Raw Organic Goat Milk

Cow milk and goat milk differ in several significant ways. The most obvious difference is the cream line. Raw goat milk has virtually none as it is naturally homogenized. This means the fat molecules are smaller and suspend within the liquid portion of the milk evenly and much more readily than those of cow milk. Cow milk has a distinctive cream line on top when in a raw state and particularly if it is grass fed. This requires, that you have to shake the container to mix the cream with the liquid portion of the milk before pouring a glass. This is not required with raw goat milk. This smaller size of the fat molecules in goat milk seem to make it easier to digest for some people, but not all. Others find cow milk easier to digest and still others detect no digestive differences whatsoever.  In addition to differences in the fat structure, goat milk also differs from cow milk in the protein structure. While the protein structure of cow and goat milk is fairly similar, goat milk is missing an alpha casein present in cow’s milk. This makes it an A2 milk regardless of breed – for those of you familiar with the term. Cow milk may be A1 or A2 milk depending on genetics. Early research suggests that A2 milk is easier to digest than A1 milk, hence those who seek exclusively A2 milk typically find goat milk to be a logical choice. Like fat, the protein curds in goat milk are smaller in size and softer than those formed by cow milk. Thus, when you drink a glass of goat milk and it reacts with the acid in your stomach, these smaller, softer curds that precipitate during the digestive process may be more readily tolerated.   Because it is a dairy food, goat milk is very similar in nutrition to other types of dairy milk. However, there are some significant and important differences to be aware of. First, goat milk is quite low in B12 and folate is completely absent. Goat milk is also lower in B6 than cow milk. Incidentally, B6 is destroyed by pasteurization so any sort of heat treated or pasteurized milk will be missing this nutrient. The milk must be farm fresh and preferably grass fed to contain “any” B6 whatsoever. Hence, while goat milk and particularly raw goat milk are easier to digest than cow milk for many people, critical nutrients are lower.