Raw Cows Milk vs Raw Goat Milk vs Organic Pasturized Cow Milk

I just read an interesting article in Mother Earth News about this very issue:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/raw-milk-zmrz11z...

Please look at the CDC website. We have pasteurized milk today because a HUGE number of minor and serious illnesses (and deaths) used to be due to raw milk. The only reason the numbers are lower today is because most of us drink pasteurized milk. All pasteurization is is heating the milk to a temperature that kills most food borne pathogens - it cannot possibly harm you or your son. But raw milk absolutely can.

My husband worked on a dairy farm in college. He did not realize milk from the bulk tank was not pasteurized. He was sick for over a month and lost 20 lbs.

Please do not feed your baby raw milk from any animal. We learned to pasteurize milk because of pathogens in raw milk. It is not safe to drink raw milk .. not safe for adults.. especially not for infants and young children.

I took a science of food class a few semesters back and it was enough to make me not want to eat. PLEASE don't give your baby anything that's not pasteurized!!! I'll never forget the slide that our professor showed us of this cute little boy who died at age 3 or so from drinking unpasteurized apple juice.

I looked this up on the FDA website just to support my thoughts.

"....raw milk can harbor dangerous microorganisms that can pose serious health risks to you and your family. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 800 people in the United States have gotten sick from drinking raw milk or eating cheese made from raw milk since 1998."

"....bacteria in raw milk can be especially dangerous to pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems."

please follow up on this... http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/consumers/ucm0795...

Good luck!!

I would stick with pasteurized milk - I wouldn't do any kind of raw, because of the potential pathogens and your child's immune system is still very immature. Have you talked to your pediatrician about this?

Our pediatrician made a point to tell us at our 1-year appt that the milk needed to be pasturized to be safe for infants/toddlers.

If you are paranoid about germs, then stay with the pasturized milk. We used raw cow's milk for about two years and never once got sick from it.

We had a friend that had a milk cow and we would buy raw milk from him. If the farmer practices good sanitation methods, then raw milk is no problem. The man we got milk from had just one cow and its milk had a fat (cream) content of about 25% to 28%. We made our own butter and it made wonderful ice cream. WOW was the ice cream ever good!!!

If I had little kids at home, and I needed milk on a regular basis, I'd go with the raw cow's milk.

My mom was allergic to cows milk. My grandma used to get goats milk for my mom (early 1920's). It was never pasturized and she thrived on it.

Good luck to you and yours.

My child is milk free and he is happy, healthy, not hyper, and very intelligent.
My opinion about milk - it is not for us, it is for baby cows and baby goats. We are genetically programmed to get our nutrition from other sources.

If you want to chose, though, I would advise against anything "raw". With all the outbreaks out there why would you want to chance it, right?

Why r u continuing milk? We r the only species who 'nurse' into adulthood. Cows get there calcium from greens and so should we. If u must pick o e, goats milk is closest to breast milk. But my kids drink organic almond milk from trader joes and take a calcium supplement plus eat plenty of greens. Cows milk is for a baby calf to turn into a big cow, so again why r u still wanting to give ur baby milk still?

Young children are far, far more susceptible to grave illnesses or death from e.coli and other nasties found in any unpasteurized foods or milks. They are likelier to have much more serious illness from these things than a healthy adult would have -- even if the child is healthy. Their systems are not able to handle things like e.coli, which can shut down their kidneys.

Always go with pasteurized products for your children. Any pediatrician would tell you so.

Dr Mercola.com has many articles on raw milk. he advocates it as oppose to pasteurized. I do consider him a reliable source. but that's my opinion. check out his website, it's free..

best of luck

As long as you are able to go to the farm and see how everything is done, raw milk is much healthier than pasteurized! Just make sure it's from organic, pasture fed cows that are raised the way they should be.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/0...

Don't listen to the FDA, they can't be trusted. Obviously, considering so many people are sickened every year from food that was deemed "safe". The FDA approved Aspartame, Ephedra, Fluoride, and many other things that are known to be extremely toxic and cause a plethora of health problems.

I give my son organic pasteurized cows milk. I wouldn't want to risk drinking raw milk. But if that's what you want to gI've your child then that's your deciscion. And as far as soy milk my son doesn't like them not even the flavored ones, even i think they are kinda gritty.

Goats milk. It's easier to digest and naturally homogenized.

You need to do what you feel comfortable doing. We buy our milk from Braums because I don't have the time or energy to pursue the raw milk. But that being said, I was raised on goats milk that we milked ourselves everyday. We raised our own beef, and chickens. We ate food out of our garden and grew fruit trees for our food. I was never sick as a child. I never got sick until I was grown and ate processed foods. I am trying to go back to the organic/natural foods because my kids deserve to eat better and not be sick. People will always have their opinions. You know what is best for you and your children. You need to visit where foods are done and go by your gut feeling. I am very cautious about everything that my kids eat, play with or even be around now. They are my greatest joy!!

If you are considering going raw you need to read up on it and visit the farm from which you plan to purchase the milk. Take a look around and make sure you feel comfortable with their practices. I'm going to be in the minority and say that the potentially harmful bacteria in raw milk is outnumbered/diluted by the beneficial bacteria in the milk, as well as in your child's gut. If you are concerned but still want to go raw you can consider giving your child a probiotic supplement. We have a farm close by that sells raw cow's milk. We buy it whenever we have the opportunity, and have been doing it for about 3 years. My daughter has had more raw than pasteurized. I can't give you a recommendation, or tell you what to do, it's all about your comfort level and your general philosophy about the body's natural defenses. If you just don't feel comfortable with it then definitely go with organic pasteurized and WHOLE. Low-fat milk is an abomination ;)

The book, Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon has information about raw milk, as well as other traditional foods.