Comments on: Is Raw Milk Healthy? Is It Safe? Separating Myths From Facts

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 06:18:14 +0000

I do drink raw milk from time to time. Mostly I make kefir and yogurt from it. I love the taste of raw milk. I understand that raw milk has lactose and lactese, which work together (like egg white and yolk). Heating destroys the lactese and lactose on its own can cause allergies as it has no lactese to balance it.

By: Valeria

Valeria — Sat, 19 Jul 2025 22:18:38 +0000

In reply to Marguerite Thomas.

Not all plant milk contain those ingredients, but some do. I recently changed from the almond milk I was drinking because it listed several of those ingredients to a soy milk that have just soy and water. I didn’t find where I live almond milk that is made from almonds only.

By: Carole

Carole — Sat, 19 Jul 2025 05:24:53 +0000

I grew up drinking raw milk and knew people who chose it for health reasons. I agree it’s good for you and would love to be able to buy it. Especially antibiotic free

By: Ina Kielley

Ina Kielley — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 15:12:22 +0000

In reply to Murthy.

Thank you for sharing your story, and feedback with us, Murthy! We appreciate your perspective and care. Thank you for being part of our community. –Ina, Food Revolution Network Team

By: Murthy

Murthy — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 03:19:37 +0000

I grew up in India 50 yr ago, not on a farm but in large town(s). We were a professional family, not a farming family. We are vegetarians and dairy is considered vegetarian. Many years we kept 1 or 2 in-house cattle (water buffalo or cow). A grazer used to take them for grazing from 8 AM to 5 PM. The grazer also used to wash the cattle once a day. The milkman used to wash the udder with water before milking and we always heated the raw milk for 15-20 min on low heat. You may call it low temperature pasteurization. When we did not have in-house cattle we used to buy milk directly from cattle owners raising 1 to 10 cattle and do the same low temp boiling before drinking or making home-made yogurt. Now, even in those towns, raw milk is not freely available. I bet the raw milk (drunk after low temperature boiling) tastes much better than pasteurized milk (by the way, we low boil the store bought milk also as we used to) in USA or in India. Our family and our huge communities in India (millions of people) had less than 10% of infections and chronic health problems even 20 yrs ago compared to today. I agree there are too many variables but raw milk (as sourced) low boiled before consumption is much better than commercially pasteurized and homogenized milk of today. I read from a 2017 dairy science research paper that most store milk is high temp pasteurized that loses a third of B1 and B2 and half of B12. It also said pasteurization damages enzymes phosphatase, lipase, lactase, and in fact most milk enzymes. In addition, I read dairy and other research articles that said, homogenization alters the molecular size and structure of natural milk fat in a way that contributes to cholesterol problem.

We often find any commercial/industrial processing/handling of any food is bad. Then why would we restrict raw milk while we are not restricting the ubiquitous junk food or chemical laden produce? A smarter thing to do is to educate public of potential danger of consuming raw milk (straight as milked from cows) and give them hints to make milk safer to consume with minimal damage to its nutrition. Most people can heat raw milk for 15-20 min and consume; crooked and greedy food industries need not do the pasteurization and homogenization only to degrade otherwise healthful milk to junk food level. Trust the intelligence of common people but never trust the sincerity of businesses, industries or even governments. Their motto is to make money or stay in power (financial or political) but not public well-being.

By: Marilyn bellamy

Marilyn bellamy — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 00:00:49 +0000

First I got a bad feeling reading this article laced with assumptions . If I had the opportunity to use raw milk I would if I knew where it came from . But I don’t know where the milk comes from bought in a shop that’s a problem . We are lead to believe shop bought products are safe and clearly they are not hence the sorry state of our children’s health . Let’s hope it will improve in the future .

By: Ina Kielley

Ina Kielley — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 23:45:24 +0000

In reply to Katrinn.

Hello Katrinn! Thank you so much for your message and for sharing a bit of your history and passion—your memories of fresh, traditional dairy are truly vivid and heartfelt, and we appreciate hearing your perspective.

We agree that traditional diets have sustained humanity for thousands of years, including those rich in dairy and animal products. Our work at Food Revolution Network isn’t about denying that history or cultural tradition, but rather about focusing on what the best available science says today about how we can not just survive, but thrive—especially when it comes to preventing and even reversing chronic disease.

While dairy may offer nutritional value in some contexts, current research consistently links a whole food, plant-based diet with the lowest risk of lifestyle-related diseases, increased longevity, and improved overall well-being. That’s the lens we use when evaluating and sharing dietary guidance.

As for the Inuit population, it’s worth noting that their average lifespan is about 5–10 years shorter than the Canadian average. Many factors contribute to this, including access to healthcare, lifestyle, and systemic issues—but diet may also play a role.

We do understand the concern around anecdotal vs. scientific evidence. While lived experience is important and often insightful, our aim is to amplify findings grounded in large-scale, peer-reviewed studies that are reproducible and transparent. This helps us offer guidance that’s as reliable and universally beneficial as possible.

We’re so glad to have passionate, thoughtful individuals like you in our community. Thank you again for being part of the journey. –Ina, Food Revolution Network Team

By: Katrinn

Katrinn — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 21:30:24 +0000

Oh - and sorry I can’t stop : if that fatty acids story was true, eskimos should all be dead. But I guess those thousands of years of human experience are all just „anecdotal evidence“ - in my opinion code for „we can’t patent it and sell it to you with a hefty margin“ (Interestingly the US government warns about fatty acids but found - or still finds? - it ok to sell soft drinks in schools)

By: Katrinn

Katrinn — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 21:20:43 +0000

Plus… as probably any German woman who survived the war and the aftermath would be able to tell: having access to a cow dramatically increases your chances of survival. Especially for the children.

By: Katrin

Katrin — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 20:58:11 +0000

Well – how did humanity survive then – with many of Central European, African and western Asian countries living on dairy? When I was little, we would still swing our milk bottles on the way to the farmer, getting fresh cold milk every 2 days. My grandma would put the remains in deep plates on the window sill to let sun and air make delicious sour milk. Man I miss that stuff! Hardly available any more these days. Living in the alps I sometimes get lucky and find a mountain farmer to get it from. Or real butter milk in June!!! Absolutely NOT the same thing as what you can buy in the supermarket…