My Quest for Raw Milk

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a little bit of a dysfunctional relationship with milk. I simply cannot get enough of the stuff!

At one point several months ago, I realized that I was drinking an entire gallon of milk a day—over 2,000 calories worth. So basically I was filling my entire recommended daily caloric intake on milk alone. Egads!

I haven’t always been this way. At one point, about 8 years ago, I had finally broken my milk habit. At that time I was diagnosed with a stomach ulcer. I visited my family doctor who, like most doctors, is obsessed with drugs and surgery and insisted that I do one or the other to “fix” my problem. I wasn’t really buying that, and took my first visit to a naturopath practitioner for a second opinion.

One of the first things she did was take me off milk completely. I remember her saying how bad cow’s milk was for the digestive system. I had no idea. I switched to almond milk and along with other therapies, managed to rid myself of my ulcer without the “absolutely necessary” drugs or surgery.

But then I got pregnant with twins and my midwife was constantly telling me to eat more protein. To get the needed 80 grams a day, I switched back to cow’s milk, and have now again found it difficult to stop.

I thought about what my naturopath said about milk and health, and decided to investigate a little. That’s when I ran into raw milk.

I first became aware of raw milk while reading a book by Weston A. Price called Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. Since then I’ve come across more and more information about the benefits of “real,” unprocessed milk.

The Processes

The milk we purchase in the store goes through two processes.

The first is called pasteurization. The milk is brought to a high temperature to kill pathogens that will cause the milk to spoil. The shift from local farm-based distribution to large, industrial distribution meant that dairy products had to be delivered a further distance. With longer travels time came more concerns over spoiling. Pasteurization solved this problem and increased the milk’s shelf life.

The second process is called homogenization. Milk straight out of the cow will separate in several hours into cream and water. Milk homogenization breaks down the fat molecules into smaller pieces, causing the milk to not separate.

Both process sound perfectly logical, but there are many concerns about them.

It’s been found that many beneficial components of the milk are destroyed during the pasteurization process. The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund’s website says that “Pasteurization destroys enzymes, diminishes vitamin content, denatures fragile milk proteins, destroys vitamins C, B12 and B6, kills beneficial bacteria, promotes pathogens and is associated with allergies, increased tooth decay, colic in infants, growth problems in children, osteoporosis, arthritis, heart disease and cancer.”

The smaller milk fats created by homogenization are easily absorbed by the digestive system (where as the larger molecules from the milk’s original state pass through without being absorbed) and have been linked to many diseases including heart disease.

For these reasons, I went in search of a raw milk source. Considering that I live in the middle of West Texas, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

The Quest for Raw Milk

A quick Google search led me to www.realmilk.com where I found a handy-dandy list of dairies that sell raw milk organized by state. I started putting city names into MapQuest and found that the closest dairy on the list was Veldhuizen Family Farm in Dublin, Texas. The farm is about 100 miles away.

I called up the dairy and spoke to the lady on the phone. We talked a little about the cows and their lifestyle. She told me that the cows eat grass the majority of the year and are not injected with any hormones or milk stimulants. She said they followed organic practices but without the certificiation. After our conversation I felt confident that the family’s values were in line with mine, so I planned my trip for the next week.

Dublin is about 15 miles from one of my friend’s hometown, so I called her to join me on my dairy adventure. After a quick stop in DeLeon, Texas to pick up her mom, we were on our way.

Veldhuizen Family Farm

The small farm was exactly what I was looking for. We were greeted by two very nice young men who gave us some delicious cheese samples and hooked me up with my first two gallons of raw milk. (You can order some of their amazing cheese at http://www.veldhuizencheese.com/)

The Milk

I wasn’t really sure what to expect, truthfully. I honestly expected to be a little grossed out the first time I drank it—not sure why. But the raw milk tastes almost exactly like the milk I’m used to, with a slightly different aftertaste. I also thought that it would separate literally into clear water on the bottom and thick cream at the top within and hour. Not even close! After two days, it’s a little creamier at the top, but hardly noticeable, and not noticeable at all after a good shake.

I’m also pleased because it’s cheaper than the organic milk I buy at the grocery store. Of course, I have to drive there, but I bought two gallons and am experimenting with freezing it. If the milk unfreezes well, then I should only have to take one trip a month up there which doesn’t seem bad at all for the milk I’m getting!

Many people have expressed concern about the bacteria in the milk and that I’m going to be sick, since the milk doesn’t go through our nation’s wonderful food processing and distribution system (note sarcasm). I’m not worried. Anyone who pays attention to the news knows that there are outbreaks of e coli and salmonella all the time in foods that do go through all the processes (and are sometimes contaminated because of the processes), so I don’t consider drinking this milk to be any more of a risk.

So in conclusion, I’m pretty pumped that I can feed my milk habit yet feel comfortable that I’m not causeing my body harm. Although, I probably should still work on cutting back if I want to lose those last five pounds of baby fat! Plus, I feel great supporting a local farmer. To find a dairy near you, visit www.realmilk.com.

Interested in reading Weston A. Price’s Nutrition and Physical Degeneration? You can find it at Amazon here.

Raw Milk Web Resources:

Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund  www.farmtoconsumer.org
A Campaign for Real Milk www.realmilk.com
Raw Milk Fact Sheet courtesy of the Farm and Rach Freedom Alliance Download .pdf

To receive email alerts when I post something new, please provide your email address below:

Tagged as: nutrition, raw milk