I asked a while back on the Facebook page if anyone was interested in me doing a couple posts about the diet that we have been changing over to and how and what we are eating. As a disclaimer: I am not any kind of doctor and I don't claim to be, these are just the personal changes that we have made in our personal diet.
Several months ago I began digging into the benefits of raw milk. We mostly drank organic milk when we could but it was still pasturized, as is any milk from the store.
Today's cow is fed many antibiotics and hormones so she is able to produce over 3 times as much as the normal cow should. One of the big chances in our diet that I wanted to work on was to get any antibiotics or hormones out of our food. I have enough hormone problems the way it is and I could tell after I ate certain products, things would get worse.
Milk from the store is pasteurized. You know how when you take antibiotics for any kind of sickness the dr.usually
recommended that you eat yogurt? That's because antibiotics not only destroy the bad bacteria in your body, they destroy the good as well and you need to put it back in to avoid other medical complications. It's kind of similar with pasteurized vs unpasteurized milk. Pasteurization destroys all of the bacteria in the milk including the good bacteria, healthy enzymes that help your body process the milk, and vitamins.
Pasteurization was brought into play in the 1920's to help combat TB, infant diarrhea and other diseases that were not actually caused by the milk itself but by the poor conditions the cows were subjected to.
So what has this changed for my diet? Well, this next part is a little girly so guys, you may want to tune out...
I've had issues in the past with my hormone levels. They aren't were they should be, they jump around from here to there and everywhere. I've had awful, horrible pain during the month thanks to all this. I also had several large ovarian cysts burst. (Which is the most painful thing I've ever experienced.) Since we've started drinking real milk and since we stopped eating dairy and meat products without hormones, my month has improved. My pain has greatly lessened and as of my last hormone check, everything was normal and in the normal range.
Learn more about real foods and natural living!
If you are in the Black Hills area you can get milk through Black Hills Milk.
Do you drink raw milk or have you thought about it? If not, what holds you back?
Disclaimer: This post may contain a link to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve thought about drinking raw milk but I’m held back by the cost and inconvenience of getting it. Also, I’ve heard raw milk doesn’t last as long as pasteurized, though I’m not sure if it would last as long once I buy it since it doesn’t have to travel as far to get to my fridge.
It does not last as long. We get it once a week and when it’s getting sour we use it for other things, cream, cream cheese, clabber, ect.
Yes! Raw milk supporters here! In reference to the 1920′s, cows were subject to poor conditions because of the farmers having a huge urban market. Less farmers and more big city demand. It was too hard to regulate each independent farmer, so the goverment started requiring pasturization for everyone’s safety. But, like with so many things, the long term effects weren’t studied before the product was passed out to everyone. I strive for no added hormones in anything, milk or meat. I know it has helped me out and am excited to see the benefits it provides to my daughters as they get older. Getting a bit personal, I noticed a huge improvement in my acne when we switched to raw milk.
)
When I tried to find raw milk here in Virginia the cost was prohibitive. The only way I could find was a “share of a cow” and the cost came out to be about $12 a gallon, and all you got was ONE gallon a week! We go thru 4 gallons a week, so…………not a good fit :<
Yes it’s definitely more expensive in other states! I pay $3 per gallon but I just get it from a trusted rancher.
we would love to get raw milk but unfortunately its illegal in our state
It may be illegal to sell, but i know families in some states that barter for it in those cases for work/ goods, etc. and there is not a law against that.
I wish we could, its illegal here in ND. The closest cow share is 2 hours a way, so although a gallon would only cost $6, we would need to add a tank of gas to that =( $66 for a gallon of milk is just not practical.
If you are worried about it not lasting as long, as soon as you get it home, freeze half of it. When you are ready for the 2nd half, thaw it out and shake it up good so the cream gets distributed in it well again.
This of course works for regular milk also.
Yes, great tip! We freeze milk all the time.
How far do you have to go to get your raw milk? Does Black Hills Milk bring any to farmer’s markets in that area, or is it all sold just at their farm? I’m considering the Belle Fourche area for land, house, retirement, etc. but I gotta have a good raw milk source nearby. And I know SD has sheep, so is lamb available in the local stores in Belle Fourche like Lueders, Dakotamart, etc?
I personally have my milk delievered by a local dairy farmer. Black Hills Milk brings their milk to several farmer’s markets in the area and you can sign up for their updates here on their website: http://www.blackhillsmilk.com/. I’m pretty sure that Lynn’s Dakotamart sells local meats and produce, I’m not 100% sure about Lueders.