I’m new to raw milk.  For one, I thought milk had to be pasteurized or I would die and/or get sick.   For two, it’s expensive.   For three, where do you even find it?  For four, I think that three reasons are enough.

My roommate Josh has been drinking raw milk since we moved-in together in October, and I haven’t seen him die once.  Josh is actually way further along on the Path of Freshness® than I am, so I usually trust his lead.  He cooks with coconut oil (which is supposedly the best of the oils), he makes smoothies with carrots and beets and kale and strawberries, his chocolate is always dark (ladies…), and he knows about the molecular chains of fatty acids and how our bodies react to them.  Boooooring. 

So why is raw milk good for us?  I would suggest reading the FAQ on the Organic Pastures page, but a Whitman’s Sampler version would be:

• Raw milk is alkaline, meaning it helps offset the acidity in our bodies, which is essential for fighting sickness and disease.  Pasteurized milk is acidic.
• Milk was originally pasteurized in the 1800s because dairy farms were GROSS and unsafe, lacked the proper tools and refrigeration, and their cows were fed terrible diets and made to stand in their own manure.  Any food would be dangerous in that environment.  Millions of people died from rotten milk.
• Raw milk is full of helpful bacteria that actually strengthen your immune system… and for that same reason it’s much better for people who are lactose-intolerant.  Raw milk contains the living enzyme lactase, which helps to breakdown the lactose. Pasteurization kills lactase. Even though some people can’t drink any kind of milk, the majority of those who can’t drink pasteurized milk are fine when they go raw. 
• Raw milk tastes gooooooooood.  (That should sound like I’m mooing.)

The difference in taste is undeniable.  I bought my first quart of raw milk last week at the Hollywood Farmers market and it was milky-smooth and amazing.  And I’m not dead yet.  I think.  Right? 

The main sticking point for me is the price; it’s around 9 bucks for a half-gallon. Zoink. Although I’ve been realizing that the higher-quality my food is, the less I eat in general, so it sort of evens out.  When I was eating crap I always needed more and more crap to feel satisfied, at which point I had to ask myself “Why am I eating crap in the first place?”

Raw milk is only available in a few states, so we’re lucky here in LA to have it available at Farmers markets, Erewhon, and a handful of other hippie joints.  If you live somewhere else I suggest googling where to find it.  Some states have made it illegal to purchase raw milk…which I find insane.  I’m planning on visiting the Organic Pastures farm to see how their grass-fed cows are treated, and then comparing that with a visit to some factory farms that treat their animals poorly.  Also, and this is the coolest part, the owner of Organic Pastures does in-home Raw Milk Parties.  He comes to your house, shows a film, answers your questions, gives out samples, cleans your bedroom, files your taxes and does whatever other raw milk-related tasks you need taken care of.  I’ll let you know how it goes.  

Until then, check out their site, try some raw milk, and let me know what you think about it.  And me.  What do you think about me?  I will totally help you break-down lactose.  I promise.

PS  - I realize that I didn’t give much of a counter-argument to drinking raw milk, but I don’t feel that I need to.  I’ve been drinking the counter-argument for years, very often with mild stomach aches.  Real food is real food, and the more discoveries I make in this area, the more I realize how so much information is given through the filter of giant food companies with huge budgets, who can market and lobby the government and lie and take our cash at will.  I think that’s why I’m doing this whole thing in the first place….