Dairy Fat Profiles

Diet and Nutrition
1

I had a discussion with a friend recently on nutrition. In it, there were a lot of thoughts on fat profiles of dairy, which are usually thought not to be so healthy I think.

However, he mentioned that feta for example, being from sheep’s milk, had much healthier fat profiles.

Now, I know that is very likely the case in our home country, Iceland, since sheep there do a lot of grazing, and especially during the summer, their milk should be rich with good stuff like omega-3’s and some CLA probably, basically in better proportions than most cows milk.

After thinking about this, I was wondering if this was something generally known, or thought about – I mean, I could easily switch to organic sheep milk yoghurt, from organic cow milk yoghurt, if the fat is healthier, but the taste is slightly different of course.

Anyone have any thoughts on this issue?

2

The fat in goat’s milk has more short and medium chain fatty acids…basically heathier than cows milk. And the higher CLA which is a benefit when it’s naturally occuring. Twice the protein of cows milk as well. Also richer in vitamins A, B, and E, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium. Sounds good to me, if you can get it, it seems definately worth the effort.

3

The fat in goat’s milk has more short and medium chain fatty acids…basically heathier than cows milk. And the higher CLA which is a benefit when it’s naturally occuring. Twice the protein of cows milk as well. Also richer in vitamins A, B, and E, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium. Sounds good to me, if you can get it, it seems definately worth the effort.

4

I know that the organic grass fed, raw milk and cheese that I consume has a better fat profile and more protein than store-bought milk, which means more CLA and omega 3’s and less omega 6, which is a good thing since a lot of the milk from grain-fed cows is higher in omega 6. And just because it says “organic” doesn’t mean it’s not fed grain. Store bought organic milk that is pasteurized usually comes from cows who are fed both grass and grains, so, depending on which farm it comes from, it might be lower in omega 6 and higher in CLA, etc. Ideally, you’d want milk that comes from grass fed cows. This is why I think raw milk is much better, if you can get it, since our government loves banning things that are healthy for you.

[quote]steinnes wrote:
I had a discussion with a friend recently on nutrition. In it, there were a lot of thoughts on fat profiles of dairy, which are usually thought not to be so healthy I think.

However, he mentioned that feta for example, being from sheep’s milk, had much healthier fat profiles.

Now, I know that is very likely the case in our home country, Iceland, since sheep there do a lot of grazing, and especially during the summer, their milk should be rich with good stuff like omega-3’s and some CLA probably, basically in better proportions than most cows milk.

After thinking about this, I was wondering if this was something generally known, or thought about – I mean, I could easily switch to organic sheep milk yoghurt, from organic cow milk yoghurt, if the fat is healthier, but the taste is slightly different of course.

Anyone have any thoughts on this issue?[/quote]