Why Raw Milk?
The first time I read Nourishing Traditions I was shocked. I thought I was feeding my family a healthy diet…like the food USDA pyramid says. Wrong.
One of the ways we have improved our diet tremendously is by switching to raw milk. This change has only been made after much study and prayer.
My main concern was with e-coli. My young niece was swimming in a local river and doing what kids do…she swallowed some water while she swam.
There was only one problem…cows. This river runs along cow pastures and the cows come down to drink…and go potty. There in lies the problem.
These cows are your regular grass and grain feed cows and obviously carried e-coli. My niece almost died, her kidneys were shutting down and if it hadn’t been for the healing power of the Lord, she would have died.
I couldn’t think about my children laying in a hospital bed, with their kidneys shutting down, just from drinking raw milk! It just wasn’t worth it! So, we just kept drinking our “ultra pasteurized,homogenized, organic milk” from the grocery. Until the day we visited our local farm store…
You see, they had cow shares available, which was the only way to get raw milk in TN at the time. I told Debbie, our farm store owner, the concerns I just shared with you. She wasn’t upset at all, in fact she said she wanted people to be asking questions and doing research.
This was the day that my thoughts about raw milk changed forever. Debbie told me about a piece of information that I hadn’t heard …the difference between grain fed cows and grass fed cows.
This is the summery what she said: When you feed a cow ANYTHING but grass, their naturally alkaline stomach environment will become an acid environment. So, if a grass fed cow does pick up e-coli, that bacteria will die in the acid environment of our stomach. No problem.
The problem starts when cows are fed ANYTHNG but their natural food…grass. (This includes grain at milking time.) This changes their stomach environment to acid, instead of alkaline. If they do pick up e-coli, then the e-coli adapts to live in an acid environment…like our stomach!
Debbie also milks her cows in a closed system, into stainless steel and chills the milk immediately. She also tests the milk for any indications of abnormal cells.
By ONLY feeding a cow grass and milking properly, then you virtually eliminate the danger from e-coli.
You can read about our farm store’s milk share story here and here is more info on raw milk.
Here is a WONDERFUL article about raw milk!
Visit Food Renegade for more healthy info at Fight Back Fridays.
June 5th, 2009 at 11:56 am
It’s true that the new acid-stomach resistant strains of e-coli are the result of industrial agricultural practices that feed cows grain & silage. That said, if a grass-fed cow picks up a strain of these acid-resistant e-coli, it will pass through their stomach and into their poop just like it will through a grain-fed cow. If that contaminated poop somehow contaminates the milk, then you’ll get sick.
I’m a raw milk drinker, so I’m not trying to deter you. I’m just trying to be as forthright as I can with people. The diet of the animal matters — particularly for the health of the animal and our health as we consume their milk, meat, and fat. But what *really* keeps the milk clean is the cleanliness of the cows, the milk facilities, and the way it’s stored & transported to your home.
So, before you buy raw milk, I recommend checking your farmer out and having them show you what they’re doing to keep their milk clean & safe. That, plus cows eating their God-given diets, ought to give you all the confidence you need.
Blessings & Peace,
KristenM
(AKA FoodRenegade)
June 5th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Thanks Kristen! I updated my post to include the safety info about how our milk is handled.
June 5th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
We love raw milk in our home and are fortunate to also receive raw butter,yogurt and cream from our herdshare as well. We take care, though, to visit the farm and view annual reports regarding herd management.
June 5th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Thanks so much for posting this! We’ve been drinking hormone free / antibotic free milk since Julia turned one. I’ve done a few gallons of organic here and there but at the rate she drinks milk it gets too expensive. I’ve heard of several people (or rather read online) who do raw milk and I am 1) totally clueless how to even get started, 2) a little freaked out about raw milk. But I’m gonna have to really look into it now! What, on average, does a gallon of raw milk cost for you?
June 5th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Sarah,
I was really freaked out about it too, so don’t feel bad.
We paid a fee to enter the cow share program and then pay $6.50 a gallon. I was paying around $3.50-$4.50 for a 1/2 gallon of Horizon at the grocery. Just doing some research into that company made me never want to drink their milk again.
It’s a really paradigm shift changing from pasteurized milk to raw milk. As you know you should NEVER leave pasteurized milk unrefrigerated. But, the way to make most cultured dairy products is to leave it out for 8-24 hours, something I’d never do with “dead” milk.
You just have to BE SURE that the milk is only from grass cows…ask if they get any grain or feed pellets. Also be sure they are milking into a closed system, etc. You’re a smart gal and can do the research.
June 5th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
We love our raw milk too! I’ve been buying it for over a year now after my son had horrible reactions to pasteurized cows milk when he weaned from breastfeeding. It took me about 2 months of research to finally take the jump and now I’ll never look back!
June 5th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
I recently learned that several people in my CSA also participate in a raw milk co-op from the same area.
Thank you for sharing your experiences, Laryssa, I always feel like I’m learning from you!
June 5th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Hi Laryssa – wow! very educational. SO glad I popped over for a visit! And wanted to say hi
Happy weekend.
June 6th, 2009 at 9:37 am
We were so fortunate to live next to a woman who had sold goats milk and raw milk when we were in WI. Goat’s milk is the closest thing to breast milk and so when I stopped nursing, my first two boys drank goats milk. Now that we have moved (years ago), we’d have to drive over an hour to get it….wish I could, but I do get organic marked down cheap from my dairy guy.
June 13th, 2009 at 6:49 am
I’m so amazed at all of your support!
Last week we got to watch “our cow” get milked, it was wonderful! I was able to tell our children, “This is the cow who gives us our milk, the milk you drank this morning.” It’s an amazing thing to be able to say that!!! I’m so thankful!
I have no regrets! My children are calmer, we are healthier and we are also supporting local, organic, grass fed cow farmers.
June 17th, 2009 at 9:25 am
I grew up drinking raw milk on my grans farm and I so wish we had one close so I could also share that with my family. There really is nothing like real fresh milk. I am so glad you were able to sign up with such a fabulous program!