Raw milk's popularity growing by leaps and bounds

I'm almost ready to declare victory in the government's absurd war against raw milk. In spite of the efforts of Big Dairy, as well as wrong-headed public health officials from the Federal, and State governments - demand for raw milk is actually growing.

Moo-ve over, Big Dairy!

As you well know, I'm the poster boy for the many health benefits that are found in raw (i.e., unpasteurized) milk. And thankfully the publics' growing concern about all the nasty stuff (read: chemicals, hormones, and drugs) used in commercial dairy farming has pushed them toward raw milk. I know it's the right move, and I'm happy to see that this is a growing trend.

To be sure, anyone making the switch to raw milk has to climb a mountain of misinformation to get there, which makes the increased demand for this good stuff even more impressive. First, there's the fact that the federal government and the majority of states prohibit the sale of raw milk to the public. These public health bureaucrats claim that in recent decades raw milk was responsible for sickening hundreds with bacterial illnesses such as salmonella, E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and others. In short: this is untrue.

In fact, as I've told you, recent milk-related outbreaks of Listeria and E. coli that caused illness and even death were caused by pasteurized milk, not raw milk (typically, the health officials didn't have much of an explanation for this). But the FDA and the CDC never let the facts get in the way of a good story. "Raw milk continues to cause outbreaks year after year," says FDA dairy "expert" John Sheehan. "It is a concern for the FDA."

Really? Or is it more of a concern that, in spite of all the money that Big Dairy's special interest lobbies pump into the government agencies, it's becoming more and more difficult for the FDA and the CDC to fight the tide of truth about raw milk. The story is getting out, no matter what they do. And I'm proud to be one of the people who's helping to spread the word.

What's more, because it's grown organically, raw milk comes with a hefty price tag: the going rate for raw milk is often north of $5 a gallon. But as so many people are discovering, this would be a bargain at twice the price.

Here's why…

There are many indications that raw milk consumption can relieve allergies, asthma, digestive disorders – even autism. That's a lot of power in one glass of milk. So it's no wonder that smart folks everywhere are ignoring the warnings and seeking out the small, organic dairies that sell raw milk.

It's easy to see by the growing number of dairies that sell raw milk that the demand is on the rise – big time. In Washington State alone, the number of raw milk dairies boomed from just six to 22 in just two years. And over the last five years, Massachusetts has doubled its number of raw milk dairies to a total of 24 – and this is at a time when the number of commercial dairies has been declining.

The process of pastuerization – where the milk is heated for an extended time – destroys many of the key proteins and enzymes that occur naturally in milk, and that can help the body to absorb vitamins and digest lactose. The high heat also damages the water-soluble B vitamins, which are chock-full of incredible health benefits.

Raw milk maybe off the beaten path … but it's the super highway to good health.

Moo-ving public perception about raw milk,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.