I am trying something that I'm surprised I'm trying: raw milk. I was pointed to a website recently that touts all the benefits of buying raw milk from local dairy farms. The milk is literally straight from the cow, which is pasture-fed, not made to stand in a stall for its entire life. Even a lot of organic milk you buy at the grocery store comes from cows that never see the light of day, so I feel very good about supporting this small-scale industry, where the procedures and practices are gentler on the cow. There are no antibiotics or hormones. And the taste of the milk is incredibly fresh and good. My daughter absolutely loves it, and even though she did drink milk before, she is much more interested now. As far as I understand, pasteurization is primarily a process meant to extend the shelf life of milk bought in the store. Does anyone know of any potentially harmful effects that pasteurization can prevent? Just wondering what your thoughts are.
googled "raw milk" and found this...
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~acrobat/rawmilk.pdf
Don't really have any first hand knowledge.
YES! I grew up on cows' milk like this. My father worked on a dairy farm for most of my childhood and he litterally brought it home straight from the farm every week. It's perfectly fine (although a little fattening)! GO FOR IT!!!
Go for it! It's a great idea and perfectly safe for kids. Also, you may check out goat's milk. It's pretty popular with natural families as well.
I believe everyone has their own opinion and I see you have received quite a few...this is America so thank God we have the option to have whatever milk we choose.(some easier to get then others) I challenge everyone to check www.realmilk.com and try some raw products and see for yourself why unpasteurized milk is much better for all of us. Yes, there are certain natural and unnatural bacteria that grow in all living things but pasteurization and homogenization are both processes that are not necessary in the making of milk or cheese. Keep in mind, our brains actually need fat to grow and develop properly, children even more then adults need this and when your body can not uptake the fat given (from whole milk because of the breaking down of the milk molecule as God intended it to be) then our children are really missing out on good nutrients...not bad bacteria.
C., we also buy raw milk (goat/cow) and raw kefir from a local farmer as well as eggs and my whole family loves it!! The kefir more so then the milk offers huge probiotic properties that help our immune systems. You know, 80% of your immune system is in our intestines and by replenishing this we set ourselves up for a very healthy existance.
One more thing, my daughter (15 mons.) was very allergic(eczema/cough) to pasteurized yogurt/milk from the store. She has been completely turned around with the raw kefir. I will try her again on the other at 18 months due to the fact that I can not keep my kids from never getting pasteurized milk but I will do my best to give them the raw version of any food I can.
Please do not be discouraged by some popular views...there are many generations that were raised and continue to be raised on raw food...the way God made it. It is just our job to use the knowledge God gave us and know when to say when.
I was also looking for a healthier "raw" way to feed my daughter once we took her off formula and chose to go with almond milk. My doctor didn't have any problem with it. Almond milk doesn't cause any mucus in the system as cow milk can and has tons of nutrients to it. To ensure that she gets as many nutrients from it as possible, I choose to make it at home. Of course, I have to make a batch for her every few days but she loves it and she's not had any problems with congestion or illness all season. It costs less than buying the pre-made almond milk and is less expensive than whole milk, especially the raw cow or goat milk. I choose as many raw foods as I can with my daughter to ensure that she gets all of the nutrients out of the food she eats rather than cooking the nutrients out, which is what pasturization does to milk. If I were to feed my daughter any milk, I would agree that raw cow or goat milk is the way to go. If you choose to try your own almond milk here's the recipe:
1 cup soaked almonds (I usually soak 2 cups almonds overnight)
3 cups water
1 Tbsp honey
Combine in a blender or vita-mix and blend on high. Strain through a fine mess strainer and then again through a cheese cloth. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. I usually get about 3 batches out of 2 cups soaked almonds.
was raised on fresh milk straight for the cow, and I am fine.
we milked our own and sold it as well to the small community I was raised in. no one ever became ill from it.
Dear C.,
I would strongly recommend NOT using raw milk. Unpasteurized milk is very dangerous as it can contain campylobacter, escherichia, listeria, salmonella, yersinia, and brucella among other bacteria that can cause disease anywhere from mild in nature to death. Listeria is extremely dangerous to pregnant women and their fetuses as well. I have seen children in the ICU die or nearly die from bacterial illness due to unpasteurized milk products. It is beyond horrible. Please please use the organic product that IS pasteurized. Shatto brand is a nice one and one can actually visit their farm up north. This is the advice that I would give my patients and you may want to talk to your pediatrician for more information. Even if the chance of severe disease or death is small it is not worth the risk to your daughter.
Hello My kids are 29 and 3? and when they were babies they did not tolerate formula to well and they were hungary all the time 4 or 5 months old we started feeding off the table and they drank raw milk my in laws were careful with the milk keeping things clean what ever you do for milk they survived good luck
I grew up on a farm and all our milk came directly from the cow to our kitchen. My mom heated it on the stove using a candy thermometer. She couldn't remember the degree to which it had to be heated because the 'old' candy thermometers had a mark for 'scalded milk' and that was the cut off mark; the newer candy thermomters don't have the milk mark on them. She thought it might have been about 150 degrees. From everything I learned in my biology classes in college and what I've read on the fda website, I would highly recommend at least heating your fresh milk. http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2004/504_milk.html
My son was hospitalized 2 years ago for ecoli, and when he was in the hospital they gave me a list of differant ways you can contract the virus, one of the ways was from drinking unpasturized milk and cheese. If you do a search on ecoli you can find out more information.
I have been giving my daughter Shatto Milk since day one. It's a local dairy that does not use hormones and sell their milk in glass bottles, generating less waste for our environment. They have a website http://www.shattomilk.com/ that can provide some useful information. You can even tour the facility and get an up close and personal view of how they do business. I would recommend this over milk that is not pasteurized. It also has the creamier taste like the raw milk does that I'm sure your daughter has grown to love. Good Luck!
There may be health benefits from it, but the risk does not outweigh them. Lysteria, e coli, and other microorganisms are all possible. Please research this for yourself on the web. Children are small and suffer more effects from these illnesses than adults.
Pasteurisation (or pasteurisation) is the process of heating liquids for the purpose of destroying viruses and harmful organisms such as bacteria, protozoa, molds, and yeasts. (Straight from Wikipedia)
Even though the cattle are grass fed and have a happy home, they can still pick up various "yuckies" mentioned above and make us sick same as they can make their calves sick.
Be very careful and make sure the farmer is practicing safety. Hate to see something happen to the little girl or you!
Best Wishes,
J.
Despite what we all have told dairy is not that good for our babies. I enjoy many cheeses with raw milk but unfortunately they carry a bacteria that is particularly harmful it is called listeria. Feel free to research harmful dairy.
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2004/504_milk.html
I think this is a site you should carefully read before giving your daughter "raw" milk. In addition to what it says, you should talk to a pediatric dentist. "Raw" milk is very harmful to teeth and to future teeth.
D.
iam a mother of 4 grown children thats the best milk you can drank its very clean and healthy for you ive drank it off and on for years also goat milk from farmers is fantastic for you and your stomach. i get my cows milk in kingville mo .
Hi: I have been on a quest recently myself to find products that are more animal humane. Schnucks sells a brand of organic milk called "full circle." On the 1/2 gallon size, it explains on the package that the cows are allowed the graze in a pasture. So far, I have been buying that brand. It is pricey (around $5.50 per gal.), but worth it to me! It does have a diff. taste. I don't know if it b/c they are grazing on grasses and not on a grain-only diet?? But, I figure we'll get used to it. Good luck!
Pasteurization prevents potentially harmful bacteria from multiplying in the milk. It was a great leap forward for public health, and still is. Raw milk should be handled very carefully so that it is kept cold and consumed immediately to avoid contamination and the spread of bacteria.
I have always heard that Pasteurization kills bacteria that can be harmful, but I do know of people who use non-Pasteurized goats milk. I've never tried it. It does sound interesting, though, to research.
K.
The intestinal flora that is still alive in raw milk (because it has not been pasteurized) can be quite beneficial.
A friend used goat's milk for her baby from the start. (They had a small farm) the baby seemed to do fine other than a constant case of thrush & I always wondered if it was from the milk not being sterile. I used goat's milk, but I used canned. If you're wanting helathier & are worried about the side effects, have you considered soy, there's plenty of products on the market in stores as common as Wal-Mart. I hope you find the choice that's right for your family.
The main reason milk and other things are pasteurized is not to make it have a longer shelf life... it's to clean out potentially harmful bacteria. Pasteurization was started to help prevent diseases like: tuberculosis, diphtheria, polio, salmonellosis, strep throat, scarlet fever, and typhoid fever.
People who have weakened immune systems should not drink unpasteurized milk, juices, eat unpasteurized cheeses, etc... this includes babies, young children, elderly, and pregnant women.
I don't know... I think I'd do some research and talk my pediatrician before giving it to my kids.
Here's a link I found:
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2004/504_milk.html
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/04/raw-milk-website-la...
http://www.realrawmilkfacts.com/
I'm a veterinarian and I've been on more dairy farms than the average consumer, and I can tell you that there are MANY opportunities for bacteria to contaminate a milk product on a dairy farm. I'm also a microbiologist, and I can tell you that milk is a perfect multiplying medium for bacteria. I am on a food safety mailing list and I get email newsletters all the time regarding outbreaks of food-borne disease all over the country associated with raw milk and raw milk products. I'd be happy to share if you're interested. I can see NO good enough reason to drink raw milk to outweigh the risks- it's like playing russian roulette with your children's health.
People who grew up on dairy farms may have "self-vaccinated" over the years and are thus more resistant to the bacteria commonly in raw milk. That is not the case for you or your children. Please reconsider exposing them to this risky product.
