The Benefits of Raw and Fermented Goats Milk and Cow’s Milk

Goat’s Milk

• 65% of the world’s population drinks goat’s milk. It contains less lactose than cow’s milk and is filled with vitamins, enzymes and protein.
• Goat’s milk is less allergenic. (It does not contain the complex proteins that stimulate allergic reactions to cow’s milk)
• It does not suppress the immune system
• It is easier to digest than cow’s milk. (An old statistic showed that goat’s milk will digest in a baby’s stomach in twenty minutes, whereas pasteurized cow’s milk takes eight hours. The difference is in the structure of the milk.)
• It has more buffering capacity than over-the-counter antacids. (The USDA and Prairie View A&M University in Texas have confirmed that goat’s milk has more acid-buffering capacity than cow’s milk, soy infant formula, and nonprescription antacid drugs)
• It alkalinizes that digestive system. It actually contains an alkaline ash, and it does not produce acid in the intestinal system. Goat’s milk helps to increase the pH of the blood stream because it is the dairy product highest in the amino acid L-glutamine. L-glutamine is an alkalinizing amino acid, often recommended by nutritionists.
• It contains twice the healthful medium chain fatty acids, such as capric and caprylic acids, which are highly antimicrobial. (They actually killed the bacteria used to test for the presence of antibiotics in cow’s milk!)
• Goat’s milk does not produce mucus; it does not stimulate a defense response from the human immune system.
• Goat’s milk is a rich source of the trace mineral selenium, a necessary nutrient for its immune modulation and antioxidant properties.
• Although the mineral content of goat’s milk and cow’s milk is generally similar, goat’s milk contains 13 percent more calcium, 25  percent more vitamin B-6, 47 percent more vitamin A, 134 percent more  potassium, and three times more niacin. It is also four times higher in  copper. Goat’s milk also contains 27 percent more of the antioxidant  selenium than cow’s milk.
• According to Dr. Sears, “goat’s milk contains less than ten percent of the amount of folic acid contained in cow’s milk means that it  must be fortified with folic acid in order to be adequate as a formula or milk substitute for infants and toddlers, and popular brands of goat’s milk may advertise “fortified with folic acid” on the carton.

Cow’s Milk

•  One theory of the pervasive sensitivity to cow dairy in the western world is believed to be caused by the breeding of A1 cows instead of A2 cows. A1 milk contains the amino acid histidine whereas A2 milk contains proline at the same position of the amino acid structure. Scientists believe a gene mutation is thought to have occurred around the time of domestication in different parts of Europe, whereas the mutation does not appear to have taken place in African and Asian domestication.
• Dairy is pasteurized because large dairies have unsanitary practices that are breeding grounds for bacteria like E-coli. By heating the milk, the bad bacteria is killed, however so is the good bacteria along with the enzyme lactase which breaks down lactose, and heat alters vital amino acids, reducing our ability to access the protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals in milk. (A raw dairy operation is difficult to do on a large scale, and the animals will only produce milk in smaller amounts during certain times of the year. This however, produces a superior product)
• Besides destroying part of the vitamin C contained in raw milk and encouraging growth of harmful bacteria, pasteurization turns the sugar of milk, known as lactose, into beta-lactose — which is far more soluble and therefore more rapidly absorbed in the system, causing blood sugar spikes.
• Pasteurization’s makes the calcium contained in raw milk insoluble. This frequently leads to rickets, bad teeth, and nervous troubles, for sufficient calcium content is vital to children; and with the loss of phosphorus also associated with calcium, bone and brain formation suffer serious setbacks.
• Pasteurization also destroys 20 percent of the iodine present in raw milk.
• Dairy should come from grass-fed Jersey cow’s that have not been given antibiotics or growth hormones. A large majority of dairy in the U.S. is pasteurized, are fed grain, soy and corn, comes from modern Holstein cows (high milk producers but lower quality milk), and may be given antibiotics or growth hormones.
• Avoid non-fat, low-fat and homogenized milk. Milk producers add powdered milk and synthetic vitamin D2 to make it thicker. Powdered milk contains oxidized cholesterol⁴, a dangerous source of cholesterol. Homogenized milk makes fat particles indigestible in the intestine but highly likely to pass through the intestinal wall, directly into the bloodstream causing an allergic response. Homogenization has been linked to heart disease and atherosclerosis.³
• In studies of Guinea pigs carried out by Wulzen and Bahr, animals fed whole raw milk had excellent growth and no abnormalities; those fed whole pasteurized milk had poor growth, muscle stiffness, emaciation and weakness and death within one year. Autopsy of pasteurized-milk fed animals revealed atrophied muscles streaked with calcification and tricalcium deposits under the skin and in the joints, heart and other organs.
• According to a recent large European study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, children that drink raw milk are less likely to develop asthma and allergies than those that drink pasteurized milk.

Facts about Raw Dairy

• The human race existed on raw milk long before pasteurization
• Raw milk is a rich source of calcium
• Raw butter is a rich source of easily absorbed vitamin A, D, E and K, manganese, chromium, zinc, copper, selenium and iodine.
• Raw butter contains the “Wulzen factor,” a hormone-like substance that prevents arthritis and joint stiffness, ensuring that calcium in the body is put into the bones rather than the joints and other tissues. The Wulzen factor is destroyed by pasteurization.
• Raw butter contains a special category of fatty acids called glycospingolipids that protect against gastro-intestinal infections.
• When butter comes from cows eating green grass, it contains high levels of CLA, a compound that gives excellent protection against cancer and also helps the body build muscle rather than store fat.
• Butter provides the perfect balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids when coming from grass-fed cows.

The Extra Benefits of Fermented Dairy (Goat and Cow Yogurt or Kefir)

• It provides calcium that builds bone in children, and it also helps prevent or slow the development of osteoporosis that plagues so many elderly.
• It lowers high blood pressure and cholesterol
• It attacks dental cavities and chronic bronchitis
• It stops the growth of some cancers, including colon cancer.
• It boosts mental alertness and energy
• It provides probiotics essential for overall health and immunity

Looking for a Non-Dairy High Calcium Source?

Consider the mineral water Gerolsteiner, which is an excellent source of calcium from the dolomite mountains in the Italian alps. Read more information about it on the article Best and Worst Electrolyte Drinks.

Sources:

1. Rubin, Jordon S. The Maker’s Diet
2. 2. Enig, Mary G PhD. Know Your Fats
3. http://www.westonaprice.org/transition/dairy.html
4. Pollen, Michael. In Defense of Food
5. Raw Milk Vs. Pasteurized Milk  Armchair Science, London (April 1938)
6. American Journal of Physiology, 1941
7. Loss, George et al. The protective effect of farm milk consumption on childhood asthma and atopy: The GABRIELA study. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, online August 29, 2011.