Ever wonder why you should drink goat milk? You probably haven’t unless as a child you were given goat milk as an alternative to cow milk.
The questions I hear most often is “What does goat milk taste like?” Being raised on raw cow milk (my parents had a dairy and we milked about 30-35 cows, twice a day) I can honestly say I don’t taste much difference. The main thing is to know what your goats are eating, because when they eat, let’s say onions. Well guess what? Their milk smells like onions. I will admit I did not try to drink the milk, so I can’t say how it tasted, but I know my Great Pyrenees guard dogs were very happy and didn’t care how it smelled, they just enjoyed the treat.
So what are some of the differences in goat milk vs cow milk?
- The size of the fat globules are different in cow and goat milk. In goat milk there are smaller fat globules than in cow milk. This means goat milk is naturally “homogenized”, and for some people this means the milk is more easily digested
- Goat milk contains less lactose than cow milk. Lactose is milk sugar that gives it its sweetness. That is why goat milk is a great option for people that have trouble processing lactose since it does contains, less lactose than cow milk, our stomach can digest the goat milk entirely.
- Children tend to be more sensitive to the amount of lactose in cow milk. According to some studies, goat milk may be a hypoallergenic alternative. I have had more than one mother call to see if we had goat milk. Because it was suggested they try it for their child. In most cases they have become regular customers.
According to one study: 38 children were studied during a 5 month period, some given goat milk and other cow milk The children on goat milk surpassed those on cow milk in weight gain, height, skeletal mineralization, and blood serum contents of Vitamin A, calcium, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and hemoglobin. Similar findings were obtained in studies with rats. A French clinical studied over 20 years with cow milk allergy patients, the conclusion was that substitution with goat milk was followed by “undeniable” improvements.
Additional research suggests goat milk may benefit inflammation. Another reason why, it’s easier for people with bowel inflammation to drink goat milk over cow milk is that goat milk is slightly alkaline, unlike cow milk, which is slightly acidic and fat molecules in goat milk are much smaller than the fat molecules in cow milk.
Did You Know?
- Another health benefit of goat milk is its closer to a human mother’s milk. It has a chemical make-up that is closer to human milk making it easier for our stomachs to digest
- According to several sources, goat milk takes (at the most) 30 minutes to digest, compared to 2 hours or more for cow’s milk.
- Goat milk is an alkaline-forming food. This helps keep the pH level of your body at the proper level. It also acts as an antacid for an occasional bout of heartburn, acid reflux, or other related digestive issues.
- Goat milk is naturally homogenized so there is no need to homogenize.. Homogenization is a process done to cow milk to equally distribute the fat molecules so that when you purchase a jug from your grocery store it doesn’t have cream floating on the top of your milk like raw milk does. If you put a glass each of fresh goat and cow milk in the refrigerator overnight, the cow milk separates, and the goat milk separates very little. Also when milk is homogenized it causes fat cells to break, releasing a free radical called Xanthine Oxidase. As we know, free radicals aren’t good for you; they cause DNA mutations, among other things.
- When milk is pasteurized in order to kill any pathogenic bacterial but this also kill all the good bacteria contribute to healthy gut flora and proper digestion. Enzymes and vitamins A, D, and C are also eradicated in the process of pasteurization, and this is why Vitamin D is often added back into cow’s milk. Pasteurization kills the life out of the food, so it basically becomes nutritionless.
When shopping for goat milk, cheese or dairy products in general, read the ingredients. There is no need for any additives, like starches, sugars or preservatives. It’s important to know what we are giving our families, and make informed decisions about our health and overall well being.
Goat milk is a great option – Starting in April 2016 we will have fresh goat milk for sale, from the farm. Let me know if you have any questions. If you are a milk drinker, why not drink a milk that is good for you?
Until next time.
Myra, the Crazy Goat Lady of GraysLland Acres
Reference
http://naturalsociety.com/goat-milk-vs-cow-milk-battle-nutrition/#ixzz3nqTRA9IC
