HAPPY GIR COWS…. offer more nutritious milk, the GoVeda Farms in Bicholim are retailing one liter Gir cow’s milk in glass bottles at Rs 130.

By Tara Narayan

OFF late with the rainy weather and my changing daily routine I have been missing out on my daily morning outing to pick up for newspapers, milk, bread, veggies from the early morning pavement vendors market outside the main Panaji market. So when I miss out on the milk I take a short cut to Delphinos at Taleigao to pick up this Rs130 litre bottle of “Desi Gir Cow Milk A2 B Casein Protein” milk, it’s a large glass bottle and I’m a real sucker for glass bottles instead of plastic packaging! Come and give me all your beautiful glass bottles, I wonder why nobody has started a museum for glass bottles through the ages, think about it, there’s money in it if you are interested in these hard times…you can say something like, “Would you like to come up and see my glass bottles?!” Transparent, translucent, green, amber, yellow, blue…oh, the so beautiful indigo bottles, etc.
Well, the Goa Dairy and other branded milk versions are homogenized (also toned, double-toned intense heat, I don’t think milk remains milk after that but becomes more like a deadweight poison). I gave them up for I prefer just the regular pasteurized milks and sometimes Warana cow’s milk now at Rs24 half litre pouch is good for me. Prices of milk have gone up again and not that I am any great fan of dairy milk, but we’re still tea-drinkers at home and so a certain amount of milk I do buy and once I made the curd at home, but have stopped for some time. Must start again.
TO stay with my new find of this bottled Desi Gir unpasteurized cow’s milk fresh, stocks come every now and again and I have been wondering about the milk; the instructions are to boil the milk once I break the seal. Upon boiling I find it is rather a thin cow’s milk and have to use double the quantity to make my usual tea with grated ginger or tulsi or mint leaves simmering it for a while…one may return the bottle to get a rebated price although I haven’t done it, three 1-litre bottles are languishing with me.
Desi Gir cow milk has calcium, phosphorus, rich fats, potassium which reportedly helps maintain blood pressure, it also contains something called conjugated linoleic acid which is an important acid that lowers bad cholesterol, improving overall heart health. It’s costly of course at Rs130 liter. The milk is said to contain two protein groups, casein and whey protein and so a superior milk vis-à-vis other cows of no pedigree.
These Gir cows are considered to be desi or native pedigreed and the best milkers, they also come with names like Kathiawari, Surti, Desan and there are also breeds like Sahiwal, Bir, Rathi, Tharparkar, Red Sindhi. Better milk it may be but remember even the American Academy of Paediatrics says cow’s milk may not be fed to your child if less than a year. Only breast milk is best first six months to a year. The closest to human breast milk is coconut milk in case you’re interested.
There are of course cows and cows and it seems hybrid cows like Jersey, Holstein, Friesian, Ayrshire and Guensey produce milk which has both A1 and A2 beta casein protein. But it is A2 cow milk which has been gaining popularity in our health-conscious urban cities in recent times due to the search for better health and nutritional benefits. A2 beta casein protein in the milk breaks down into amino acids for quick digestion, improves overall health. Also essential vitamins like A, D and B12 are there for bone health, teeth, etc. Reap better immunity, metabolism…the omega 3 fatty acids are for mental health!
All this notwithstanding be warned that we are the only animals who think we may drink another mammal’s milk for its babies and the dairy industry is so gross and cruel that even the Western world the sensible and intelligent are shunning dairy products, which are seen as producing more phlegm and at least in the monsoon and winter months we are warned not to patronise too much dairy – lactose intolerance has been linked to it, obesity, higher bone fractures, higher cholesterol, increased prostate cancer risk, prevalence of acne, risk of ovarian cancer.
In Ayurveda of course dairy milk is sacrosanct and prescribed within limit to all as warm, sedative and all-purpose food. Drink a cup of warm desi cow’s milk before retiring for the milk (some patients at the GMC get this as food supplement). Also, it’s a story of using cow’s ghee only! Though I think much of it in the marketplace adulterated.
THIS is to say check out this GoVeda Farms Gir cow milk “containing B-casein protein.” I believe quite a few mothers are using it for their babies if their breast milk is not up to the mark. You must boil the milk before consumption. Label on bottle says, “Our cows graze freely on nutritionally rich, organically grown fodder, clean water and milk enriching herbs like shatavari, ashvagandha and jivanti. A2 – milk procured from our happy, loved and nurtured Gir cows is pure, unpasteurized and easy to digest. We serve it to you in an eco-friendly sterilized milk bottle only after the calf has had its fill.” Store at minus 4 degree Celsius, boil before consumption and use within four days from day of packing. Some nutritional details are also listed.
Yes, if you return the bottles you get a Rs20 discount on each bottle.