Milk is a healthy food because it is full of protein, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids. Before pasteurization was invented in the early to mid 1900s, all milk was eaten in its original, unprocessed form.

Do you prefer your milk cooked or uncooked? It might seem like a strange question, but it’s actually a very important one. People are drinking more raw milk because they think it is healthy and because natural, local, farm-sourced foods are becoming more popular. 

Most of the milk we drink has been pasteurized, which means that it has been heated to kill off any dangerous pathogens. On the other hand, raw milk goes straight from the cow to the bottle. Fans call it “milk the way nature meant it to be” because it is full of good bacteria and nutrients. Some fans even call it a “superfood” because it helps with digestion, strengthens the immune system, and treats asthma, eczema, and allergens.

What is raw milk?

Depending on who you ask, raw milk is either a superfood full of nutrients and enzymes that help boost the immune system, get rid of allergens, and make milk easier to digest, or a great way to get diarrhea. 

Raw milk is milk that hasn’t been pasteurized. This means that it hasn’t gone through the business chain of pasteurization, which heats milk to high enough temperatures to kill any pathogens that may be in it because of contamination or sick cows.

The process of pasteurization

When milk is pasteurized, it is heated to kill germs, yeasts, and molds. The process also makes the product last longer before it goes bad.  Most pasteurized milk is also homogenized, which is a process that uses very high pressure to spread the fatty acids out more widely, making the milk look and taste better.

Why is it bad to drink raw milk?

Most doctors tell their patients to do it, and many people drink at least one glass of milk every day. Milk is important for bone growth, and it also gives our bodies a lot of important nutrients. We all like a glass of milk, but we have become more picky about what kind of milk we drink. 

Vegans like soy milk, which is a dairy option, while bodybuilders like full-fat milk and people trying to lose weight might like skimmed milk. All of these are safe and healthy, but it’s not clear if it’s safe to drink milk that’s been left out in the open.

Raw milk is not very healthy.

One myth about milk is that the pasteurization process takes away some of the nutrients. This is not true. Raw milk and pasteurized milk both have about the same amount of nutrients. Milk has a lot of minerals in it, like calcium and phosphorus, which don’t react to heat and stay the same even when it’s very hot. 

A study found that water-soluble vitamins B1, B6, B9, B12, and C, as well as fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, had lost only small amounts. Since the body already has low amounts of these nutrients, the loss doesn’t make much of a difference. So, raw milk is not better for you in terms of nutrition than pasteurized milk.

 

Is there anything good about raw milk?

People have said that raw milk might have some health benefits that pasteurized milk doesn’t have. First of all, people who can’t handle lactose are said to do better with raw milk. Raw milk has lactase in it, which helps digest lactose and, in theory, makes milk easier to swallow. However, lactase gets killed during pasteurization. Second, people who drink raw milk are less likely to get asthma, acne, and allergies. 

People also say that raw milk has more antimicrobials than pasteurized milk. Milk has a lot of antimicrobial substances like immunoglobulin, lysozyme, and lactoperoxidase, which stop dangerous microbes from growing and keep milk from going bad too quickly. Antimicrobials are taken out of milk when it is pasteurized.

Avoid raw milk

There is only one reason why you shouldn’t drink raw milk, and that is because it has germs that are bad for you. Milk is easy to contaminate because it has a neutral pH, a lot of nutrients, and a lot of water. This makes it a good place for germs to grow and eat. Salmonella, Escherichia, Campylobacter, E. Coli, and Cryptosporidium are all harmful bacteria that can be found in raw milk. 

Consuming these bacteria can lead to dangerous diseases and illnesses like reactive arthritis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and hemolytic uremic syndrome. Infections can cause diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, sickness, or fever. Most germs die when something is pasteurized, and the ones that do live on are damaged and can’t live.

 

What could go wrong if you drink raw milk?

Milk is a good place for germs to grow because it has a pH of 7 and a lot of nutrients and water. Milk comes from a place inside an animal that is mostly clean.

As soon as the animal is milked, the udder, skin, feces, milking tools, how it is handled, and where it is stored can all be sources of contamination. Contaminations can’t be seen with the human eye and are often not found until they have grown a lot.

Most, but not all, germs are killed when something is pasteurized. Most of the ones that make it through are hurt and can’t live anymore. Studies show that raw milk has a lot more dangerous bacteria that were not there before than pasteurized milk. No matter if the milk is raw or has been pasteurized, keeping it in the fridge helps stop germs from growing.

Takeaway

The amount of nutrients in raw milk and pasteurized milk are about the same. Even though raw milk is more natural and may have more antimicrobials, its many health claims aren’t backed by proof and don’t outweigh the risks, such as severe infections caused by Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria.

So make sure that you research well and consult your doctor before deciding the type of milk to consume.