Today, I am sharing why we drink raw milk. I will go into the health benefits, risks and our personal experience with drinking raw milk.

why we choose to drink raw milk

For Nine Years

We have been drinking raw milk in our family for over nine years now. When my first daughter, Ruthie, was 18 months old, it became clear to me that we needed to think through the whole milk thing. It’s funny how having a child makes you ponder health things more than anything else. I really should have been researching into all of this, when I was pregnant but you live and learn, right? I was pregnant with my second child already, so my milk supply was decreasing. By about 16 months, Ruth was no longer interested in nursing. Nowadays, it is pretty well known that soy milk is a bad idea. At the time, at least in the health circles I was in, people were still sort of recommending it.

I bought Ruth soy milk and gave it to her in a sippy cup. By the time she was about 18 months, I read into that a little more and decided soy was the last thing I should be giving her.

First Starting Out on our raw milk journey

If you ask your doctor, depending on where you live and who your doctor is, you are likely to get the eye roll and be told you are making a big mistake to drink raw milk. We were told this when we first started drinking raw milk nine years ago. I had one little girl, and I was asking my pediatrician about drinking raw milk. He thought I was crazy for even thinking about drinking raw milk. At the time, I had no experience with raw milk to back my desire to drink it. All I had was internet research. I was hoping we were not making a huge mistake. The first time I gave my daughter raw milk I was just hoping she wouldn’t die.

If you Google raw milk, you’re basically going to think that if you would give your child raw milk they’ll get sick immediately. If you ask your pediatrician, they will most likely say the same thing. So, needless to say, I was a bit hesitant to give my 18 month-old daughter raw milk.

I will go into my experience later, but now we have nine years behind us of raw milk drinking.

Raw Milk Why We Drink it and FAQ | RAW MILK DURING PREGNANCY

My Disclaimer

Before I jump into this blog post, I want to first say that this is just my opinions and my experience. I am going to talk a little bit about some research I have done over the years, but for you personally, anything I say, obviously make your own decisions and do your own research. I do have some strong opinions about this topic, but that does not mean that you necessarily should, or that you should take my word for it. Raw milk is a very individual decision, and can even be illegal based on where you live. More on that later.

“Dangers” of Raw Milk

I am going to be leaving all the links to the resources at the end of this post.

1 and 6 million chance of getting sick from raw milk stat

According to Chris Kresser, the risk of developing a serious illness, one that would require hospitalization is still 1 in 6 million (I found this stat from “Raw Milk Reality: Is Raw Milk Dangerous?”). So you are nine times more likely to get sick from raw milk, but still the relative risk of getting sick is extremely small.

This is off topic, but it is sort of similar with having a home birth and figuring out the relative risk difference between that and having a hospital birth. You always have to take the benefits and look at the risks in order to make your analysis. I fell like everything in the medical world is so fear based that we sterilize our entire environment. We do this with antibiotics, antibacterial soap and pasteurized everything! By sterilizing our environment, we are inadvertently creating more consequences and avoid natural remedies out of fear.

Where to purchase raw milk?

Now, something of course to consider is where you are getting your milk from.

Personally, I have toured the dairy farms where we purchase our raw milk. We have purchased raw milk from several different farms over the past nine years, based off of availability, distance, and price. I have also toured a commercial dairy. I have even toured some dairies on the East coast when I went there with Stonyfield. And so, I have seen an organic dairy, raw small local dairies, and commercial dairies.

I can tell you, based off of the smell and the living conditions, that I would not want to drink the unpasteurized milk from a conventional dairy.

Local Farms and Families

For us, we find local dairy farms to purchase milk through networking with friends and asking around in our local chapter Weston Price Facebook group.

Another great place to look is the Real Milk Finder. If you aren’t able to find anyone in your area who is on the farm listings, don’t get discouraged. A lot of times there will be families in your area who only want to take on one or two customers, so ask around!

When we first started buying raw milk, we were purchasing it from two local dairies and then we moved into our current farmhouse and are now purchasing milk from a family who owns a dairy cow. Even one dairy cow produces four gallons of milk a day.

Is raw milk safe?

There is that 1 in 6 million chance. I feel like I have to say there is a risk though. However, personally, I feel perfectly comfortable giving my kids raw milk.

kefir smoothie recipe with berries Very Berry Kefir Smoothie Recipe

Have you ever gotten sick from drinking raw milk?

No, we have not! We all drink about a quart of raw milk a day in the form of kefir smoothies, butter, sour cream, and yogurt. So far we have never gotten sick from it.

And, yes! I do drink raw milk while pregnant quite liberally. Probably about a quart a day.

Why Do You Not Drink Pasteurized Milk?

Good Bacteria

Pasteurized milk not only kills the bad bacteria, but it also kills the good bacteria that is healthy for our body, and helps to digest the proteins in the milk. The body was meant to utilize the probiotics and cultures that are in the milk to help digest the milk, and make it to where the body can use it. Without the good bacteria, the body cannot cannot digest it properly. Pasteurization kills the bad bacteria and pathogens, but it also kills the good bacteria that makes it a living healthy food.

Vitamins and Minerals

There have been studies that have been done that show the vitamin and mineral content in pasteurized milk just isn’t there. The process of pasteurizing, which is just heating the milk up to a certain temperature for an extended period of time, kills vitamin C.

Is Raw Milk Ethical?

Finding meat and milk sources that are local allow you to see the environment the animals are raised in. This, and the obvious health benefits, are the reason I go out of my way to source local pastured chicken, eggs, pork, beef and dairy. If the ethics are a concern to you, consider visiting a local farm and seeing it for yourself. I am sure you will find that you are quite pleased with how the animals are treated and how they are raised.

What About Raw Milk Alternatives?

A lot of health experts today suggest you drink cow’s milk alternatives, like almond milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, and rice milk. But after doing some research, I realized a lot of those kinds of milk were heavily processed, often times full of sugar. You cannot naturally get milk from almonds and rice. Milk in its raw state is a pure food, easy to digest and full or beneficial enzymes and bacteria.

How does raw milk taste?

I have not had pasteurized milk in so long, but I am quite convinced the taste of raw milk is one million times better! It is so creamy and rich. My kids love to drink the raw milk we buy from the farm. It has gotten to the point where they would just like to drink milk all day, and I need to tell them that they have had enough and need to drink some water!

Is raw milk legal?

In some states, raw milk is completely illegal. Some places you are allowed to pick it up from a local farm, and in some states it can even be sold in stores. In Missouri, raw milk is legal from local farms. It still cannot be bought in the grocery store.

Check this article to find out if raw milk is legal in your state.

What is the difference between A1 and A2 Milk?

There are two different kinds of protein in milk, A1 and A2. A1 is the protein often found in the common Holstein cow, while A2 is more prevalent in Guernsey and Jersey breeds. The reason people are sometimes sensitive to dairy is because they are unable to digest A1 milk. There have been many studies on the link between A1 milk and health conditions. If you are sensitive to dairy, make sure to ask the local farm if they have tested their cows for which kind of protein is in the milk. You can do this if you work closely with a local raw milk dairy.

Read more on A1 vs A2 milk here: You’re Drinking the Wrong Kind of Milk

Raw Milk Recipes

Raw Milk Butter- Coming soon!

How to Make Raw Yogurt

How to Make Raw Sour Cream- Coming soon!

Sources

Raw Milk: Everything you Need to Know about Nature’s Perfect Food

Raw Milk Reality: Benefits of Raw Milk

Dr. Axe Raw Milk Benefits

The Many Benefits of Raw Milk

A1 vs A2 Milk You’re Drinking the wrong Kind of Milk

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Why We Drink Raw Milk and Some FAQ - Farmhouse on Boone

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70 Comments

  1. Michael J Klapp says:

    Like most folks I was conditioned from childhood to pasteurized milk for all the old reasons. I am 80 years young. Just FYI. On a recent trip to Detwiler’s market I noticed they sell raw milk. The gentleman stocking the dairy shelves showed me the fine print on the jug stating that it was “for dogs and cats only. Not for human consumption”. That is how they get around the pasteurization laws. Who knows? I might try it sometime.

  2. Stacey Smith says:

    Thank you for this . I never did like milk from the store growing up. I drink oat milk or almond unsweetened. But i want to see if I can find raw milk in Mississippi and if its legal to buy. I hope so!

  3. Anna says:

    Hi Lisa,

    First off I wanted to say you look gorgeous!
    Coming from a makeup artist working in the fashion
    Field your a natural beauty so screw Megan and her dumb opinion no one wants to hearโ€ฆ

    Secondly your article about raw milk actually calmed
    Me down so so much because I am pregnant and I am
    On this raw grass fed diary journey since a while now
    But I was too afraid to touch raw milk because of the horrible internet warnings. I am not stupid and in my gut I know that
    Most of the things the internet just does to scare us to
    Not eat the good things because they like us sick betterโ€ฆ.
    But since this ja my first pregnancy I just donโ€™t want to put
    Me and my baby in any danger thatโ€™s why I got so anxious
    And felt guilty after I had half a Glas of raw milk..
    After that mind was playing games with me and I was just
    Constantly nervousโ€ฆbut you saying you drank it threw your pregnancy gave me hope and if thereโ€™s Andy thing you can add on please do so so I can feel even more relieved ๐Ÿคฃ haha..thank you! I appreciate you! Xoxo

  4. Schleenia Gaalswyk says:

    Thank you for the information. I come from a long line of Dairy Farmers or Family in the industry. It was never talked about. We got our milk straight from the tank. My Aunt and sons have a Jersey Dairy ๐Ÿฅ›. What a fun read. God Bless from California . Sincerely, Schleenia Gaalswyk

  5. Patty Hager says:

    Thank you for this informative article. When is was around 13 (I am now 70) my grandparents were given the task of raising five grandchildren as their parents had divorced. A neighbor was so kind to let my grandpa milk his dairy cow daily to help on food expenses for all those young children. Grandma made butter and the kids drank it without question. Me? No. I guess I was fearful of not drinking milk from the grocery store and so I drank little but Grandma cooked with it too so unbeknownst to me I still consumed it. I admire your raising your family in this manner and living off the land as you do. Wish more of us had been in that position. Patty Hager

  6. Eva says:

    What about boiling the raw milk before consumption? Back home, in Romania we used to boil the milk before drinking. It lasted longer before it got sour.
    Thanks.

    1. Lisa says:

      It does last longer, but damages a lot of the enzymes and good bacteria.

  7. Sandy Eccard says:

    Thank you for your article and support. We are a small family dairy farm for over 50 years. And we sell our raw milk at our farm store. It is so much better for us and I too, put my babies on our milk at 6 months of age. My babies doctor knows we are farmers and said it will be good for them just start off slowly. My two are now 28 and 31 years old and to this day have never had strep throat, ear infections, bronchi infections and very few colds over the years. We are all good and healthy and I believe it is all our raw milk we drink

  8. Deborah says:

    When I was a kid, we’d visit our farming grandparents in Tennessee every year. They had one Jersey Cow, Birdie, who was milked twice daily.

    Her milk was so delicious; much better than the milk from the store!

    When I was old enough to drink coffee, I would wake up extra early just so I could be the first one up to skim the cream off the fresh milk. (There were 5 of us kids.)

    I’m asthmatic, and found out this week that I am most allergic to Casein.

    I hope to find a local farmer to buy raw Jersey cow’s milk from!

  9. Becky says:

    I have to put in my 2 cents!!! If everyone did what Lisa did in a day, they would look tired too. Kids, housework, chores, gardening, laundry, oh and she makes 3 meals a day with no fast food to fall back on. I grew up on raw milk and you sure as neck don’t look tired from drinking raw milk.

  10. MrsFarmerJ says:

    I am expecting our first child, and I asked my doctor if I could continue to drink my home grown goatโ€™s milk. She was totally supportive once I explained how I handle the milk, only stainless equipment, quick chilling, etc. I was going to keep drinking it anyhow, but was very happy to have my doctors hearty approval.