Goat Milk
Serving sizes
Goat Milk changes rating with portion size. These are the amounts tested in the literature behind our ratings.
- About 1½ tablespoons (30mL)
- Larger portions
- Much larger portions
Goat milk is High FODMAP at a usual serving, though about 1½ tablespoons (30mL) is low, because of its Lactose.
- Goat milk is low at about 1½ tablespoons (30mL).
- Its Lactose builds as the pour grows, so it turns moderate at larger portions and high at much larger portions, much like cow's milk.
Save a small splash of goat milk for coffee or cooking, and reach for a lactose-free milk when you want a full pour.
Why goat milk is rated high
Goat milk is rated high. It is often sold as the gentler dairy, but in FODMAP terms it carries lactose much like cow's milk does, and lactose is the only mechanism at work here. It climbs in three steps: about 1½ tablespoons (30mL) is low, larger portions are moderate, and much larger portions are high. A glass of it is where the high rating comes from. The useful part is that first rung, because about 1½ tablespoons (30mL) of goat milk is low, so goat milk as a flavour in something is a different proposition from goat milk as a drink.
What changes your risk
- Serving size The lever that decides everything. About 1½ tablespoons (30mL) is low, larger portions are moderate, and much larger portions are high, and nothing about the goat changes that climb.
- The gentler dairy reputation Goat milk is widely described as easier going than cow's milk, but its lactose load is comparable, so swapping cow for goat does not solve a lactose problem.
- Lactose-free dairy Lactose-free milk is ordinary dairy with the lactase enzyme added so the lactose is already split. It is genuinely low in lactose, and it is not dairy-free and not suitable for a milk allergy.
- Stacking lactose Goat milk in a coffee, goat yoghurt at lunch and ordinary milk or ice cream later add to one lactose total for the day, so the largest serving is the one worth swapping first and spreading servings out helps.
- Ageing, not heating Hard, aged goat cheeses lose nearly all their lactose in the making, which is why they behave so differently from the milk. Heating, boiling or simmering the milk itself changes nothing, since heat does not break lactose down.
Swaps
For anything you pour, lactose-free milk is the swap that actually works, on cereal, in coffee, in porridge and in a white sauce, because the lactose has already been split by the added enzyme. If it is the tangy goat flavour you want rather than the liquid, aged firm goat cheese shaved or crumbled over the dish brings it without the lactose load, and hard cheeses such as cheddar, parmesan and swiss do the same job in cooking. What will not help is moving sideways within the same problem: goat cream, ordinary cow's milk, ordinary yoghurt and ice cream all carry lactose too.
How to lower the load
If you keep goat milk for its flavour, keep it for the places about 1½ tablespoons (30mL) covers and pour lactose-free milk everywhere else, rather than trying to ration one carton across the whole day. Buying the smallest bottle helps, since goat milk is usually bought in a smaller size anyway and a large open carton tends to get used up in glasses. In cooking, make the sauce or the porridge with lactose-free milk and finish with a little goat cheese for the flavour you were chasing. Ordering out, treat a goat milk latte as a full pour rather than an addition, and ask whether lactose-free milk is available instead.
Common questions
is goat milk low fodmap
No. Goat milk is rated high overall because of its lactose. It does start lower, with about 1½ tablespoons (30mL) reading low before it climbs to moderate and then high.
is goat milk easier to tolerate than cow's milk on a low fodmap diet
Not in FODMAP terms. Its lactose is comparable to cow's milk, so it climbs the same way and a full glass lands high.
how much goat milk can i have on a low fodmap diet
About 1½ tablespoons (30mL) is low. Larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high.
what about goat cheese instead of goat milk
Hard, aged goat cheeses lose nearly all their lactose during ripening, so they are the better way to get the flavour. Fresh, unripened goat cheese keeps some lactose and is a portion to respect rather than a free swap.
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Where this rating comes from
Goat Milk is rated from published lab measurements of its FODMAP content, using the low, moderate and high cutoffs of Varney et al. (2017).
Feedback sent through the FODMAP Foods app has led to changes in this list.
Sources
- Fructan and free fructose content of common Australian vegetables and fruit. Muir et al. (2007), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55(16):6619-6627.
- Measurement of short-chain carbohydrates in common Australian vegetables and fruits by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Muir et al. (2009), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 57(2):554-565.
- Quantification of fructans, galacto-oligosaccharides and other short-chain carbohydrates in processed grains and cereals. Biesiekierski et al. (2011), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 24(2):154-176.
- Dietary sorbitol and mannitol: food content and distinct absorption patterns between healthy individuals and patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Yao et al. (2014), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 27(Suppl 2):263-275.
- FODMAPs: food composition, defining cutoff values and international application. Varney et al. (2017), J. Gastroenterology and Hepatology 32(Suppl 1):53-61. Supplies the low, moderate and high cutoffs used on this page.
Informational only, not medical advice. Individual tolerance varies. Talk to a healthcare professional or a dietitian for personal guidance.