If you’re drinking conventional milk, you must stop! Why? Because it’s dangerous for your health. Pasteurization is the process used to heat milk to a specific temperature for a set time. The goal is to kill potentially bad bacteria that may have found its way into the milk supply. The problem with pasteurization is that it kills all the beneficial bacteria we call probiotics as well as damaging the vitamins, minerals and denaturing the proteins leading to some of our health issues.
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High-Temp Pasteurization – Milk is heated to 161º for 31 seconds in order to sterilize the milk. The problem is that this also kills enzymes, much of the healthy microorganisms, and more importantly it denatures the proteins. Essentially, high-temp pasteurization kills the milk and makes it much more difficult for your body to digest. This can typically lead to inflammatory bowel disease, among others. I personally don’t drink pasteurized milk and wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
Ultra-Pasteurized – This is the majority of our milk today, what you would typically find in a grocery store. Ultra-pasteurization heats the milk to 280º for only a few seconds. The reason for using ultra-pasteurization is because it kills everything. Ultra pasteurization not only kills potentially harmful bacteria in the milk, but also damages all of the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients originally contained in the milk. This process also kills the healthy enzymes which help your body digest the milk, and drinking it without the enzymes can lead to lactose intolerance. I strongly recommend staying as far away as possible from ultra pasteurized milk whether organic or not.
Low-Temp Pasteurization – Milk is only heated to 145º. This is significant because it’s below the temperature that kills most of the beneficial enzymes and the proteins remain in-tact. The main downside to low-temp pasteurization is that some of the enzymes and probiotics can be damaged. But, by culturing (fermenting it with good bacteria) this dairy and making yogurt, kefir or amasai, many of those probiotics are added back. This also improves the digestibility of the dairy. Low-temp is the closest to raw milk products most of us in the US can get. If I can’t get raw milk, this is my next option. I would recommend consuming milk and other dairy products that have been low temperature pasteurized.
Where to get it.
It can be difficult to find low-temp or raw dairy products, but some stores are starting to carry more of these products. Whole Foods carries some raw and low-temp pasteurized cheeses, some areas will have milk as well. All of the Beyond Organic products have been low-temp pasteurized and this is where I personally get all my cheese and cultured drinks.
For RAW Milk – Check out this site to find raw milk in your state: http://www.realmilk.com/where.
Pasteurization, Homogenization and Raw Milk Resources
Thanks for this great overview of the dangers of ultra and high temp pasteurized milk. Go Raw!
What about when I heat to 180 to make my cheese?
We are fortunate enough (I consider us very blessed) to be able to get raw milk where we live (in PA) but I noticed it wasn’t on one of your lists of foods to consume recently. However, you mention here that you apparently do drink raw milk. I have heard both pros and cons on drinking milk. I am assuming you think it is okay? Do you have any comments? I feel it is fine as long as you don’t have a milk allergy or a lactose intolerance. Thank you for any insight!
Pasteurization kills dangerous bacteria. Any enzymes destroyed are COWS enzymes that the human body cannot use. Any doctor who recommends raw milk is a quack. There are currently five children in this country who are suffering kidney failure because their parents gave them raw milk, and 142 people ill from raw milk outbreaks just in the first five months of this year.
“cows enzymes that humans cannot use” just like we can’t use plant enzymes or meat enzymes? Give me a break! Some enzymes in raw cows milk like catalase, lysozyme, and lactoperoxidase help protect milk from unwanted bacterial infection, making it safer to drink. CLEAN raw milk from PASTURED cows has been used from the time of Hippocrates to treat and cure diseases.
The CDC reports more illnesses each year from pasteurized dairy than from raw dairy and the leading cause of food-borne illness is fresh produce. Does that mean that all fresh produce is bad? No way! It means we have to start giving a damn about where our food comes from and how it’s produced. It’s time we stop taking everything the FDA says for gospel truth and look back to how our ancestors ate. They didn’t deal with athsma, obesity, heart disease, inflammatory or
autoimmune conditions nearly as much as we do. We
could take a page out of that book.
very well said amand !
very well said amanda !
Amen Amanda!!!
I adhere to Ayurveda by boiling raw milk for 5 mins with spices and then drinking.
This is the best I’ve ever tasted and have no digestive problems and understand spiritual literature as the Vedas say milk does for you.
True, our progenitors didn’t have to deal with many of those problems… because they died a lot sooner. It’s technology like pasteurization and other breakthroughs that has increased human health and lifespan to the point that we have the luxury of obesity being a problem.
Next thing you know, somebody will be saying glasses are bad for your eyesight. Will you buy into that too? smh
I love raw milk. I’ve been drinking it for months without any problems. Drinking it daily, eating real foods, and exercising regularly has trimmed my waistline. I feel better than ever. Thanks for educating us about this stuff!
I was curious about another pasteurization process that a local farm uses for their milk. They call it continuous flow or HTST pasteurization. Their whole milk is not homogenized. Can you comment on this? Would it be considered safer than the processes you mention in the video?
I grew up on a dairy farm and I can tell you that raw milk is disgusting. You have lost your mind if you are drinking this stuff.
Besides, why are taking dietary advice from a chiropractor? Does your financial advisor give you relationship advice?
Raw milk, raw cream, raw cheese….Raw is the only kind of dairy we consume at our house! I’m getting ready to make some raw ice cream, made with raw cream, raw honey, eggs from pastured hens, organic ground vanilla, and organic fruit.
we’re your family’s cows milked out in the pasture joe? because that’s how the current raw milk producers do it. i’ve been drinking raw milk for about 3 years now and feel healthier than ever at age 33. my 19 month old girl only drinks raw cows milk and she’s literally the smartest and strongest baby on the block. and fyi, all mothers milk is raw. if raw milk is so disgusting to you joe, do you suggest we boil all human milk before it is given to babies???
What about making yogurt from raw milk? I heat mine to 160-170.
Do you not realize that Dr Axe went through the same medical classes that other MD’s go through? He chose to specialize in Chiropractic care.
Really bob? “the luxury of obesity being a problem.”
Obesity is a debilitating luxury now. And besides that point your claim is ridiculous seeing that child obesity is higher than ever. Pretty sure our ancestors lived past the age of 13. I get the typical argument you’re making but you can’t argue statistics and science.
Anyways I’ve been doing raw eggs in smoothies for a full year now since coming across this site. Also been doing raw milk and cheese for a couple months as well. Delicious. I’ve not really been sick at all that I can remember besides a rare headache from not getting enough sleep. Not a single day of work missed and I’m a teacher surrounded by germs. Don’t be so naive.
I took an American History class in college, just like everyone else, so I guess I’m qualified to teach you about the Civil War?
You’re comparing the raw milk that comes from a COW with the raw milk that comes from your wife?
But don’t listen to people who actually lived on farms with cows and saw what the “tap” looks like and what the milk looks like when it comes out. Take it from a chiropractor. Makes sense.
Joe you are really showing off your intelligence level here. Your arguments are very general and opinionated. It’s probably best you let this one go.
I’ve visited the farm I get my milk from. I’ve seen the cow and the process. It seems as clean and harmless as I had expected. My milk farmer milks the cows the day before he delivers it. I’ve drank it straight up on delivery day several times. There’s nothing gross about it at all.
Been drinking it raw for a long time, and never once had to go the hospital.
Bob, do you even know why pasteurization was put to use in this country to begin with? Obviously not. It was started because dairies started cropping up in the large cities to meet the demand of the large population. These dairies were often located next to distilleries and the cows were fed the byproducts of the liquor industry. Not grass, like cows are designed to eat. Of course these cows became sick and so did their milk. So their milk was pasteurized and pooled with the healthier milk of the grass fed “country cows” so that it didn’t have to be wasted. When cows are eating grass and forage like they’re designed to, there is no need for pasteurization. Pasteurization was used to sell a diseased product to the public. Yes we do need pasteurization….for milk that comes from diseased cows eating food that their bodies aren’t designed to handle (corn, soy, animal byproducts, etc.). Pasteurization is wholly unnecessary for dairy from pastured animals. End. Of. Story.
Bob, do you even know why pasteurization was put to use in this country to begin with? Obviously not. It was started because dairies started cropping up in the large cities to meet the demand of the large population. These dairies were often located next to distilleries/breweries and the cows were fed the byproducts of the liquor industry. Not grass, like cows are designed to eat. Of course these cows became sick and so did their milk. So their milk was pasteurized and pooled with the healthier milk of the grass fed “country cows” so that it didn’t have to be wasted. When cows are eating grass and forage like they’re designed to, there is no need for pasteurization. Pasteurization was used to sell a diseased product to the public. Yes we do need pasteurization….for milk that comes from diseased cows eating food that their bodies aren’t designed to handle (corn, soy, animal byproducts, etc.). Pasteurization is wholly unnecessary for dairy from pastured animals. End. Of. Story.
Joe, it doesn’t sound like you are familiar with his background at all. He started out AS a nutritionist. So he has all the required education for that title and then so much more. He has been and is sought out after many top performing athletes, quite a few Olympic athletes specifically for his help with nutrition to help them be their healthiest for their events. And he has also helped hundreds of people find healing from just about every disease you could imagine, several that are supposedly in curable, get off medications that most are on for life, specifically from his help with their nutrition. And through nutrition alone under his guidance, his mom was cured of cancer with no other medical interventions. I do not think there are many people in this country who has the expertise he does. So I think he knows what he’s talking about. And it’s obvious you do not.
i’am lactos sencative will drinking raw milk have any different affect than pasturized ??
Many people who are lactose sensitive or intolerant can drink raw milk; supposedly goat’s milk (again, preferred raw) is even easier to digest than cow’s. Best wishes. Report back and let us know!
Guess one of the best ways for Brucellosis to get from the fields into your kitchen, lack of pasteurization. The calcium in milk is not destroyed by any of the processes, even the highest heat ones. If you want RAW, then make sure your insurance is in effect.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
I’ve drunk, and love the taste of, raw milk.
HOWEVER,
161 degrees will turn my milk into IBS causing nastiness, while 145 is safe? Ignoring the fact that most proteins will start to denature beyond 42 degrees, and really start to fall apart rapidly above 90 degrees?
The autoclave in my honours lab ran at 120 degrees with 12lbs pressure, and it annihilated absolutely every living thing in it. You’re delusional if you think 145 degrees isn’t denaturing your so called precious enzymes. You’re even more delusional if you think pasteurisation is a bad thing.
“The fact that most proteins start to denature at 42 degrees and…start to fall apart above 90 degrees.” Now I know you’re pulling these “facts” out of your ass. The normal core body temperature of a healthy, resting cow is stated on average to be 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit. The proteins aren’t damaged at the temperatures you’ve stated, otherwise they’d be unusable by baby cows. Same with all mammal milk. What would be the use of nursing at all? For god’s sake, use your brain.
Actually, raw dairy is usually tolerated very well by people with lactose intolerance and/or dairy allergies BECAUSE it still has the enzymes and proteins necessary for proper digestion that are killed by pasturization.
Dr. Axe is a great resource. I read a bit everyday. I have been fighting a bad parasite infection from SE Asia for 7 months with no luck. My main symptom is allergic reactions from severe food sensitivities-all new. Most MD’s haven’t been too helpful. I’ve been to 5. This is the best chance I have, modifying my diet to make a less desirable environment and at the same time bolster my immune system and gut flora. His parasite post was helpful too. I haven’t tried Raw milk yet but would like to. I definitely use non-homgonized, grass fed and cultured dairy for sure and now I’m grain-free. Thanks Josh! Any improvements and I’ll let you all know.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homogenized_Milk_and_Atherosclerosis
came back to add this link. Good read. Thanks again!