Goat Milk vs. Cow Milk: The Milk Battle
Dairy farmers had quite a marketing plan back in the 1980’s that made them more than 13 billion dollars in recent years. With commercials touting milk mustaches and encouraging little kids to drink their milk (even if it’s chocolate, and full of refined sugar), should we question if cow’s milk is really that ‘good’ for the body? Many people don’t believe in drinking milk at all, but much of the world drinks more goat’s milk than cow’s milk, so what’s up with the American addiction to the cow? In this match of goat milk vs. cow milk, which will come out on top?
We begin life relying on our mother’s milk, and breast feeding research makes it clear that feeding babies with breast milk far exceeds anything made by Similac, so perhaps our obsession with cow’s milk comes from this strange correlation. Maybe not. The bottom line, though, is that the rest of the world drinks goat’s milk because it is simply better for the human body.
Here’s why:
Goat Milk vs. Cow Milk
- You don’t have to homogenize goat’s milk; it is naturally homogenized. Homogenization is a process done to cow’s milk to equally distribute the fat molecules so that when you purchase a jug from your grocery store it doesn’t have milk curd (milk cream) floating on the top of your milk. If you put two glasses of fresh goat’s and cow’s milk in the refrigerator overnight, the cow’s milk separates, and the goat’s milk does not. Homogenization of milk also causes fat cells to break, releasing a free radical called Xanthine Oxidase. As we know, free radicals aren’t good for you; they cause DNA mutations, among other things.
- Cow’s milk sold in stores and not purchased fresh from a dairy farm is also pasteurized in order to kill any pathogenic bacteria, but this also kills all the good bacteria that contribute to healthy gut flora and proper digestion – of everything you eat, but also the cow’s milk you drink. Enzymes and vitamins A, D, and C are also eradicated in the process of pasteurization, and this is why Vitamin D is often added back into cow’s milk. Pasteurization kills the life out of the food, so it basically becomes nutritionless.
- Goat’s milk is about 85% less allergenic than Cow’s milk, so people suffer intolerance less often. In children under three in the United States, milk is one of the most allergic foods!
- Goat’s milk is a lot easier to digest than cow’s milk and most closely matches the human body. The simplicity of digesting goat’s milk has to do with how fat is digested in the body. Basically, the fat molecules in goat’s milk are smaller, and therefore easier to stomach. Goat’s milk also contains less lactose, so there is less likelihood of developing an intolerance.
- Goat’s milk is just better for you, overall. It has a greater concentration of essential fatty acids such as linoleic and arachidonic acid than cow’s milk along with higher amounts of vitamin B-6, vitamin A, and niacin. The milk also has higher levels of bioavailable iron, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium which results in the restoration of altered haematological parameters and better levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH).
So in the fight of goat milk vs. cow milk, goat milk does indeed come out victorious. If you’re a milk-drinker, go goat.
Additional Sources:
Goat's milk in the stores is ultr-pasteurized. Cow's milk is pasteurized. How about a comparison to RAW cow's milk to RAW goat's milk. Then I might pay attention. I have yet to see this comparison and I have looked for it. RAW milk has all the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc that work together to take care of the things that people are allergic to. When you start messing with the way things occur naturally, of course you get allergies. Think about it!
Totally agree with you, Dawn!! We have been drinking raw milk from cows for years because we understand the health benefits. I also believe raw goats milk is a beautiful food. As long as neither is pasteurized NOR homogenized!
I agree also Dawn.. My family drinks raw cow milk for many years now and we love it. We cannot stand the taste of goat milk
Properly handled raw goat's milk should NOT taste bad! Keeping bucks away from the lactating does is important; good goat nutrition and quick chilling of the milk, using an ice water bath also helps keep the milk clean and sweet.
Unfortunately I cannot get raw cow’s milk, raw goat’s milk or even “fresh” pasteurized goat’s milk where I live. The only type I can get is in powdered or evaporated form. Are there any issues when drinking goat’s milk in those forms?
Just yesterday I finished off the 20 gallons of fresh squeezed goats milk that I had in the freezer. Squeezed from my own goats. I also have 2 grandsons that love my goats milk. I have challenged many people to tell the difference between my goats milk and cows milk. They can't. My girls just freshened this March so I will begin milking in June. Unfortunately it is against the law the sell raw unpasteurized goat or cow milk. Which I think is ridiculous again that the government is telling us what we can and cannot put in our bodies.
Animal milk is for Animals only. Alternatives almond milk,rice milk, soy milk… keep away from dairy products that's where your Dis-ease is created… research – read the book "the CHINA STUDY "
JIMI.
I suppose goats milk cost way more than cows milk. And I have a small budget to buy milk.
Dairy products are unhealthy. It is illogical to ingest the breast milk of other species. As far back as 1908 doctors stated cow's milk is not intended for human consumption, it is intended to raise a 200 pound calk to 2000 pounds in eighteen months. Contrary to popular opinion dairy products damage your bones due to the acidity. Alcohol also damages your bones. Natural Society should not publish inaccurate articles.
I agree the comparison should be for RAW goats milk against RAW cows milk … but here's another bit of info. The comparison should also be raw goats milk vs. raw A2 genetics cows milk (both sire and dam having A2 genetics) because then THERE IS NO COMPARISON, the milk is the same. A2 genetics comes from Guernsey cows (about 99% of Guernsey cows are A2), or Jersey Cows (only 80% of Jerseys are A2) and a couple of othher rare heritage breeds not in the U.S. All other cows in U.S. have been hybridized (even it it was hundreds of years ago, but most have been recent hybridizations) and that caused a mutation in the genetics. A2 is the original, natural gene. Pure, unhomoginized, raw Guernsey milk it almost impossible to find unless you find a farmer who can legally sell it to you as "pet milk" … and it some states that is illegal too. OR, you can buy your own A2 cow. (You guessed it, I did. And an A2 bull too. Both tested and confirmed pure A2. We'll be selling calves too.) A book you can read on the subject is "Devil In The Milk" and you can find more on the subject by doing a search on Amazon dot com. Post a comment if you want more info.
Okay, Humans are not animals, but when a baby breastfeeds they get human milk. What I an referring to is that they do not get veggy milks, or nut milks. Goat milk is a lot closer to human milk, and it is true, as the article stated.
The bottom line is that we really do not need any milk after the ages of 3 to 5 years. It has just been adapted into our cooking over the years.
Today, big co-ops can raise a 200 pound calf to 2000 pounds in 12 months, thanks to antibiotics. Once they learned they can make more money in less time, they never looked back. That is one main reason why over 87 percent of the antibiotics made in the US are used on our co-op farm animals. The FDA and the USDA are not any help, so it is up to you to look for better sources of food options.
Yes there are issues. These processes are what they are, processed milk. These milks are destroyed of natural vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and amino acids. I forgot what garbage they put into powdered milk to preserve it, but it’s not good. Evaporated milk is found in cans that may very well be BPA lined. Compared to white water pasteurized, homo dead milk, the two you mention are the deader of the dead’s.
As an adult, I like to drink raw organic milk. But I’m not going to get it from a lactating human. I prefer another animals. Your “dis-ease” from animal milk comes from the result of pasteurization. Get your cow milk from organic dairies and in the raw form. This fear of cow milk is based on misinformation and people getting sick from garbage products.
The China Study is not the end all for everything. It’s got a lot of holes.
Christina, there’s a big hole in your article. You’re not factoring in RAW ORGANIC cow milk. You’re assuming all cow milk is pasteurized and comes from the run of the mill retailers.