Is it possible to goat milk if you are lactose intolerant?

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Published: 08/07/2020

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• 1 Properties of goat milk
• 2 Composition of goat milk 2.1 Is there lactose
• 2.2 Fat content

Harm of casein in products

Even in ancient times, the increased benefits of goat's milk were noted. It was recommended to drink it for various diseases. Now the product is known for its high content of various beneficial substances and hypoallergenicity, so it is chosen by many people who care about their health. But sometimes goat milk can negatively affect a person, and these nuances should always be kept in mind.

For children

It has already been said above that goat’s milk is close in composition to women’s milk. That is why it is often purchased for children.

The benefits of the product for a child are obvious. Goat milk has the following advantages:

• it promotes the proper formation of bone tissue;
• improves intestinal microflora;
• normalizes metabolism;
• has a general strengthening effect on the body.

Goat milk is contraindicated for very young infants. You can start using it no earlier than 1 year. Until the age of three, milk must be diluted with water. And only at an older age can children consume it in its original form.

In rare cases, the pediatrician recommends including goat milk or products made from it in the diet of a child up to one year old. They are used as an additive to the main food - mixture. If a woman is breastfeeding, then there is no need for such a supplement.

Experts believe that at 7 months you can offer your child goat milk cottage cheese, and at 9 months - kefir or milk. Of course, all these products should be given in small quantities and the body’s reaction should be observed. If it is negative, then supplements should be temporarily abandoned.

For a baby, 1-2 teaspoons of milk is enough, and it should be diluted. The dose is gradually increased, and by the age of one year it can reach 75 ml. A three-year-old can safely drink 150 ml. You can cook porridge with goat's milk.

There are several contraindications that should be kept in mind when giving milk to children. It is because of them that the product is not recommended for use by children under one year of age. These include the following problems:

• a large amount of phosphorus leads to increased stress on the kidneys;
• low concentrations of iron and folic acid can cause anemia and poor weight gain;
• Due to increased fat content, problems with the digestive system often occur.

In addition, if you give your child unboiled milk, the risk of contracting dangerous diseases greatly increases. And 10% of children are allergic to the product, despite the fact that it is considered hypoallergenic. All of the above suggests that you should not rush to add goat milk to the children's menu.

For women

Women are also recommended to drink goat milk, because it has a beneficial effect on the body. It is especially worth paying attention to this product for pregnant women, since during pregnancy there is a lack of nutrients. Goat's milk helps replenish their reserves. Thanks to this, the woman will feel good, and the child in the womb will form correctly.

During breastfeeding, a woman loses a lot of useful substances, and goat's milk product helps replenish them. Thanks to its use, a nursing mother will not have a deficiency of vitamins and minerals. The benefits of the product in this case are obvious.

For women over 50 years old, goat milk will also not be superfluous. It has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin, making it more elastic and toned. Milk also has a positive effect on bones and joints, which helps avoid age-related problems with them.

For men

It is worth mentioning the usefulness of goat's milk for the stronger sex. Men in most cases engage in physical labor that requires considerable endurance. Goat milk helps restore strength and replenish energy reserves. It's great for a snack. If a man does not have the opportunity to have a full lunch, then a glass of milk will be an excellent alternative to food.

Men quite often suffer from problems with the gastrointestinal tract. They are usually the result of poor diet and frequent alcohol consumption. Goat's milk helps prevent this type of disease.

Another advantage of the product for men is its positive effect on potency. Regular consumption of the drink significantly reduces the risk of problems in bed.

For the elderly

As people age, the normal functioning of the digestive system is often disrupted, and intestinal motility suffers. Goat's milk helps cope with these problems. The drink also has other benefits.

It is worth noting the following advantages of milk for older people:

• increasing immunity, strengthening the body's defenses;
• normalization of cholesterol levels;
• increasing calcium levels, which is especially important for older people;
• reducing the risk of osteoporosis - an extremely unpleasant disease;
• improving the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
• memory improvement.

In short, older people should drink goat milk to feel better than usual.

In small quantities, the substance is necessary for the healthy functioning of the body in children and adults. When consumed properly, protein:

• slows down the absorption of other protein compounds and prolongs the feeling of fullness;
• promotes rapid muscle building in athletes;
• helps maintain muscles even during long breaks between workouts;
• supplies the body with essential and non-essential amino acids;
• is a valuable source of calcium and phosphorus, therefore strengthens bone tissue.

The valuable properties of the substance allow it to be used on diets and during athletic training. The protein compound helps you lose excess fat while maintaining healthy muscle mass.

Like any substance, casein protein can bring not only benefits, but also harm:

1. The protein compound is absorbed by the body very slowly. Not only foods rich in casein protein are retained in the stomach, but also other foods that were ingested at the same time.
2. The substance glues the contents of the stomach. This can lead not only to a feeling of heaviness, but also to heartburn, difficulties with bowel movements, and bad breath.
3. Due to its slow absorption and effects on other foods, the compound can cause obesity. Metabolism generally slows down, carbohydrates from food are stored in adipose tissue.

Casein foods fill you up well, but are digested slowly

Casein, like other milk proteins, can cause intolerance. If the body does not absorb the protein compound, eating the corresponding food will lead to a rash, abdominal pain and nausea.

About the problem

Lactase deficiency is the absence or temporary decrease in the body of a special enzyme called lactase. It can break down milk sugar called lactose. When there is little enzyme, milk sugar remains undigested and fermentation begins in the intestines.

This is manifested by frequent attacks of diarrhea, colic in infants, bloating and increased gas formation in older children, pain in the abdomen, which usually appears one and a half to two hours after the child drinks milk.

Most often, this diagnosis is given to children under one year of age. Quite rarely, lactase deficiency affects children under 6-7 years of age. After this age, a physiological decline in enzyme production occurs, since nature does not provide for the consumption of milk by adults. It is extremely rare that the pathology persists in adults, but this is considered to be a variant of the norm, since milk is not an important product for their body.

Lactase deficiency can be congenital or primary. It can also be secondary, acquired. This deficiency occurs when the walls of the small intestine are damaged. This may be a consequence of previous infection (rotavirus, enterovirus), toxic poisoning, severe helminthic infestation, or an allergic reaction to cow protein.

More often than others, lactase deficiency affects premature babies and toddlers who are overfed and receive more milk than they can digest.

Regarding this diagnosis, modern medicine has quite rosy forecasts: in 99.9% of cases, enzyme deficiency goes away on its own, once the causes that caused it are eliminated.

Composition of goat milk

The chemical composition of goat's milk is close to that of cow's, but it contains increased amounts of proteins, fats and calcium. Goat product also contains a lot of carotene, which affects its color.

The milk is yellowish in color. The advantage of the product is the minimal content of casein, which often causes allergies.

Lactose

The lactose content of goat milk is approximately 4.1%. This figure is considered not very high. Compared to cow's milk, it contains more lactose.

Fat content

The fat content of goat's milk can range from 3.6% to 6%. The specific indicator depends on the breed of the animal. Sometimes the fat content is also affected by the foods that the goat eats.

Calorie content

The calorie content of goat milk per 100 grams is 69 calories. The product is quite high in calories, so if a person is watching their figure, then it should be consumed in moderation.

Is there casein in fermented milk products?

All fermented milk products contain gluten and casein. Milk protein is present in the largest quantities in whole milk, natural cheeses and cottage cheese; much less is found in sour cream, cream and yogurt.

Most casein substances are found in hard cheeses and milk.

Kefir, ayran and yogurt also contain the substance, but its amount is very small. In the production of fermented milk drinks, special organisms are used to promote the production of lactic acid, which provokes the breakdown of casein molecules. However, lactic acid still cannot completely neutralize the protein compound.

To drink or not to drink?

If you are not prone to cancer and have no intolerance, drink with pleasure. But a measure is needed: you should not drink more than two glasses of milk a day.

Milk can be completely replaced. So, cheese and cottage cheese contain more calcium and protein. Calcium, vitamins D and A are also found in other foods:

You can even drink coffee with soy or almond milk. Today you can even find butter and cheese (the same as tofu) from vegetarian products.

Milk is not an essential product in the diet. But it contains amino acids in the amount that children need. But adults can already decide whether to drink it or replace it with plant-based “versions.”

Does goat milk help?

There is an opinion that goat milk helps with various diseases. Fans of folk remedies often recommend drinking it in case of illness. It is worth figuring out whether milk is really effective and whether it should be used.

Quite often the drink is used to treat cough. It is recommended to heat the milk, add a spoonful of butter and a spoonful of honey, and then drink it in small sips before bed.

For diabetes mellitus, it is recommended to include goat's milk in your diet. It is believed that it significantly improves the general condition. For stomach ulcers and gastritis, you can also drink goat's milk. But in this case, it is advisable to dilute it with water in a 1:1 ratio to reduce fat content. Goat's milk has a beneficial effect on the gastric mucosa, fights inflammatory processes, and promotes recovery.

Goat's milk is also useful for oncology. It has not been scientifically proven to promote healing. But the drink contains a large amount of useful substances, thanks to which the body strengthens and becomes more resistant to negative influences.

With pancreatitis of the pancreas, the patient must follow a strict diet. In case of exacerbation of the disease, goat milk is prohibited. If the disease has become chronic, you can add a drink to the menu. It is recommended to use it for preparing dishes: porridges, milk soups and others.

For atopic dermatitis, goat's milk can sometimes be a real salvation. It is hypoallergenic, so it does not contribute to the appearance of new skin rashes.

From all of the above, we can conclude that goat milk will be useful for many diseases. Naturally, it should not become a replacement for medications. You should drink milk only after consulting with your doctor, who will tell you exactly whether this product can be consumed in a particular case and in what quantity.

How to increase your score

The fat content of goat milk depends on feeding and caring for the livestock. To increase the indicator, it is enough to adjust your diet.

Examples:

1. Adding tree branches to the diet. This will make the milk fattier and sweeter. Branches of cherry, currant, and apple trees are suitable. For the winter, brooms are collected from rowan, oak, and birch.
2. Inclusion of mineral and vitamin supplements. The deficiency of nutrients is especially acute in winter. This leads to a decrease in milk yield, quality, and fat content.
3. Increasing the protein component of feed. It is recommended to include concentrated feed or BMFC in the diet for large and small ruminants.
4. Feeding with roughage in stalls or on dry pasture during the summer months.

However, in most cases, fat content is determined genetically, that is, by breed. The more milk-producing the animal, the thinner the product. For example, Saanen goats produce a lot of milk, so it is rarely fatty.

Is there casein in fermented milk products?

Milk protein, one way or another, is found in all foods made from natural milk. The percentage content can vary greatly, but protein is present in minimal amounts even in milk chocolate and curd cheeses.

The list of gluten- and casein-free products includes only plant-based analogues of dairy foods. Thus, protein is absent in soy, sesame, coconut and nut milk, cream and cheeses made from plant milk.

Casein compounds are absent only in soy milk, cottage cheese and cheeses

Advice! If you are intolerant to natural milk proteins, you can opt for plant-based products; they will not cause side effects.

Storage

1. The shelf life of unboiled milk in the refrigerator reaches 3 days.
2. Frozen milk retains more vitamins after thawing than after boiling.
3. Milk must be heated to +72 o C if it will be consumed by a small child. In Western countries, it is heated to +56 o C. After pasteurizing a glass jar of milk, the product must be placed in the refrigerator so that the microflora is destroyed. This way the milk will last up to 10 days and will not spoil.
4. Sour milk can be steamed and strained with gauze, resulting in a delicious cottage cheese.

What foods contain casein?

Despite the undoubted benefits of goat's milk, some people should absolutely not drink it. Usually we are talking about individual intolerance. A person simply cannot drink milk because of its specific taste and smell.

Lactose intolerance is not a reason to refuse the drink. Goat's milk is digested much better than cow's milk, so problems may not arise. But for some people, goat milk also causes health problems due to lactose intolerance. If characteristic symptoms are present, then it is better not to torture yourself and not drink the product.

Goat milk allergy is rare, but it does occur occasionally. Allergic reactions are usually present in young children. If such a problem occurs, then you should not consume milk.

The substance can be obtained from any food that contains milk. The list of products containing casein will look like this:

• goat or cow's whole milk - casein compounds in these drinks occupy about 80% of all proteins in the composition;
• milk from donkeys, sheep and buffaloes, the substance content in these drinks is slightly less, about 50% of the total protein;
• hard cheeses - Parmesan and Kostroma, Cheddar contain about 30% of the substance in the total volume of protein compounds;
• semi-hard and other cheeses contain a lot of slowly digestible protein in Roquefort and Bonbel, slightly lower than the amount of substance in sliced, young, soft varieties;
• natural cottage cheese, the casein content in dairy products depends, among other things, on the fat content; the higher the fat content of the fermented milk product, the more milk protein is present in it.

There is more casein in cheese and milk, much less in sour cream and kefir

The substance is found in kefir and yogurt, sour cream and cream, natural yoghurts. But such food should only be an addition to the main diet, since it is very difficult to compensate for the severe lack of protein.

Despite the fact that natural protein is necessary for the human body, not everyone is allowed to consume casein foods. It is necessary to give up protein compounds or reduce their consumption:

• with sluggish digestion and a tendency to constipation, excess protein foods in such cases are poorly perceived;
• during exacerbations of stomach ulcers, pancreatitis and gastritis, protein compounds and fats can aggravate the course of the disease;
• if you are prone to obesity, since the substance is digested slowly, food containing it can negatively affect metabolism and lead to weight gain.

If you are allergic to casein, it is better to avoid products containing it. The same should be done if you are lactose intolerant. Even if the protein itself does not cause an allergic reaction, natural cheeses, cottage cheese and milk will still lead to the development of negative symptoms.

The best sources of protein remain milk and hard cheeses. Other products contain too little casein compounds.

Sometimes, in the absence of an allergy to casein protein, a reaction to lactose may be present

Lactose intolerance

Lactose is the main type of carbohydrate in all milk from mammals, including humans, cows, goats, sheep and buffalo ().

It is a disaccharide made up of glucose and galactose, and your body needs the enzyme lactase to digest it. However, most people stop producing this enzyme after infancy, around age 2.

Thus, they become lactose intolerant and consuming lactose can cause symptoms such as bloating, flatulence, diarrhea and abdominal pain ().

People with lactose intolerance can control their symptoms by limiting the amount of lactose-containing foods they eat or following a lactose-free diet (,).

They can also take lactase supplements before consuming dairy products.

Summary:

Consumption of lactose may cause digestive problems in people with lactose intolerance. However, they can control their symptoms by limiting their lactose intake or following a lactose-free diet.

Does goat milk need to be boiled?

Opinions differ on whether milk should be boiled. There is no clear answer to this question. It is important to understand that boiling destroys most of the beneficial substances for which a person strives to consume goat milk.

But, on the other hand, the raw product may contain harmful bacteria. They can only be destroyed by heating. If you don’t want to boil milk, then you need to protect yourself in another way. The point is to purchase the drink only in trusted places. Children are advised to always boil milk.

Contraindications

There are no serious contraindications to taking goat's milk. But it must be remembered that when consuming goat milk alone, children in the first year of life may develop iron deficiency anemia. Goat milk contains virtually no iron or folic acid. Therefore, it is impossible to completely replace mother's milk or infant formula with goat's milk.

It is much healthier to drink unboiled milk, but if its quality is in doubt, then it is best to boil the milk to avoid diseases such as brucellosis.

To do this, you should purchase the product only in specialized stores or markets where veterinary control is carried out.

If the milk has an unpleasant odor, this indicates that the animal was kept in unfavorable unsanitary conditions. It is best to avoid taking such milk, as its taste and smell will be extremely unpleasant.

The difference between goat's milk and cow's milk

Goat's milk differs from cow's milk in composition. It contains more fat. The goat product contains 10 grams of fat per glass versus 8-9 in the cow product.

Goat milk proteins are lighter and easier to digest. It also does not contain the allergenic casein, which is found in cow products.

Goat milk contains less lactose. The product also contains more calcium, potassium, vitamins A and B, as well as other beneficial substances. Therefore, goat milk is considered more preferable for consumption. It is more beneficial than cow milk and does not cause allergies. Even people with lactose intolerance can often drink goat milk.

Dr. Komarovsky about lactase deficiency

Today every fifth child in Russia is treated for lactase deficiency. This diagnosis, which a decade and a half ago was considered only a scientific term that had little to do with practice, has now become more than popular. However, pediatricians have not come to a consensus, and therefore it is difficult to find a more controversial and incomprehensible issue regarding the health of infants. The famous children's doctor and author of books and articles, Evgeniy Olegovich Komarovsky, shares his opinion about lactase deficiency.

Rules for consuming products with casein

Casein protein in food will be beneficial and improve your well-being if you consume it in accordance with several recommendations:

1. On average, an adult needs to consume about 20 g of the substance per day. You can get this portion from 200 ml of milk or 300 g of full-fat cottage cheese. Athletes have a higher need for the substance, but for targeted muscle building they often use special sports supplements with casein.
2. To ensure that the substance is well absorbed by the body and does not cause harm, daily portions must be divided into several doses. It is recommended to take appropriate food in small amounts up to 5 times a day.
3. Excess protein foods are harmful to the body because they disrupt digestion and metabolism. The consumption of casein foods must be combined with the intake of fats and carbohydrates.
4. It should be remembered that dairy foods are not suitable for simultaneous consumption with vegetables and fruits. To avoid causing stomach upset, it is better to eat foods containing fiber and carbohydrates 3-4 hours after drinking milk or cottage cheese.
5. When compiling a diet, it is necessary to take into account not only the protein content of dairy foods, but also the total calorie content. Excess fatty cheeses or cottage cheese can lead to weight gain.

Foods high in casein protein are not recommended to be consumed immediately before bed; digestive processes will interfere with night's rest. It is better to drink a glass of milk or eat cottage cheese 1.5-2 hours before bedtime.

It is better to consume casein foods in small dosages on a full stomach.

Useful tips

When choosing dairy products, you must carefully read their composition. Even natural milk and cottage cheese do not always have the same benefits. You need to buy products that contain a minimum of sugar, preservatives, foreign additives and flavor enhancers.

It is not recommended to consume milk, cheeses and cottage cheese for breakfast. Apart from the fact that they create a burden for a hungry stomach, their benefits are minimal. Valuable lacto- and bifidobacteria are neutralized by large amounts of hydrochloric acid. It is best to eat protein foods an hour after your main breakfast or lunch.

Attention! Casein protein in products can be consumed simultaneously with aspirin, paracetamol and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. But medications based on penicillin and tetracycline must be taken separately from dairy products, otherwise their effectiveness will decrease.

When consuming casein foods, you need to monitor the balance of fats and carbohydrates