Goat’s Milk: The Udder Choice

In many parts of the world, goats’ milk is preferred to cows’ milk. Because a goat eats less and requires less grazing space, the backyard goat can provide all the milk for family needs.

Goats’ milk is smooth and slightly sweet tasting with a pure white colour. Some people say it has a slightly nutty flavour. If it is well produced, it is not strong or rich in either taste or smell.

Many people consider goats’ milk to be better for us than cows’ milk. It is believed to be more easily digested and less allergenic.

A study by Ataie and Richter (2000) found that the fat globules in goats’ milk were, on average, 27% smaller than those found in cows’ milk, allowing the gastric acid in the stomach to break down and digest the fat more quickly. The smaller fat globules mean that goats’ milk does not need to be homogenised before commercial sale.

The curd in goats’ milk is soft and can be digested in approximately 20 minutes, while the relatively tough curd in cows’ milk takes about six times longer to digest.

Goats’ milk also has higher levels of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), a fatty acid which has the ability to inhibit and dissolve cholesterol deposits. MCTs have slightly lower calorie content and they are more rapidly absorbed and burned as energy – resembling carbohydrate more than fat. As they are more rapidly absorbed they are easier to digest.

Goats’ milk contains many vitamins and minerals, including calcium, phosphorus, iodine, niacin, iron and copper. Not only does goats’ milk contain more minerals than cows’ milk, but its enhanced micronutrient absorption means that we absorb a larger proportion of them compared to cows’ milk.

Scientific studies have not found a decreased incidence of allergy with goats’ milk, but anecdotal evidence is significantly at odds with this finding. Many mothers have observed that their child tolerates goats’ milk better than cows’ milk, and everyone knows Mother knows best.

Breast milk, of course, is the ideal food for any infant. Bottle-fed babies who prove allergic to a cows’ milk formula will be offered a soy-based formula or a hypoallergenic formula. Babies who cannot tolerate these may try a formula based on goats’ milk.

Because goats’ milk contains less than 10% of the folic acid contained in cows’ milk, it must be supplemented with folic acid in order to be adequate as a formula or milk substitute for infants and toddlers.

A baby on goats’ milk formula should also receive a multi-vitamin with iron supplement prescribed by a doctor. When purchasing a formula, check that it is certified free of antibiotics and bovine growth hormone (BGH).

In infants over one year of age, goats’ milk can be readily used instead of cows’ milk. A certified organic product is always the option of choice.

Goats’ milk is also soothing to sensitive skin and makes a gentle and sensuous base in soaps and skin-care products.

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