Got Milk?

[niveQ]

I have no source for raw milk, but heard of the wonders of it in moderation. At the local healthfood store, there is a local, certified organic, grass fed milk called "supernatural." It is Unhomogenized whole milk. One of the managers told me is isnt as good for you as raw milk due to the pasteurization killing the good enzymes, but it is still very good for you in moderation.

 

Is this true? Is there any other process this milk could have went through other than pasturization that would make it unhealthy?

 

I haven't had milk in a while, but the prospects of adding raw milk seem good to me. If this milk can have any of its benefits that would be awesome.

[Aetherous]

The supernatural stuff sounds great. Here's some info on pasteurization for you.

I personally boil milk before drinking anyway. Boiling it reduces its cold and heavy qualities...so for a person who tends to get excess mucous from drinking milk, or if they're slightly overweight, it basically takes away that harmful effects. I'd drink it raw if it was freshly squeezed out of the udder, as it's still warm at that time...man, that'd be nourishing.

But many people do fine with cold raw milk, too. My cousin and his family have all consumed it for years now. In the rare instance, a person would get some germs from it and get sick...it's possible that people have died from having raw milk products (not necessarily drinking raw milk itself), which is why many places make raw milk illegal. So that's something to be aware of.

[h.uriahr]

As a former ESL Plant Worker I can share some things. Homogenized milk is milk that doesn't seperate as easily. A lot of things go through homogenization. Almond milk included. It keeps it in a nice pretty liquid and consistent state. Products that aren't homogenized can and usually will seperate during transport so not long after it hits the package it'll seperate, this is a quality issue not a safety issue. Pasteurization kills some of the bacteria in the milk. This is debatable as to whether necessary or not but pasteurized and ultrap products last longer on the shelf but once you open the container it's all on equal ground. If you have no way of seeing the facility and the process of how they get, keep and transport the raw milk then I would suggest not buying it.

[runner11]

Bashing good-quality, raw milk from healthy cows is needless. If you can digest it, it can be very good for you. Plenty of people are lactose-intolerant, some more than others.

 

Lots of traditional groups, including the Masai of East AFrica, and, up until recently, Swiss in the Loetschental Valley used raw milk, cheese, and butter in large amounts, and had excellent health. These groups prized particularly the spring butter/milk for it's health-giving properties.

I used to get raw grass-fed milk from a local farm. I stopped drinking milk last year due to the damp forming nature of dairy, and I feel much better, but I agree that the real thing can definitely have benefits. In TCM, dairy is extremely damp forming. Bitter foods tend to drain dampness. The Masai tribe have some type of porridge or drink that they make out of a very bitter plant, which I'm sure became a staple of their diet because of how much milk they drink.

 

Also, dairy is incredibly nourishing. Probably the most nourishing food there is. This means its great if you haven't eaten all day, or if your underweight or vegetarian, but if you already get lots of nourishment it can be too much, which I think further contributes to the damp nature. In the west we tend to think of nourishment as "the more the better," but in TCM you can definitely have too much nourishment. Another example is organ meats. Meat is already incredibly nourishing, and organ meats especially. This is why TCM advocates eating very small portions of organ meats at a time. Too much is overwhelming for the spleen to extract chi from, causing the spleen to overwork and weakening the spleen.

 

Anyway, as you said lots of cultures drink milk and are very healthy. You just have to listen to your body, and of course make sure its the real thing. Grass-fed, raw, and not homogenized.

[silent thunder]

No Cow juices for me...

Reproductive enzymes from another mammals endocrine system...

no thanks.