In a previous post I explained why we chose to raise diary goats. What you may not know is that there are several health benefits of goat milk. We do not heat treat our milk so I will be sharing about raw milk. Raw milk is not for everyone, but we take every precaution to avoid the risks and enjoy the benefits. It doesn't matter how you consume milk, proper handling is key. We milk only into stainless steel pails without seams. All milk is stored in glass jars and chilled immediately after milking. Stainless steel pails and glass storage jars enable us to properly clean surfaces and avoid plastic which can "hold" milk. Our equipment is heat sterilized with boiling water and all of our does are wiped down with disposable wipes before milking. We also use "strip cups". Stripping is a method of inspecting milk before it enters the pail. Our does are handled daily and their health is a top concern. Once the pail is brought
indoors, the milk is filtered using disposable materials specifically made for milk. Anything we produce on our farm is also produced for our family. Any income our farm produces helps cover the feed bill and not much else. We aren't in this for the money. We feel these methods of milk handling help to reduce and even eliminate possible contamination.
Did you know that goat milk and cow milk even look different? Cow milk contains much larger fat molecules and raw milk will have a very distinctive cream line. The fat molecules in goat milk are much smaller making it naturally homogenized. A cream separator is required to get cream from goat milk. These smaller fat molecules make goat milk easier to digest. Goat milk also contains less curds. Approximately 10% of cow milk is curd, only 2% of goat milk contains curds. Curds from goat milk are also much smaller and softer which aids in digestion.
Goat and Cow milk also have different protein amounts and types. Goat milk has a little more protein. One of the types of protein in most cow milk is A1 casein, many people have a sensitivity or allergy to A1 casein. A1 casein is inflammatory and can irritate the lining of the digestive system leading to leaky gut and autoimmune diseases. Goat milk contains A2 casein. This type of casein tends to be easier on the digestive system. Goat milk is the closest animal milk to human milk, as human milk contains only A2 casein.
Not convinced to give goat milk a try yet? Goat milk has also been shown to cause less allergy symptoms. It helps increase "good" cholesterol levels, contains more minerals and vitamins, and the lactic acid in goat milk is great for clearer and brighter skin.
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