Paula Jager, CSCS, owner of Crossfit Jaguar in Tampa Florida, is the author of a riveting journal about her 15 day raw “milk cure” fast. It has since sparked much interest from grassfed milk fans from around the world.
It started a revival of sorts about this age-old remedy for improving vitality, bodily cleansing, and even reversal of serious illness as practiced early in the last century by the Mayo Foundation, a forerunner of the famed Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota. (1)
At the end of Paula’s raw milk fast, she said that she was so pleased with the results. She had the best bloodwork of her life at the conclusion of the fast! Thus, she vowed to do a raw milk fast every year going forward around the beginning of Spring.
The next year, my husband Richard and I joined Paula for a 10 day raw “milk cure” fast.
After that experience, Paula and I talked about whether we were going to do a raw milk fast again. We both decided that, yes, we wanted to do it one more time but not for 10 days. We felt that a simple 3 day seasonal cleanse fast using raw grassfed milk would be sufficient.
Those of you who would like to continue the fast longer are welcome to do so, but as for Paula and me, three days is plenty this time around.  Certainly, a very long raw milk fast can be extremely beneficial for those who require it for an extended period of time. I’ve posted before about Melanie who drank nothing but raw, pastured milk for many months to recover from Lyme Disease. Last time I heard from Melanie, she was doing very well and continuing to improve!
Before launching into the 3-day raw milk fast, let’s review some important considerations to keep everyone safe and healthy throughout the process.
Do’s and Don’ts for a Raw Milk Fast
Before embarking on this three-day raw milk fast with us, be sure to read through this list of DOs and DONTs first to help you decide whether it is right for you.
- DON’T attempt this fast with pasteurized or even low temp pasteurized milk. Milk becomes a completely different food once it’s pasteurized and many vital nutrients and enzymes are either totally lost or significantly reduced. Pasteurized milk is not a complete food like raw milk is.
- DON’T do this while pregnant or nursing.
- DON’T do the fast just to lose weight. The purpose of the fast is to gently cleanse and rejuvenate the body without overly stressing it. Getting healthy and staying healthy is the goal, not dropping a dress size or two. If you drop some weight, that’s just a bonus but not the goal.
- DO the fast with raw milk yogurt, raw kefir, or clabbered raw milk instead of plain raw milk if you prefer. These are acceptable substitutions.
- DO the fast with any type of quality raw milk you can find. Last year, there was a participant in Europe who fasted with sheep milk!
- DO continue the fast longer if you like. Continue to post comments on the update posts to let us all know how you are doing.
- DO be sure to drink enough raw milk to keep yourself hydrated and full.  A cup or so of milk every hour works well. You should not experience much if any hunger during the fast based on Paula and my experiences last year (and Paula’s the year before that). You probably will find that you don’t want any water as the milk will provide all the liquid you need.
- DO continue to take your supplements if you would like. I plan to continue taking my high vitamin cod liver oil and butter oil on a daily basis during the fast.
- DO drink other fermented beverages like kombucha or beet kvass if you desire. Raw milk should be primary, however.
- DO drink herbal tea if you find this is helpful to you during the cleanse for either detoxification or restful sleep.
- DON’T overdo during the fast. Try to rest as much as possible and keep activities to a minimum.
- DON’T do this fast in place of the GAPS Diet if healing/sealing of the gut wall is what you need to reverse an autoimmune disorder. Â While this fast may help you temporarily, the GAPS Diet is likely needed for full healing. Â Contact Biodynamicwellness.com for a consultation if you need help with implementation of the GAPS Diet.
- DON’T workout during the fast unless it is some gentle yoga or walking. Stressing the body at this time is not recommended. Use your best judgment on whether sweating would help or hinder the cleanse process for you.
- DO take cleansing baths with Epsom salts or baking soda to assist the detoxification process. Dry skin brushing might be helpful to you as well. The skin is the largest organ of elimination so use it!
- DO consult with your doctor if you have any questions about whether this cleansing protocol is right for you. Â I would suggest consulting with a holistic practitioner, however, a person who is informed and doesn’t freak out at the words “raw milk”!
I think I’ve covered just about everything.
Are you ready? Let’s gooooooo. You can read about our three day raw milk fast starting here.
More Information
Dukan Diet Fad
Coconut Oil Diet
The Harcombe Diet
Bone broth fast
Why BPC might make you gain weight
I’m just wondering why you say one should not use the milk fast for weight loss. Obesity is, after all, listed as one of the conditions which can be helped by the treatment in the original early 1900’s protocol. I do want to lose weight. While that is not the only reason I’m trying it, it’s definitely near the top of the list. My assumption has been that if healing comes to my body, the weight will come off fairly easily. After three days, however, it hasn’t budged. I’m starting to wonder if milk is too high is its sugar content. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.
The raw milk fast is for cleansing not losing weight. And, no weight won’t just come off in 3 days especially if a hormone problem is involved. Cleansing the body can help it heal but it doesn’t equal healing either.
Hi Sarah and other raw milk enthusiasts. I’m currently doing a 3 week raw milk fast and making it political because in NJ it’s not available – facebook.com/events/1933410866882983/ – not exactly a protest fast, but I’m running for governor and wanted to shine light on the issue and the amazing capabilities of raw milk!
Diet sounds really nice and healthy, especially if drinking natural raw milk. Unfortunately, I can not consume any lactose,so I have to avoid all natural milk products. But still I found a diet which helped me lose weight (although it is a hard task – most of the diets include some dairy produce). I lost 12 kilos on dr Simeons diet with Anat Stern and I do recommend this diet, since it is also suitable for such people as I am.
i love grass fed raw milk I’ve been suffering gut/ possibly candida related issues for several years and after one and one half months of an extremely strict sugar, grain, yeast, dairy, caffiene etc free diet, I’ve began consuming four to five cups of raw milk a day with great pleasure as I’ve been lactose intolerant for a long while. At first i could feel a warm sensation in my gut with some rumblings but now that has subsided.
Its been very difficult to find answers related to raw milk and candida but when i ask myself if its helping i get a very solid yes.
I’m on day 53 of the diet and i still suffer occasional stomach upset and i wonder and believe that these are continued die off symptoms or side effects from the aloe or milk thistle or possibly supplement related. I also worry that i may be feeding the candida because of the sugar content in the raw milk as this is the only food I’m consuming that has so much naturally occurring sugar.
I research the internet for help as i have no health insurance and even when i did the Drs. weren’t much help anyway.
Any knowledgeable feedback most welcome(;
I just wanted to say that myself and Catherine(my wife) that have posted answers to questions on here, we are raw milk dairy farmers in Illinois. We know our cows and the situation with the Raw milk farms. We saw this article on Facebook from a friend, and that is why we have posted on here. If anyone has question on raw milk please feel free to ask. > Thanks Marc
Is aged/unpasteurized cheese ok or only raw milk?
Hi,
Can I do fast with Organic whole milk because I find it hard to get Raw milk where I live. Though I know Raw is the best.
Absolutely not! Organic milk is ultra pasteurized and is a DEAD food. It should not be used for this purpose.
Actually, organic RAW milk is exactly what you’re looking for. What you DON’T want is organic PASTEURIZED milk. Now if you can’t find organic raw milk, just try to find non-organic raw milk from pasture-raised cows, raised without antibiotics nor added hormones.
Sorry, missed the number of days in the paragraph below (3 days):
“Does anyone have recommendations as to will the Cultured Milk fast be a good fit for me? Would 3 days be of any benefit? And can I perhaps add coconut oil and may be Bone Broth or do they defy the purpose?”
Thnx everyone:-)
Sarah and team, thnx for posting all the info on the Milk Fast…
Can you guys pls advice: I can’t afford to loose weight, but I know that I need to do some kind of a cleanse. I eat a lot bcs I am really addicted to food (mostly primal kind) and let myself overindulge justifying this gluttony by weight maintenance issues. My main issues is that at times I feel sluggish and bloated. To think of it, I have not had a day without food my hole entire life! So the main goal for me is to give my overworked digestive system a rest. To think of it, I have not had a day without food my hole entire life!
I looked into the juice cleanse, but I know that even 2 days will result in weight loss.
Does anyone have recommendations as to will the Cultured Milk fast be a good fit for me? Would days be of any benefit? And can I perhaps add coconut oil and may be Bone Broth or do they defy the purpose?
Thnx everyone:-)
I would add sugar and salt to it and dose the quantity based on the clarity and frequency of your urine. If I could do it all over again that’s exactly what I would do. Not that I would, blech!