Goat milk for babies: benefits and harms

The ideal option for feeding a child is breast milk. But sometimes a woman, for a number of reasons, cannot feed her baby. In such situations, it is advisable to offer goat milk to children under one year of age, since when using it, allergies are practically eliminated. Parents are often interested in the age at which goat milk products can be given to a baby without harming his health. This milk can be consumed from a very early age if there are no other nutritional options. This product has its pros and cons, which every parent should know about before feeding it to their child.

Composition of goat milk

Goat's milk: benefits and harm for a child. Depending on the breed, grazing conditions, feeding, maintenance, age, and lactation period, the composition of goat milk changes. Goats are picky about grazing places, they are picky about food, so they always choose vegetation rich in vitamins and minerals. They prefer elevated places, with cleaner air than in the lowlands.

In appearance, you can sometimes distinguish goat's milk from cow's milk by color. This goat milk contains a large amount of carotene, which is why it has a yellowish color. The smell of goat milk may contain notes of goat hair. Studies have shown that this smell depends more on hereditary factors than on living conditions. Therefore, experienced farmers are culling such breeds of goats and increasingly breeding animals that produce milk without aromas that are unpleasant to the human taste organs.

The properties and chemical composition of goat milk are similar to cow milk. Goat milk contains antioxidants, cholesterol, essential amino acids, lactose, sugars, macro and microelements, vitamins B, C, E, H, PP, vitamin D calciferol, fatty acids - linolenic, myristoleic, palmitoleic, linoleic, oleic. The fat content in milk is variable - from 4 to 9%. The average calorie content of goat milk is about 70 kcal per 100 g of product.

Medicinal properties

Goat's milk: benefits and harm for a child. Folk wisdom of the Caucasian peoples says that goat's milk is an elixir that supports the lives of long-livers. The diet of these peoples includes cottage cheese, cheeses, and fermented milk products made from goat milk. The vitamin composition of goat milk allows us to call it a multivitamin product that normalizes metabolic processes in the human body. The milk contains beta-casein, which makes it similar to human breast milk.

Goat milk is recommended for people with digestive problems and lactose intolerance. The high content of calcium and potassium in milk guarantees the strength of bone tissue and tooth enamel, improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system, increases the elasticity of blood vessels, and lowers blood pressure. Milk is a preventative against strokes, heart attacks, and atherosclerosis. Milk contains the amino acid cystine, which protects the liver from toxins.

Potential risks when drinking a natural drink

Despite the fact that goat milk is infinitely beneficial for children under one year of age, it also has its disadvantages. In addition to a rather specific smell, the product is poorly digested by the child’s body when combined with other components. And when the rules for heat treatment of the composition are violated, beneficial substances are inhibited and the risk of their transformation into carcinogens increases.

In addition, goat milk can be given to a small child only strictly within the recommended dosages, otherwise the following factors also come into play:

The drink contains little folic acid, for this reason goat milk for children cannot act as the only food product. If you do not provide for the timely introduction of suitable complementary foods, you can provoke the development of specific anemia or disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system in the child.
Milk is beneficial due to its mineral content, but if you consume too much of the product, they accumulate in the body in too large quantities. This puts excessive stress on the kidneys and excretory organs. And excess potassium also provokes heart failure in children under one year old and a little older.
Magnesium, of which there is also a lot of goat milk, exceeding therapeutic doses, prevents the absorption of calcium by tissues, which, despite the paradox of the situation, can cause rickets.
Goats are susceptible to brucellosis, an infectious disease that can be fatal. You should always remember this and process the drink before giving it to a child or making porridge from it.

The listed risks increase markedly if you do not take into account the recommendations on the age at which the drink should be given to infants. If, according to indications, they have to feed a newborn in the first months of life, then this should be done only under the strict supervision of a pediatrician.

Goat milk: benefits and harms

Goat's milk: benefits and harm for a child. Goat's milk surpasses cow's milk in the amount of useful acids - it contains 1.5-3 times more linoleic and linolenic acid and therefore helps reduce cholesterol levels. It is low-allergenic and has bactericidal properties. Due to the fact that goats' diet includes woody parts of plants, milk contains silicon, which protects both goats and people from tuberculosis.

The fermented milk product yogurt, which is very popular in our time, appeared thanks to goat milk. Lactobacilli, which are the basis of yoghurt products, were isolated from goat milk. The current world level of goat milk consumption is increasing all the time; goat milk is considered safer than cow milk. Although goat milk may contain pesticides and heavy metals if animals are grazed near roadways and in industrial areas

For adults

The unique effect of goat milk on the body of adults is recognized by doctors all over the world. It is used for both treatment and prevention of many diseases. Milk cures bronchitis, thyroid diseases, tuberculosis, diabetes, allergies, and colds. Manganese, which is part of milk, helps to activate metabolic processes at the cellular level; with the help of magnesium, protein synthesis is accelerated, cellular growth and energy metabolism are normalized.

Elderly

Thanks to the consumption of goat's milk, stomach diseases and hypertension are cured, the functioning of the liver and heart is normalized, and the musculoskeletal system is strengthened. The nervous system returns to normal, insomnia and heartburn disappear, and the acidity of gastric juice decreases. The presence of the complex protein casein and vitamin D in goat milk helps prevent deterioration of the brain function of older people and restore the normal strength of nails, teeth, hair and joints. Milk is used to improve the condition of patients after chemotherapy.

Is goat milk good for children?

Doctors do not recommend giving children under one year of age either goat's or cow's milk. The high content of phosphates and calcium in goat milk does not contribute to the normal functioning of the not yet fully formed kidneys of infants. If there is no way out and it is impossible to buy dry milk formulas, only in this case do you use goat milk, diluted to a fat content of no more than 2%.

For children of any age, choose milk from healthy goats, which are grazed in environmentally friendly places and kept in conditions that comply with sanitary standards. It should be remembered that goat's milk contains much more protein than mother's milk, and it can cause excessive gas, colic and bloating.

Rules for introducing into the diet

Referring to the authoritative opinion of the famous pediatrician Evgeny Komarovsky, the introduction of goat's milk into children's menus should begin at the age of one year. It is ideal if you start drinking the product only after 3 years. But the final decision should be made by an experienced pediatrician.

Basic rules for introducing a drink into a children's menu:

The drink must be administered starting with one teaspoon.
Initially, dilute in a ratio of 1:3, gradually reducing the amount of water.
For children from 1 year to 3 years, the recommended daily intake is up to 1/5 liter.
It is important to always boil the mixture being prepared in order to avoid the penetration of infections, bacteria and parasites into the child’s body through heat treatment.

Why is goat milk dangerous for children?

Goat's milk: benefits and harm for a child. The high fat content of goat's milk and its mineral composition are the obstacles that do not allow the product to be used for baby food. Milk contains little iron, but a lot of calcium and phosphorus. When milk is consumed, substances enter the child's stomach that require enzymes for absorption that are absent in a small child. The thyroid gland, digestive organs and metabolic systems are not fully formed.

How to reduce fat content

Goat's milk: benefits and harm for a child. The fat content of milk is reduced in several ways: by skimming the cream after settling, by hot defatting, by whipping the butter. Skimming is carried out after the container of milk has been in a cold place for 10-12 hours. During this time, the cream will separate from the bulk of the milk. They must be separated with a spoon.

Cream is also skimmed from milk brought to a boil. Remove the pan with heated, but not boiled milk from the heat, set aside and allow to cool completely. After cooling, the cream will rise to the top; it is separated, as in the first case. Use a mixer to beat the butter. Whip the milk until the milk fat begins to form lumps. After this, the milk is filtered through cheesecloth, at the same time the oil is separated and the fat content of the milk is reduced.

What can you get infected from raw milk?

Read our articles:

"Folk remedies for insect bites"
«How to protect your child from ticks in nature"

When consuming raw, fresh, unboiled goat's milk, infection with brucellosis and tick-borne encephalitis virus is possible. Viruses can enter goat milk at different times and several times during the life of the animal. Pathogens die in milk after 5 minutes of boiling or after pasteurization at a temperature of 60 ° C for 20 minutes.

How to pasteurize at home

Pasteurization of milk is carried out in order to make it free from viruses and infections and extend its shelf life. Pasteurization involves heating milk to a specific temperature of 74-82 °C for 30 seconds, followed by rapid cooling.

First, prepare a container of cold water into which a pan filled with milk will fit. The milk is poured into a saucepan and stirred continuously until it reaches the desired temperature - be sure to use a thermometer. After the desired temperature has been reached, close the lid on the pan and let stand for 30 seconds. The hot milk is then placed in cold water and allowed to cool.

How to make goat milk cottage cheese for a child

Pasteurized milk must be given time to sour. After this, the container with milk (it is best to use a 3-liter glass jar for these purposes) is placed in a pan with warm water. Place the pan on low heat and keep the jar of milk in it until the milk separates into whey and curdled mass.

The whey will remain at the bottom of the jar, the curd will rise to the top. The water in the pan should not boil, otherwise the cottage cheese will turn out hard. The cottage cheese is separated using a colander and gauze. The edges of the gauze must be collected in the form of a bag. The bag should be hung to allow any remaining whey to drain.

You can read articles about first feeding here:

“First complementary foods for a child: fruits and juices”
“First feeding: vegetable purees (cooking recipes)”

For children from 8 months

Pumpkin puree with turkey

Ingredients:

90 g pumpkin
30 g turkey
quail egg

Preparation:

Wash the pumpkin, peel and cut.
Make minced turkey fillet and form small meatballs from it.
Boil the quail egg over medium heat for 10 minutes and remove the yolk.
Steam vegetables and meatballs for about 15 minutes.
Combine the finished dish and the egg yolk in a blender bowl and puree until smooth, adding a little boiled water.

Add yolk only if it already appears in the baby’s diet. Can also be replaced with chicken.

Oatmeal-wheat porridge with fruits

Ingredients:

2 tsp oatmeal
2 tsp wheat flakes
40 g apple
20 g cherries (can be frozen)
120 ml water

Preparation:

Peel the apple and cut into cubes. Rinse the cherries and remove the pits.
Pour water into a saucepan, add fruit and 2 types of cereal.
Bring the dish to a boil and cook for 7 minutes.
Add a little butter to the finished porridge if it is already in your baby’s diet.
If necessary, you can beat the porridge in a blender.

Potatoes with turkey and vegetables

Ingredients:

30 g turkey
10 g onion
50 g potatoes
40 g Brussels sprouts

Preparation:

Peel the potatoes, cut into small cubes and pre-soak for 10 hours.
Finely chop the onion and Brussels sprouts.
Boil the turkey over medium heat for 10 minutes, drain the first broth. Finely chop the meat.
Place cabbage, meat, onions and potatoes in a saucepan, add water (to cover the vegetables) and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.
When the dish has cooled slightly, add a little vegetable oil.

If the child does not chew food very well yet, the dish can be pureed using a blender.

Buckwheat with turkey

Ingredients:

30 g turkey
15 g carrots
4 tsp. buckwheat
10 g onion
140 ml water

Preparation:

Peel the carrots and onions and chop finely.
Cook the turkey meat over medium heat for 10 minutes, drain the first broth, and rinse the meat.
Pour buckwheat into a saucepan, add carrots and onions, cover with water and cook for 15 minutes.
Then add the meat and cook for another 10 minutes.
If the baby is a little older and chews well, you can finely chop all the ingredients before cooking. If not, puree the dish.

When the dish has cooled slightly, you can add a little olive oil if it has already appeared in the child’s diet.

Vegetable soup with beef

Ingredients:

30 g beef
a third of a small carrot
5 florets of broccoli
3-4 tsp. small durum pasta
5 g onion

Preparation:

Peel the carrots and chop finely. Break the broccoli into small florets.
Pass the onion and meat through a meat grinder. Form meatballs from the resulting minced meat and cook them over medium heat for 15 minutes.
Place carrots and broccoli in a saucepan, cover with water and cook for 10-15 minutes.
Boil the pasta separately.
Chop the vegetables from the broth, add pasta and meatballs to them. Puree the soup if necessary.
You can add a little olive oil to the slightly cooled dish.

Pumpkin soup with beef

Ingredients:

30 g beef
50 g pumpkin
5 g onion
30 g potatoes
quail egg

Preparation:

Peel, cut and soak the potatoes in water for about 10 hours (can be left overnight).
Peel the pumpkin and onion and chop finely.
Cook the beef over medium heat for 15 minutes, drain the first broth and rinse the meat.
Place vegetables and beef in a saucepan, bring to a boil and cook for another 15 minutes.
Boil the quail egg (about 5 minutes) and remove the yolk.
Mix the soup and yolk and beat in a blender until pureed.

Add yolk to soup only if it is already present in the child’s diet.

Vegetable stew with rice

Ingredients:

30 g turkey
2 tbsp. l. rice cereal
1 small carrot
a quarter of bell pepper
30 g corn

Preparation:

Boil a piece of turkey for 15 minutes.
Peel the bell pepper and carrots and chop finely.
Place the meat and vegetables in a saucepan, cover with water and simmer for 10 minutes. Then add rice flakes, a little water and continue to simmer for another 5-7 minutes.
The finished stew can be ground in a blender if the baby is still chewing poorly. Add a little olive oil to the cooled dish.

Simple oatmeal cookies

Ingredients for 10 pcs:

5 tbsp. l. oatmeal
1 large banana

Preparation:

Peel the banana and cut into pieces.
Combine oatmeal and banana in a blender bowl and blend.
Spoon the resulting mass (it should not be liquid) onto parchment paper in the form of cookies.
Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake the cookies for 15-20 minutes.

Can goat milk be frozen?

The taste of goat's milk becomes unpleasant after freezing, so it is not recommended to store it in the freezer.

Freezing is the best long-term storage method

Recommended storage times for goat milk depending on temperature:

25 C – 4-6 hours
19-22 C - 10 hours
15 C - 24 hours
0-4 C – 10 days – in the refrigerator
2 -3 weeks - in the freezer inside the refrigerator without its own door
3-6 months - in the freezer inside a refrigerator with its own door
6-12 months - in a deep freezer at a constant temperature of -19 C

For storage, it is recommended to use thick plastic (preferably disposable) or glass containers, or special ones. bags for storing frozen milk. Sterilize everything before milking. After milking, strain the milk in the first 15 minutes (the faster, the safer it is) and cool.

As quickly and coldly as possible, then the shelf life will be longer. Thaw either at room temperature or under running warm (not hot) water, shaking occasionally. Do not heat either on the stove or in the microwave; after defrosting, no need to boil.

When can you give goat milk to your baby?

Doctors recommend giving goat milk to babies from 9 months, and before that, feeding them with an adapted milk formula. Nowadays milk formulas made from goat's milk are produced. It’s a pity that they don’t have the beneficial properties of natural goat’s milk. If formula is not suitable for your baby and he often spits up, then you can use goat’s milk almost from birth.

Reading an article about mixtures (how to choose the right mixture)

How to properly include it in your diet

If you nevertheless decide to feed your newborn goat's milk from the first days, then you must follow some rules.

Try to take milk from friends and neighbors.
Look at how the goat is kept, don’t be too lazy to come for milking.
If you buy at the market, ask for a certificate from a veterinarian (is the goat healthy).
When buying milk in a store, carefully study the production date and expiration date. Children should not use products with an expiration date.
Try the milk yourself to see if there is any unpleasant aftertaste.
It is necessary to dilute goat milk with boiled water for the first time. For a newborn, take 3 parts water to one part milk. If you don’t do this, your baby may get sick from being too fat.
The milk itself must be boiled. It is not recommended to use metal containers for boiling.
It is advisable to store milk in glass, enamel or ceramic containers.
When the baby gets used to it, you can dilute it in a 1:2 ratio, after a month you can already give undiluted milk.

As you can see, the benefits of goat milk far outweigh its disadvantages. Of course, mother’s milk is optimal for an infant, but in the absence of it, goat’s milk may well be its replacement.

READ ALSO: Is it possible to give kefir to children under one year old? Recipes for making kefir for kids at home

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