Got Raw Milk?

In my practice, nutrition is one of the main treatments for my patients on their path to wellness. I see food as medicine, and the more healthy, natural, and unprocessed foods we put in our bodies, the better we feel. On the same note, the more processed and impure foods we eat (which is by far the bulk of the typical American diet), the more symptoms and disease we learn to live with.

I've found that beginning to think about changing one's diet can be an overwhelming and scary endeavor for many people. That's why I strongly believe in finding simple & accessible things people can do to begin the process of making these changes. Starting slowly can make this feel possible, and we do it one step at a time. And the proof is in the pudding. Literally. The truth is, over time people start feeling better when they start to change their diet. I have watched the cravings for people's most stubborn comfort foods fall away as people get used to feeling better in their bodies.

This brings me to the conversation on raw dairy. Over the past several years dairy has gotten a bad name for itself. More and more people are finding dairy is causing all sorts of health problems and are removing it from their diet. This is fine for a small number of people, but the far majority of us could use the health benefits of dairy - just in its more natural, more digestible state. I recommend the switch to raw dairy on a daily basis in my practice. With a bit of education, it is one of the simple changes we can make to feel much better in our bodies.

The current norm for consuming dairy products is that they are all pasteurized and homogenized. For those who don't know, pasteurization is the process of killing off bacteria that causes illness. This is done by heating milk at a certain temperature for a certain amount of time. The problem with pasteurization is that it not only kills the bad stuff - but it kills all the good too. All the vitamins, nutrients, enzymes, and healthy cultures die in the process as well.

Homogenization is the process by which the consistency of milk is made uniform. For anyone who has had milk with the cream left on top- this is non-homogenized milk. The homogenization of milk is another process that again changes the chemical make-up of the milk proteins. It breaks down the proteins in such a way that it becomes very difficult for our bodies to process and metabolize. This can cause histamine reactions, produces phlegm in our bodies, and can lead to other inflammatory responses.

Here is a informative video explaining how the pasteurization and homogenization process happens:




These 2 processes are what have led to this wide spread belief that many of us are lactose intolerant. A better way to describe this, in my opinion, is that many of us are actually "pasteurized and homogenized dairy-intolerant." I can not tell you how many times I have recommended to my "lactose-intolerant" patients to experiment with drinking raw milk. And the countless times the same people have come back with none of digestive and inflammatory symptoms they once had.

Raw milk & cheese are readily available in the San Francisco Bay Area- as well as many other places around the country. Once you know where to go - it's easy to find. Locally, we are lucky to have two major producers, Organic Pastures & Claravale Farms. Both are delicious and I highly recommend either. Here are a few links to help you find your local distributor of raw milk, and some additional resources to begin your raw dairy education.

Where to Find Raw Milk in Your Area

A Great Website all About Raw Milk

Is Raw Milk Safe For Babies?

"The Revolution Will Not Be Pasteurized" : A great (but somewhat long) article on the Raw Milk industry. Please note the final few paragraphs are some of my favorite.

I'll leave you with a couple of videos of a conversation between the owner of Organic Pastures, Mark McAffee & Chiropractor Dale Jacobson. These 2 videos are not in order, but I thought the most ineresting segments of the ones I saw. If you are interested in more chapters, you can double click on the video below and search for more on youtube. Enjoy!