According to the Weston A. Price Foundation, pregnant and nursing women should consume at least 1 quart of milk each day. As it’s recommended that adults consume around 1,000 mg of calcium a day (though that amount varies depending on who you ask), and one cup of milk contains about 300 mg of calcium, one quart of cow’s milk per day should easily fulfill your daily needs of calcium, whether you’re pregnant, nursing, or a non-child-bearing adult. 

Though it is relatively easy for me to meet those needs, here are some ideas for getting adequate raw dairy “requirements” met each day for calcium benefits, as well as the benefits of CLA, vitamin A, choline, probiotics, protein, and healthy fats:

• Make chocolate milk! My family loves chocolate milk. It is easily made by adding one quart of milk into a blender or a jar with an immersion blender (add only half to blend and mix in the rest of the milk afterward), adding 2.5 tablespoons of maple syrup, and 2.5 tablespoons of cocoa powder. Alternatively, you can add 2.5 tablespoons of carob powder and no sweetener. We can’t get enough of it!
• Make kefir or yogurt. Enjoy these fermented dairy products plain or in a smoothie, pancakes, oatmeal, et cetera. 
• Make ice cream. I’m sure these hot days would be even better with a bowl of cold, homemade ice cream!
• Eat cheese…so delicious! Have it as grilled cheese on sourdough (bonus points for added fresh basil, pesto, or tomato), plain, in soups or baked goods, or on sourdough pizza (one of our staple meals). One of my favorite bloggers just put out a recipe called “Sourdough Cheddar Waffles,” which is probably phenomenal, much like all of her other inventions: https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/sourdough-cheddar-waffles.
• As a meal replacement. Many days, I am too busy to sit down and prepare a meal for myself, so I’d rather just have a large glass of fresh raw milk and that fills me up (usually I try to make that 1 quart of milk). Sometimes, I blend in a couple of tablespoons of collagen, carob or cocoa, honey or maple syrup, blackstrap molasses, or even MCT oil. If I’m hungry and in a rush, I add Garden Of Life’s Meal Replacement Powder or Protein Powder and that does the trick. Gotta go with the flow!
• As an electrolyte drink. According to the Brewer’s Diet which I try to follow during my current pregnancy, “real juice or milk might make better use of limited stomach space” vs just water. So, along with my water (which I often add additional electrolytes to), I try to hydrate with milk. 

For some, it might not be necessary to list out all the ways one can consume raw dairy, but I hope you’ve found it helpful to have a list of things to try out. 

Are you drinking enough raw milk? Is there a favorite way you’ve found to get your daily needs met? Let me know in the comments!