I just love weekly pickups for grassfed raw milk. The inspiration and information exchange between folks who are making it happen each and every day with nutrient dense food preparation in their home kitchens is something you just can’t get anywhere else.
At our local pickup earlier this week, my dairy farmer relayed an interesting story to me about one of his 12 grandchildren and her very first experience with cow milk.
This little gal was presented for the very first time with a sippy cup of grassfed low temp pasteurized, nonhomogenized milk to drink as her Mom was in the process of weaning her off breastmilk. The child was already adept at drinking out of a sippy cup herself and so handling a sippy cup was not a new experience.
Without hesitation, she refused to drink from the sippy cup after an initial taste and turned her head away in rejection.
Undaunted, her mother next presented her with a sippy cup filled with raw, grassfed milk. It is important to note that the milk was from the very same dairy farm. The only difference is that one sippy cup had low temp pasteurized, nonhomogenized (cream top) milk in it and the other sippy cup had raw grassfed milk.
Same cows, same pasture, same everything except one sippy cup had milk that was low temp pasteurized and nonhomogenized.
Again, without hesitation, the little toddler grasped the sippy cup full of raw milk and happily began to drink!
My dairy farmer continued to explain that pets will make the same choice if you give them the option of lapping up low temp pasteurized/nonhomogenized milk versus raw milk.
Livestock exhibit similar instincts when it comes to feed as I’ve had many a farmer explain that animals always prefer the natural grain to any mix with GMOs in it. Of course, if GMO feed is all that you offer, they will eat that, but given the choice, the healthier option is chosen with no hesitation.
We can learn a lot by observing how healthy children and animals make their food choices. Their instincts for what is best for them nutritionally and developmentally haven’t been lost and those virgin taste buds and sense of smell are highly sensitive to the food choices presented.
Microphotography of Low Temp Pasteurized Milk and Raw Milk
Scientific examination of the molecular structure of low temp pasteurized/nonhomogenized milk and raw milk provides evidence as to why children and animals will instinctively prefer raw milk. In an article written by Beverly Rubik Phd entitled Microphotography of Raw and Processed Milk she shows in visual form the striking differences between raw milk and milk that is processed at low temperatures and not homogenized. Note that frozen raw milk that has been thawed has the same beneficial properties with little loss in nutrition.
Clearly, even low temp pasteurization with no homogenization is a very damaging process!
I found this research by Dr. Rubik to be very helpful as I have always recommended to people who have the choice between low temp pasteurized, nonhomogenized milk that is 100% grassfed and raw milk where the primarily grassfed cows get a small ration of grain each day to always choose the raw milk. The overall health of children on raw milk will beat the health of children drinking 100% grassfed low temp pasteurized/nonhomogenized milk in every instance I have observed.
Let’s take a lesson from the children. They are so much wiser than we think. Raw milk beats low temp pasteurized/nonhomogenized milk every single time.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
I can get raw milk, but it is very expensive. I have two other choices. Which might be better?
1. Raw, fresh from the farm grain/alfalfa fed milk.
2. Low temp vat pasteurized Kalona brand from the store 100% grassfed.
This study can’t support this headline, because the scientists didn’t evaluate low-temp pasteurized milk. Per the study: “In particular, we looked for differences between unpasteurized raw whole milk compared to whole milk that is pasteurized (heated to 170 degrees F for nineteen seconds) or ultrapasteurized (heated to 280 degrees F for two seconds, using superheated metal plates and steam, and then chilled).” Both of those are high temp pasteurization, vs 120-149 degrees for 30 minutes as in low temp pasteurization. Further that study only examines structure, and not other nutritional markers such as enzymes, proteins & vitamins, all of which are highly heat sensitive. Folks who have access to low-temp pasteurized milk can feel comfortable they’re feeding their family good food. And no, I’m not in the dairy industry- I’m a consumer who’s looked into this for myself. Some other raw milk activists agreeing are Real Milk
http://www.realmilk.com/health/abstracts-on-the-effect-of-pasteurization/
and Our Small Hours
http://www.oursmallhours.com/low-temperature-pasteurized-milk-and-health/
I’d have to agree with this comment. Just from my own observation verse what the the article’s linked report concludes about pasteurized, unhomogenized milk do not match up with the VAT pasteurized milk we get.
“During sample preparation, it was noted that organic whole milk that is pasteurized but unhomogenized could not be completely mixed by hand mixing or shaking. Chunks of fat similar to butter were floating at the surface of the milk or stuck to the milk container, despite gentle inversion of the milk or even vigorous shaking for minutes. Thus, it appears that pasteurization itself has permanent effects on the fat globules of whole milk, making much of the fat congeal and separate from the watery phase of the milk, much like butter.”
With the VAT pasteurized milk we get, this does not occur. Remixing the “creamtop” takes a quick gentle shaking before pouring. That makes me think that it would definately be worth doing this same examination of VAT pasteurized milk as well and not just assume, as this article does, that VAT pasteurization causes the same level of damage as standard pasteurization.
Also, a vitamin analysis of the difference between raw milk and then then same milk after VAT pasteurization as suggested would seem worth while as well.
Thank you Eileen for pointing this out. I was gonna point this out too. This is just as deceptive as what dishonest researchers do. The study that is uses as a reference does not look at VAT pasteurization at all. No I do not have any ties to any industry, just a consumer trying to find honest information and honest answers. Miss information of this sought only leads to more confusion.
VAT pasteurization is the same as low temp pasteurization and was contained in the referenced study.
If you find it hard to have raw milk, make kefir out of pasteurized milk!
I used to pay about $17 a gallon for raw cow milk. I recently found raw goat milk for $9 a gallon, so we drink that now. I actually love goat milk!
Raw milk is very hard to find, and when you find it you practically need a loan to buy it. That’s why we drink pasteurized, non homogenized milk from local, grassfed cows.
I must be nuts for I have never feared cholesterol or anything raw.
I’d disagree. There are way more reasons to avoid ‘alternative’ milk products than milk. If you can’t get it raw, lowtemp pasteurized milk is the next best thing. It’s tiresome when people label absolutely everything on the market as ‘bad’
Sometimes, depending of the state law or regulation, they will not allow to sell raw milk. Then what can we do?
The milk here, the best I can find, is low-temp pasteurized, but not homogenized, from grass fed Jersey cows. I do believe it’s better to drink it than the alternatives in this area – and frankly, I loathe almond milk! Anyway, we will be moving to a state that has raw milk on most store shelves in a few months. 🙂
What state is that?
And then there are the “ultra-pasteurized” milk products 🙁 So many “organic” companies do that and it drives me nuts that my friends will buy it thinking because it’s organic it’s better! So misleading. If they are going to get pasteurized would ideally like to see them buy the nonhomogenized low temp variety since they are going to buy milk anyway, but hard to find and uber-expensive.