Two Acres On A Dream

Do the Benefits of Goat Milk Really Matter?

You may be wondering this question, particularly if you’re “perfectly healthy”. Healthy today doesn’t mean that you’re actually the picture of health. It just usually means you don’t have any chronic health problems. Most of the time chronic health issues pop up in a way that seems unexpected. What if you were stacking the deck against yourself with your lifestyle choices though? That is why you should pay attention to the health benefits of goat milk.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Healthy today doesn’t mean that you’re actually the picture of health. It just usually means you don’t have any chronic health problems. @ruthiebowles5 #healthyliving” quote=”Healthy today doesn’t mean that you’re actually the picture of health. It just usually means you don’t have any chronic health problems. #healthyliving”]

We’ve been wondering if my youngest son is sensitive to cow milk. We’ve gone a few days without giving him any cow milk, and I guess we’ll have to give him some soon to see if we get the same sort of gross reaction we’ve noticed in the past. I’m really looking forward to the day where I can give each of the kids a cup of goat milk from OUR goats. Of course, it isn’t legal to sell raw milk in Maryland, so I have to take matters into my own hands! End of the summer/early fall looks like…… ahhhhh, anyway, like I was saying… goat milk benefits! Read on!

1. Most Lactose Intolerant People Can Drink Goat Milk

“Most people who are intolerant of cow milk are actually sensitive to one of the proteins found in it, A1 casein, and lack the ability to digest A1. Additionally, cow milk is the number one allergy among children and can persist throughout adulthood. That’s because it contains more than 20 different allergens (including A1 casein) that can cause allergic reactions.” via Goat Milk Benefits Are Superior to Cow Milk – Dr. Axe

This makes sense when you consider that cow milk is for calves, which have very different requirements than humans. However, baby goats (from standard sized goats) come out about 7-9 pounds each. Goat milk is the most like human milk.

2. It’s Super Easy to Digest

Because goat milk is very similar to human milk, it’s very easy to digest. Goat milk has smaller fat globules than cow milk. Paired with the similar chemical composition, and you’ve got a tasty nutritious drink that is easy on the stomach!

Lactose intolerant people often find they can drink goat milk, because of bullets one and two. So if you’re lactose intolerant, give goat milk a try!

3. Goat Milk Causes Less Inflammation

So I mentioned A1 casein protein in bullet number one, I know. But it’s the worst, so it gets a mention down here in bullet three too. Why? Because A1 casein protein can cause inflammation, and researchers believe inflammation is the cause of most chronic diseases. Diseases like Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis are autoimmune diseases related to a malfunctioning immune system mechanism that inflames the intestinal tract.

A1 casein may also exacerbate problems like acne and eczema.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Because A1 casein protein can cause inflammation, and researchers believe inflammation is the cause of most chronic diseases. @ruthiebowles5 #goatmilk” quote=”Because A1 casein protein can cause inflammation, and researchers believe inflammation is the cause of most chronic diseases. #goatmilk”]

Studies in various countries show that infant cow milk allergy can range from 8 to 20 percent. However, in at least 40% of cases, the infants were able to drink goat milk without issues!

4. It’s Higher in Calcium and Fatty Acids

You read that right. Goat milk is HIGHER in calcium! One of the main reasons people encourage others to drink milk. We’re talking 33% compared with 28% for cow milk, so, not a huge difference, but still. You’ll find higher levels of medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) in goat milk as well.

MCFA’s sound familiar because that is the type of fat found in coconut oil. What’s so great about them? Well, they:

• aren’t usually stored as body fat
• help lower cholesterol
• help with intestinal disorders and coronary diseases

Goat milk has much higher levels of MCFA’s than compared to cow milk (30% compared to 20%).

5. Goat Milk Has a Higher Bioavailability than Cow Milk

A question I always wonder when I buy multivitamins: How much do we actually absorb from those pills? I’m talking about bioavailability. There are various forms of the minerals our bodies need, and our bodies don’t absorb those different mineral types equally.

A preliminary report²⁶ of a nutritional study with 38 children drinking daily either 1 liter goat milk or 1 liter cow milk showed that 22 percent of the cow milk children were underweight. The goat milk children were superior in skeletal mineralization, blood serum vitamin A, calcium, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and hemoglobin levels. via Why Goat Milk Benefits Matter

Isn’t that crazy? The same amount of milk, yet the children who drank the goat milk showed better health than the children who drank the cow milk! Iron and magnesium deficiencies are very common, and more people look to goat milk to help solve that issue.

I hope you enjoy this neat infographic I made listing the top five benefits of choosing cow milk over goat milk. I can’t wait to make the switch to goat milk myself! Goat milk from my own backyard that is!

Do you drink goat milk because you’re lactose intolerant? Or have you noticed any health benefits since switching to goat milk? Pasteurized or raw? Let me know in the comments!