Benefits of Goat Milk?

Do you think "ewww", when someone mentions goat milk to you? Not all goat milk tastes bad! Goat milk from healthy goats raised on pasture and milked using a "closed" system tastes wonderful, with no "goaty" flavor. Knowledgeable goat milk farmers know how to raise their goats and handle the goat milk to produce milk with a rich, delicious flavor. Did you know that goat milk has many health benefits? This is especially true of fresh, raw goat milk direct from the farm. Many people that don't tolerate cow's milk do very well on goat's milk. While those of us who grew up in America think cow's milk is the only "normal" milk to drink, 72% of the milk used in the world is from goats. Health food stores are now starting to carry brands of goat's milk that taste good but the healthiest goat milk comes straight from the farm to the consumer.

Goat's milk easier to digest than cow's milk

• Contains 2% curd vs. 10% for cow's milk (curd precipitates in the stomach)
• Has a softer, more easily digested type of casein
• Has smaller fat globules, which are more easily digested and more easily tolerated by a compromised/damaged liver (which most civilized people have due to poor diet and toxins in the environment)
• Has a higher proportion of short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids compared with cow's milk, making the fat easier to digest

Health benefits of goat's milk

• Does not form mucous and therefore better tolerated by those with asthma and allergies
• Contains A2 Beta-Casein, not A1 Beta-Casein as found in most cow's milk. The A1 Beta-Casein has recently been implicated as a trigger for Type 1 diabetes and other health issues
• Naturally homogenized (fat mixed up with the milk). Mechanical homogenization, as is done with cow's milk, allows the enzyme xanthine oxidase to become free, penetrate the intestinal wall and enter the bloodstream. This enzyme can scar the heart and arteries, stimulating the body to release cholesterol in an attempt to repair the damage, leading to arteriosclerosis.
• Produces an alkaline reaction in the body, like human milk, while cow's milk produces an acid reaction, promoting the growth of bacteria, fungi and viruses
• Contains more medium chain fatty acids (such as capric and caprylic) that help inhibit Candida infections, as well as enhancing the immune system and providing energy
• Contains more calcium, B-6, Vitamin A, potassium, niacin, copper and selenium than cow's milk
• Calcium and iron more easily absorbed than from cow's milk

Benefits of pasture-raised goats

Milk from pasture-raised cows or goats is far healthier than milk from confinement dairies (where almost all commercial cow's milk comes from). Animals raised on pasture have far less disease than animals kept in confinement dairies (as most commercial milk is produced). Eating the proper diet (pasture vs. grains) also leads to healthier, more disease-free animals and a more nutritious milk.

• Fat in milk from pasture-raised animals contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which has strong anticancer properties
• Vitamins A and D are high in the fat of milk from pasture-raised animals (an important reason to drink whole milk, not skim)
• "Activator X" is found in milk from animals grazing on rapidly growing grass

Activator X, discovered by Weston A. Price, is now thought to be Vitamin K₂. This vitamin provides many health benefits including:

• Acts synergistically with Vitamins A and D
• Contributes to infant and child growth
• Plays an essential role in mineral utilization
• Prevents dental caries (cavities in teeth)
• Protects blood vessels from calcification, inflammation and plaque
• Increases learning capacity
• Reduces fatigue

Raw milk is healthiest form

Raw milk from clean dairies (particularly pasture-raised animals) is actually healthier than pasteurized milk.  Farmers who raise their animals on pasture and then milk them using a closed system to prevent contamination, produce milk that is safe and healthy to drink for most people. The Mayo Clinic used to implement a "milk cure" consisting of feeding large quantities of whole raw milk to restore the health of sick people. They abandoned this after antibiotics became available but with more and more bacteria become resistant to antibiotics these days, as well as negative side effects from antibiotics, some holistic practitioners are now recommending raw milk, and especially raw goat milk, to restore the health of their patients.

Benefits of raw goat's milk

• Probiotics help populate gut with good bacteria and prevent bad bacteria from growing in milk
• Bifidus factor found in the milk promotes growth of lactobacillus bifidus, the "good" bacteria
• Enzymes not destroyed by heat pasteurization--help with digestion of milk and improve overall health
• Often tolerated by "lactose-intolerant" people because the naturally-occurring lactase enzyme digests the lactose
• Bioactive components promote activity of immune system cells and retard growth of harmful organisms
• Proteins not denatured by heat--easier to digest and healthier for the body

Finding a goat milk source

We get our delicious raw goat milk from Coyote Creek Ranch in Longmont, Colorado. To find a source of raw goat milk near you,
see: www.RealMilk.com

References

Nature's Prescription Milk by Gloria Gilbere, N.D., D.A. Hom., Ph.D., ISBN 1893910237

Goat Milk Magic by Bernard Jensen, ISBN 0932615325

The Untold Story of Milk by Ron Schmid, ND, ISBN 0-9670897-4-3

Wise Traditions, Volume 8, Number 1, Spring 2007, A Publication of the Weston A. Price Foundation