I Love Raw Milk

I was recently battling an itchy, painful skin condition (psoriasis?) on my hands for about five months. Because of my skin, I drastically changed my diet, read books about natural health, and saw some unconventional medical providers. In my quest to heal my skin, I came across raw (unpasteurized) milk. Wow! I didn’t know that raw milk was so controversial.

The Center for Disease Control makes raw milk sound super dangerous while raw milk advocates claim that it is a lot safer than other foods that we eat on a regular basis. While raw milk advocates claim that it is a complete superfood that is wonderful for allergy sufferers, the gut, skin, and immune system, raw milk antagonists claim that these benefits have not been proven. Raw milk advocates also claim that pasteurized milk (almost all the milk in the U.S.) has been stripped of the components that make it so healthy, and that the pasteurization process actually makes the milk unhealthy for us.

So, who should you believe? I’m not going to tell you that, but I will tell you about my experience with raw milk. The Natural Health Nut inside me had to try it!

First off, it wasn’t easy to find someone that sells raw milk (the sale of raw milk is illegal in some American states). When I finally found a vendor, my first experience with raw milk was raw goat milk. It was delicious!

To get my hands on raw cow milk, I went to the Weston A. Price website and contacted my local Weston A. Price chapter. Weston A. Price was a dentist that traveled the world and studied the eating habits of healthy people. If you are looking for raw milk, you can also go to realmilk.com.

The raw cow milk was very creamy and delicious. I also started consuming raw kefir and raw cheese. In the past, when I consumed pasteurized dairy, I used to experience nasal congestion. This didn’t happen to me when I consumed raw dairy!

You may be wondering if I am concerned about the safety of raw milk. Chris Kresser claims that the chances of becoming hospitalized from drinking raw milk are very small–you are actually three times more likely to die in a plane crash. 

With that being said, to be completely honest, there was one time that the raw kefir tasted funny and I had major stomach upset. But, to be fair, I ate some questionable meat on the same day. So, I don’t know if my stomach was upset due to the raw dairy or the meat.

I haven’t had raw milk or raw kefir in a couple of weeks. I miss it! I think that it is helping with my gut; also, my skin is almost completely healed! Because I made so many health changes in the past few months, it’s hard to tell which changes were the most beneficial for my recovery. Who knows? Maybe the raw milk played a role in healing my skin.

Want to know something really cool and odd? Apparently, there are Raw Milk vending machines in Europe!

So, what do you think? Do you drink raw milk, or do you think that it is too risky?