Dairy from a goat or a cow?
Have you considered changing or giving your children a different dairy source? I use both- Yes, both. Variety is key to a healthy balance. We love our goat and cow dairy products. However, I was very particular while weaning my children from breast to cup.
Source: Redwood Hill Farm Postcard
I made a personal choice to give my weaning children goat’s milk at the ages 14 months and 9 months with my doctor’s approval. One of the greatest benefits of goat’s milk is it has a softer curd making in more digestible for infants and children. The softer curd content has been linked to goat milk’s low casein content [i].
Goat’s milk is a very good source of calcium, tryptophan, protein, phosphorus, riboflavin and potassium. It has been found to aid with the digestive and metabolic utilization of minerals such as iron, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium[ii] and has an excellent bioavailability absorption rate of minerals compared to cow’s milk [iii]. Not only did I give my children goat’s milk to drink during weaning but I used goat whole fat yogurt when making their baby food recipes.
Source: Redwood Hill Farm Postcard
My new favorite whole fat yogurt is the Redwood Hill Yogurt. Not only does this yogurt taste great but the animals are treated humanely. The latest treat I made my children was Honey, Flax and Coconut Enhanced Raspberry Yogurt Pop (recipe below)! I have also used this yogurt in place of sour cream and it was wonderful.
- 1 cup Redwood Hill Farm Whole Fat Yogurt
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- 1 tbsp flaxseed meal
- 1 tbsp local honey
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- Blend ingredients and freeze up to four hours.
- Enjoy!
Of course my frozen pops are not complete unless I use my wonderful HopeFull Tray. Please take the time to check out there mission to help cancer survivors! They have a wonderful product with a great cause.
Disclaimer: If goat milk is the sole source of nutrition (formula source) for an infant, I recommend a vitamin supplement and always consult your healthcare provider before using goat milk formula.
[i] Jasinka B (1995). The comparison of pepsin and trypsin action of goat, cow, mare and human caseins. Rocz Akad Med Bialymst 40:486-493.
[ii]University of Granada (2007, July 30). Goats’ Milk Is More Beneficial To Health Than Cows’ Milk, Study Suggests. Science Daily
[iii] Aliaga L, Alferez MJM, Barrionuevo M, Lisobnona F and Campos (2000), Influence of goat and cow milk on the digestive and metabolic utilization of calcium and iron. J Physiol Biochem 56:201-208.
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Very interesting! I’ve never seen yogurt from goat’s milk before. Looks tasty!
Your recipe sounds awesome! I have never tried anything (to my knowledge) made with goat’s milk besides cheese! I will have to look into it! Thanks for sharing!
Yum! My toddler would love these. I am suspecting some ciow milk allergies in him like myself and want to see if he does fine with goat milk. My husband grew up on all goat milk and dislikes cow milk in general.
A girl after my own heart! I raised goats and had our own goat dairy for 6 years. Enough to consume as much milk as the children wanted and was able to make a large variety of cheese. Due to the OH laws I didn’t sell any or profit other than with my own family. I loved my goat milk and I more so loved knowing what was going into those goats prior to getting the milk out!! Excellent article!! We are drinking raw jersey cow milk now as we restart our goat herd, looking forward to goat milk again!
Thanks for this post! I learned several new things! Sharing
We use goat products too but we don’t have the dietary concerns you do. We just choose to use them because they are good for you and taste good (the goat caramel sauce I use is incredible!) and goat soap too!
I have some flaxseed. Would I be able to use it as is, or would I need to grind it up some more?
Sure! If the flaxseed is ground up, the better you will absorb the omega 3 fatty acid.