After the “oat milk man,” who is sensitive and mindful, a new type of man seems to be emerging on social media: risk-taking, toxic, muscular. His raw diet pays homage to the Stone Age and shows his discomfort with modernity. A food expert warns.
What would an oat milk man do if he saw a fat person? Probably dutifully and politely emphasizing how great different body shapes are. The concept of body positivity runs deep in his mind. But what would a raw milk man do if he saw a fat person? Let's listen to Coach Aaron, as Aaron Boadu calls himself on Instagram: “You are the reason why your body sucks. It's not genetics, it's not your mother, it's not your father. You're just a flawed pig.” A little later he says: “You fat losers!” to make sure that the message got through.
A few years ago, an image of men emerged in large cities that seemed to shed the old dysfunctional reflexes of the male species. Don't smoke anymore, don't drink anymore, do a lot of exercise, always be aware of your own feelings – turn them transparently to the outside world. There was no real loss of control. The lives of these men were well-tempered and avoided exuberance. In a slightly easy ride through meditation, morning runs, high-performing jobs, guacamole and bullet journaling, he never really let it sink in how tiring it all was. The weekly newspaper “Die Zeit” called him the “Oat Milk Man”.
Was that too much self-censorship? Where was the self-praise that stinks to high heaven that you invested so much more in your own health than the rest? And where is the contempt for those who don't keep up? The raw milk men are now bursting out. They don't want to continue to watch the population putting their health at risk. So they pump excessively, show off their steeled bodies, eat meat, eggs, raw honey and drink, hence the name, preferably raw milk. “Raw, raw, raw!” they shout: “Eat God’s food” (you’re already thinking about “you fat losers”). Modern man, they complain, has submitted to the sugar industry. He no longer moves, constantly stares at the PC screen and constantly stuffs finished products into himself. This has to end now, damn it. Raw milk improves the intestinal flora and the complexion of the skin. You can already see that the raw milk man is no different from the oat milk man in his body fixation. He simply no longer has any inhibitions about hiding his vanity behind kindness and modesty. The raw milk man also doesn't hide the fact that it's hard work to overcome your inner weaker self: “While you're vaping and drinking, I'll get up at 3:33 a.m. on Saturday to train.” “Finally wake up” , Coach Aaron, shirtless, shouts at his followers.
You can dismiss the Raw Milk Gang, which essentially consists of Coach Aaron, Coach Andy and Boran, as a social media phenomenon and leave it at that. But their search for the original serves a longing that has long been evident in the high-tech world and finds expression in the way we eat. Compared to pasteurized milk in the supermarket, raw milk is not heated and is passed on with its natural fat content.
The raw milk gang consists of beef steaks, several eggs and drinks raw milk from the farmer next door. “This drink massively improves your intestinal flora and therefore your skin,” says Boran Erdemir in a video as he dips kefir grains into the raw milk. His skin actually glows.
The truth is also: The hype about raw milk is not exclusively male – and it has gained more and more momentum in alternative medicine in recent years. The American actress and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow says she pours raw milk into her coffee every morning. Influencer Ashley English is also a fan. And Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominated by Donald Trump as the new US Secretary of Health, a man who believes that Bill Gates wants to implant microchips through vaccinations, wants to make the US healthy again with raw milk.
“Consumers want to move more towards natural foods and are alienating themselves from the foods that we can buy in supermarkets at any time today,” says Daniel Wefers, Professor of Food Technology at the University of Halle. He cannot hide the fact that he finds this trend irrational. “The glorification of unprocessed foods contains the assumption that nature only has good things in store for us.” But some of the world's most powerful poisons were not created by humans, but by nature. They don't always want only good things for us.” Consuming raw milk in particular has risks: “Raw milk can contain dangerous bacteria. There are always proven cases in which people become seriously infected – with listeriosis, for example. The death rate for this disease is around seven percent.”
Webers cannot confirm the widespread assumptions that raw milk reduces allergies; the risks outweigh the risks: “My colleague Prof. Thomas Henle once provided what I believe to be a fitting example: It makes no sense to give children raw milk so that they have less. “Get allergies. Because it doesn’t make sense to send your children onto a busy street so that they can improve their ability to react.”
Break, regeneration. Coach Andy has just completed a strenuous workout and has now filled his empty glycogen stores with dried mangoes, dates, raw honey and eggs. The prefix “Roh” has become a running joke in his community. One user commented “raw back” on his muscle-releasing lats, and “rohopa” another commented when the raw milk gang did a workout with an older gentleman. Her search for the natural has spanned all areas of life. They no longer want to buy unnecessary clothes; training should take place outdoors in the fresh air with their own body weight: “Lead the way and be a role model,” is Coach Andy’s credo. Then he lets his chest muscles twitch.
