Yes it most certainly is.

First, let’s think about the large dairies and how they keep their cows. They are kept in feed lots and fed large amounts of grain, and probably have never seen a pasture in their lifetime. Why is this bad? Because a cow is not meant to eat grain, she is meant to eat grass. Period. But the large dairies don’t feed their cows grass because it is inconvenient. Grain is easier and thus, they are fed grain.

So I’ll have to amend my earlier statement that raw milk is healthier than pasteurized milk. What I should say is raw milk from a healthy grass-fed cow is better for you and much more healthy than pasteurized milk.

Why? Because it retains its healthy enzymes and friendly bacteria.

My family started drinking raw milk in the first part of this year, and in March we bought our own cow. My friends are now drinking the milk as well, and the benefits have been amazing. One friend who had high cholesterol has seen her numbers drop drastically. In fact her doctor asked her at her last visit if he had put her on cholesterol medication (he had not). Another friend’s blood pressure went down. My family stopped getting colds all the time. And we just feel healthier. But of course our cow is not fed grain and eats grass all day. She receives no pesticides of any kind, no chemical wormers, nothing but fresh grass and hay. So she is very healthy and her milk is very healthy.

You may think I am stressing the “healthy cow” aspect quite a bit and you’re right. I’d love for everyone to jump on the raw milk bandwagon but do your due diligence and take a look around the farm where you plan to purchase your milk. Is it clean looking? Do the animals appear healthy? Ask to see the area where the cows are milked. Is it sanitary? And by this I don’t mean it needs to be a sparkling clean milking parlor, but you also don’t want to see piles of manure and bugs crawling everywhere either.

So my answer is yes, raw milk is most definitely healthier than pasteurized milk with the caveat that you are obtaining your milk from a healthy source. And if you are, you are going to love it.