Is Raw Milk Safe for Babies?

[Guest guest]

Is Raw Milk Safe for Babies?

by Sally Fallon

_http://www.realmilk.com/raw-milk-babies.html_

(http://www.realmilk.com/raw-milk-babies.html)

The biggest concern parents have about making homemade formula is that it is

based on raw milk which, according to medical orthodoxy, is a source of

contamination and disease. The only possible way to protect our children, they

say, is to be sure the milk is pasteurized.

The chart _shown here_ (http://www.realmilk.com/foodborne.html)

_http://www.realmilk.com/foodborne.html_

(http://www.realmilk.com/foodborne.html) was

drawn up for a Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors vote on permitting raw

milk in the County. (The vote was favourable, by the way, and raw milk is once

again available in Los Angeles.) Except for a brief hiatus in 1990, raw milk

has always been for sale commercially in California, usually in health food

stores, although I can remember a period when it was even sold in grocery

stores. Millions of people consumed commercial raw milk during that period and

although the health department kept an eagle eye open for any possible evidence

of harm, not a single incidence was reported. During the same period, there

were many instances of contamination in pasteurized milk, some of which

resulted in death. There have also been many instances of contamination of

other

foods, including baby formula. In fact, if we withdrew from the market every

food type responsible for a case of food poisoning, there would be virtually

nothing left to eat. But only raw milk has been singled out for general

removal from the food supply.

Both raw and pasteurized milk harbour bacteria but the bacteria in raw milk

is the healthy bacteria of lactic-acid fermentation while the bacteria in

pasteurized milk is the bacteria of spoilage. And the overall bacteria count of

milk produced under clean conditions is much lower than that of pasteurized

milk. Both raw and pasteurized milk contain E. coli, normally a benign

microorganism. The most likely source of the new strains of virulent E. coli is

genetically engineered soy, fed to cows in large commercial dairies. If there

is

any type of milk likely to harbour these virulent breeds, it is commercial

pasteurized milk.

Back in the days when scientists at our universities did real research, they

compared the health of children fed raw or pasteurized milk. Children fed

raw milk have more resistance to TB, scurvy, flu, diphtheria, pneumonia, asthma,

allergic skin problems and tooth decay. In addition, their growth and

calcium absorption was superior. (_www.realmilk.com/abstractsmilk.html_

(http://www.realmilk.com/abstractsmilk.html) .)

Of course, as with all foods, raw milk must come from healthy cows and be

carefully handled and stored. The same technology that we use to pasteurize our

milk also allows us to keep raw milk fresh and clean. If you are buying

directly from a farmer, be sure that the cows are mostly on pasture and that

the

barn is kept clean. The milk should go directly from the milking machine into

a stainless steel tank or clean containers and be kept chilled. It should be

used within a period of one week, after which it will begin to go sour

(although it is not dangerous when it does so). With these precautions, raw

milk

is not only healthy but a safe food for all members of the family, even

babies.

A Campaign for Real Milk is a project of _The Weston A. Price Foundation_

(http://www.westonaprice.org/)

PMB 106-380, 4200 Wisconsin Ave, NW, Washington DC 20016

Phone: (202) 363-4394 | Fax: (202) 363-4396 | Web:

_http://www.westonaprice.org/_ (http://www.westonaprice.org/)

General Information/Membership/Brochures: _info_

(info)

Local Chapters and Chapter Leaders: _chapters_

(chapters)

Website: _webmaster_ (webmaster)