Quote:
Originally Posted by lkw15
Unpasteurized raw milk can be extremely, extremely dangerous. You run the risk of coming in contact with listeria, salmonella, and E. coli. There is very little, if any, peer-reviewed scientific research that confirms the benefits of consuming raw milk. In my opinion, it is not even close to being worth it to consume milk raw.
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Pasteurization is only 146 years old. Think about how many thousands of years humans have drank raw milk.
The contamination of milk will be determined by how the milk is handled, the conditions in which is collected, and by the health of the cow. Due to the much greater regulations on raw milk, the standards by which raw milk is collected and tested are superior to that of the dead milk from sick cows packed into pens and raised in their own feces and urine. Pasteurized milk collection doesn't have to be as strict as the farmers know they are going to heat it anyways. It is this unsanitary, fed-lot environment that is the catalyst for potential disease and sickness. These unsanitary conditions are what fostered the thought of heating milk to kill pathogens. Unfortunately, this heat also kills all benefecial bateria, destroys enzymes, destroys some vitamins and minerals, and dentaures proteins/amino acids.
The question to ask is how healthy of a cow can you be living in your own shit/urine and the shit/urine of others, pumped with antibiotics and synthetic hormone, and fed corn/soy/grain/crap when you're meant to eat grass? What type of product could you create given those parameters? Do you normally get hormones and antibiotics when you're healthy? Does pasteurization destroy synthetic hormone and antibiotics present in the milk? If the cows aren't sick and aren't in unsanitary conditions and the collection process is sanitary, is distorting the food by heating it necessary at all?
The incredible, perfect plan that mother nature has set up shouldn't be molested as it is perfect. You can't improve on perfect. The healthy bacteria that appears in raw milk from healthy cows fed the right diet on free range pasture serves to kill pathogens ON THEIR OWN without the need to heat the milk. Nature already has a built in mechanism, a checks and balances system, that has been perfected over time. It is this mix of beneficial bacteria, fats, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that also assists the human immune system in defending itself from disease. It's a living food that fosters vitality.
The denaturing of proteins and fats in pasteurized/homogenized milk leads to poor digestion and assimilation of these proteins in the body which triggers degenerative, inflammatory, and auto-immune responses from the body resulting in IBS, fibromyalgia, atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Chron's disease, Celiac disease, autism, lactose intolerance, allergic reactions, etc. This denaturing of the milk doesn't occur with raw milk as the body is provided with the factors it needs to assimilate
totally the food into the body. As a result, none of these inflammatory reactions occur.
I could continue this comparison but really don't see a need. As a health professional, I tell my clients to stay away from the white death -- table salt, white flour, white sugar, and
pasteurized dairy -- as much as possible because of the understanding of the stressful, inflammatory environment that these processed foods create within the body. Body building experts of the early part of the century understood these very premises. If you read the works of Vince Gironda, a bodybuilding legend, he is extremely adamant about consuming raw milk and not pasteurized dairy. He mentions it over and over again the weight gaining and muscle building characteristics of raw dairy. This is when bodybuilding was about building an amazing physique and fostering top-notch health and exceptional endocrine and digestive health. Guy was in his best shape when he was 45 years old.
I propose that pasteurization doesn't benefit the health of the consumer in any way. What it does though is allow for sub-standard collections policies, continuation of the fed-lot operation, contributes to poor treatment of animals, supports the drug industry, and extends the shelf life of milk. It's about bigger production and cheaper production not about health or vitality. $$ is the name of the game.
Do your research and make the decision that's best for you.
http://www.realmilk.com/whichchoose.html
Quote:
Originally Posted by gonzo
I have consumed nearly the whole gallon I bought Monday and am not keeling over. I drank it as a child and never had a problem then either. I am sure Bobby Light can elaborate on the subject of it's safety.
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Keep drinking it. It is second to none in its ability to support your immune system, provide vitality, nourish the brain, and promote overall health. You have nothing to worry about.