Alright, let’s zoom in on one of the most beneficial components of raw milk. Of the many aspects of raw dairy, this has to be a favorite!

Raw Dairy Fact #3: Raw Milk is a Source of Bio-diverse Enzymes 

Enzymes are an essential part of life. Without them, we probably wouldn’t be alive. A tiny complex protein that you can’t see without a powerful microscope, enzymes act as as catalysts to help certain chemical reactions happen, like breaking down food for digestion.

Raw milk is unique in that it contains a wide variety of different enzymes, including lipase, amylase, lactoperoxidase, phosphatase and more. These all go to work in our bodies breaking down food particles and enabling our bodies to make use of the nutrients they contain.

Each specific type of enzyme has a favorite job that it likes to do as long as the conditions are right. When the enzymes are heated, the temperature destroys the nature of the enzyme and it can no longer do it’s intended work.

The rise in lactose intolerance can be credited in large part to the practice of pasteurizing milk. Lactase, (-ase not -ose) enzymes are milk’s natural sugar digester. Lactase enzymes break down the milk sugar and make it easier for your body to handle the lactose as it enters your gut.

When the enzyme lactase is destroyed by heating, there is no longer any “pre-digestion” going on and the lactose (milk sugar) remains unbroken down as it enters your intestines. This causes sensitive people to react to the milk sugar with cramps, gas, and other lactose intolerance symptoms. The truth is, many who are diagnosed as lactose intolerant by a doctor, can drink raw milk without experiencing issues [1]. Why? Because the enzymes have not been killed by pasteurization.

It’s no wonder that there are many digestive issues circulating in the world today. We get into trouble if we don’t consider the nature of food as it was designed to be consumed. We will end up killing the life of our food, and eventually, killing our own life by starving us of necessary nutrients when we denature food from a healthy, natural state.

Life is a gift, and as stewards of it, we should seek out ways to preserve and promote our life and others. Let’s capitalize on the benefits of eating raw food — REAL food — and give our bodies those enzymes that it needs.

References:
1. http://www.realmilk.com/health/lactose-intolerance-survey/

Additional Reading:

http://www.beta-glucan-info.com/digestive_enzyme_facts.htm

www.realmilk.com

The Untold Story of Milk, by Ron Schmid, 2009 New Trends Publishing

http://www.realmilk.com/health/enzymes/

http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/enzymes_T3.html