Raw Verses Pasteurized Milk

Numerous studies indicate that because of the dense nutritional qualities of mothers milk, long term (up to 2 years or more) breast feeding is critically important in creating robust adults. Because the same is true for dairy animals, we can greatly improve our nutritional bottom line by consuming milk and its products. However, because modern dairy cattle are fed such an artificial diet (see “free Range Goats”) and because commercial milk has had its most nourishing components either removed or destroyed by pasteurization and reconstitution, it hardly qualifies as milk, let alone as a nutritional food.

Organic Is Not Always Better. When speaking of dairy products, organic simply means that instead of being fed non-organic feed, the animals are fed organic feed. All other detrimental aspects of modern dairy operations remain in place (see “Free Range Goats”). Organic does not mean free range. Organic dairy cattle are still bred to be milk production machines with little care for their longevity. The operations can still be energy intensive confinement systems with the feed being shipped (often times long distances) from mega monoculture “organic” farms that are getting their organic fertilizers from who knows where (China?).

To wring the most milk production from dairy cows, modern operations feed large amounts of concentrate (grain mixes) that are an unnatural diet for grass eating cattle. The result is digestive issues that often lead to mastitis, an infection of the udder. Not to worry though, pasteurization usually kills off most of these infections – along with everything else that is good about milk.

Genetically engineered growth hormones have been approved by the FDA for dairy cows, to increase milk production. Excessive growth hormone has been linked to growth irregularities, acne, tumors and cancer in humans.

Pasteurization is the process of heating milk to sterilize it. There are several ways to accomplish it, here are a few: 145 degrees for 30 minutes (Holder method), 161 degrees for 15 seconds or 285 degrees (ultra pasteurized, above boiling!) for 1 – 2 seconds.

In 1867 Louis Pasteur was director of Scientific Studies at the Sorbonne in Paris. A great self promoter, he impressed Napoleon III who created a laboratory for him at Sorbonne where his use of heat to sterilize not only milk, but wine and many other food products became well known. Its important to keep in mind that this was an era of little understanding of bacteria and the importance of preventative sanitation. The “miracle” of pasteurization caught on because even milk from mastitis infected cows, milked outside in piles of manure surrounded by buzzing flies and using dirty equipment, could be made safe to drink by pasteurization.
A lack of knowledge of the detrimental effects of pasteurization, combined with a fear of the harmful effects of drinking contaminated milk, led to a premature rush to indoctrinate those in power to the benefits of pasteurization. There was a commercial component at work as well. Once pasteurized, milk could be safely shipped, which meant that it could become a commodity bought and sold on open markets.

Pasteurization destroys various amounts of vitamin C, B6, B12, and it alters calcium and other minerals that enhance absorption of nutrients. Worst of all, pasteurization destroys vital enzymes, the building blocks of nutrition, and beneficial bacteria that aid in digestion. In short, pasteurized milk is a denatured product that research indicates the body may not recognize as a food item with the result being; detrimental health issues.

Today we know much more about mastitis and how to prevent it (allow dairy animals to free range as they were meant) and we know much more about how to prevent contamination of dairy products through good hygiene and sanitary precautions. However, large corporate type dairy farms depend on pasteurization to ensure that their crowded, messy feedlot operations don’t produce contaminated milk.. This is not an issue for the small producer whose dairy animals are grazing on naturally clean pastures.

Processing of milk is a little known aspect of commercial milk. Ron Schmid details this in his book “The Untold Story of Milk”. “First it is separated in centrifuges into fat, protein and various other solids and liquids. Once segregated, these are reconstituted to set levels for whole, low-fat and non-fat milks. What is left over will go to butter, cream, cheese, dried milk and a host of other milk products. Of the reconstituted milks, whole milk will most closely approximate original cows milk. When fat is removed, it is replaced with protein and vitamin-rich skimmed milk powder or concentrate. Standardization ensures that milk is consistent, that one glass of any given milk type tastes exactly like the next.” Im sure to the commodity broker this is all good stuff, but for the consumer, it aint necessarily so.

Butterfat is a good thing. New research is indicating that our concern about animal fat is off-base and that cholesterol is not the culprit its been made out to be. Our brains cannot function without cholesterol and its necessary for carrying nutrients into our cells. Its when cholesterol settles onto the walls of our arteries that it becomes problematic and this is caused by lack of proper nutrients that keeps cholesterol circulating in the blood where it belongs (eat more greens!). In addition to the long chain fatty acids (that form cholesterol), milk also contains short and medium chain fatty acids that are converted directly into energy. The move has already begun to move back to whole milk and forgo low fat or 2%. Additionally, butter is one of only two sources (coconut oil is the other) of lauric acid, an amino acid with critical immune system functions.

Erda Kroft dairy products are made from whole unpasteurized raw milk in its natural state, as God intended.