Not all babies are the same. Some babies are better off with breastmilk, organic baby milk, cow’s milk, goat’s milk, or others. One of the responsibilities you have as a parent is knowing what is best for your child, according to his/her specific health status and preferences.
Experts advise that the healthiest way of feeding your baby is by breastfeeding. However, some mothers cannot breastfeed due to certain health conditions. Also, comfort level, lifestyle, convenience, schedule, and more can affect a mother’s decision of whether to breastfeed or not. If you’re one of those who can’t, you don’t have to worry as there are several healthy alternatives for breastmilk that can provide the same level of health benefits. One of these is organic goat milk.
Why is organic goat milk good for babies?
Organic goat milk is made from fresh milk from goats that have only been fed by organic foods and have been on pastures that have not been touched by fertilizers or pesticides. Farmers and producers practice sustainable agricultural practices in producing organic goat milk.
There are babies who just can’t tolerate or comfortably ingest cow’s milk. Some babies become constipated and excessively spit or vomit because of cow’s milk-based formulas. An alternative to this is using organic goat milk. Goat milk is gentle on infants’ sensitive tummies.
Goat’s milk is an amazing source of vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and more.
How is Organic Goat Milk different from other types of formula?
Studies show that the nutrients you get from goat’s milk are easier to digest than cow’s milk formula. It contains short and medium fatty acids. Goat milk differs from other types of formula in the benefits that the goat milk brings such as having minerals that cannot be found in other formulas. These are discussed further below.
What are the benefits of organic goat milk formula?
1. Organic Goat milk is very nutritious
Formulas are always fortified so you can be assured to have the right combination of minerals and vitamins that tries to replicate breast milk. The level of calcium in goat’s milk is very high! It provides you with phosphorus, riboflavin, vitamin b-12, potassium, protein, and more!
2. Goat’s milk passes the organic standard
Being “organic” means that the producer or farmer had followed sustainable agricultural practices such as not feeding cows and goats with antibiotics, hormones, and such. In terms of crops, producers and farmers must not have used any chemical or pesticide.
3. Tolerability is one of its considerations
There are babies who can actually be allergic to cow’s milk and its proteins. A ‘hypoallergenic’ alternative to this is goat’s milk. Cow’s milk contains casein protein, alpha-s1, and this can cause uncomfortable effects for babies.
4. Protein composition
Goat milk contains a higher amount of protein than breast milk. However, a specific breast protein called whey protein is what we also want to have in our cow or goat milk. Goat milk baby formulas adapt their protein to compensate for the whey protein a baby should be receiving if he/she were to have been breastfed.
5. The pH levels of goat milk are closer to the ph levels of breastmilk
A similarity in being an alkaline like breast milk can be seen in goat’s milk while in contrast, cow’s milk is acidic. Because ph levels of goat milk are closer to breast milk, experts believe that it is better than cow’s milk since because of its pH levels it helps you lessen the risk of having gastrointestinal infections.
6. Smaller and looser curds with systems that make your children break down nutrients easier
7. For anaemic infants, goat milk can improve the baby’s bone health
A study has shown that after drinking goat’s milk, an improvement was manifested in the mineral loss in bones which had been caused by anaemia.
8. Goat milk has a better bioavailability of iron
With goat milk, a baby is able to get more iron in it than in cow’s milk. More so, 50% are easily and readily absorbed by the body compared to having only 13% of the cow’s milk.
9. Another benefit of goat milk is having anti-inflammatory properties
Several research studies were conducted and some of them had resulted in goat milk having an anti-inflammatory process. More than this, goat milk aids in the nurturing of the “good” bacteria found in the intestine. This can possibly be beneficial in the treatment of inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases like colitis and more.
10. Goat milk can boost your immune system!
One of the benefits of goat’s milk is having selenium! Selenium is a mineral that supports the immune system.
11. It helps in the metabolism of your baby
Some babies can have their limitations and digestive issues on absorbing minerals and vitamins. Goat milk can help your child with that!
Babies with CMPA
The benefits of using goat milk as a base for organic baby milk formula are important points to consider especially for those who have babies that have been diagnosed with cow milk protein allergy (CMPA). More so, even though you are already convinced with trying organic goat milk for your baby, it is still important to check with your paediatrician and consult whether it’s best for your baby or not.
You don’t have to worry about not being able to get the nutrients you can normally get from a cow-based formula. Goat milk covers the most important nutrients from cow’s milk and provides you with its own set of nutrients that have proven to be helpful in so many aspects of your child’s health. There are different ways of preparing organic goat milk formula and different companies that provide organic goat milk.
There is no perfect formula existing in the market. Every formula may have something that other formulas don’t while may not have a certain benefit that can be found in others. What matters most is fulfilling your duty of knowing what’s best for your child and learning more about the different options you can choose from for your child’s growth, protection, and development.
Interesting related article: “What is Organic Farming?”