Goat Milk...Don't Knock It!

Even in pasteruized form, goat milk has seemingly miraculous properties. But raw from grass-fed goats at a good, clean farm using good clean tools of the trade? ...Perhaps on a level close to manna.

The world as a whole, prefers goat milk. Bred upon pasteurized cow milk, today's generation of Americans generally turns up the nose to the idea of milk coming from a different animal. Yet there seems to be a bit of a revolution taking place as the benefits of goat milk continue to surface.

If you've ever tasted canned goat milk, don't judge by that taste! Fresh goat milk is known to be richer and sweeter in taste with a texture that's smoother upon the tongue.

Apart from all the other benefits heralded in former posts regarding raw milk from pasture-fed cows, there are many additional benefits to raw milk coming from pasture-grazed goats. There are a couple of draw-backs as well, but these can be easily rectified.

Ask any mom who's 'been there' and discover that there is a real difference between the two milks in the area of better digestibility. I have watched in my own family, how an infant that could tolerate no other form of milk, not even the synthetic forms of 'milk' that cost a fortune and contain very little nourishment, suddenly thrived after making the change to goat milk.

Because my husband and I had bred retrievers for a time and through that, had learned that goat milk is considered by many to be the 'universal mother's milk substitute', we suggested it be tried for this child. We researched regarding safety, etc, and learned that there was a need for supplementation with iron, folic acid and vitamin B12, all vital nutrients for growing infants and children which goat milk does not contain. Supplement drops were therefore placed directly into each bottle. (Nourishing Traditions tells how to supplement on a more natural level, but we didn't know about that then.)

A Goat Milk Miracle?

Some of the beneficial results were manifested immediately as our precious grandchild began to actually retain every ounce of her milk, gain weight and thrive. Today, she is active, smart, healthy and beautiful. A testament to prayer, love and the God-given gift of goat milk.

A huge part of the reason goat milk is more easily digested is the size of its fat molecules...so small that goat milk self-homogenizes and all its wonderful, nourishing whole fat doesn't require any additional effort by the digestive system to make its way into the bloodstream. Here, the fat acts as a catalyst to the assimilation of all the milk's vitamins and minerals.

Several other factors are at least partially responsible for the better digestibility of goat milk: Goat milk doesn't contain a particular casein protein that is found in cow milk. Goat milk also contains sugar molecules, ('oligosaccharides') that have anti-inflammatory properties, making it better for problems associated with an aggravated intestine. And where lactose is a problem for some, it is good news to know that there is also less of this to be found in goat milk. One other contributor to easier digestion is that the protein in goat milk forms a softer curd which allows the body to digest it more quickly and with less strain. Whatever the reasons, goat milk is so much more easily digested that the whole process of digestion takes only about twenty minutes, while digestion of cow milk takes between two and three hours! Honestly, all these factors together make me think of goat milk as the more sensible route towards peaceful digestion.

Goat milk contains bone-building calcium, calming tryptophan, protein, minerals, enzymes and electrolytes, fatty acids, vitamins and trace elements. The Journal of American Medicine even makes the bold statement that goat milk is "the most complete food known." (What was that I said about manna?)

When considering that so much of the world opts for the goat rather than the cow as a source of milk, other factors come to the forefront: The smaller animal needs less space for grazing and also eats much less. This makes it ideal as a backyard commodity wherever laws allow. Many families have already utilized this creature as their family resource for milk and farmers are responding to greater requests for the product by selling the milk outright, or allowing customers to purchase 'goat shares' just as they would a cow share. (More on this in my Milk Day post.)

As reluctant urbanites, my husband and I would love to see laws change in such a way that there would again be allowance for beneficial back-yard animals. Knowing the unfortunate misdeeds done by many to their animals, I suppose there would have to be some sort of monitoring system. But especially in light of our present economy, it just seems to me a reasonable step to take and something that shouldn't be disallowed for the masses based on the stupidity of the few. Make some ground rules: protected shelters, adequate food and water, proper removal/recycling of waste products. Goats need partners, so require two. Roosters crow while hens merely cluck, so nix the roosters. (It's the hens that lay the eggs so they are the ones we want anyway.) Create a few new jobs for folks who KNOW what they're talking about and have them be lightweight monitors and facilitators. You know, if those of us yearning for such freedom help create the will for it among our city lawmakers, the way will surely follow shortly thereafter...

More details on goat milk can be found at the following links:
Ask Dr. Sears...Got Goat Milk? ,
Rose of Sharon Acres...Raw Goat Milk Benefits
The George Mateljan Foundation-The World's Healthiest Foods