Grass-Fed Milk: Benefits & Nutrition

Grass-fed milk is milk derived from cows that are fed an almost 100% forage-based diet. 

Forage includes grass (annual and perennial), herbs, browse, or cereal grain crops in the vegetative (pre-grain) state. 

Grass-fed cows are not fed any grains or grain byproducts and must be fed with only forage for their lifetime. The cows also need to have access to pastures during the growing season.

Grass-fed milk is considered healthier than regular milk. Grass-fed milk offers nutritional benefits because it is rich in several antioxidants that protect the body against chronic diseases such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and cancer.

Conventional milk cows are fed with grains and grain byproducts instead of purely forage, which can have a considerable effect on the quality of the meat and milk.

Studies report that grass-fed milk has a higher content of heart-healthy fats, namely omega-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic), vaccenic acid, and conjugated linoleic acid. Omega-3 fatty acids play important roles in lowering inflammation and reducing oxidative stress, regulating blood cholesterol levels, and improving heart and brain health. 

Grass-fed milk also has lower amounts of omega-6 fatty acids and palmitic acid, which have been linked to chronic inflammation and poor cardiovascular health. Foods with a low omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio are considered healthy, and grass-fed milk has the lowest (0.95) omega-6 to omega-3 ratio when compared to both organic milk (2.28) and conventional milk (5.77). 

Organic milk is not necessarily grass-fed milk. 

Organic milk simply refers to milk from cows that have been fed organic, pesticide-free feed and have not been administered hormones or antibiotics. 

In the same way, grass-fed milk is not necessarily organic because organic farming practices must be followed in order to be labeled organic.

Grass-fed milk is more expensive because it costs more to raise the cows. Some brands of grass-fed milk are 2-3 times more expensive than regular milk.

However, grass-fed milk is not necessarily that much healthier than regular milk, since they do not differ significantly in nutritional content. So if your budget is tight, regular milk will still provide you with nutrients needed to maintain good health.