Ever since we were little, the benefits of drinking milk have already been strongly emphasized to us. After all, we have been drinking milk since we were babies, so we know that it is filled with nutrients that are important for our health and growth. Drinking milk is a must for us-there is no doubt about that.
But the nagging question is, should we boil milk before drinking it? The debate between raw milk vs. boiled milk has been here for decades, and it is about time that we clear things out.
What is raw milk?
Raw milk is the kind of milk that has not been treated and processed. The milk before drinking did not undergo pasteurization.
Many people are afraid of drinking raw milk because of a few downsides that come with it. But you will be surprised to know about the benefits of unpasteurized milk. Raw milk is a whole food that contains a wide array of digestive enzymes, which makes it easy for the body to process it.
Also, it has been discovered that drinking raw milk can reduce the risk of having asthma, pollen allergy, hay fever, allergic rhinitis, and other types of allergies. Many experts think that this effect may be associated with the higher fat and whey protein content of the drink.
What is pasteurized milk
Pasteurized milk is the type of milk that has undergone the process called pasteurization.
How do you pasteurize milk? Pasteurization is done by subjecting milk to extremely high temperatures. It is then quickly cooled before bottling and packaging it. What does pasteurization do? Most milk manufacturing companies pasteurize milk with the aim of destroying the harmful bacteria found in raw milk. That is why one of the benefits of pasteurized milk is that it reduces your risk of unwanted infection.
Before the advent of the modern pasteurization techniques, we only have access to raw milk which is first boiled before consumption. Why is milk boiled before using? This is done to ensure that the milk will be free of bacteria (which is also the same purpose of pasteurization).
Composition of Raw and Pasteurised milk
Now that you already know the differences between these two types of milk let us take a closer look at their nutritional content.
According to experts, raw milk is more superior than pasteurized milk when it comes to its nutritional content. Why is this so? This is because the extremely high temperatures may destroy some of the vitamins found in raw milk. Does pasteurization destroy nutrients? Yes, it can, especially the heat-sensitive nutrients like vitamins C, B12, E, riboflavin, and thiamine so as compared to pasteurized milk, raw milk contains a higher amount of the said nutrients.
In addition to that, studies have also shown that higher fat and whey protein content (80% of which are very extremely to digest). When it comes to digestive enzymes, these are also destroyed by heat so only less than 10% of these enzymes may remain in pasteurized milk. The pasteurized milk may also contain less than 50% of the calcium content of raw milk.
Drinking Milk without boiling it-Is it good for health?
Despite its high nutritional content, there is a downside to drinking raw milk. Since the milk has not been subjected to high heat, the bacteria in the milk is not destroyed. This may pose a risk of infection and having foodborne illnesses. In fact, the consumption of raw milk is often associated with various symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. Some of these symptoms may become severe, chronic or life-threatening.
So the answer is no, drinking milk without boiling is not good for your health. This is most especially true if you are pregnant. According to studies, raw milk may contain Listeria, a bacteria which may cause miscarriage, fetal illness or death, and even death of a newborn so you should avoid drinking raw milk when you are pregnant. You must also shy away from consuming dairy products that are made of raw milk such as Queso Fresco or Queso Blanco.
No matter how high the nutritional value of a raw milk, it can never compare to the benefits of boiling milk. It is important that you protect yourself from the dangers that come with drinking raw milk. But if you wish to still enjoy the high nutritional value of raw milk minus the possible side effects, we recommend that you go for pasteurized milk that is fortified with these vitamins.
But, of course, there is another question–can pasteurized milk be consumed without boiling? You will not encounter any problems when drinking pasteurized milk without boiling. After all, the milk has already undergone the pasteurization process so the bacteria in it has already been destroyed so yes, pasteurized milk can be consumed without boiling!
If you have raw milk on hand, it is a must that you boil it. Why milk is boiled before using? As mentioned above, raw milk is pasteurized or boiled to destroy bacteria and prevent possible infection.
So is packed milk good for health? Yes, it already is. Once it has undergone pasteurization, the milk is already safe for consumption, so there is no longer any need for you to boil it before drinking. In the Indian tradition, packaged milk is still boiled before drinking to make sure that it is completely free of bacteria. But many experts believe that boiling it again is no longer necessary and will just be a redundant step.
If you want to enjoy the benefits of drinking milk, we recommend that you go the pasteurized route. In this way, you are assured that the milk you will drink is safe for your health and that you won’t encounter any infections that are often associated with drinking raw milk. The good news is, you do not have to boil pasteurized milk again so you can get to save time too!