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Goat Milk as a Healthy Alternative
For Children and Adults
with Lactose Intollerance
When I was a kid growing
up, I was an avid milk drinker! I didn't care if it was whole
milk, 2%, from a cow or goat. For my brother Vance, it was a
different story.
Like so many children,
Vance was born with a severe allergy to milk which prevented
him from digesting breast milk, cow milk, and infant formula
derived from cow milk and soy. What do you feed a baby that
can't digest milk?
Vance was born at 11 months
gestation. He was supposed to be due in December, but was not
born until February 1st, 1967. Due to physician negligence,
my mother had been medicated to prevent her from going into
labor. When the 11th month came along, complications developed
and my brother was delivered via c-section in an emergency surgery.
Fearful that he might be
brain damaged, Vance was kept in the hospital for observation.
My mother's original plan was to breast feed him, but every
time Vance was nursed he would promptly throw it back up. At
first the nursing staff felt that perhaps he was choking on
the milk because it was coming out too fast. He was then after
fed with a bottle.
When Vance was born, he
was already supposed to be 2 months old. He was able to roll
over and lift himself up to the amusement of the hospital staff.
He needed to be fed often to maintain his strength, but became
very ill from the constant throwing up following his bottles.
Desperate to find something
that he could hold down, my mother opted to try feeding Vance
goat milk. He was able to digest and hold down the goat milk,
and from that point forward, he was raised on it. The first
goat milk he drank came from a natural health food store in
California. We then moved to our first farm where we had our
own milking goat. My mother insists that " the goat milk
is what saved Vance's life."
While researching this
article, I found that there are conflicting reports regarding
the use of goat milk with babies and children. The information
I found on some health food websites contained incorrect data
which would probably detract someone from trying it if they
didn't research beyond those websites. This is why it is so
important for people who raise dairy goats to become advocates
of the benefits of goat milk and promote its use.
A commonly used term relating
to the inability to digest milk is lactose intollerance. Lactose
intollerance is a condition where there the individual is not
able to digest lactose which is a type of sugar compound within
the milk. Some people are born with this intollerance, while
others may develop the lactose sensitivity later in life.
All milk contains lactose,
but goat milk has a smaller percentage than other milks. This
provides a healthy alternative for lactose intollerant people.
They are able to digest the milk without the side effects found
from drinking cow milk.
Some people may not have
lactose intollerance at all. Instead they may have a sensitivity
or allergy to the protein alpha S1 casein. Alpha S1 casein is
a protein found in cow milk but it isn't the same as in goat
milk.
When comparing cow and
goat milk, you will find that there are similar properties to
both milks. Flavor and consistency are two similarities easily
noted. After analysis of the goat milk, it was found to have
less lactose than cow milk, higher percentages of natural Vitamin
A, and B., higher percentages of minerals and essential fat
content. Goat milk is also higher in magnesium, phosphorus,
potassium and calcium.
Goat milk is fresh and
does not contain a growth hormone which is known to be used
in cow milk.
The main reason for goat
milk to be the milk of choice is digestibility. Goat milk is
easier to digest because of smaller fat and protein molecules
as well as the size of the milks casein curd. In goat milk,
the fat globule is 1 1 /2 microns and in cow milk the fat globule
is 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 microns in size. Because the goat milk curd
is smaller, the milk passes through the stomach and onto the
colon without leaving a residue which will ferment. The smaller
the casein curd is, the easier it is for humans to process through
digestion.
In 2003, a New Zealand
scientist named Dr. Colin Prosser discovered that goat milk
has a different casein protein than that of cow milk. The profile
for the goat milk closely resembled that of human milk. His
research found that there was a better digestion rate in goat
milk of a specific protein known as "beta-lactoglobulin"
which is one of the causes of milk allergies. Dr. Prosser's
findings support the theory that goat milk is better digested
than cow milk.
Goat Milk does not contain
agglutinin. This prevents the fat molecules in the milk from
clustering, which in turn helps digestion and absorption.
The higher percentage of
calcium contained in goat milk is an excellent source of dietary
calcium which is essential in the prevention of osteoperosis,
high blood pressure, and other bone ailments. Goat milk is also
good source of calcium for menopausal women.
Goat milk is a nutritious
option for people regardless of their age, or lifestyle.
There are more people in the world that drink the milk from
a goat than any other mammal. Goats were one of the first animals
domesticated by man, and therefore their contribution both nutritionally
and economically has been invaluable.
Comparison of Cow and Goat
Milk
Chart: http://www.adga.com/compare.htm
References:
American Dairy Goat Association
Website
http://www.adga.org
Goat Milk Versus Cow Milk
USDA Goat Handbook
GFW Haenlien
AgResearch Press Release
09/10/03
Goat Management
Why Goat Milk
G.F.W. Haenlien
Website References:
American Dairy Goat Association
American Goat Society
http://www.AmericanGoatSociety.com
Fiasco Farm
http://fiascofarm.com/dairy/rawmilk.htm
This website is an excellent
source for goat
husbandry.
Real Milk
http://www.realmilk.com
To learn more about the
state regulations for
buying and selling raw milk in your state, this
website is the place to start.
© Danielle Westvang
Published in the Dairy Goat Journal
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