Aug. 13, 2025
How Did Raw Milk Become the Villain?
Hello and welcome back to ChasingEden, where we explore the paths to true wellness—rooted in nature, nourished by tradition, and guided by wisdom—while still recognizing that sometimes, modern medicine has its place. I’m your host, Caroline Thompson.
Today’s episode asks a question you may never have thought to ask: How did raw milk become the villain?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
WEBVTT
1
00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:11.640
Hello, and welcome to Chasing Eden, where we explore the
2
00:00:11.720 --> 00:00:16.120
paths to true wellness routed in nature, nourished by tradition,
3
00:00:16.760 --> 00:00:22.199
and guided by wisdom, while still recognizing that sometimes modern
4
00:00:22.280 --> 00:00:28.039
medicine has its place. I'm your host, Carolyn Thompson. Today's
5
00:00:28.079 --> 00:00:31.480
episode ask a question you may never have thought to ask.
6
00:00:32.439 --> 00:00:38.399
How did raw milk become the villain? For centuries, raw
7
00:00:38.479 --> 00:00:43.439
milk nourished families across cultures and continents. It was once
8
00:00:43.560 --> 00:00:48.560
celebrated as a wholesome, life giving food, but somewhere along
9
00:00:48.600 --> 00:00:55.200
the way the story changed radically. Now many view raw
10
00:00:55.240 --> 00:01:00.759
milk as dangerous. It's illegal in some states, and something
11
00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:04.719
to be avoided at all costs. We'll explore the history
12
00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:08.719
of raw milk in America and the world, how pasteurization
13
00:01:08.840 --> 00:01:13.400
took over, not purely for public health, but also for profit,
14
00:01:14.120 --> 00:01:17.439
and what new science says about a two milk and
15
00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:22.159
lactose intolerance. This is going to be fascinating, so let's
16
00:01:22.200 --> 00:01:26.680
dive in. For thousands of years, raw milk was a
17
00:01:26.799 --> 00:01:31.840
dietary staple for people all over the world. Ancient Egyptians
18
00:01:31.879 --> 00:01:36.959
prized it, nomadic tribes in Central Asia thrived on it,
19
00:01:37.799 --> 00:01:43.439
medieval Europeans drink it fresh, turned it into butter, cream, cheese,
20
00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:47.400
and keifer. It wasn't just food, it was a source
21
00:01:47.480 --> 00:01:54.760
of life, providing protein, fat, calcium, and probiotic bacteria. Before
22
00:01:54.840 --> 00:02:02.159
refrigeration and vitamin supplements existed. In the American colonies, milk
23
00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:07.599
came from cows grazing on pastures and sometimes sheep and goat.
24
00:02:08.199 --> 00:02:13.039
Families milk their animals daily, drink it raw, and use
25
00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:17.680
the surplus to make cheese or yogurt. It was nutrient dense,
26
00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:26.319
alive with beneficial enzymes like lactase, lipais and phosphophetaes, enzymes
27
00:02:26.360 --> 00:02:32.879
that help us digest and assimilate nutrients. In traditional societies,
28
00:02:33.400 --> 00:02:36.960
raw milk was valued for its ability to strengthen children,
29
00:02:37.439 --> 00:02:42.280
nourish pregnant mothers, and restore the sick. Farmers knew that
30
00:02:42.439 --> 00:02:45.520
the health of the milk depended entirely on the health
31
00:02:45.560 --> 00:02:50.599
of the animal. Pasture raised, clean and well cared for
32
00:02:50.680 --> 00:02:58.479
animals produced safe milk for centuries, nobody considered it dangerous
33
00:02:59.199 --> 00:03:08.199
until instrialization changed how milk was produced and distributed. Pasteurization
34
00:03:08.520 --> 00:03:12.879
is named after French chemist Louis Pasteur, who in the
35
00:03:12.919 --> 00:03:19.000
eighteen sixty discovered that heating wine killed spoilage organisms. The
36
00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:22.319
method was later applied to milk, heating it to a
37
00:03:22.360 --> 00:03:29.000
specific temperature to kill bacteria. Now here's the turning point.
38
00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:33.960
In the late eighteen hundreds and early nineteen hundreds, American
39
00:03:34.039 --> 00:03:39.560
cities grew rapidly. People moved away from farms into crowded
40
00:03:39.639 --> 00:03:44.520
industrial areas. Milk no longer came fresh from the family cow.
41
00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:50.280
It came from urban dairies, often tied to distilleries, where
42
00:03:50.360 --> 00:03:55.680
cows were fed leftover grain mash, confined into filthy conditions,
43
00:03:55.719 --> 00:04:01.360
and milked in unsanitary barns. This milk often carried dangerous
44
00:04:01.400 --> 00:04:08.240
pathogens like tuberculosis, typhoid, and brucellosis, and made people sick.
45
00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:14.000
Instead of addressing the root problem poor animal care, overcrowding
46
00:04:14.120 --> 00:04:21.879
and contamination, the solution pushed by industry was pasturization. Pasteurization
47
00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:25.639
allowed big dairies to collect milk from many sources, store
48
00:04:25.680 --> 00:04:29.639
it longer, and ship it farther without spoilage, but it
49
00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:35.160
came at a cost. Heating milk destroyed delicate enzymes, reduced
50
00:04:35.279 --> 00:04:39.680
vitamin content, especially the vitamin C and B vitamins, and
51
00:04:39.959 --> 00:04:46.639
altered protein structures. From a health perspective, pasteurization was a
52
00:04:46.759 --> 00:04:51.720
band aid for bad farming. From a business perspective, it
53
00:04:51.800 --> 00:04:57.439
was gold. It meant milk could be centralized, standardized, and
54
00:04:57.560 --> 00:05:01.439
sold at scale, and then the new narrative was born.
55
00:05:02.160 --> 00:05:08.879
Raw milk is dangerous, pasteurized milk is safe. By the
56
00:05:08.959 --> 00:05:13.879
nineteen twenties, pasturization was ridden into law in many US cities.
57
00:05:15.120 --> 00:05:19.560
By the nineteen forties, it became the norm nationwide. And
58
00:05:19.680 --> 00:05:23.560
once that happened, small family dairies who sold clean, raw
59
00:05:23.639 --> 00:05:30.160
milk locally were pushed out, while industrial milk processors consolidated power.
60
00:05:32.120 --> 00:05:35.360
It's important to acknowledge that public health concerns were real
61
00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:39.079
in the early days of pasturization, but so were the
62
00:05:39.120 --> 00:05:44.759
financial incentives. Pasteurization allowed large companies to buy up milk
63
00:05:44.800 --> 00:05:49.439
from hundreds of farms, blend it, process it, and brand it.
64
00:05:50.319 --> 00:05:54.639
This centralized control cut out small producers and made milk
65
00:05:54.759 --> 00:06:01.360
just another industrial commodity. And here's the thing. Pasturization became
66
00:06:01.399 --> 00:06:04.879
the law. It became illegal in many states to sell
67
00:06:04.959 --> 00:06:10.600
raw milk, even from healthy grass fed cows. Why not
68
00:06:10.879 --> 00:06:15.920
necessarily because every batch was dangerous, but because pastorization created
69
00:06:15.959 --> 00:06:21.759
a monopoly, only large licensed facilities could legally sell milk.
70
00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:27.279
Fast forward to today and you'll see the result. Most
71
00:06:27.279 --> 00:06:31.639
Americans have never tasted true raw milk. Marketing campaigns over
72
00:06:31.720 --> 00:06:34.759
decades have painted it as unsafe, even though people around
73
00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:38.959
the world from rural France to Kenya still consume it
74
00:06:39.040 --> 00:06:45.839
daily without fear, as they have for centuries now. I
75
00:06:45.839 --> 00:06:47.560
don't know if you've ever heard of the A one
76
00:06:47.800 --> 00:06:53.879
versus A two milk story, So let's shift over to
77
00:06:54.240 --> 00:07:00.600
this discussion. Cow's milk contains beta caseine, a type of protein.
78
00:07:01.759 --> 00:07:05.480
Most modern dairy cows in the US produce a one
79
00:07:05.959 --> 00:07:11.800
betak scene, but many heritage breeds like Jersey, Guernsey and
80
00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:16.040
some Asian and African breeds produce the A two betak SNE.
81
00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:19.399
This is really important to know. It may seem trivial,
82
00:07:19.959 --> 00:07:25.519
but follow me here because this is important information. So
83
00:07:25.600 --> 00:07:29.120
why does this matter? A one beta k SNE, due
84
00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:34.600
to a genetic mutation that arose thousands of years ago,
85
00:07:35.560 --> 00:07:42.199
produces a peptide during digestion called bc M seven or
86
00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:49.959
beta caso morphine seven. Research suggests that BCM seven may
87
00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:56.360
contribute to digestive comfort, inflammation, and symptoms often labeled as
88
00:07:56.680 --> 00:08:03.120
lactose intolerance. In con trust, a two beta caseine does
89
00:08:03.160 --> 00:08:07.959
not release BCM seven and is digested more slowly and easily.
90
00:08:08.920 --> 00:08:12.759
Many people who believe they are lactose intolerant may actually
91
00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:19.439
be sensitive to a one beta caseine and not lactose itself. Interestingly,
92
00:08:20.680 --> 00:08:26.079
raw milk from A two cows also contains lactase predase
93
00:08:26.199 --> 00:08:32.519
producing bacteria, which helps digest lactose naturally. This may explain
94
00:08:32.600 --> 00:08:36.679
why some people tolerate raw A two milk even if
95
00:08:36.679 --> 00:08:43.360
they can't drink pasteurized, store bought milk the takeaway well.
96
00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:48.559
The milk intolerance epidemic may be partly a genetic mismatch
97
00:08:48.679 --> 00:08:54.080
between humans and modern industrial dairy breeds, not an inherent
98
00:08:54.120 --> 00:08:59.480
flaw in milk as a food. Raw milk is still
99
00:08:59.480 --> 00:09:03.799
illegal for retail sale in many US states, though her
100
00:09:03.960 --> 00:09:07.279
share programs and direct farm sales are way some people
101
00:09:07.360 --> 00:09:10.960
legally access it. Advocates say it safer today than in
102
00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:15.159
the past, especially when sourced from grass fed cows, clean barns,
103
00:09:15.600 --> 00:09:20.279
and local farms where freshness is guaranteed. Now. When my kids,
104
00:09:20.360 --> 00:09:23.080
when I was homeschooling them back in the late nineties
105
00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:27.159
early two thousands, I took them to a farm where
106
00:09:27.320 --> 00:09:30.799
the in Fresno, the Fresno area in central California, where
107
00:09:30.840 --> 00:09:34.720
the farmer was selling raw milk, and I introduced my
108
00:09:34.879 --> 00:09:39.120
children to the raw milk industry and drinking raw milk.
109
00:09:39.639 --> 00:09:42.159
So that was a little trip we'd make a couple
110
00:09:42.200 --> 00:09:45.080
times a month and we'd go down to the little
111
00:09:45.080 --> 00:09:46.879
farm and buy the milk. And we could buy it
112
00:09:46.919 --> 00:09:48.519
locally as well, but I like to buy it directly
113
00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:51.399
from the farmer and I wanted and they were able
114
00:09:51.399 --> 00:09:53.200
to tour the farm, and he took us on a
115
00:09:53.240 --> 00:09:56.039
whole tour of his farm and it was really neat. Now,
116
00:09:56.080 --> 00:09:59.759
this poor guy, he struggled to sell to keep selling
117
00:09:59.759 --> 00:10:02.679
his milk and keep it stocked. He had some legal
118
00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:06.200
problems because California was giving him a hard time. At
119
00:10:06.200 --> 00:10:08.519
one point, I believe he was selling meat and they
120
00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:11.559
just put so many so much red tape in his way.
121
00:10:11.559 --> 00:10:14.320
He had to stop selling his meat. So this is
122
00:10:14.679 --> 00:10:17.759
again another way that states and government can get in
123
00:10:17.799 --> 00:10:25.039
the way of our health. Now, getting back to raw milk. Nutritionally,
124
00:10:25.480 --> 00:10:30.799
raw milk contains live enzymes, beneficial bacteria, and heat sensitive
125
00:10:30.840 --> 00:10:35.919
vitamins destroyed by pasturization. Some studies even suggest it may
126
00:10:35.960 --> 00:10:40.559
reduce allergies and asthma and children raised on farms. Even so,
127
00:10:40.759 --> 00:10:45.080
it's a personal choice. For those with immune concerns, pasteurized
128
00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:48.320
milk me feel safer for you. For others, raw milk
129
00:10:48.320 --> 00:10:51.519
from a trusted farm offers health benefits they find unmatched,
130
00:10:51.559 --> 00:10:54.360
and today, more than ever, it's becoming more important to
131
00:10:54.399 --> 00:10:57.320
support our local farmers. So if you do think raw
132
00:10:57.320 --> 00:11:00.440
milk is something you would like to try on Internet,
133
00:11:00.440 --> 00:11:02.279
search and see if you can't find a local farm
134
00:11:02.360 --> 00:11:04.399
and see if they won't give you tour around the farm.
135
00:11:04.879 --> 00:11:09.240
You can verify for yourself if they have cleaning, clean
136
00:11:09.320 --> 00:11:14.279
farm practices and if the cows are actually grazing on
137
00:11:14.639 --> 00:11:20.240
green grass. So here on Chasing Eden, we believe in
138
00:11:20.240 --> 00:11:22.399
blending the best of nature with the best of science.
139
00:11:22.559 --> 00:11:26.720
So pasteurization solved the nineteenth century urban problem, but it
140
00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:31.360
also stripped milk of living qualities that nourished humanity for centuries.
141
00:11:32.200 --> 00:11:35.559
So this isn't about rejecting all modern methods. It's about
142
00:11:35.639 --> 00:11:40.840
understanding context, history, and choice. Just as herbal medicine can
143
00:11:40.840 --> 00:11:44.399
co exist with conventional care, raw milk carefully sorts can
144
00:11:44.440 --> 00:11:47.279
co exist with pasteurized milk in the modern food system.
145
00:11:48.200 --> 00:11:50.759
By knowing the story, you can make an informed choice
146
00:11:50.759 --> 00:11:54.120
for yourself and your family. Thank you so much for
147
00:11:54.200 --> 00:11:56.519
joining me on this journey and story of raw milk,
148
00:11:56.919 --> 00:12:01.240
It's history, it's demonization, and the science behind a two milk.
149
00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:04.720
If this sparked curiosity, I encourage you to explore your
150
00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:08.159
local farms, learn about your state's law, and taste the
151
00:12:08.200 --> 00:12:11.320
difference yourself. Thank you so much for joining me here
152
00:12:11.320 --> 00:12:14.039
at Chasing edendt net. If you'd like to go to
153
00:12:14.080 --> 00:12:17.879
our website, that's our website, Chasing Edendt net and subscribe
154
00:12:17.919 --> 00:12:19.519
to our podcast if you like what you heard,
1
00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:11.640
2
00:00:11.720 --> 00:00:16.120
3
00:00:16.760 --> 00:00:22.199
4
00:00:22.280 --> 00:00:28.039
5
00:00:28.079 --> 00:00:31.480
6
00:00:32.439 --> 00:00:38.399
7
00:00:38.479 --> 00:00:43.439
8
00:00:43.560 --> 00:00:48.560
9
00:00:48.600 --> 00:00:55.200
10
00:00:55.240 --> 00:01:00.759
11
00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:04.719
12
00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:08.719
13
00:01:08.840 --> 00:01:13.400
14
00:01:14.120 --> 00:01:17.439
15
00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:22.159
16
00:01:22.200 --> 00:01:26.680
17
00:01:26.799 --> 00:01:31.840
18
00:01:31.879 --> 00:01:36.959
19
00:01:37.799 --> 00:01:43.439
20
00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:47.400
21
00:01:47.480 --> 00:01:54.760
22
00:01:54.840 --> 00:02:02.159
23
00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:07.599
24
00:02:08.199 --> 00:02:13.039
25
00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:17.680
26
00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:26.319
27
00:02:26.360 --> 00:02:32.879
28
00:02:33.400 --> 00:02:36.960
29
00:02:37.439 --> 00:02:42.280
30
00:02:42.439 --> 00:02:45.520
31
00:02:45.560 --> 00:02:50.599
32
00:02:50.680 --> 00:02:58.479
33
00:02:59.199 --> 00:03:08.199
34
00:03:08.520 --> 00:03:12.879
35
00:03:12.919 --> 00:03:19.000
36
00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:22.319
37
00:03:22.360 --> 00:03:29.000
38
00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:33.960
39
00:03:34.039 --> 00:03:39.560
40
00:03:39.639 --> 00:03:44.520
41
00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:50.280
42
00:03:50.360 --> 00:03:55.680
43
00:03:55.719 --> 00:04:01.360
44
00:04:01.400 --> 00:04:08.240
45
00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:14.000
46
00:04:14.120 --> 00:04:21.879
47
00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:25.639
48
00:04:25.680 --> 00:04:29.639
49
00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:35.160
50
00:04:35.279 --> 00:04:39.680
51
00:04:39.959 --> 00:04:46.639
52
00:04:46.759 --> 00:04:51.720
53
00:04:51.800 --> 00:04:57.439
54
00:04:57.560 --> 00:05:01.439
55
00:05:02.160 --> 00:05:08.879
56
00:05:08.959 --> 00:05:13.879
57
00:05:15.120 --> 00:05:19.560
58
00:05:19.680 --> 00:05:23.560
59
00:05:23.639 --> 00:05:30.160
60
00:05:32.120 --> 00:05:35.360
61
00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:39.079
62
00:05:39.120 --> 00:05:44.759
63
00:05:44.800 --> 00:05:49.439
64
00:05:50.319 --> 00:05:54.639
65
00:05:54.759 --> 00:06:01.360
66
00:06:01.399 --> 00:06:04.879
67
00:06:04.959 --> 00:06:10.600
68
00:06:10.879 --> 00:06:15.920
69
00:06:15.959 --> 00:06:21.759
70
00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:27.279
71
00:06:27.279 --> 00:06:31.639
72
00:06:31.720 --> 00:06:34.759
73
00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:38.959
74
00:06:39.040 --> 00:06:45.839
75
00:06:45.839 --> 00:06:47.560
76
00:06:47.800 --> 00:06:53.879
77
00:06:54.240 --> 00:07:00.600
78
00:07:01.759 --> 00:07:05.480
79
00:07:05.959 --> 00:07:11.800
80
00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:16.040
81
00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:19.399
82
00:07:19.959 --> 00:07:25.519
83
00:07:25.600 --> 00:07:29.120
84
00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:34.600
85
00:07:35.560 --> 00:07:42.199
86
00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:49.959
87
00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:56.360
88
00:07:56.680 --> 00:08:03.120
89
00:08:03.160 --> 00:08:07.959
90
00:08:08.920 --> 00:08:12.759
91
00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:19.439
92
00:08:20.680 --> 00:08:26.079
93
00:08:26.199 --> 00:08:32.519
94
00:08:32.600 --> 00:08:36.679
95
00:08:36.679 --> 00:08:43.360
96
00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:48.559
97
00:08:48.679 --> 00:08:54.080
98
00:08:54.120 --> 00:08:59.480
99
00:08:59.480 --> 00:09:03.799
100
00:09:03.960 --> 00:09:07.279
101
00:09:07.360 --> 00:09:10.960
102
00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:15.159
103
00:09:15.600 --> 00:09:20.279
104
00:09:20.360 --> 00:09:23.080
105
00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:27.159
106
00:09:27.320 --> 00:09:30.799
107
00:09:30.840 --> 00:09:34.720
108
00:09:34.879 --> 00:09:39.120
109
00:09:39.639 --> 00:09:42.159
110
00:09:42.200 --> 00:09:45.080
111
00:09:45.080 --> 00:09:46.879
112
00:09:46.919 --> 00:09:48.519
113
00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:51.399
114
00:09:51.399 --> 00:09:53.200
115
00:09:53.240 --> 00:09:56.039
116
00:09:56.080 --> 00:09:59.759
117
00:09:59.759 --> 00:10:02.679
118
00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:06.200
119
00:10:06.200 --> 00:10:08.519
120
00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:11.559
121
00:10:11.559 --> 00:10:14.320
122
00:10:14.679 --> 00:10:17.759
123
00:10:17.799 --> 00:10:25.039
124
00:10:25.480 --> 00:10:30.799
125
00:10:30.840 --> 00:10:35.919
126
00:10:35.960 --> 00:10:40.559
127
00:10:40.759 --> 00:10:45.080
128
00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:48.320
129
00:10:48.320 --> 00:10:51.519
130
00:10:51.559 --> 00:10:54.360
131
00:10:54.399 --> 00:10:57.320
132
00:10:57.320 --> 00:11:00.440
133
00:11:00.440 --> 00:11:02.279
134
00:11:02.360 --> 00:11:04.399
135
00:11:04.879 --> 00:11:09.240
136
00:11:09.320 --> 00:11:14.279
137
00:11:14.639 --> 00:11:20.240
138
00:11:20.240 --> 00:11:22.399
139
00:11:22.559 --> 00:11:26.720
140
00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:31.360
141
00:11:32.200 --> 00:11:35.559
142
00:11:35.639 --> 00:11:40.840
143
00:11:40.840 --> 00:11:44.399
144
00:11:44.440 --> 00:11:47.279
145
00:11:48.200 --> 00:11:50.759
146
00:11:50.759 --> 00:11:54.120
147
00:11:54.200 --> 00:11:56.519
148
00:11:56.919 --> 00:12:01.240
149
00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:04.720
150
00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:08.159
151
00:12:08.200 --> 00:12:11.320
152
00:12:11.320 --> 00:12:14.039
153
00:12:14.080 --> 00:12:17.879
154
00:12:17.919 --> 00:12:19.519