More and more mums are choosing Goat’s Milk these days. The team behind P&B finds out why.
Can goat’s milk overthrow the reigning champ that is cow’s milk? While it’s not as widely drunk as milk, goat’s milk has a surprising number of benefits to it – especially for your child!
Mummies and daddies out there, here’s a thought for you: what if there’s a more nutritious alternative to cow’s milk for your child?
Baby is nearing that age where you can slowly wean them off breastmilk, and there’s always a debate over which milk source is best – cow’s, or goat’s milk formula.
Today, we’re throwing our hat in the ring for the unassuming and humble contender – goat’s milk! Here’re 3 reasons why:
Easy On The Tummy
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Lesser Work on the Digestive System and decreased Food Allergies
Both goat’s and cow’s milk contain a microprotein called Alpha S1 Casein, which determines how easily the milk is digested and the chance of food allergens affecting baby.
Goat’s milk, however, contains up to 50% less Alpha S1 Casein (as1-CS) than cow’s milk – 
This means goat’s milk is more easily broken down and digested by the most sensitive tummies, and has a much lower chance of triggering an allergic reaction in baby as well!
What happens to milk when it’s in our tummies is that curds (protein clumps) are formed when the milk interacts with our stomach acid, so less as1-CS means smaller curds and less work for our digestive system.
The same can be said for the size of fat molecules in goat’s milk. Goat’s milk contains slightly more fat than cow’s, but the size of their molecules are a lot smaller and easier to digest than cow’s milk.
Here’s an example for microprotein and fat molecules, imagine you’re cooking potatoes in boiling water, and one is completely whole, while the other is cut into small cubes; the one that’s cut into small cubes will definitely cook faster because there’s more surface area to go around!
If baby is lactose intolerant, drinking goat’s milk is a better choice as it has slightly less lactose than cow’s milk. Lactose is milk sugar, and our body breaks it down through enzymes – and once again the less lactose makes it easier for our tummies to break them down.
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Packs A Nutritional Punch!
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If you’re looking for a dairy source that’s packed with nutrition and is easy on the tummy, goat’s milk is your top choice. It’s a lot less likely to cause respiratory and digestive problems in baby, and it’s all natural!
Here’s a nutritional comparison between an all-natural cup of goat’s and cow’s milk:
|
Goat’s Milk |
Nutrients |
Cow’s Milk |
|
33% |
Calcium |
28% |
|
9% |
Magnesium |
6% |
|
14% |
Potassium |
9% |
|
4.9% |
Selenium |
13% |
|
20% |
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) |
24% |
|
2.8% |
Vitamin B-12 |
18% |
|
5% |
Vitamin C |
0% |
|
10% |
Vitamin A |
8% |
|
9g |
Protein |
8g |
|
11g |
Sugar |
12g |
|
10g |
Fat |
8g |
Goat’s milk has another added benefit to it in the sense that it’s a lot less processed, which means that there’s usually less starch, preservatives, and sugar added to it!
Goat’s milk also contains more natural nucleotides, major components in ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), than cow’s milk. Due to that, cow milk formula is supplemented with synthetic nucleotides, whereas goat’s milk formula is similar to human milk in the amount of nucleotides and doesn’t require additional supplementation!
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Excellent Weaning Choice After The Breastfeeding Journey
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If mummies aren’t able to breastfeed for any reason (health, personal choice, etc.) or are looking to wean baby off breastmilk, you could always turn to goat’s milk formula as it contains most of the essential nutrients that baby needs in order to grow and develop.
Again, goat’s milk has proteins and fats that are easily digestible by baby’s still sensitive and growing digestive system, and its milk is produced in a manner that’s similar to how human milk is produced!
Finding Goat’s Milk In Singapore
Even though it’s not as popular as cow’s milk, you can find goat’s milk in quite a few of our supermarkets – FairPrice, Cold Storage, Giant, and a lot more!
Many more parents around the world are giving goat’s milk a try as it’s filled with the right kind of nutrients and is much easier on the tummy! But of course, do check with your paediatrician before you start your child out on goat’s milk!
References
Analysis of casein alpha S1 & S2 proteins from different mammalian species, Tariq Ahmad Masoodi and Gowhar Shafi, 2010
Comparison of growth and nutritional status in infants receiving goat milk–based formula and cow milk–based formula: a randomized, double-blind study, Meihong Xu et al., 2015
Comparison of Surti goat milk with cow and buffalo milk for gross composition, nitrogen distribution, and selected minerals content, Dhartiben B. Kapadiya et at., 2016
Composition of the non-protein nitrogen fraction of goat whole milk powder and goat milk-based infant and follow-on formulae, Prosser CG et al., 2008
Goat's milk in nutrition, Pellerin P, 2001
Mineral and vitamin content of goat's milk, Sawaya WN et al., 1984
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