Nourishing goat’s milk

Goat’s milk is healthy (the fat globules are smaller than those in cow’s milk and don’t form fatty deposits in the arteries), is easily digested (someone with a stomach ulcer can usually still drink goat’s milk), rarely causes an allergic reaction (partly because it contains 89% less casein than cow’s milk), and it can be used to make ice cream, yoghurt and cheese.

A comparison between goat’s milk and human breast milk shows the following: • The total fat content is almost the same.

• Goat’s milk consists of 25% protein compared to 7% in breast milk. • Goat’s milk contains more calcium and phosphorus than human infants need, but these would have no adverse effect on a baby. • In poor countries where meat consumption is low and cow’s milk is either unavailable or too expensive, goat’s milk provides daily intake of protein, phosphorus and calcium – and not just for infants.

Hannes van der Westhuizen from Middelpos in the Karoo with the herd of about 200 goats that provide the milk for the award-winning Middelpos cheeses. His father Jack started farming with goats on a small scale because as a baby Hannes was allergic to...