Good for You
• Goat milk is a natural for anyone looking for ease of digestion, maximum nutrition and excellent health from dairy. It has more easily digestible, short and middle chain fats and protein solids than cow milk and may be enjoyed by many people with lactose sensitivities since it does not contain the alpha S1 casein protein (the #1 allergen in dairy products). The increased digestibility of protein is important for infants and children. In addition, goat milk is 13% higher in calcium with 25% more vitamin B6 and 47% more vitamin A. It is also higher in minerals than cow milk with fewer calories – plus the natural buffering qualities of goat milk make it beneficial for people with ulcers and other stomach problems.
• Goat milk is considered to be “naturally homogenized” and from a health standpoint this is deemed much better than mechanically homogenized milk.
• All goat milk products are free of any recombinant growth hormones – these types of hormones have never been developed for dairy goats. Unlike cows, a bovine animal, growth hormones do not increase goat milk production.
• Leading U.S. goat milk products from industry leaders, including Redwood Hill Farm, Cypress Grove Chevre and Laloo's, are also free of any antibiotics.
• 72% of the milk used throughout the world is from goats. Maybe they’re onto something?
Good for the Planet
• Contrary to popular belief, goats are picky eaters; they are browsers not grazers, and eat the dry brush that causes fires and they eradicate poison oak.
• Because they are light on their feet and because they are smaller, goats leave a smaller carbon “hoof print” and are the perfect addition to any biodynamic farm.
• oats actually help to aerate the soil where they browse and make it suppler for the natural habitat to grow.
Keep reading to learn more…
Goat Milk is as close to perfect food as possible in nature. Its chemical structure is amazingly similar to mother’s milk. It is a complete protein containing all the essential amino acids without the heavy fat content and catarrh (mucus) producing materials of cow milk.
Goat Milk and Digestibility
Goat milk offers superior digestibility to cow milk, due to the following factors:
1. Size of fat globules: The fat globules of goat milk are finer than those of cow milk, allowing for a greater surface to volume ratio for enzymatic attack. This enables the fat of goat milk to be broken down and digested more easily.
2. Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT): Goat milk has more MCT's than cow milk. Lipases attack the ester linkages of the shorter-chain fatty acids more readily, enabling more rapid digestion. MCT's are metabolically unique in that they can be absorbed by a simpler mechanism than other fatty acids. MCT's, which are higher in goat milk than cow milk, have a unique ability to provide energy to the human metabolism, as well as an ability to lower, inhibit and dissolve cholesterol deposits.
3. Curd strength. Goat milk casein forms a less tough and more friable curd than the casein of cow milk. This means the digestive enzymes can break it down more rapidly. Alpha-S1 casein is the main casein in cow milk and this contributes to the firmer curd; goat milk contains low levels of alpha-S1 casein.
Goat Milk and Lactose Intolerance
The lactase enzyme provides for the digestion of lactose, or milk sugar. Persons who do not possess this enzyme are lactose-intolerant. Goat milk contains less lactose than cow milk, and people can generally tolerate goat milk better than cow milk.
Goat Milk and Allergies
Whether goat milk can be tolerated better than cow milk will depend on the specific protein involved in the allergy. Most people with a cow milk protein allergy are allergic to b-lactoglobulin. This protein is also present in goat milk and does not offer these people an alternative. It is worth, however, trying goat milk as an alternative to cow milk, in consultation with your doctor.
Goat Milk and Respiratory Complaints
Drinking goat milk results in the production of less mucus than when drinking cow milk. This can provide relief to people suffering from respiratory complaints.
Flavor
Fresh goat milk has a mildly tangy flavor. This flavor is due to the presence of short-chain fatty acids: capric, caprylic and dcaproic acid. Fresh, correctly treated goat milk usually has a very neutral flavor.
Composition
The composition of goat milk does not differ greatly from that of cow milk. Both kinds contain about 13% dry solids. Milk sugar, also known as lactose, is the main constituent of goat milk. The other main ingredients of goat milk are milk fat, protein, and minerals. One hundred ml of goat or cow milk has a calorific value of about 280kJ (67 kcal). The composition of the milk depends largely on the breed of goat and the season. In the summer the milk yield is high, and the fat and protein contents are low. Conversely, in the winter the milk yield is low, and the fat and protein contents are higher.
Lactose
Lactose is the most important carbohydrate present in milk. The lactose content of goat milk is about 10% lower than that of cow milk.
Milk Protein
Milk protein is comprised of about 80% caseins and 20% whey proteins. This is applicable to both cow milk and goat milk. The caseins are present in the form of micelles: these are large aggregates of protein and calcium phosphate. The number of small micelles is much greater in goat milk than cow milk.
Milk Fat
The fatty-acid composition of goat milk exhibits substantial differences from that of cow milk. Goat milk fat contains a considerable amount of short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids. The seasonal variation in the fatty-acid composition is lower than that of cow milk. This is due to the relatively consistent diet fed to goats. Goat milk contains a far larger number of small fat globules than cow milk.
Cholesterol
Goat milk has a cholesterol content of between 10 and 15 mg/100 g milk (depending on the fat content), comparable to the levels in cow milk.
Vitamins
Goat milk contains more vitamin A and D than cow milk. The folic acid and vitamin B12 content is lower than that of cow milk.
Minerals
The composition of minerals in goat milk and cow milk are different in a few ways. The potassium, copper and manganese content of goat milk are a little higher than those in cow milk. Goat milk contains a little less zinc than cow milk.
About the authors:
The G.O.A.T. girls - (Laura Howard, Laloo’s; Jennifer Bice, Redwood Hill Farms; Mary Keehn, Cypress Grove Chevre) own and operate companies that produce best-in-category goat’s milk products. These women – all experts in their field – have joined together for the greater good of the goat to educate consumers about goat goodness. For more information about good for you goat’s milk products, please visit these web sites: Laloo’s Goat’s Milk Ice Cream (www.laloos.com) – Award winning goat’s milk ice cream, frozen yogurt, and novelties; the Wall Street Journal calls Laloo’s the “holy grail of low fat ice cream”; Cypress Grove Chevre (www.cypressgrovechevre.com) – Cypress Grove’s cheeses, including Humboldt Fog, are featured on the country’s top restaurant menus and by the most discriminating retailers; Redwood Hill Farm (www.redwoodhill.com) – Family owned and operated for over 40 years, Redwood Hill is committed to making the best-tasting and least processed goat milk, goat milk cheese, yogurt and kefir available.