The world of raw dairy is exciting and full of health benefits that will leave you NEVER wanting to drink pasteurized milk or dairy alternatives again! Raw dairy products contain many important nutrients, and they taste fresh and delicious. Nothing is added to enhance or stabilize this life-giving food. Enjoy our raw products without “tummy issues” or milk sensitivities.

We know that entering the raw milk world can be daunting at first. There’s SO much to learn. Where does one even begin? In this article, we lay out the basics of what you need to know about raw milk. If you have additional questions after reading this blog, contact us on INSTAGRAM or email me at Kaleigh.L@rawfarmusa.com with your raw milk questions. We are happy to hear from you!

WHAT IS RAW MILK?

Raw milk is simply that- milk that is unprocessed, whole, and living with all of its beneficial bacteria. Pure, delicious, real milk. Nothing added, nothing taken away. Our cows enjoy a stress-free life, consuming all the healthy nutrients they need to thrive. Plus, we follow the world’s strictest food safety protocol for raw milk production because the health and well-being of our customers are our top priority. We ONLY use raw milk from our very own cows. Our raw milk is then tested after each milking by an independent laboratory for pathogens. We hold the milk until the lab results are confirmed safe, then we release it and craft it into our delicious products: Whole Raw Milk, Heavy Raw Cream, Raw Kefir, Raw Butter, Raw Cheese, and our Raw Pet Food products!

Why is pasteurized milk so difficult to digest? Pasteurized milk products have been heated to extreme temperatures to kill possibly dangerous bacteria. Unfortunately, pasteurization doesn’t discriminate and kills all bacteria, including the beneficial bacteria our bodies need! RAW FARM protects these amazing bacteria by testing directly for the presence of pathogens, bypassing the need to pasteurize. It is not just bacteria that get damaged, when milk is pasteurized, important essential enzymes are destroyed, making it harder for the body to digest. This causes inflammation and often leads to digestion issues. This explains why raw dairy products are so easy to digest because they’ve never been heated or altered in any way! There are a few exceptions.

RAW FARM Whole Raw Milk is unprocessed and complete with gut-supporting bacteria, protein, naturally occurring CLA & omega 3 fatty acids, enzymes, natural carbohydrates, and bioavailable vitamins and minerals. Our truly happy cows seasonally graze on lush, green pasture. Absolutely NO antibiotics, synthetic hormones, or GMO anything. Customers with lactose sensitivities have a delicious, nutritious, and natural alternative in this unaltered, wholesome product.

SIMPLY FLASH-CHILLED, FILTERED AND TESTED.

The ease of digestibility of Whole Raw Milk gives those that experience discomfort with processed dairy products, a delicious and natural option.

WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF RAW MILK?

1.Easy to Digest

This is one of the leading reasons why people choose raw milk. Nowadays, many people are completely replacing dairy products with plant-based products, like nut and seed “milks” due to tummy upset from processed dairy. Why does raw milk generally not cause digestion issues? And why is raw butter a better option? Well, awesomely, Whole Raw Milk is full of beneficial bacteria and enzymes (and nutrients) that are deeply needed by our bodies to digest milk properly (pasteurized milk products are void of these essential bacteria and enzymes). It’s important to remember that before there was pasteurized milk, there was only raw milk. Raw milk is real milk, and our goal at RAW FARM is to bring back traditional ways of eating in a safe, reliable, delicious, and nutritious way. Your ancestors would be so proud!

2. Rich in raw & healthy fats

Our raw milk is rich in healthy raw fats. Our happy cows seasonally graze on green grass, making their milk high quality and top notch. Our bodies need healthy fats to nourish our cells; in fact, every single cell in our body is composed of fat! So, eat healthy raw fats, and watch your body glow.

3. Naturally rich in CLA & Omega-3 fatty acids

Did you know CLA, an antioxidant that is known to reduce inflammation, is abundant in dairy products from grass-fed animals?

Plus, Omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation, which is the origin of most illnesses, and reduce the risk of heart disease. Your body cannot make omega-3 fatty acids on its own. It must get it from foods, and raw milk is an ideal source!

4. Naturally rich in vitamins and minerals

Because raw milk is unprocessed, all of the nutrients are bioavailable and ready for your body to absorb. They are not added or synthetic, so you’re enjoying a complete and whole food.

5. Probiotic, Raw, & Tested

Our products are tested for food safety. Not a single batch of raw milk leaves our farm until it has passed our strict food safety program. Our team works hard every day to make sure our cows are healthy. We handle the raw milk with the ultimate care, so you have the most nutrient-dense, probiotic, pathogen-tested, and delicious raw dairy products possible!

WHO CAN DRINK RAW MILK?

A very common question we receive is, “Who can drink raw milk?” Customers often wonder if pregnant women, children, and those with lactose sensitivities can drink raw milk. The answer is YES! RAW FARM’s highest priority is food safety.

READ ABOUT OUR TESTING PROGRAM

HOW to introduce raw dairy to your diet

some may need to take it slow, BUT SOME CAN CHUG IT RIGHT AWAY!

If you are one of the lucky ones who have a healthy digestive system and currently enjoy dairy products, you should be able to enjoy our raw milk right away. Start with a cup of milk. It will be very tempting to guzzle the whole bottle in one sitting, it’s that delicious. Just remember, you are now drinking the real deal milk, filled with so many healthy bacteria and nutrients. Your body may need some time to welcome these wonderful bacteria into your gut.

If you have a sensitive digestive system, it is very important pay close attention to how your body responds to food. We recommend you introduce our raw dairy products slowly. For example, if you have severe digestive issues, then start with a 1/4 cup of our RAW FARM whole raw milk. Wait for several hours before drinking another 1/4 cup. Go very slowly. Remember, raw dairy hosts many wonderful bacteria that are unique to our gut flora. Most people do not have a healthy gut flora due to antibiotic use, eating foods containing preservatives, environmental toxins, and chronic inflammatory diseases, just to name a few! Recovery is a very slow process for those affected. The bacteria or candida that resides in your gut will be replaced with new healthy bacteria. This could cause slight tummy upset or changes in stool. This is natural and expected. Bacteria are always fighting to be dominant. I call it the ‘battle of the bacteria. Be patient. In time, most people recover their damaged gut microbiome. This is life-changing!

With that said, we have thoroughly enjoyed hearing customer stories about chugging our raw milk for their first try and never having to go slow. So, go with your “gut” and drink slowly if you feel your gut is needing to go slowly.

WHY RAW MILK IS EASY TO DIGEST

Think of that friend who loves cheese so much and just can’t help himself. “It’s worth the pain!” Well, what if it didn’t have to be? What if you could enjoy delicious cheese and other dairy products without any discomfort? Friends, it’s possible with raw dairy products! Here’s why.

“Dairy sensitivities” is mostly caused by consuming pasteurized dairy products. Pasteurized dairy products have been heated significantly to kill potentially harmful bacteria. The unfortunate issue with this is that the bacteria and enzymes needed by your body to digest the milk are destroyed during this process. For example, lactase is an important digestive enzyme that is specifically designed to break down lactose, the sugars naturally found in milk. Lactase enzyme is unique because it is created by lactobacillus bacteria (and other lactase-creating bacteria) which are abundant in raw milk. When lactase is not created, it is only understandable that the body will struggle to break down the lactose all on its own! Pasteurization doesn’t discriminate against which bacteria and enzymes that are destroyed during the heating process; it kills all of the bacteria and important enzymes. On the other hand, raw dairy products are whole and complete with an abundance of beneficial bacteria and enzymes. Amazingly, customers with dairy sensitivities have a delicious, nutrient-dense, and natural alternative in this unaltered, wholesome product of whole raw milk.

WHAT ABOUT DAIRY ALTERNATIVES?

IN ADDITION, people with gut issues to MILK ALTERNATIVES will thrive on RAW FARM product because it is free of fillers, fortifiers, synthetic agents, and other artificial ingredients added to most milk alternatives. Amazing… raw milk and RAW FARM products really are a gut, game changer!

READ: SAY GOODBYE TO DAIRY ISSUES WITH RAW MILK

TESTED RAW DAIRY

RAW FARM dairy products are simply tested for safety allowing the final product to be unprocessed, whole, nutrient-dense, and probiotic. NEVER pasteurized (heated), homogenized (crushed), fortified (enhanced), or otherwise altered. EVER.

RAW FARM is deeply committed to the safe production of high-quality raw dairy products. We test our raw milk for safety rather than pasteurizing it for food safety. We proudly meet and EXCEED all required California state testing and #dodairydifferent with our unique Test & Hold Protocol. Our protocol is a three (3) step testing process that starts at the dairy (milking) level and ends with the final product (creamery).

Under our Test & Hold Protocol, we test for pathogens. Our family-owned business believes there is power in numbers and that is why we work closely every single day with our regulators and inspectors. As part of our plan, all milk from each day is assigned a unique “Lot ID", which provides accurate tracking of all milk batches. This allows us to connect our milk batches to all test results efficiently. As a plus, we recently started testing for heavy metals as of May 2021 and we can confirm that there are NO traces of heavy metals in RAW FARM dairy products!

WE ARE PROUD TO BE LEADERS FOR CHANGE AND HOPE TO INSPIRE OTHER DAIRY BRANDS TO FOLLOW IN THE #RAWGOODNESS MOVEMENT!

LEARN MORE ABOUT RAW MILK

Curious to learn MORE about raw milk? We have a plethora of information to share with you across our various social media channels, including INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK, our BLOG, and YouTube channel! Here are a few of our favorite videos and resources to help you learn more about raw milk. 😊

DELICIOUS RAW DAIRY RECIPE IDEAS

New to raw dairy: here ARE the things YOU need to know