Rice pudding (with either goat or cow milk) Photo ©: randomduck

I have a confession: I don’t like goat’s cheese. Which means that I don’t like goat’s milk. This is not something that a foodie admits easily. This is not something that a Greek foodie admits easily. But’s it true. And I’ve spent a lifetime staying as far away from the stuff as possible. But, after a friend recently claimed that her toddler’s chronic cough got markedly better after switching from cow to goat milk, I got curious.

As it turns out, there are a lot of reasons to consider goat’s milk. First off, it wins the milk popularity contest: goat milk is the milk of choice throughout most of the world. On top of that, many adults intolerant to cow’s milk can drink goat’s milk without issue. And then there’s the issue of what many believe is our over-industrialized cow dairy manufacturing. But I digress. Let’s stick to matters of health and nutrition for now.

So what’s the scoop on cow’s milk versus goat’s milk?

While goat’s milk tends to be more easily digested, its composition (not nutritional profile—I’ll get to that in a second) is pretty similar to cow’s milk. One way that goat’s milk is different, though, is that its fat globules don’t cluster the way that they do in cow’s milk. Many, including Dr. Sears believe that this is an explanation for why some people can more easily digest goat’s milk. But it’s likely that these people have an intolerance to cow’s milk, not a full blown allergy.

Milk allergies, on the other hand, appear to be related to proteins, and the research is split on how the proteins in cow’s and goat’s milk differ. Either way, many researchers believe that people—especially infants—who are sensitive to cow’s milk can also have serious allergic reactions to goat’s milk.

Allergies and intolerance aside, is one better for us than the other? Nutritionally speaking, 
cow’s milk and goat’s milk look very similar at first glance. But there is a meaningful difference. Goat’s milk has greater levels of:

• vitamin A
• riboflavin
• calcium
• potassium
• niacin

Awesome. But it also has less:

• iron
• zinc
• B6
• B12
• folate

Not awesome. Especially for infants.

So, what’s the bottom line? Children under one-year-old should never drink either milk as an addition to or in lieu of breast milk and/or formula. And children under 3-years-old who are allergic to cow’s milk may also prove to be allergic to goat’s milk.
That said, anyone, including children, safely drinking cow’s milk, eating a well balanced diet and without major health issues may enjoy goat’s milk as an addition to their normal eats and drinks. Or, speak to your pediatrician about replacing cow’s milk with goat’s milk if you believe your child’s health may benefit from its different nutritional profile.

Pretty interesting… but goat milk is still not for me! That shouldn’t stop you, though. It certainly doesn’t stop my 3-year-old who really enjoys it. I’ve use it interchangeably with cow’s milk a bunch of times—served it chilled in a cup, with cereal and even in this delicious Greek-style rice pudding—and it’s been a hit every time.
If you like near Fort Greene, you can usually get goat milk at Greene Grape Provisions. Otherwise try Fresh Direct.

Greek-Style Rice Pudding
from One Hungry Mama
makes about 2 cups pudding

4 c cow or goat milk + an extra splash
1/2 c sugar (for mildly sweet pudding; you can add as much as 3/4 c if you like it sweet)
3 1-inch pieces of lemon peel
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 c long grain white rice
2 egg yolks

1. Heat milk, sugar, peel and cinnamon in a pot over high heat until the milk just begins to boil.

2. Add rice and bring back to a boil.

3. Turn heat to medium low and simmer uncovered for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it reaches a creamy consistency.

4. In the meantime, whisk egg yolks with a splash of cold milk. When pudding is done cooking, take it off the heat and immediately mix in the egg yolk mixture. Stir constantly to make sure that the yolk doesn’t curdle. Once it’s thoroughly mixed in, the pudding is ready! Store in fridge for up to 3-5 days.

*****
Kids change the way we cook, but they don’t have to change how well we eat. Get more family-friendly recipes, tips and techniques to satisfy your own hunger and inspire healthy hungers in your children on Stacie’s blog, One Hungry Mama.

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