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One of the most rewarding things about being a specialized raw milk dairy farmer is to hear the stories that customers share with us all the time of how they've found improved and/or renewed health and healing from our products!
Recently, I was in Jackson Hole at the bi-weekly People's Market when two young ladies came to the booth inquiring about our ice cream. One purchased a pint, but her friend lamented how she was lactose intolerant. Well, any time I hear a person say that, I excitedly share with them the good news of raw milk and how most lactose intolerant folks can usually process it just fine! I relayed this to my new friend and she, being intrigued, decided to purchase a pint of milk to try. Well, two weeks later I was excited to see her back at my booth with a HUGE smile and great enthusiasm as she told me how she had not been able to eat or drink dairy for years, but had consumed our raw milk with tremendous ease! She was back for a gallon this time!
So what makes raw milk so special when it comes to lactose intolerance? Here's the inside scoop!
Raw milk contains the enzyme lactase, which is critical for breaking down the lactose sugars that serve as the culprit of lactose intolerance. When milk is pasteurized, the lactase enzyme is completely deactivated--leaving the responsibility of breaking down the lactose sugars totally up to your body. And some folks just don't have what they need in their system for it to perform this task. So, when you consume raw milk, the lactase enzymes will do the work for you, alleviating your body of a very unnatural, and difficult chore!
Raw milk is chalk full of other enzymes that serve specific functions in helping your body digest and utilize all of the natural properties that come in the raw milk--yes, even the natural fats! Nearly every single enzyme is completely deactivated during pasteurization. THEN, as if that weren't bad enough, all of the natural probiotics and other good bacteria are destroyed in the process as well!
Now, when the bacteria is toasted, what do you think happens to them? Do they just disappear? Um, actually, no. And here's a rather not-so-pleasant fact about pasteurized milk. Bacteria have cellular structures. Matter. Yes, they're made of stuff. Yet, when you kill them, their dead bacteria bodies just sit there and float around in the milk! Yeah. Let that sink in. Yummy. Pasteurization does not "clean" milk--or any fluid for that matter--as many in the commercial dairy industry or government food safety sector would have you believe. Instead it KILLS the milk, leaving behind the remains of everything it torched in the process. This is why I like to call pasteurized milk dead bacteria juice. It does not deserve the title of "milk."
There are many people who are not lactose intolerant, but who nonetheless have more mild forms of pasteurized dairy intolerance. For instance, do you experience a lot of flem and/or nasal drip after consuming dairy? That is actually your body rejecting all of the dead bacteria that it doesn't know what to do with, and it's trying to rid the body of them!
So, now you can catch a glimpse as to why we are so passionate about raw milk! It's actually really hard to produce some of our products that require pasteurization--like most of our ice cream varieties. However, pasteurization is sometimes the ONLY way to recreate certain product properties that people are used to consuming--like preserved and enhanced ice cream texture. So, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with pasteurization. It makes great ice cream, but it also has turned dairy into America's number one food allergy. This is not natural, nor is it normal!
So, if you are lactose intolerant, or just have other digestive discomfort caused by dairy, we would love to visit with you more about raw milk and hook you up with some! And, if not from us, I would encourage you to seek out a dairy who specializes in producing raw milk for human consumption. This is important because not all raw milk is created equal. If not produced well, it can be the bearer of bad news. Unfortunately, government health and food safety officials teach that all raw milk is bad and risky. That is not true. Just make sure that as you seek raw milk that you know the facts, and most importantly, KNOW THE FARMER!
While I cannot guarantee that every single lactose intolerant person will find relief with raw milk, I find the vast majority of customers who heed our advice and try it, do! And so if you're in the boat of having an anti-dairy gut, raw milk may the thing that actually gets you loving diary once again! What have you got to lose?!
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