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MarilynW
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I am not sure this is the correct forum to post. And I hope it will not be too contentious a topic. I am just praying for wisdom about whether to buy or not - it is so expensive for us ($8/gallon  ] ) and not easy to pick up - just with all my recent illness I am wondering about whether we should return to this. Has anyone really experienced health benefits from raw milk and butter. My dh was did not want me drinking raw milk during pregnancy and still has a few reservations - not just the price.
I would appreciate any views.
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Mackfam
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Marilyn,
This is something we considered very heavily. After doing a great deal of research, and yielding to my dh's wishes, we decided not to. Here's why.
I talked to a number of people on both sides of the fence. I read all I could get my hands on. There's no doubt about the health benefits, and I won't get into the argument on pasteurization. That aside, the concensus was that it was risky to begin consuming raw dairy products if you hadn't been consuming them your whole life. Your intestinal flora is not equipped to handle the load it would likely experience from raw dairy. If you grew up on the farm, and as a child had been drinking raw dairy and the family used safe handling practices, you'd likely be fine because your intestinal flora would have grown over the years to handle the bacteria introduced on a regular basis. So...I guess if you've been drinking raw dairy all your life, it's a different ball game than if you're just thinking about starting. I think I'd still be very cautious if I were breast feeding though. That would require still more research.
You can find (though it is hard) dairy that has not been high-heat pasteurized. It retains many of its good properties, while still undergoing enough pasteurization to make it a safe option. But, it is hard to find dairy operations that do that. Organic Valley brand does, but I can't ever find it around here. And the only other dairy farm that does is over 2 hours away, so we drink some soy and some fully pasteurized organic milk.
I don't disparage any one who does consume raw dairy, because I am convinced of the health benefits! This is just where we landed. HTH, Marilyn. Prayers for your discernment.
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MarilynW
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Thank you Jennifer - very useful information and my dh's position totally.
One question - do you do organic skim or whole milk. Sue Gregg recommends using organic skim and then adding cream to avoid homogenization. We have just been doing whole milk recently.
Thanks again!
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Elizabeth
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Marilyn,
Instead of raw milk, you might consider gently pasteurized unhomogenized milk. You can get it at Whole Foods. They use Chrome Dairy. It's not raw, but it is a compromise. Alternatively, give up milk altogether and only eat organic yogurt as your dairy. Then you get beneficial enzymes and probiotics without the exorbitant cost or the questionable legal issues.
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MarilynW
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Elizabeth wrote:
Marilyn,
Instead of raw milk, you might consider gently pasteurized unhomogenized milk. You can get it at Whole Foods. They use Chrome Dairy. It's not raw, but it is a compromise. Alternatively, give up milk altogether and only eat organic yogurt as your dairy. Then you get beneficial enzymes and probiotics without the exorbitant cost or the questionable legal issues. |
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Great ideas Elizabeth - thank you! You and Jennifer have been an answer to prayer. The yogurt idea is great - just need some kind of milk for my cups of tea!
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aussieannie
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Marilyn, I've drunk raw milk throughout the whole of this pregnancy, I haven't any thoughts in particular for your husband, except to say that I drink it but it is a very personal choice to weigh up especially when pregnant and their are issues to consider.
I haven't drunk raw milk all my life but I we have been drinking it for many years now, not just at the start of this pregnancy.
I'd love the raw butter if I could get it, I understand it is very good for pregnant women, but it is a harder commodity to get hold of over here. Instead I have taken these supplements: Bue Ice Gold Therapeutics - this one has both the Cod Liver Oil and the High Vitamin Butter Oil but there is one that just has the High Vitamin Butter Oil
Here is some great information on the High Vitamin Butter Oil - This explains the "The Wulzen Factor" that is only present in unpasterized butter and this supplement contains it.
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Elizabeth
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I would buy organic whole cream for tea. You only need a little and it lasts a long time (unless you have a teenager who guzzles it). Our local Harris Teeter carries organic cream.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Mackfam
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I buy organic whole milk. You could also buy the organic whole cream for your tea which is just delicious as Elizabeth says. Just make sure you're buying organic from grass fed cows. You probably already knew that - but...just in case! My favorite brand is Organic Valley. Unfortunately, here in the deep fried south, we don't have any Whole Foods chains yet - but the Organic Valley brand is a co-op of family farms who raises and milks all pasture fed cattle.
We do buy Amish butter, and can usually find Amish cheese. I've been bad about making yogurt lately - feeling  , but I need to get back to it because there are sooooo many nutritional benefits to yogurt! I cut waaaaay back on dairy and moved mostly to yogurt which I used in cooking and for pretty much everything. Well...I did until I got with this pregnancy. I only have 9 weeks to go and I'm still having a hard time getting back to our good eating routine. Anyway...just my thoughts.
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We are raw milk drinkers, here 
Actually, it was dh's idea. He is lactose intolerant and found that he can consume all the raw dairy products without any trouble. We began drinking raw milk when I was pregnant with #5 and have continued since. It is $6 per gallon here and we pick it up weekly at a local farmers' market. We have had great success and health. I would recommend it.
Hope this helps,
Christine
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aussieannie
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Oh, this is interesting - it just came through now on my emails, about pasterized milk and raw milk.
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We also try to get the non-homogenized kind from Whole Foods - with the cream still on the top. Either that or at least organic...
There is a small dairy here that sells raw milk - it is $8 a gallon.
Down in Tucson, there is another small dairy farm, but it is all goat's milk & cheese.
When I was a baby they had to use goat's milk for me, as I have never been able to tolerate cow-derived dairy products, as even things like cheese which has no (or very, very little) lactose still doesn't work well with my body.
Here is a link to places where you can find raw milk, if anyone is curious 
Edited to fix the link
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juststartn
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Thanks for that link! I've looked up OK, and found a couple of places in the same town where we will be attending mass (likely)--about a half hour max from our potential home...
Oh, this looks GOOD! LOL
Rachel
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bfarmmom
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We are raw milk drinkers here. I started drinking with baby #5. We loved it so much we bought our own Jersey Cow. (Her name is Rosie  ) We are fortunate to have some land to do this. I personally have never felt better since drinking the raw dairy and products. It really is a personal decision though.
If you do decide to go for it, it is good to know your farmer, so you know the cows diet and their collection technique (hand milking vs. machine milking)And $8 is the going rate here also. We do not share our milk though, there is just not enough! 
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cathhomeschool
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Here is an old thread that I dug up at MaryM's suggestion (you've got a good memory, Mary!) -- organic milk -- that might help.
I have a question. Can you make raw milk "safe" by boiling it at home? That is what my father suggested that we do the few times that we've been given raw milk.
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trish
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We are raw milk drinkers here too. We're getting our own Jersey this year. We were supposed to last summer but the milker (me) fell prey to extreme morning sickness.
Another option could be eating cheese made from raw milk. It's delicious.
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We drink raw milk, too, but we can get it right now for a good price. It can get very pricey in some parts of the country. If we move next year to where it is more expensive I will probably get organic milk and make it all into yogurt as a compromise.
Susan
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Our organic milk is $11 (AT LEAST) a gallon. When we had just young ones and lived in a place where we got the milk for 4 dollars a gallon we were so committed to it. But now I find it so challenging- this concept of knowing that it is so much better for you and on the opposite side not being able to afford it
Some ladies were mentioning that they went down to just yogurt. How did you phase into this?? We don't have many milk drinkers (the younger boys get a glass each a day), but I still feel like we go through a lot of it on oatmeal, in cooking, etc. I hardly buy cold cereal because it takes so much milk, and because it is so expensive!
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wifemommy
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Just curious...how much does a cow cost daily to raise and how much milk do you get?? Just wondering because we go through a lot of milk Annie
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bfarmmom
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Hi Annie,
Currently we are getting a gallon of milk a day, but our cow is almost 2yr into her lactation. When she first calves she gives me at least 3gal a day. That is when we have an abundance of cheese, yogurt, butter, etc.  On an average we spend a little over $100/month. That includes feed, hay, and minerals. During the spring and summer when there is an abundance of fresh grass it is cheaper because you don't have to feed as much. A great book to read if you are seriously considering a dairy cow is Keeping a Family Cow by Joann Grohman. Let me know if you have any more questions. Talking cows is my next favorite thing to talk about after homeschooling
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Raw Milk
