Milk is the second most fluid drunk by people right after water in India. We all know how milk is nutritive and highly beneficial for children as well as adults. Milk is packed up with vitamins, minerals and protein which are highly required in our day-to-day life.
Milk is also used as an ingredient to prepare other dairy products which include cheese, butter, ice cream, yogurt and more. Milk is something that is available in every household, be it rich or poor, milk is found in each and every home. I have already written several articles related to milk such as the difference between cow milk and buffalo milk, how to choose the best milk powder, does milk increases height and so on but recently the question that was asked frequently in the comments was about the differences between raw milk and packed milk.
So today in this article we will be analyzing the differences between raw milk and packed milk, and also will be determining which one is safer for health. Let’s begin.
What is raw milk?
Raw milk is the milk that we directly get from cows and is unpasteurized in nature. Be it cow, goat, buffalo or camel the milk is in the pure form, collected from the animals and is transferred directly to your home. The milkman collects this raw milk directly from the cow and delivers it to your home or to the nearest dairy. Raw milk is also known as unpasteurized milk as it does not include boiling and is available in the purest form.
What is packed milk?
Packed milk is the milk that is introduced in the Indian markets by several brands such as Amul, Britannia, Nestle and many more. Packed milk is pasteurized ready-to-drink milk generally available in shops, supermarkets etc. Pasteurized or packed milk is the raw milk that is boiled at a certain temperature, cooled down and packed. Sometimes Vitamin A and Vitamin D are added as extras to the milk but that entirely varies from brand to brand. This milk is then sent to various stores from the brand from where consumers can buy it.
So this means that raw milk is better, but that is not the case actually. In fact, there is a major problem associated with drinking raw milk.
What is the major problem of drinking raw milk?
Raw milk has a major problem that packed or pasteurized milk does not have. Raw milk contains 3 main types of bacteria that are actually very harmful to your health.
- Salmonella bacteria – leads to diarrhea and stomach issues. ( also found in raw eggs )
- E. coli or Escherichia coli – does not suit everyone and may cause sickness to people who have a weaker immune system
- Listeria bacteria – may lead to food poisoning and digestion problems
Who should not consume raw milk?
- Aged people should not consume raw milk as it contains E.coli which is not suitable for people with a weak immune system.
- The FDA suggests not to give raw milk to children
- Pregnant women should never consume raw milk
- People who have a weaker immune system should not consume raw milk as their body may not be able to break the bacteria properly and may cause problems related to digestion.
- People with lactose intolerance should never consume raw as the lactose is never removed from raw milk.
Benefits of packed milk over raw milk
It is very easy for you to judge the main benefits of drinking packed milk over raw milk.
- Packed milk is 100% safe to drink.
- The bacterias are removed from packed milk as it follows the pasteurization process (heating process)
- The nutritive content of the milk remains intact after the pasteurization process
- You might get further additional vitamins and minerals in the packed milk artificially fortified by some dairy brands.
- Some packed milk brands remove extra fat or lactose from the milk to make it suitable for people who have serious weight loss goals and people who are lactose intolerant respectively.
How to drink raw milk but still be safe?
If you are bringing raw milk from your consecutive dairy or directly from a farmer at first you need to boil the raw milk for 10-15 minutes, cool it down and keep it in a fridge so that all the bacteria in the raw milk gets killed. This converts the raw milk into pasteurized milk in your home. So buying packed milk from the market or converting the raw milk into pasteurized milk at home is the same thing. Now both become safe for your health.
Conclusion
The packed milk available in your nearest market is 100% safe for your health and is the best option for you to consume. Nowadays, because of this Covid-19 situation, it is recommended to even boil packed milk as our immunity power is much weaker than at other times. Previously immunity system of people used to be very strong because of less pollution, a good lifestyle, good food habits. As a result, you have heard your grandfather or father drinking raw milk directly, but now the situation has changed a lot.
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