My practice is full of children with dairy allergies and a common question is for parents to ask me about alternatives to cow dairy and how their children can get enough calcium in their diet. My favorite recommendation for those who are cow dairy sensitive is to give your children goat milk. Goat milk is terrific, even if you are an adult who gets lots of mucus when drinking cow milk, there is less of a problem with goat milk. As a food, goat milk is very close in structure to human breast milk which is one of the greatest benefits for those allergic to other dairy products. Goat milk has slightly more calcium, less lactose, more vitamins A, B, and riboflavin than cow's milk. It has only slightly less casein than cows milk, a protein that affects some allergic children or some kids who are autistic so be careful if your child is one of those.
There are many goat products out there including delicious cheeses, yogurt, butter and milk. I haven't found goat ice cream or sour cream but the other selections are a good start. One thing about goat milk is that the fats are very homogenized into the milk so that fattier foods made out of goat milk are difficult to come by since the goat milk fat does not rise to the surface easily. Thus the scarcity of ice cream, sour cream and whipping cream. It also explains why butter usually prices out at about $12 a pound. But for those kids out there who gets asthma, eczema, frequent ear, sinus or throat infections goat dairy products are a very good option for many. Some lactose intolerant people can also tolerate more goat milk product than cow milk products. Incidentally, most lactose intolerant people will be able to tolerate yogurt because the fermentation process breaks down the sugar in the milk thus not leaving your digestive system the task.
So, if your kids are allergic or sensitive to cow milk the first thing to try is goat milk which is readily available at Safeway, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's in California. Here is a link to a large producer of goat milk just in case you live outside of California and need a vendor. Remember, goat milk is not a casein free product so if your child is on a casein free diet, this is not a choice for him.
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