Got Milk?

Subscribe to The Tonic

Let’s rewind to the ‘90s…

Milk was basically liquid gold—lauded as a bone-boosting, calcium-packed miracle in a glass. Then, as fat became more and more demonized, fat-free and reduced-fat dairy options started to gain popularity. Fast forward to the present day and you have billions of dollars pouring into the alternative dairy space.

Oats, peas, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts—you name it. You can get “milk” from everything these days!

So, what about milk? Is real milk a healthy superfood or something we should ditch in favor of your preferred nut water?

As with all things nutrition, the answer is: it depends.

Raw milk from pasture-raised cows that hasn’t been processed is a completely different beverage than the pasteurized, homogenized stuff from the supermarket. Raw milk is never heated, which keeps the beneficial bacteria and nutrients alive and active. Grocery store milk, on the other hand, is always pasteurized—heated to kill pathogens, yes, but also wiping out the good bacteria in the process.

Back in the day, raw milk was the only milk. But as cities grew and dairy became industrialized, sanitation took a hit. Instead of cleaning up conditions, we started pasteurizing milk.

Raw milk from a sketchy industrial feedlot? Yeah, that’s likely to make you sick. But raw milk from a clean, pasture-raised source? That’s probiotic-rich, nutrient-dense white gold—and much easier to digest.

As we’ve talked about before, the issue is that food safety laws treat all raw milk the same. Search “raw milk” online and you’ll mostly find warnings about how dangerous it is or the latest outbreaks from various poor sources. But dig a little deeper and you’ll see plenty of benefits. Go further still and you’ll find resources to help you source raw milk legally.

Yes, there are risks, but there’s a little to no correlation between legalizing raw milk and foodborne illness outbreaks.

It all boils down to this—nut water and refined seed oil concoctions are bad for your health, raw milk is a great alternative for some, but it can be tough to source and fat free milk is silly, 2% milk even sillier.

Enjoyed the article? Subscribe.