Everything You Need To Know About Raw Milk

Despite the controversial opinions, raw milk is actually good for you. It is an amazing thing that was designed by the Lord. Proverbs 27:27 “And thou shalt have goats’ milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens.” I believe It should be a part of our daily diet.

Now I do understand that in order for raw milk to be healthy, our animals need to be healthy. We test annually for CAE, Johnes and CL. These are common diseases that goats get and can be transferred through the milk to humans. Testing for these diseases gives us a peace of mind knowing our goats can live at optimal health. To ensure this we also feed them an organic diet and supplement with herbs and essential oils. We have tasted the difference and we have also seen an improvement in coat and personality. Our goats have become calmer and happier.

Is raw milk good for you?

Raw milk has many nutrients that are vital for the human body. It is the perfect make up of nutrients that are easily digestible. Below is a basic list of the important constituents found in raw milk.

• Minerals including calcium, phosphorus and zinc.
• Vitamins such as A,D,C,B.
• Probiotics
• Healthy fats
• Enzymes
• Protein
• And much more

What Is Pasteurization?

The act or process of heating a food, especially a beverage such as milk or beer, to a specific temperature for a specific period of time in order to kill microorganisms that could cause disease, spoilage, or undesired fermentation. I found this definition here, but I have also found similar ones in other places.

What Is Homogenization?

This is the process of reducing a substance, such as the fat globules in milk, to extremely small particles and distributing it uniformly throughout a fluid, such as milk. When milk is properly homogenized, the cream will not rise to the top. The process involves forcing the milk through small openings under high pressure, thus breaking up the fat globules. I found this definition here.

The Process of Processing Raw Milk

In summary on the processing of raw milk. Pasteurization heats the milk to kill bacteria. This starts to destroy the molecules in the milk making the cream coagulate and separate from the milk. This, then requires homogenization to dissolve the cream into the milk to get rid of the chunky texture. At this point the milk molecules as well as important nutrients have been completely altered, rendering the milk lifeless.

Harmful Affects of Pasteurization and Homogenization.

While pasteurization is not recommended it can be OK at low temperatures. The higher the temp you get the more good bacteria and nutrients will be destroyed. Pasteurization at high temps is a problem but Homogenization is the major problem. This process changes the chemical make up of the milk and basically makes it dead. Here are some eye opening pictures under a microscope of what is actually happening. If you want to see more click here.

What Are My Options? Where to Buy Raw Milk Near Me?

• Raw Milk
  • To get raw milk, check into the legality in your state. This may be an easy process for you. If it is illegal in your area, look into herd shares. This may be your best option.
  • You can click this link to find raw milk near you.
• Minimally pasteurized non harmonized and grass fed
  • This will be your best option in the grocery store
  • This should also come with a cream top

Raw Goats Milk vs Raw Cows Milk(our opinion)

In our personal experience we have been blessed to have both cows and goats milk. We have been able to compare the two. Raw goats milk doesn’t have to have a “game flavor”. We have personally experienced flavor changes when we changed our goats diet. We changed from what they were fed at a previous home to what we feed, which is an organic diet. This has made a huge difference in the taste of the milk.

We actually did a little experiment. One of our family members blindly sampled two glasses of milk. We wanted him to guess which one was cows milk and what was goats milk. Now keep in mind this family member is skeptical of raw milk but always has an open mind so he is completely bias. He guessed that the goats milk was cows milk. This shows that it’s not our taste buds getting accustomed to the milk, but it does actually have a clean flavor.

On the other hand he also said that our cow’s milk was sweeter. This could be because our cows are completely grass fed. Just like our goats milk changed in taste, our cows milk changed in taste and in color when switching them over to only grass fed. The color changed from white to more of a yellow, and the taste went from good to delicious.

Cows Milk vs. Goats Milk (facts)

Both cows and goats milk are delicious, but studies have shown that goats milk is more easily digestible. This has to do with lower lactose and smaller butterfat globules. Also goats milk is naturally homogenized. The information below comes from a great cheese making book called Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carrol.

Composition of Milk	Goats Milk Percentages	Cows Milk Percentages
Water and minerals	87.5	87
Albuminous protein	0.7	0.4
Casein	3.0	3.3
Lactose	4.0	4.8
Butterfat	4.2	3.8
Salts	0.6	0.7
Total Solids	12.5	13

I hope this was an eye opener to you. I hope you have great success on your quest to find good quality raw milk. Don’t forget to comment below.