Raw Milk, Pure Body

Have you ever thought about why we pasteurize milk? Yeah? Me too! If you’re like me, then you’re probably reading this article as part of your personal quest to understand more about what you’re putting into your body. So many people around the United States complain of lactose intolerance these days and, I don’t know about you, but I feel like this wasn’t a thing back in the old days. So, what’s changed? Pasteurization. Under the guise of keeping us safe from impurities in our milk, the entirety of the western world began putting good ol’ Louis Pasteur’s research into action.

Pasteurization is a process in which a substance, in this case, milk, is heated for a short amount of time to remove harmful bacteria. The milk must reach a temperature of 161.6 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds. While this is 100% true, the heating process will kill bacteria growing in the milk, it not only destroys any harmful bacteria, it also eradicates all of the good bacteria that aid in all things from digestion to managing blood pressure. The thing to keep in mind is that Pasteur’s method came about before the development of reliable means of refrigeration and cold-transport. As it often is, technology is the answer. After a considerable amount of online research and personal use, allow me to give you some of the facts and put your mind at ease.

Top 5 Benefits of Raw Milk

1. Helps control blood pressure

Raw milk contains excess amounts of casein proteins that can help maintain healthy blood pressure and increase the absorption of minerals throughout the body. Drinking raw milk will provide you with sufficient vitamin D and calcium, both of which are known to help reduce high blood pressure. Both of these are often stripped out during the pasteurization process, forcing milk processors to enrich their milk to put these vital nutrients back into a liquid that, if left the way nature intended, would be perfect.

2. Listen to your gut

As previously mentioned, pasteurization is a process intended to destroy all bacteria naturally occurring in milk. Why would anyone want to kill all of these wonderful bacteria? Raw milk is super-rich in healthy bacteria and makes for a great probiotic drink that can benefit your digestive system. Why buy things like Activia alongside your weekly gallon of milk when you can get all you need from one source? The various enzymes naturally found in milk help to improve the digestion of nutrients from other foods. In other words, drinking raw milk not only means that you’ll get more out of your milk, but you’ll get more out of your food as well.

3. Packed with natural vitamins

The fat naturally present in raw milk has certain soluble vitamins that are integral to physical health. These vitamins include but are not limited to such vitamins as A, K, and E. Raw milk is also rich in water-soluble vitamins like C and B complex that are ravaged by exposure to excessive heat of pasteurization. Commercially speaking, pasteurized milk is mostly ‘fortified’ with vitamins. Again, this fortification or enriching process is wholly unnecessary as long as the milk is kept at a safe temperature throughout transport.

4. Helps maintain healthy bones and teeth

Milk is and has always been known as one of the most natural sources of calcium. Raw milk contains an abundant amount of calcium as compared to pasteurized milk. Calcium helps build stronger and healthier bones and teeth. In fact, calcium from raw milk is easily absorbed by the body. In our later years, bone loss may become a more significant threat, but the calcium in raw milk will help maintain bone density over time.

5. Milky-smooth skin

You can add raw milk to your skincare routine. Raw milk can also be applied topically and acts as an excellent skin toner/moisturizer. It can be used in the winter to make your skin soft and supple and stave off the usual dryness of the season. Using it regularly on your face and skin may make it glow.

Now, you may be asking yourself how all of this is possible. Well, like any other new health or diet regimen, I would be remiss if I did not tell you to consult your physician before making any serious dietary changes. But, after all of my research and bringing raw milk into my own home for myself and my family’s consumption, I would say that once you make the change, you’ll never look back.