Benefits of Raw Milk

I love raw milk! I feel kind of funny saying that because I used to never drink milk. I didn’t like the way the milk from the grocery store tasted and as I got older was taught that it was bad for me. Well, spoiler alert, milk from the grocery store isn’t all that good for you but grass-fed raw milk is and I want to share why…but first a little bit more about my background with milk. When I first started eating healthy I thought started consuming more milk alternatives. I often used almond or oat milk and would sometimes try coconut milk. I didn’t like the way almond or oat milk tasted but I thought those were the healthier options so I went with them. It wasn’t until after nursing my son for two years that I started to feel like something needed to change in my diet. I was doing all the healthy things but I felt more and more depleted every day. That’s when I was introduced to raw milk. I felt kind of desperate to figure out why I was so tired, even though I was so “healthy” so I was willing to try something different. I did some research on the benefits of raw milk, found a local option and I haven’t looked back since. The first glass was delicious and seriously I could just feel that it was what my body needed and knew that it was the next step on my health journey. So I dove into all of the research and listened to all of the stories and here are a few things I learned.

3 Benefits to Drinking Raw Milk

Raw milk is easier to digest than conventional pasteurized milk. Since raw milk is not heated aka pasteurized, it still contains all of the beneficial enzymes needed to digest it properly. Lactase, is the enzyme that helps your body to break down dairy is killed during the pasteurization process. It is found and still intact in raw milk, so this is why it is easier for some to digest. There are many stories of people who thought they had lactose intolerance, who are able to drink raw milk without any issues. Essential probiotics and other good bacteria are also found in raw milk and help with digestion.
Raw milk is full of vitamins and minerals. A big issue, in my opinion, with conventional pasteurized milk, is that the beneficial vitamins and minerals are killed during pasteurization. Raw milk contains vitamin C, A, D, K and B vitamins and it contains all 22 essential minerals but conventional milk is void of these nutrients. That is why conventional milk is often fortified with vitamins. You may see that conventional milk has added vitamin D or vitamin A but these nutrients are typically synthetic and since they are not paried with all the others, as in the raw milk form, are difficult for our bodies to digest.
Pasteurization is the process of heating milk to kill off all bacteria (good and bad). This process is needed now with conventional milk because of the lack of sanitary conditions. You will find though, that raw milk farms are very clean and they take extra care so keep conditions sanitary. The farm I purchase raw milk from keeps a closed herd, takes extremely good care of their cows and tests the milk for pathogens and disease.
Raw milk is not homogenized. Allowing the milk to have a cream top, instead of mixing the fat in is actually better for your health. Homogenizing is the process of evenly mixing the milk fat throughout the entire volume of the liquid. While this may not sound like a negative, it changes the way our bodies digest the milk and has been linked to cancer and heart disease, so leaving it in it’s natural state is much healthier.

Why Drink Raw Milk Instead of Milk Alternatives

Many in the health space, me included at first, look to milk alternatives like almond and oat milk because we have been taught that cow’s milk is bad for us. While I agree that is true if you are consuming conventional cow’s milk, I do not find the almond and oat alternatives to be healthy either.

I don’t drink almond milk anymore for a few reasons. One, it is really hard to find clean brands that don’t include added fillers and two almonds are high in polyunsaturated fatty acids aka PUFAs. It is important to include some PUFA’s in our diet but the trouble comes in when they get out of balance with other fatty acids. Consuming too many PUFA’s found in almond milk and nut butters can lead to inflammation in the body, bringing on a how list of symptoms. From my personal health journey, I could tell that almond milk wasn’t fueling me well and I did not feel satisfied when I drank it.

It is also hard to find a clean oat milk but the main reason I do not drink oat milk is conventional oats are sprayed heavily with the herbicide and neurotoxin Glyphosate. This chemical has been linked to so many health issues one being cancer and has even been found in organic oat milks. I share more about this topic in my Nourished Living course.

Where to Find Raw Milk

Every states laws for raw milk are different. In some states it is illegal, in others it is only sold for animal consumption, in others it is only available through a herd share. In my state it is legal and sold at local health food stores or directly from the farm. If you are uncertain about the laws in your state there are a few websites that can help you to find out the was and give you local farms and sellers information. When researching, I also recommend calling or visiting the farm to see how the animals live and to talk with the farmers. The website A campaign for Real Milk has an easy to use raw milk finder where you can type in your zip code.

Learn More About Raw Milk

In my Clean Eating e-book I share all about dairy. I share the differences between conventional, organic and raw and I also share more about how it is processed. I love to share all about clean eating and share resources I have found. If you have any questions feel free to reach out on insta @nourishedmommaandco or send me an email at nourishedmommaandco@gmail.com. Hope this information is helpful and encourages you to try new things on your health and healing journey.