Should You Be Consuming Dairy??

It has become quite popular these days for people to avoid dairy for health reasons, particularly related to the gut. In certain individuals, the consumption of dairy products including milk, cheese, yogurt, etc. can trigger various symptoms from an upset stomach to eczema.

For these folks, avoiding dairy all-together seems like an obvious necessity for optimal health. 

However, for many people, dairy is NOT inherently the problem, but the processing of dairy that makes it so difficult for our bodies to process.  

As with most food groups, the over processing of food depletes its healthful properties. Dairy is no exception.

To put simply, processed dairy is a completely different food than raw dairy from healthy cows.

Nearly ALL dairy found in groceries stores is heavily processed. This changes the chemical integrity of the food, and it then becomes a problematic substance for many people to ingest.

Pasteurization and homogenization are processing methods that destroy and pervert the chemical integrity of fresh, whole, raw, and unprocessed milk, and ruin its healthful properties.

Pasteurization involves heating milk to kill biological organisms. The idea is that the pasteurized milk is safer to consume than raw milk because it kills germs. This is only potentially true if the raw milk being used is not produced with sanitary methods and from cows raised healthfully.

Reality indicates that more people become sick from consuming pasteurized (processed) milk than from raw milk.

I know that is hard to believe considering the FDA has banned the sale of raw milk in many states and the CDC recommends not drinking it. However, as is the case with many other nutritional recommendations, government health organization policies tend to be more influenced by politics and money than by sound scientific principles and what is actually healthy for humans.

Raw milk from healthy cows is a superfood. It is a rich source of multiple nutrients, enzymes, and probiotics. Processed milk on the other hand, can be problematic and a source of inflammation for many folks.

If you’re new to raw dairy, start with a small amount and increase consumption from there.