The Denver Post

Raw-milk dairy farmers such as Keith Lafferty collect and bottle milk from the cows on their farms. Consumers purchase shares of the cows, which entitles them to raw milk.
ERIE - When the neighborhood kids visit the Lafferty family's bustling farmhouse, they're offered water, juice or milk.

“They always say, 'Milk, milk, milk,'" says Nickie Lafferty.

The Laffertys' milk - hand-labeled and stored in Mason jars with a thick head of cream - is straight from the cow. No pasteurization. No processing.

Every afternoon, customers who own a portion of the family's dairy herd visit the 30-acre farm, pulling jars of the farm-fresh, raw milk from a small refrigerator in a spotless room next to the milking parlor.

Whether those people are playing Russian roulette with their health or getting a safer - and tastier - product than the milk found in grocery stores remains a source of contention. That debate is growing in intensity as state health officials crack down on dairies offering other unpasteurized milk products, such as butter and yogurt.

Health officials repeatedly warn that raw milk sickens dozens every year. But since Colorado lawmakers in 2005 allowed farmers to privately sell shares of their dairy herd to drinkers of unpasteurized milk, the number of Colorado dairies offering straight-from-the-cow milk has climbed to 60.

Colorado is one of 29 states - and Wisconsin is about to join them - with cow-share programs that use communal ownership to get around laws forbidding the retail sale of raw milk.

Those who drink raw milk say pasteurization removes some of milk's health benefits. They herald its creamy taste and the security that comes from knowing the source of their food.

“I have more faith in Meg, my farmer, than FDA officials who are being lobbied by industrial food lobbyists," says Michael O'Brien, whose Fort Collins family gets its milk directly from a Windsor dairy.

In the late 1930s, a quarter of all food illnesses stemmed from milk, but with pasteurization, milk has all but disappeared from the Food and Drug Administration's annual list of food-caused ailments.

Now raw-milk sicknesses account for 70 percent of all milk-related outbreaks reported to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Eating should not be risky behavior, and we know better now," said Judy Barbe, a dietician and senior director of nutrition affairs for the Colorado-based Western Dairy Association. “The protection provided by pasteurization is too great to forgo."

Between 1998 and 2008, the FDA counted 85 bacterial outbreaks connected to raw milk. Last year, Colorado health officials suspended operations for two weeks at Montrose's Kinikin Corner Dairy after a Campylobacter outbreak afflicted 12 people who reported drinking the dairy's raw milk.

Scott Freeman, Kinikin's owner, said many people in the region were suffering from intestinal issues at the time, and he's not convinced the outbreak was connected to his milk. He says he lost only four of his 175 share-holding customers after the suspension.

Still, those bacterial eruptions fuel the conventional dairy industry's disdain for raw milk.

“What is happening nationwide as advocates push for raw milk and it becomes more mainstream, you are going to see more outbreaks and more illnesses, and you will see more sick or dead kids, and that will create a pushback effect on raw milk," says Bill Marler, a food-safety attorney who represents food-poisoning victims and helped form the website realrawmilkfacts.com.

“Governors and legislators are going to be facing more difficult choices with raw milk, addressing issues of personal freedom versus science."

Colorado's lawmakers may soon be asked again to ponder raw milk. In April, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment sent a letter to the Windsor Dairy — the state's largest raw-milk dairy — saying its supply of raw-milk products, such as butter, yogurt and soft cheeses, violates the state's raw-milk exemption.

“The position of the department is that you can only have raw milk," says Patti Klocker, assistant director for the department's consumer-protection division.

Doing some risk analysis In response, the state's raw-milk dairies are crafting a proposal to expand the raw-milk laws to include all foods made with such milk.

Marci and Michael O'Brien did their own risk analysis when they opted to go raw. Every batch of milk the O'Briens get from veterinarians Meg Cattell and Arden Nelson at their Windsor Dairy comes with results of pathogen tests.

“We go to the farm and see the cows in clean condition and our kids pet the baby calves," says Marci O'Brien, whose 5-year-old daughter loves raw milk. “I think if people saw how typical dairy cows are treated, they would understandably fear for their food safety."

The Laffertys, who have run a raw-milk cow share for the past year on their family's longtime farm, say they build relationships with customers — customers they want to keep safe and healthy.

“We are just petrified at the notion of getting someone sick," says Nickie Lafferty. “We've built relationships with these people. They're our friends. If anything goes wrong, we are over."

The Laffertys regularly test their milk and their cows. Each animal has a name. Nora, a top producer, gets a little nervous when strangers watch her getting milked.

Customers pay a one-time $40 fee and $30 a month for boarding.

Raw milk boasts higher fat content than traditional whole milk. That gives it a creamy taste that raw milkers champion. Yet most of the 18 families who own 35 shares of the Laffertys' cows drink raw milk for its health benefits, Nickie says.

Among those people is Dana Shier, who at college developed a growing intolerance to milk.

“If I drink a regular glass of milk, I'll throw up," says the 27-year-old from Golden. “I have no problems with raw milk. It seems to help my allergies too."

That sort of anecdotal evidence of raw milk's benefits is plentiful. Raw milkers say pasteurization limits immune-enhancing and beneficial bacteria and is another example of the sterilization of American food.

“The FDA is the real villain in that story. They refuse to even listen to any of the health benefits of milk, and they deny even the possibility that raw milk could be beneficial, yet they push those drugs like crazy," says Mary Blair McMorran, executive director of the Raw Milk Association of Colorado.

Milk safety, while complex, basically boils down to storage and poop. Storage is the easier of the two problems: Make sure the milk is always cold.

Contamination, however, is a challenge. Cows, being cows, tend to sport manure. Making sure it is nowhere near teats, containers, milk or any part of the bottling process is a critical task, says Michele Jay-Russell, a veterinarian and food-safety specialist with the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security at the University of California.

“That contamination is a big concern for people in food safety," she says.

For industrial dairy cows, manure in crowded feedlots is an issue. But grass-fed cows that spend their days roaming pastures aren't wallowing in their waste.

“The conventional dairy industry produces milk designed for pasteurization. That milk will certainly get you sick if you drink it raw," McMorran says. “We design milk for drinking."
__________________________________________________ _____

I agree it's all about cleanliness and not doing this with industrialized dairy. and fuck that shit! We need to halt this disgusting food industry and illness from food will barely exists...

[gnosis_dub]

My reasons to avoid milk.
1) Radioactive - collects in the mammary glands of cows.
2) Lead - from the toxic environment gets into the cow (from the grass?).
3) It's mucous forming.
4) Calcium in milk is not proportional to the magnesium and phosphorous for adequate assimilation. So milk drinkers can and often do get osteoporosis more often than non-milk people.

Okay, go with hemp, almond or rice milk as the better alternatives. :)

[sh3lly]

I don't know, I drink some (cow's) milk (usually organic) and eat lots of dairy (cheese and yogurt - organic) and it seems to go quite well with my system. :)

[gnosis_dub]

Here's a bunch of details and references on milk and the danger of it.
http://www.rense.com/general26/milk.htm
http://nomilk.com/
Organic milk is less harmful, but still better off to avoid milk all together in my opinion.

[93krystalmoons]

I don't know, I drink some (cow's) milk (usually organic) and eat lots of dairy (cheese and yogurt - organic) and it seems to go quite well with my system. :)

Yeah I feel the same way. I used to avoid milk and only drink rice milk, but i switched to all organic dairy and it seems to work out well with me too :p

[wakeupworld]

I started drinking raw milk about 3 months ago, love the taste and the farm I get it from is a family run business and the milk is checked regularly. However I had my first visit to a doctor today for almost a year and have a bladder infection, it looks like it could be E.Coli which on further research could well be related to the raw milk, I didn`t tell the doc that I was drinking raw milk and was given a course of pills to take for up to a month, which I don`t really want to take, so for now will look to see if I can find a natural cure, trouble is I don`t know if it is the raw milk or not that is the cause, I could always not drink it for a month to see what the effect is.
Would be a real shame if raw milk is the cause as I have had a lot of faith in it.

[gaias child]

I'm really sorry to hear that wakeup world


Here is an interesting in depth article on raw dairy which is worth considering from Gabriel Cousens who has been raw vegan for around 30 years now.

http://www.cultureoflifestore.com/ARTICLES-Perspective+on+Dairy/c80_139/index.html

There was a time when dairy was considered “rasa” or the subtle energy of richness, sweetness, and delight. In India, for example the general population would regularly have a little amount of dairy. This small amount was a way of supplying B12. The cows were treated with a great deal of love and respect. The milk was given freely and they were milked by human hands. Even so, Swami Muktananda, a world-acknowledged master in Kundalini and Shaktipat transmission, taught that all dairy clogs the nadis (subtle energy channels).

In this context, it is important to understand that “you cannot eat your way to god.” A healthy vegan live food diet is best for turning your body into a superconductor for the divine; however this does not necessarily mean that if you eat dairy products you will not become liberated.





The focus of this article is to clear some of the confusion about the purity, harmlessness, and safety of consuming dairy products. This includes organic and raw un-pasteurized dairy. Dairy products include milk, cheese, cream, butter, yogurt, and whey from lactating animals. Stopping dairy intake is not just about our personal health, but is also associated with the prevention of cruelty to cows and the protection of the ecology & energy of the planet. In this context, going vegan is a call to put our own self-serving or narcissistic needs aside and move toward elevating planetary healing. We can do this by choosing a diet that serves both the healing of the planet and ourselves.





The “rasa” time is gone, which you can see if you take a new look at the way the dairy industry has changed this historically acceptable practice. It is interesting today that many yogis from India refuse to drink milk in the U.S. One of my mentors, the famous nutritionist, Paavo Airola PhD would never eat or drink dairy in the U.S. because of the intolerable cruelty to dairy cows as well as the other problems associated with commercial or even raw dairy!





For spiritual and environmental reasons, dairy has become “ama.” For eye-opening and heart-stopping details and visual treatment of cows, watch the film “Earthlings.” You will quickly understand how cruelly cows are treated before being killed for meat and “Indian leather.” The relationship India once had with the “Sacred Cow” has sadly changed the animal’s milk from “rasa” to “ama” or pure toxins.





Today, although you can get “organic raw milk,” it is very difficult to get non-commercial, real grass-fed, free-range organic milk. Even with the best grass fed milk there are no guarantees of purity and, of course, the cows are still milked artificially. Whether raw or pasteurized, there are opioids (casomorphins) in it that make it easier for humans to be addicted to milk. According to Dr. Neal Barnard, M.D. in his book Breaking the Food Seduction, the strongest morphinogenic compound in dairy is as powerful as 1/10th the power of pure morphine.





Cruelty and Suffering



Ongoing cruelty in the dairy industry is widespread! If you are a lacto-vegetarian because you think that these animals are not killed for food and do not experience suffering to produce dairy. Think again! Not only does the dairy cow end up on the plates of your carnivorous friends, she also experiences tremendous amount of cruelty in the whole “production” cycle, making death a final horrific release from suffering. And the male cows are used for clothes, fertilizer, animal feed, and pet food, among other things. This is, of course, after their sperm has been used to produce more females.





To keep the dairy animal’s milk flowing, she is artificially inseminated two to three months after giving birth. The result is a crushing double burden of pregnancy and lactation for seven months out of every 12. In truth, the dairy cow is the hardest worked of all farmed animals, nurturing a growing calf inside her while simultaneously producing 30-50 liters of milk a day. No other farmed animal carries this dual load of pregnancy and lactation. Professor John Webster has likened the workload of the high-yielding dairy cow to that of: “…a jogger who goes running for six to eight hours every day.” He believes that “the only humans who work harder than the dairy cow are cyclists in the Tour de France.”





Today dairy cows are usually chained up in very confined limited spaces and are milked by machines. Reproduction happens through the process of artificial insemination. The cycle of cruelty begins at the time of the birth of the baby calf, for which the mother’s body is ready to nurse. These bonded animals both suffer greatly when the female baby calves are taken away after only three days. The mothers are then left to be suckled by automated machines. The male calves are taken away in the first few hours and enter the cruel death cycle of the veal industry. Before being slaughtered, the male calves are kept caged and immobilized without sunlight or nutrition for 6-weeks. It is commonly known that the mother cow knows that her calf is going to be taken away from her and harmed or killed, and the distress, which can last for days, causes toxins to be secreted into her milk.





In previous historical times, the practice in India recognized that the milk belonged first to the calf. The mother cow fed her calf first and only after the calf had taken its fill was the leftover milk taken for human consumption. In this way, the abundance of milk was shared with the family who owned her.





Overproduction and Genetic Alteration





Cows today are genetically designed to produce up to 25 times more milk. Fifty years ago, the average cow created 2,000 lbs of milk per year. Now the top dairy producers give 50,000 lbs per year.





Factory Production Techniques


To produce such astounding production quotas the cow has become part of an elaborate industrial process. Milking machines have been used since the 1870’s. Today the cow is attached to these machines for hours on end. This overproduction is achieved by the use of Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH), other hormones, antibiotics, drugs, and force-feeding. The BGH creates a 50-70% increase in mastitis. The mastitis is treated with even more antibiotics. The cows are also fed with sheep and fish parts, made into a meal. It is unbelievable what goes on in the life of the cow!





Shortened Lifespan


Before the industrial age we could say that cows lived a more natural lifestyle. Today their artificial lifestyle creates an array of diseases in both the animals and those that eat or use their products as we shall see later in this article. Now due to unnatural overproduction, what is actually happening to the cows being used for milk production? The normal average lifespan of a cow is about 18-35 years. This increased milking combined with being pregnant and lactating, milks away her life force. The average milk producing cow lives an average of 3 years, a factor of a 6-10 times shorter life. In human terms, we can say that, rather than living to a ripe old age of 80, one’s life would end before reaching puberty. Cruelty and exploitation take a toll!





Wasted Resources & Ecological Damage


In this dairy system we also create a massive hoarding of resources. There is a tremendous loss in energy, materials, labor and caloric value. Better use of these resources could help solve the food crisis on the planet and prevent the death by starvation of 29,500 children per day (according to UN statistics) and approximately 40 million people who starve to death each year. There is a tremendous amount of energy and grain that is required to feed the cows. The food required to feed 100 cows could potentially feed 2,000 people. The cows in the world consume two times the calories as the world human population. In US the cows consume five times the amount of grain as humans.





Cattle farming, which includes our dairy cows, causes the loss of 85% of the topsoil each year. Not only this, the water used in the dairy industry (and its by-products) is EXTREMELY high. A vegan lifestyle can potentially save 1,500,000 gallons of water and 1 acre of trees each year! If we all became vegan there would be enough energy and food to feed the world human population seven times over.





Chernobyl Reaches Boston





Chernobyl made it very clear that we are one interconnected global village. Cows are higher up on the food chain, and concentrate the toxins. For example there was a 900% increase in perinatal mortality in the six weeks to three months after Chernobyl in the Boston area. What they found was that the cows were consuming the radioactive iodine that came from Chernobyl that landed in the water and on the grass. The mothers consuming the cow milk filled with radioactive iodine. This radioactive iodine was poisoning their babies. Now we are facing the chem-trail and depleted uranium atmosphere contamination which the cows are also concentrating, especially range fed cows.





Disease Production





CJD – Creutzfeldt-Jacobs disease


The result of all this cruelty and industrialization of live stock, especially of cows is that cows have become carriers of a significant disease. The 2004 edition of Friends of the Earth cites several autopsy studies in the United States that suggest between 3% and 13% of the people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s actually had “mad cow disease” or Creutzfeldt-Jacobs disease. The research in Friends of the Earth suggests that Creutzfeldt-Jacobs can be transmitted by a person consuming less than one gram of the diseased tissue from any part of the cow. It alsosuggests that there may be at least 120,000 cases of Creutzfeldt-Jacobs disease that are unreported in the United States. act that eighty percent of milk protein is casein, the main ingredient of Elmer’s glue.





Deadly Diseases

In addition, milk is a carrier for very significant disease vectors.





Mycobacteria Para-TB: One of these disease vectors is the mycobacteria Para-TB, which causes not so much TB (although TB may be in raw milk), but causes a chronic diarrhea and colitis. We know that in babies, this is often seen as irritation that causes a significant blood loss and anemia. In the cow, it is called myco-bacterial para-tubercula. It causes what we call “Johnne’s” disease, which is chronic diarrhea and colitis. It seems to be something that is transmitted to humans as well, particularly unpastuerized milk.



Studies performed in the United States, the UK, and the Czech Republic have found that live, viable M. paratuberculosis organisms are even present in retail pasteurized milk sold in stores. These studies prove that either (a) the organism is capable of surviving conventional pasteurization (the more likely explanation) or (b) there is a significant source of post-pasteurization contamination in the milk supply.



While it has not been definitively proven that M. paratuberculosis causes disease in humans, there are a number of researchers who believe that the organism is a primary cause of Crohn's disease. They cite clinical similarities between Johne's disease in ruminants and Crohn's disease in humans, as well as studies showing that a significant number of Crohn's patients also have the organism in their gut. However, there is no consensus yet of the effects of a M. paratuberculosis infection. What is clear is that all known mycobacteria can cause disease, that M. paratuberculosis causes disease in ruminants, and that the bacteria are present in retail milk.



Salmonella, e. coli, yersinia enterocolitica, and Staphococcusare some of the main disease vectors. In 1984 JAMA reported a multi-state series of infections of Yersinia enterocolitica (bubonic plague). In a study at UCLA, over 1/3 of all cases of salmonella infection in California in 1980 to 1983 were traced to raw milk.





Diabetes Epidemic Children who drink cow’s milk have an 11 times higher rate of juvenile diabetes than children who are breastfed by their own mothers. Although we are not aware of it, milk consumption is directly associated with Juvenile diabetes. The key to this is that there are over 100 antigens found in milk. The reason for the increase in juvenile diabetes is that the children have much higher formation of antibodies to the cows’ milk antigens. Researchers found up to 8 times the number antibodies against milk protein in dairy product consuming children who also developed juvenile diabetes. (Vaarala, O et al. Diabetes, 48:1389-1394, 1999) In Finland, which as the world’s highest milk consumption, they also have the world’s highest rate of insulin-dependent diabetes. The problem is that the antibodies to the milk antigens cross react with the β cells (the cells that produce insulin) and of the pancreas create inflammation and scarring. This consequentially blocks or destroys B cell production of insulin.





Bovine immune deficiency disease. There is also bovine immune deficiency disease which is another virus. In Russia they found that it is transferred to humans. The Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research, and Russian literature, found the detection in human sera of the antibody to the bovine immunodeficiency virus protein. This virus may be similar to the human immune deficiency virus.





Cancer


Bovine leukemia virus Bovine leukemia virus is found in about 80% of the dairy herds in the U.S., or 3 out of 5 dairy cows. It is mostly destroyed by pasteurization. In raw milk it is not killed. In raw milk, the bovine leukemia virus is recovered from 2/3 of the samples. The bovine leukemia virus is associated with an increased rate of leukemia or lymphomas. To support these statements, we would expect that the states highest in dairy use—such as Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, as well as countries like Sweden and Russia—would have a statistically higher incidence of leukemia than the national average. Indeed that is the case. Dairy farmers also have a significantly elevated leukemia rate.





Bovine Leukemic Virus in raw milk Raw is a particular problem, because the leukemia virus is rendered inactive by the pasteurization, but remains active in raw milk. All studies show that cows with leukemia offer a significantly higher rate of leukemia in the animals and humans who drink this bovine contaminated raw milk.





Lymphoma What we see in Norway where they studied 422 individuals who were followed for 11.5 years; those drinking two or more glasses of milk per day had 3.5 times the incidence of cancer in the lymphatic organs compared to the normal population. Ref: British Med. Journal 61:456-9, March 1990. There seemed to be a high correlation found by some researchers between increased death from lymphomas and beef and dairy ingestion in the 15 major countries. The reason for this is that the dairy intake creates a chronic immunological stress that tends to cause lymphomas both in laboratory animals and also possibly in humans. We know that ingestion of cows’ milk can produce generalized lymphopathy, swollen liver, swollen spleen, and significant adenoid hypertrophy. In England they also found a strong positive interaction with lymphoma. The British Journal cites research in which they studied 16,000 individuals for 11.5 years. They reported that drinking two glasses of milk per day, or the equivalent created a 3.4 times greater incidence of lymphoma

[wakeupworld]

Interesting post, however the confusion I have is that the family run business where I purchase the milk from have been drinking the milk all their adult lives.

[gaias child]

Wakeupworld, It sounds as if you may have an allergy or intolerance to casein or lactose full stop in which case it does not matter whether it is pasteurised or unpasteuristed. Many people are, none of us have the enzymes such as lactase to digest milk products beyond the age of 7 Get tested and see if that is the reason. At least you will know for sure

[wakeupworld]

Wakeupworld, It sounds as if you may have an allergy or intolerance to casein or lactose full stop in which case it does not matter whether it is pasteurised or unpasteuristed. Many people are, none of us have the enzymes such as lactase to digest milk products beyond the age of 7 Get tested and see if that is the reason. At least you will know for sure


Thanks, only had the problem since drinking raw milk but this is something I will look into.

[robbyblade]

Wakeupworld,

I highly doubt you got E.coli in your bladder from drinking raw milk. We all have loads of E.coli in our intestines as part of our beneficial flora. E.coli is not bad for you but it shouldn't be in your bladder.

E.coli 157 h7 is a particular strand of E.coli created by the government to make everyone afraid of natural fertilizers. (cow shit) They plant it here in there in our food sources, usually spinach or other healthy produce.

Did you have symptoms that made you go to the doctor, or did you just go for a regular checkup?

Personally, I wouldn't take the pills either, assuming they're antibiotics. Antibiotics will kill your friendly bacteria and decrease your immunity to other infections.

I would try maybe lime juice or raw apple cider vinegar.

[sh3lly]

Yeah I feel the same way. I used to avoid milk and only drink rice milk, but i switched to all organic dairy and it seems to work out well with me too :p

Are you a female? Perhaps females crave it more because of dietary needs, such as the need for calcium to strengthen bones? Also, I have heard of the blood type diet and my blood type AB- does well with dairy.

Incidentally, one thing to remember is, there is no "right" or "wrong" way to eat. The animals themselves have entered a "contract" where they willingly incarnate as food sources and a person can eat total crap and live to be a 100 and eat the best food the planet has to offer and still die at 18. One should attempt to care for it's vehicle (body) as best is possible, but the bottom line (in my view) is, we are here to experience being physical. For some, that means eating pizza, ice cream, and beer 24/7; for others, it means eating only raw foods, etc. Each is correct in his/her own way.

[cooperlee]

the quote from the FDA about pasteurized milk is absolutely laughable. Any-one who has done even the SLIGHTEST bit of research into the use of enzymes in the body knows that raw milk is the way to go. Pasteurization and homogenization of milk is why so many people in the "civilized" world have bones like tooth pics and teeth like buckets of smashed crabs.