Re: Raw Cow's milk vs Raw Goat's Milk ?

Hi There, came acros this post and thought I would post this reply as I have been looking into this.

RAW GOAT'S MILK!
Only in America would you have to educate the consumer on the benefits of eating natural foods and boil the life out of the milk to make it safe to drink. There are three vital life saving reasons for consuming raw dairy products.

First: goat's milk is truly nature's most perfect food source. It might get a little boring but man can live by fresh non-pasteurized goat's milk alone. Second: A renewable source of animal fats and the magic 8 essential amino acids that the body cannot produce on its own. The 1978 book, "Diet For A Small Planet"
http://www.smallplanetinstitute.org
has eggs, milk, dairy and meat as complete in all eight essential amino acids. Only in America do we prohibit the sale of fresh milk, cheese and butter, while promoting the sale of nutrient less eggs and factory farmed, corn fed beef, pork and chicken.

Third: Digestibility. We are what we assimilate. Once we hit adulthood we eat to maintain our energy and health. A healthy immune system is 70% dependent on the gastrointestinal tract. Raw Eggs 95%, Raw Goat's Milk 90%, Raw Meat 85% are ranked one, two and three according to Sally Fallon's Weston Price Foundation
http://www.westonaprice.org
in terms of nutrient availability. Goat's milk is the most digestible dairy product because of its molecular size and similar composition to Mother's milk. Any species of mammal including 'Flipper" the Dolphin can be raised on goat's milk.

Goat's Milk vs. Cow's Milk
Nutrition and Health Benefits
by Lehmanslife Subscribers


Original Posting
Are there nutritional health benefits of goat's milk products over cow's milk? If I were to purchase from a local farmer, what are the specific questions I would need to ask them? I prefer to use organic cow's milk, primarily yogurt and occasionally cheese, but use minimally for the fat content. I have found nondairy alternatives like soy milk/ frozen desserts and rice/soy cheeses to be just as good. I have noticed many chefs using goat cheese in recipes. Thanks.
- Victoria


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Goat's milk makes a smaller, softer curd than cow's milk. It's been said that it's closer to human milk, but people aren't goats. Goat milk also has lower fat than cow milk, and the cheese has a sweeter, milder flavor.
- Jane

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I'm lactose intolerant, and I find goat milk easier to digest. The high fat content in cow milk makes it digest slower and the longer it sits in your GI tract, the greater the fermentation. If you have a medical condition, and are on a special diet, ask your doctor before you start using a lot of goat milk. If you just prefer to reduce the fat for general principles, I'd say go ahead and try it.
If you want to buy direct from the farmer, ask to see the animals. A good operation will wash all the manure off the animals before they milk them. The barn should smell like a barn, not a cesspool. The animals should look perky and well-fed. Ask the farmer if he sells the milk raw to a processing plant, or if he pasteurizes it himself. Please note that it is a violation of federal law to sell raw milk for human consumption. If you want to pasteurize it yourself, you'll have to tell him you want it to make jewelry, or feed your orphaned puppy, or whatever. I'm not sure if it's legal to buy raw milk to make cheese. You'd have to ask a cheese maker.
- JM


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I have goats and use goat's milk. I have used cow's milk as well. My two boys will sleep soundly for hours, or through the entire night on goat's milk. We know; we have experimented. I am sure you will get plenty of postings on this one...but my humble advice is to go to Lehman's.com, get Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats, and of course, my old standby, Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living. These books go into great detail as to the benefits of cow/dairy. Some books/folks say goat is better, others say no difference, others say to be super clean when handling, and then others say don't fuss. Read, ask, and find your own way. I read everything I can get my hands on. I ask questions...and then make my choice. It's goat milk for us, then soy, then cow.
- Eve
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If the goats are healthy and fed a good diet and if the owner keeps them clean and washes the udders before milking them, goat's milk is delicious. If given a glass of goat's milk and a glass of cow's milk in a blind test, most people will prefer the goat's milk. The fat globules in the goat's milk are smaller and easier to digest. Most people who are lactose intolerant can handle goat's milk. If they have an allergy to the milk protein, even goats milk makes them sick. My son was allergic to the milk protein. I have found that if a recipe calls for milk, goat's milk and cow's milk are completely interchangeable.
- Karen in Idaho
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Health benefits of goat's milk over cow milk include:

Smaller fat globules (goats milk is naturally homogenized) so is easier to digest.

Higher fat content depending on the dairy goat breed (can help babies/children gain weight). However excessive fat can be allowed to rise (just doesn't do so as fast as in cow's milk) and skimmed off.

The Sugar in goat's milk is very similar to that in human milk.

Ask a goat's milk producer: Is all health care current for herd? This makes the goats healthier and better producers with healthier milk. If you want organic, you must be sure that producer can prove they meet local/state organic requirements.
For the above reasons and possibly others, people and animals who consume goat's milk tend to have healthier immune systems.
- Cindy in Indiana


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Goat's milk is much easier to digest than cow's milk. The protein is different and so is the milk sugar. My husband and boys are all lactose intolerant and don't handle cow's milk well at all. But they have no problems with goat's milk.
Cows are designed to produce milk for a calf that is supposed to end up weighing about 1 ton. Grown goats weigh the same or less than an adult human. Goat's milk will not make you end up weighing a ton!

Goat milk is good for your complexion. Cow's milk makes teenage Acne worse. I have first-hand experience with our 14-year-old son. When we took him off cow's milk, his Acne cleared up almost completely. Goat's milk doesn't seem to bother him at all. Dairy cows are usually kept pregnant, constantly, so their milk is full of hormones. It's thought that all these hormones are what make Acne worse in teens.

The best goat's milk is unpasteurized. Pasteurizing milk was necessary when we didn't have refrigeration. It isn't needed now, and pasteurizing destroys the healthy enzymes in milk and also alters the milk protein, making it unhealthy for us. (Of course, the FDA has different ideas about what's good for us, which is why selling non-pasteurized milk is illegal in most states. So, if you find unpasteurized goat's milk, DON'T advertise the source!)

Goat's milk also has a very different taste, depending on what the goats are fed. If you try one farm and don't like the taste of the milk, try a different farm.

I hope you find some nice, healthy goat's milk that you can really enjoy. We have purchased our own goats, which are now old enough to breed, which we plan to do this fall. We're looking forward to having our own goat's milk next winter. Blessings!
-Homeschool Mom in VA


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I had goats for several years - they are wonderful critters. They were very easy to care for, and in the spring, when the kids arrived, they were more entertaining than anything on TV.
If you buy milk from a farmer, ask him how he handles the milk, from the goat to the refrigerator. He should be washing the udder completely with a good warm, soapy solution (I used antibacterial soap, and if I didn't have any, I used dish soap and added a little bleach to the water). The container he milks into should be sterile - washed with hot, soapy water with a little bleach in it, rinsed with hot water and air-dried. His hands should be clean, washed with antibacterial soap. There should be a cover over the container into which he milks so no hair, etc., falls in as he's milking. As soon as he is done milking, the milk should go straight to the house where he strains it into a sterile container (preferably glass) and it should go right into a cooler that cools it quickly. If these procedures are not followed carefully, the milk can be contaminated, have a "goaty" smell and taste, and generally be unacceptable. I never had any trouble with my goats' milk, though if something upset them, like a coyote or cougar hanging around, it could affect the taste. But I was very careful with how the milk was handled, and never had any problem with it. Around here, it is illegal to sell milk unless you're certified by the health department. You can sell it as animal feed, etc. And, it really pays to ask questions - don't be bashful. It's so easy to handle the milk properly that there is no excuse for not doing so.

Goat's milk is the only milk I will drink as I battle my cancer. I have heard from many other's who tell me the same thing or have used goat's milk to help a loved one get well.

Be Well,
Cancergirl

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