13 Health Benefits of Raw Dairy Milk Consumption

Curious about the growing popularity of the health benefits of raw dairy milk? With its many health benefits, I can see why! From immune system support to beneficial bacteria, unprocessed milk has become that desirable liquid gold that we are all trying to get our hands on, even with its recent villainization over the past few decades. Thankfully, it’s making a grand comeback thanks to the work of Sally Fallon Morell and The Weston A. Price Foundation. Not yet legal in all of the United States but quickly regaining popularity, raw milk has become a considerable public debate.

With the popularly suggested benefits of raw milk, people are even willing to buy “for pet consumption only” labeled unpasteurized milk, in states where the sale of raw milk is illegal. Can I just stop you right there, it’s still Illegal in some states! It has been decided for you what is safe for your human health as far as raw milk consumption.

On that note, if you are able to buy raw milk, then I highly recommend that you visit your local farmer to check out their practices and make sure they are clean and have healthy cows. However, even with the demonization of raw dairy products, citizens are doing whatever they can to get their hands on this precious food regardless of what the administration says is good for them. Why is that? Before I answer that, let’s find out what qualifies as raw dairy milk.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

What is Raw Dairy Milk?

Raw milk is milk straight from a cow. Milk that has not been heated up or cooked. This means that it is a living food. It is still in its natural state and is unhomogenized, which means cream rises to the top. During homogenization, the fat droplets of milk are emulsified and the cream no longer rises to the top. This amazing food has been consumed for thousands and thousands of years, from a variety of animals, even horses, completely nourishing and healing people. Since it hasn’t been heated up and is completely raw, all of it’s minerals, vitamins, and enzymes are still intact.

How Did Raw Dairy Milk Get a Bad Wrap?

In the early 1800’s, cow milk was considered to be an equal substitute for breast milk. During this time there were about 8,000 babies, reported by The New York Times, that had died. All these infants symptoms were the same, they all had chronic diarrhea.

Ultimately, they figured out that the cause of all these babies deaths were from cows milk that was coming from dairies called swill dairies. These were dairies that were located in the cities, for easy milk transport, that were attached to whisky distilleries. They did this so they could take all the spent grains from the distilleries and feed them to the cows because it was cheaper and would use up the waste.

This was not a clean environment or a healthy diet for these ruminate creatures but once the cows were hungry enough they would eat the spent grain. The conditions were poor and unsanitary, and the cows were unhealthy, so the milk was completely tainted, which was causing these numerous tragic baby deaths. Robert Hartlely, was the man that brought attention to what was happening.

The solution became: to cook the milk and kill off the bad bacteria, which in turn, decreased the deaths and thus became the norm. This solution was perfect for this time period of ignorance in regard to bacteria, germs, sanitization and cleanliness, however, we have evolved as humans and understand and value the benefits of health so we, at least most of us, highly regard these standards.

Understanding the reason why raw dairy milk was banished is essential for moving forward. There is so much scientific evidence that points to the benefits of consuming raw cow’s milk, that we as a family could no longer ignore. And knowing that the illegalization of raw milk products came down to sanitization issues, and unhealthy dairy cows, was something that we could control by: talking to the farmers, taking a field trip and seeing the farm and cows, and seeing their set up and practices first hand. And those of us that understand how valuable this food is, take the utmost sanitation standards possible, to make sure the cow is healthy and the milk is clean, so we and our family can benefit from all the nutrition this food has to offer.  Here are 13 reasons that have convinced our family to consume raw milk:

13 Benefits of Raw Dairy Milk

1. Raw cows milk appears to be as protective in preventing respiratory tract infections in kids as human breast milk is. I believe we can all agree that human breast milk is the most nutrient dense food for babies, and now there are reports that suggest raw cows milk is almost equivalent. 

2. It contains Alkaline Phosphatase, an anti-inflammatory that can be used to heal your gut. In the early 1800’s, raw milk was used to heal: GI problems, Asthma, Gout, Ulcers, gut infections, and decrease the risk of allergy.

3. It contains Wulzen Factor, also known as the Anti-Stiffness Factor, that can help with rheumatoid arthritis and sore joints, in particular, wrists. If you find yourself hand milking a cow, then you’ll be grateful for this!

4. Raw dairy milk products are the best source of MSM. MSM contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects that can also help improve your joints.

5. Because it hasn’t been heated, it contains a lot more bioavailable vitamins and fat-soluble vitamins than pasteurized milk such as: Calcium, Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and Vitamin A among other nutritional benefits. Regular milk loses these nutrients when it has been put through a heat treatment.

6. It contains 400 different types of fatty acids that are destroyed during the pasteurization of milk.

7. Unlike conventional milk, raw milk doesn’t spoil, it only ages and ferments naturally. In its natural state it changes forms into clabber, where the beneficial bacteria has multiplied. (clabber recipe here) Raw milk contains many naturally biological components that are beneficial and protect and prevent it from becoming a pathogenic breeding ground. Pasteurized milk lacks all of this because it has been cooked which allows it to become the perfect breeding ground for pathogens. Therefore, be very mindful of that expiration date if drinking store bought pasteurized milk!

8. It’s known to contain Lactase Bacteria, the enzyme that helps break down the lactose. This means that if you are lactose intolerant, you will likely be able to tolerate raw milk! I recommend to start slowly, about a tablespoon a day, until you build up those digestive enzymes. You can also ferment the milk with kefir or yogurt and it will help reduce the lactase in the milk, not to mention you’ll be adding extra beneficial probiotic bacteria to your gut! You can also try goats milk because it contains about 25% less lactose than cows milk.

9. There’s direct evidence that 60% of the biological immune factors are found in the fat of the milk. This means, eat more raw butter and drink more raw cream!

10. It contains over 2500 proteins (when not heated). These enzymes can help strengthen your immune system!

11. There are multiple studies that show that the consumption of raw cows milk changes the microbiome of your gut favorably, by increasing the Lactobacillus organism.

12.  There are studies which show that children that grow up drinking raw milk have lower rates of asthma, eczema, and allergies when they are adults. Wish this was known when I was a child. Although I no longer suffer from asthma, I sure did when growing up. We had to have a glass of pasteurized milk at dinner, which I hated the taste of. I’m curious if the pasteurized milk contributed to it my ailment.

 13. It has been know to help lactating mothers to “let down their milk” and even help increase milk production, if consumed. 

Our Journey to Raw Milk:

We were starting to become more interested in raw dairy milk prior to our move to Pennsylvania but sadly it was illegal to purchase in Texas. I had heard from a client that it was available to buy in New Mexico, and since we lived on the border,  the thought of crossing the state line to purchase it became enticing. Although, I must admit, there was definitely a fear around drinking it since it was outlawed! The last thing I wanted to do was poison my family!

I wish I would’ve known then what I know now.  At the time, I was seeing a naturopath and asked his thoughts on the benefits of raw milk. Although he wasn’t entirely convinced about the benefits of drinking the milk alone, he was pushing us to consume more raw grass-fed butter, cream, yogurt, and cheeses, to help improve our health. He also shared that his mentor truly believed in the powers of raw milk and was trying to convince him of it, so he was staying open minded to it as he studied it in his patients.

Trying it and Experiencing the Benefits:

During our first year of living in Pennsylvania , I learned that raw milk was legal to buy! I then located the nearest store, a health food store, and paid an arm and leg for that first gallon! I’ll never forget trying it with my husband for the first time, “You go first.” “Nooo…You go first!”, yeah that was a sight! I was pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted! After all, I had always been turned off by pasteurized milk. I could only tolerate it if it were being disguised by a sugary cereal. This was so much different!

A couple of months later I came across Sally Fallon Morrell’s book, Nourishing Traditions. This led me to a farm about 45 minutes away from our house to then purchase our dairy. Theron and I took a drive out to the farm and walked through the procedures with the farmer and got to see all of the beautiful Jersey cows that they had. I can honestly say, that milk was the best milk I had ever tasted in my life (until Sassy entered of course!), and left the health food stores milk tasting a bit watered down. It was that big of a difference! And for the past seven years raw cows milk has been a part of our diet.

The health benefits we’ve noticed have been:  prevention of lactose intolerance, weight loss, clearer and brighter skin, zero asthma in us and our children, better digestion and gut issues resolving, and more energy and vitality. These benefits convinced us that this ancient food was for us, but sadly at the time, it was extremely hard to come by. The long weekly drive through the major city was getting old!

This is where we started to realize that food does matter and it should be a priority for a long healthy life, and if we want that, then we need to be in charge of our food. This is where Idie’s Farm was birthed. We started with five chickens on our simple half acre home in the suburbs and a very large “potager” garden, and then started actively looking for farmland. A year and a half later we sold our house and bought a 10 acre homestead. Luckily it had a pole-barn which has become a perfect barn for our beautiful Jersey cows!

Where to Buy Raw Cows Milk:

Do you live in a state where raw milk is illegal and you’d like to try and get some? Try talking to dairy farmers in your area. Some offer cow shares, where you can pay a fee and own part of the cow. They do the work and you get your milk. If milk is legal in your state then another great resource to locate some is RealMilk.com. This site with help you find local farmers that sell raw raw milk in your area. There’s raw milk available to purchase through some co-ops too. One that comes to mind is Azure Standard. You can go to their website to find a drop location that is near you. They usually meet once a month. 

Want to know what to do with raw cows milk and what to make with raw cows milk? Here are some ideas!

How To Make Easy Homemade Clabber From Raw Milk

Easy Healthy 3-Ingredient Berry Smoothie Recipe

How To Make Easy Homemade Butter From Raw Milk

More Information on Raw Milk:

For more information on raw milk you also can go to the Weston A. Price Foundation website. I also recommend Sally Fallon Morrell’s book Nourishing Traditions. This book is ultimately what changed our views on food and the food system. Her work on bringing forth Weston A Price’s findings is so valuable and life changing! It has created the desire to seek the traditional ways of the past for us, not just in our food but also in our farming methods. Another great resource is the Wise Traditions podcast hosted by Hilda Labrada Gore. This will bring you the most up to date nutrition and health information available and is something that I enjoy listening to weekly. If you decide you want to dive even deeper, then take a look at the book that started it all by Weston A. Price himself: Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. I think you’ll be amazed at all of the dental pictures and nutritional correlations with the indigenous tribes he visits and studies.

One Last Thought:

I can honestly say: it’s so easy to get caught up in all the fearmongering, and not just with what you see about diet on the news and media, but in the different diet and lifestyle social media spaces. The common statement: “Milk is not meant for human consumption–We are the only mammals that drink milk as adults from another mammal.”  is what I’m referring to. Actually, to counter that thought–We are also the only mammals that raise our own meat!

What I’ve learned in my health journey, is that there really isn’t a one size fits all, and it doesn’t have to be an all or nothing either. You really need to learn to be your own advocate and do what’s right for you and your family. I wish you the best on you and your family’s health journey and I hope this information will serve you for a long time!

*Please note, I am not a doctor, nor am I giving any medical advice. Please consult with your doctor when making or incorporating any diet change in your life. This is post is just for entertainment purposes only!

Interested in nourishing recipes? Check out more of my gut healthy posts like: How to Make Easy Homemade Fermented Dill Pickles  or my How To Make Fermented Sauerkraut (coleslaw recipe) for that perfect nourishing side to your steak!