Raw milk?! I know. If you’d mentioned raw milk to me a year ago, I would have shuddered at the thought of drinking such a risky, potentially sickening beverage. After all, when you Google raw milk, all of the first results are government webpages warning you about how raw milk can contain horrible bacteria and viruses that will probably kill you!
Proponents of raw milk have dissected some of the studies that back up these safety conclusions and came to very different results (see also here for an analysis by one of my favorite nutrition experts). But I’m not here to argue with you on the safety of drinking raw milk. Disclaimer: I’m not a medical professional or dairy industry expert. Whether or not you feel comfortable drinking raw milk and assuming the potential risks is a choice that’s entirely up to you.
I’m here to share why our family drinks raw milk. Some of our extended family has been confused by this choice so I hope this clears some things up!
Why We Ditched Conventional Dairy
Last fall, we found out that little E had a casein intolerance. Casein is a protein that’s found in all dairy products. It caused digestive problems and blistery eczema for our toddler. Naturally, we switched to dairy substitutes like almond, oat, and cashew milk/yogurt.
However, those substitutes are quite low-calorie and little E was hungry all the time. No matter how many healthy fats–avocado, coconut/olive oil, vegan butter, nut butters–we added in elsewhere in his diet, it didn’t seem to help. So I started researching if it would be okay to add in a small amount of dairy and if so, what kind.
I learned that there are two forms of casein, A1 and A2, that differ in their amino acid composition. Conventional milk contains both forms of casein, whereas A2 milk is from older lineages of cows and contains only A2 casein. Many people who can’t have conventional dairy can have A2 dairy.
Now… where does one get A2 dairy? There’s only one brand that’s sold in stores here. It is very expensive and also not organic or grassfed, which I didn’t like.
During my long search for A2 milk, I started an online nutrition course on the pro-metabolic diet. And that’s when I discovered raw milk. First, I was incredulous that so many people were drinking it without getting sick. Then, as I learned more about it, I wanted to find some for us to try.
Why We Drink Raw Milk
Unlike pasteurized dairy, raw milk contains many digestive enzymes, including lactase and lipase, which help digest lactose and dairy fat. This makes it easier for the gut to absorb these nutrients. It also means that some lactose-intolerant people–like me!–can drink raw milk without any issues.
Raw milk also contains probiotics that help build the microbiome, which is especially important for children whose guts are less mature. Raw milk consumption is also linked to lower levels of allergies and asthma in children.
Overall, raw milk from a small organic farm, where cows are allowed to graze, has a nutritional profile that puts conventional dairy to shame. In addition to all nutrients being better absorbed from raw milk, thanks to the enzymes and probiotics, raw grassfed milk contains vitamin K2 (only present in grassfed dairy and some fermented soy products). Importantly, vitamin K2 helps calcium be absorbed into the bones. Raw milk also has significantly more B vitamins and vitamin C, which are damaged by pasteurizing.
In addition to all these benefits: raw milk from a small local farm is better for the planet. The milk goes straight from a cow that lives 35 minutes away from us, to a reusable glass jug, to our fridge! It’s fresh, nutritious, delicious and sustainable: everything you could want in a food.
I hope this answers some questions about why one would choose to drink raw milk. Like with many foods, finding a good source of raw milk is key to ensuring its safety and healthfulness. Realmilk.com is a great source for Americans to find a small farm near them–that’s where we connected with ours.
Let me know if you have any other questions about raw milk or our experience in the comments!
xx Claire
