This is part three of five in our series on milk:
Health Disclaimer: Health and related lifestyle choices (including diets and dietary needs) are extremely individualistic. Please consult with your doctor before making any lifestyle changes.
Benefits of Raw Milk
As we learned from Milk 102: Pasteurization & Homogenization, unpasteurized milk is considered to be raw milk because it has not been heated.
Some of the positive benefits to raw milk include easy to digest vitamins and minerals (ie vitamins A, thiamine — B1, magnesium, and zinc), protein, healthy fatty acids (ie conjugated linoleum acid — CLA and omega-3s.) Raw milk also qualifies as a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids needed for the human body.
Raw milk may be easier for some people to digest, including those who have trouble with lactose, due to beneficial bacteria such as lactobacilli. These bacteria feed on lactose sugars and help break them down, supporting easier digestion. This process may help explain why some people tolerate raw milk better than pasteurized milk.
Raw milk is considered “full fat” milk with a fat content ~5% which can vary depending on the time of year and the cow’s diet. In comparison, pasteurized whole milk is standardized to 3.25% fat.
Quick Tip: Shake It Up!
Before drinking raw milk be sure to shake the container first. The act of shaking will redistribute the cream throughout the milk making it rich and even throughout.
FAQ: Does Kilgus Farmstead separate raw milk and sell raw skim milk and raw heavy cream?
We do not separate our raw milk. The milk is left in its whole state and therefore considered “full fat” raw milk. If you are interested in heavy cream, we do sell pasteurized heavy cream.
Got more questions? Visit our FAQ page.
Sale of Raw Milk
Since the FDA banned interstate sales of raw milk, however, in some states consumers can still buy it locally (either at farmers’ markets or retail stores depending on a given state’s milk laws.) The reasoning behind the FDA’s regulations was that pasteurized milk is safer to drink because it had less pathogens in comparison to raw milk.
The state of Illinois requires raw milk to be labeled with a use-by date of five days. In comparison, Kilgus Farmstead pasteurized milk has a sell-by date of 16 days.. Furthermore, unlike pasteurized milk which is fortified with vitamins, raw milk is not fortified, however, still packed with nutrients.
FAQ: Do you offer raw milk as an option for local purchase?
Kilgus Farmstead has a Raw Milk License through the state of Illinois which allows us to sell raw milk directly to our customers here on our farm at the Kilgus Farmstead Country Store. It is available in one-gallon and half-gallon jugs.
Got more questions? Visit our FAQ page.
Go to part four: Milk 104: Jerseys the Queen of Quality ➡️