Although similar in taste and appearance, cow's milk and goat's milk differ in their levels of nutrients. Goat's milk also lacks lactalbumin, a protein found in cow's milk that is responsible for the allergic response that many small children have to milk. Significant nutritional differences also exist. Since both have their respective nutritional strengths and weaknesses, you should consider each nutrient separately when deciding which milk is right for you.
Calories and Fat
One cup of goat's milk has 168 calories and 10.1 g fat, 6.5 g of which comes from saturated fat. Like foods that are high in saturated fat, it is also relatively high in cholesterol, with 27 mg of cholesterol.
One cup of whole milk from a cow with added vitamin A has 149 calories and 7.9 g fat. Although it has fewer calories than goat's milk, whole cow's milk is lower in both saturated fat and cholesterol, with 4.5 g and 24 mg, respectively. Non-fat cow's milk has only 83 calories per cup. With only 0.13 g of saturated fat and 5 mg of cholesterol, it is a more heart-healthy choice than either goat's milk or whole cow's milk.
Protein
Goat's milk and cow's milk are both good sources of protein. The protein content of goat's milk is not substantially different from cow's milk. One cup of goat's milk has 8.69 g of protein, while whole and non-fat cow's milk have 8.26 g and 7.69 g, respectively. In a July 2006 study published in the "Journal of Dairy Science," S.M. Rutherford of Massey University found that goat's milk infant formula and cow's milk infant formula were both easily digested by baby pigs and had a similar protein quality.
Minerals
Goat's milk and and cow's milk have their relative strengths and weaknesses in respect to mineral content. With 327 mg of calcium per cup, goat's milk is preferable to whole cow's milk which has 276 mg. Goat's milk also has slightly more iron than cow' milk, although neither has an appreciable amount.
Cow's milk has more selenium with 9 mg, compared to the 3.4 mg found in goat's milk. The potassium content of goat's milk is also higher, with 498 mg compared to the 322 mg in whole milk.
Vitamins
Goat's milk and cow's milk both have little vitamin C or E. Both have approximately similar amounts of thiamin, sufficient to satisfy approximately 10 percent of the daily value. Likewise, they have identical amounts of vitamin D. However, cow's milk has 18 percent more riboflavin than goat's milk -- enough to satisfy 32 percent of the daily value. Likewise, whole cow's milk has six times the amount of folate found in goat's milk. On the other hand, with 483 IU vitamin A, goat's milk has 18 percent more vitamin A than cow's milk.
References
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Milk, nonfat, fluid, with added vitamin A and vitamin D
- USDA: Goat Milk
- "Journal of Dairy Science"; True Ileal Amino Acid Digestibility of Goat and Cow Milk Infant Formulas; S.M. Rutherfurd, et al.; July, 2006
- USDA: Milk, Whole, 3.25% Milkfat, with Added Vitamin D
- University of California at Davis: The Dairy Research & Information Center: Dairy Goat Milk Composition
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