Editorial

3 Healthy alternatives to cow milk

As a parent, you may wonder from time to time whether cow’s milk is the only option you may have especially if your little one has not taken well to

  • PublishedMarch 29, 2017

As a parent, you may wonder from time to time whether cow’s milk is the only option you may have especially if your little one has not taken well to the bovine supplement. Here are some options you may want to explore whether it is a health crisis you are trying to mitigate or simply looking for diversity in your child’s diet.

Goat milk:

It is the second most popular animal milk option in Kenya. Goat milk has higher content in terms of fats compared to cow’s milk. Before you panic, this is actually a good thing where infants are concerned or if you have children who feed poorly. Fat is needed in the infant development process as they experience rapid growth and it is key in the neurological development process. It also contains more calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, protein, vitamin A and vitamin D than cow milk. It, however, does not contain iron, folic acid or vitamin B12. Consider other ways of supplementing these in your child’s diet.

Camel milk:

Its composition is said to be close to breast milk. While it has lower fat content compared to goat and cow milk, its components also maintain optimum neurological development in infants. It is also the best option for children who are lactose intolerant and those who have autism as it contains gut-friendly proteins that do not interfere with children’s brain function compared to cow’s milk. It also contains vitamins and minerals. Camel milk strengthens the immune system, helps in repairing damaged liver and keeps conditions such as type 1 diabetes in check. Some countries use it to deal with tuberculosis and symptoms of HIV/AIDS.

Sheep milk:

Sheep milk, though not popular, is actually very healthy compared to cow and goat milk in terms of protein content. It also has a higher content of carbohydrates, fat, vitamin B12, vitamin C, folic acid, magnesium and calcium. Sheep milk is believed to contain cancer-fighting nutrients. It does, however, contain more lactose compared to cow and goat milk and not recommended for children suffering from lactose intolerance. Experts, though, caution against drinking it raw as it has a higher chance of containing the E-Coli bacteria some of whose strains may be fatal.

Published April 2017

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