SHALL I DRINK RAW MILK?

Views expressed against pasteurization of raw milk and why raw milk is superior?

• Pasteurization is an excuse for the sale of dirty milk.
• Pasteurization may be used to mask low quality dirty milk.
• Pasteurization promotes carelessness and discourages the effort to produce clean milk.
• Compulsory pasteurization would diminish the incentive to clean milk production.
• Heat destroys a great number of bacteria in milk and thus conceals the evidence of dirt.
• Pasteurization impairs the flavor of milk.
• Pasteurization diminishes the nutrient value of milk.
• The milk is devitalized by way of pasteurization.
• Pasteurization diminishes the vitamin content of milk.
• Pasteurization destroys vitamin C.
• Calcium and other minerals are precipitated and thus made unavailable by pasteurization.
• Most of the milk enzymes are destroyed.
• Infants do not develop well on pasteurized milk or in other words, infants and children thrive better on raw milk.
• Pasteurized milk is more likely to be constipating in nature.
• Pasteurization destroys the creaming ability of milk.
• Pasteurization influences the composition of milk.
• Pasteurization destroys the souring bacteria of milk and instead of normal souring, the pasteurized milk putrefies when stored for longer period.
• Pasteurization destroys the normal bacilli in milk and will render the milk to decompose on exposure to air.
• Pasteurization destroys the beneficial enzymes, antibodies and hormones which takes the life out of milk.
• Pasteurization may be carelessly done. Therefore it is not infallible.
• Pasteurized milk may diminish resistance to disease, more so in young babies.
• The death due to tuberculosis is relatively lower in rural areas where milk is drunk raw than in cities where almost all milk is pasteurized.
• Compulsory pasteurization would remove the stimulus to eradicate the diseased animals from the milking herd.
• Pasteurized milk interferes with proper development of teeth and predispose to dental caries.
• Pasteurization would lead to an increase in infant mortality.
• Pasteurization gives a false sense of security.

These are the arguments put forth by the purists who think that milk should not be subjected to pasteurization or any sort of processing as it harms the innate beneficent properties of milk. This statement holds good for the milk which is obtained from healthy cows by adopting clean milk production practices. However, most of the milk produced in developing nations may not satisfy these conditions and hence it is better to pasteurize or heat process from the safety point of the consumers.