Know Your Milk: Picking The Best Milk For Your Child

While they may look the same, goat’s milk formula gains the upper hand over other dairy-based infant formulas when it comes to natural nutrition as it is a nutrient-dense food (providing more nutrition without having to drink a lot of it). A particular amino acid, Taurine, is especially rich in goat’s milk, amounting to 20 times more than that of cow’s milk.¹ 

Say goodbye to tummy troubles in toddlers

This gives goat’s milk formula a digestive edge over other dairy-based formulas. Milk allergy is often triggered by the presence of allergenic casein protein, ∝s1-casein, and goat’s milk is known to be ‘gentler on the tummy’ as it naturally contains lower levels of ∝s1-casein.

This unique property in goat’s milk is the secret to being naturally easier to digest. Since the casein micelles in goat’s milk are 40% larger than those from cow’s milk, it creates more porous curds for the digestive enzymes to aid in more efficient digestion of goat’s milk protein.²

Boosting iron absorption in children

Iron is a key nutrient that is essential for toddlers and children to support their rapid growth and brain development. All babies have enough iron stored in their bodies to last for the first six months. Beyond that, an adequate supply of iron is required which cannot be obtained from breast milk alone, and the AAP recommends iron-fortified infant formulas for all infants who are not breastfed or who are partially breastfed up to the age of 1.³

Goat’s milk formula is the preferred choice for children as it is rich in iron bioavailability– meaning it can be absorbed and utilised by the body. A research study in the Journal of Dairy Science found that not only does goat’s milk enhances iron absorption, but it also does this better and faster than cow milk.⁴ 

Worth the price point

While the price range for goat’s milk may be higher than other dairy-based infant formula, it could be worth it to fork out a little extra money for the benefits it provides. Being a nutrient-dense food, children do not need to consume a lot of it to meet their daily nutrient requirements. Goat’s milk also contains three times more bio-actives than cow’s milk, reducing the need to add synthetic supplementation.

References:

¹Taurine a valuable component of goat milk

²Comparative Protein Composition Analysis of Goat Milk

³American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) recommendations for breastfeeding

⁴Goats’ Milk Is More Beneficial To Health Than Cows’ Milk, Study Suggests