Raw Milk: Should You Drink It?

Raw milk is something that people talk about a lot nowadays on health and food circles. But few outside these spaces know much about it. How is it different from pasteurised milk, and is it really better for you? In this memo I’ll explain!

Raw milk is milk which has not been pasteurised. What is pasteurisation? It’s a process of heating & cooling of foodstuffs to sterilise them and remove them of potential harmful bacteria, developed in the 19th Century as a way to make things produced in poor environments safer.

Pasteurisation, however, kills the good bacteria, not just the bad bacteria. Raw milk has not been pasteurised, which means it contains all of its natural enzymes, beneficial bacteria, and other nutrients that can be destroyed during the pasteurisation process.

These nutrients can be beneficial for gut health, as the beneficial bacteria in raw milk can help to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut. Many health problems today are caused by poor gut health, so this can help a lot.

Raw milk may also be easier to digest for some people, as the pasteurisation process can change the structure of the proteins in milk, making it more difficult to digest for some people. It may also make calcium easier to absorb, so is good for children and old people.

There is some research to back these health benefits up, too, not just anecdotal evidence. One 2016 study showed that children who drank raw milk were less likely to develop asthma, and have fewer respiratory infections and fevers.

Health benefits aside, in many instances the taste of raw milk is far superior than pasteurised. It can be used to make beautiful tasting milk products such as cheeses like brie and camembert, as well as kefir.

As well as for consumption, raw milk has also got some noted benefits for other things, such as skincare. Raw milk contains wide microbial biodiversity, which is composed mainly of lactic acid bacteria.

Lactic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid, and has well documented benefits in skincare, being used to remove dead skin cells, help fade dark spots, and soften facial lines. It’s often found in many skincare products, but in a much higher concentration in raw milk!

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