Natural Goat Milk Toddler Milk Stage 3 Olive Oil

Milk covers a lot of ground, from everyday drinking milk to sports protein, kids' calcium powders and lactoferrin. So the first question our naturopaths ask is which of those you're actually after.

A good fit if

• You want an easy everyday source of calcium, protein, iodine, riboflavin and B12
• You do resistance training and want a simple protein, since milk protein matched native whey in trials
• You're choosing a lactoferrin or calcium-fortified milk powder for a child, where the evidence is stronger than it is for adults
• Ordinary milk upsets your stomach and you want to work out whether it's the lactose or the protein

Check with us first if

• You're adding a milk-calcium powder on top of a separate calcium supplement, since the combined upper limit is 2,500 mg a day
• You're comparing whey brands on leucine content, since two separate trials found no strength advantage for native whey over ordinary milk protein
• You're buying a lactoferrin or colostrum product for immune support as an adult, since the evidence in adults is weak or shows no effect
• You expect whey protein to be lactose-free, since Australian rules require oral whey listed medicines to include lactose as an ingredient
• You also take kelp, iodine drops or another iodine supplement, since milk is already a major everyday source of iodine
• If you take prescription medicines, check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before starting

• Fresh or UHT cow's milk. Best known for: The whole food. It's regulated as a food, not under Schedule 1, and it's the most nutrient-dense drink tested against plant alternatives. Absorption: Iodine absorption measured 91%, 72% and 98% on three separate days in one trial, and it had the highest calculated protein quality of any drink compared. Typical use: Everyday calcium, protein, iodine, riboflavin and B12.
• Skim or nonfat dry milk powder. Best known for: The fat is removed, so protein and calcium are more concentrated, and it keeps well on the shelf. Absorption: Not tested separately; assumed similar to fresh milk for the nutrients it keeps. Typical use: A calcium and protein top-up, and the base for most fortified milk powders in this range.
• Goat milk. Best known for: A different casein make-up from cow's milk, sold as an alternative for people who find cow's milk uncomfortable. Absorption: One randomised trial in 218 infants found growth and tolerance equal to cow's milk formula over 112 days. Typical use: Here it's mostly used as an infant formula base. There's no adult tolerance trial, so the claim that it's 'easier to digest' for adults isn't supported.
• A2-only milk. Best known for: Contains only the A2 type of beta-casein, so digestion can't produce beta-casomorphin-7. Absorption: Debated. A 45-person trial found less discomfort and faster gut transit than ordinary milk; a larger 2025 trial found very few symptoms on both. Typical use: Worth trying if ordinary milk upsets you, but it isn't a settled answer yet.
• Lactose-free milk. Best known for: The lactose is broken down with an enzyme before you drink it, so it can't ferment in your gut. Absorption: Breath hydrogen testing shows how much lactose is actually left in it. Typical use: The first thing to try if your symptoms come from lactose rather than milk protein.
• Whey protein or whey powder. Best known for: Digests quickly and is rich in leucine. By law, lactose must be an ingredient when it's an oral listed medicine. Absorption: Matched ordinary milk protein for real-world strength gains in two separate trials, despite the extra leucine. Typical use: Muscle strength alongside resistance training. Without training, it did little on its own in people over 60.
• Casein or calcium caseinate. Best known for: Digests slowly; it clots in the stomach and releases protein over a longer time. Absorption: Matched whey and beta-lactoglobulin for net protein balance in a small trial on how the body uses protein. Typical use: Steady or overnight protein.
• Milk-calcium powders. Best known for: Calcium in a milk powder base, heavily marketed for children's bone development. Absorption: We found no absorption trial specific to milk calcium in the evidence we checked. Typical use: Marketed for bone development, though that claim belongs to the calcium, not to milk itself.
• Lactoferrin or colostrum-fortified milk powders. Best known for: Adds isolated lactoferrin or colostrum from cows to a milk powder base, usually for kids. Absorption: Lactoferrin cut respiratory infections in babies and children but showed no effect in adults; colostrum showed little measurable effect on immune markers in athletes. Typical use: Marketed for children's immune support. Colostrum and IgG powders must carry a warning about use under 12 months.

Reference values. Milk doesn't have a recommended intake of its own, but it's a major source of several nutrients that do. NHMRC calcium recommendations (RDIs) run from 500 mg a day for children aged 1 to 3 up to 1,300 mg a day for teenagers, women over 50 and men over 70. Iodine RDIs run from 90 µg a day for young children to 150 µg a day for most adults, rising to 270 µg a day while breastfeeding.

Typical supplemental range. In the trials we looked at, 500 mL of cow's milk gave about 24 g of protein and a similar amount of lactose. The milk powders in this range are usually 1 to 2 g sachets built around one active, like lactoferrin, calcium or IgG, and that's a fortifying dose, not a protein dose. Some powders add extra calcium or lactoferrin on top. Sports whey and milk-protein tubs run 20 to 30 g a serve, close to the 20 to 40 g a day used in the muscle and blood-pressure trials.

Upper level. The NHMRC upper limit for calcium is 2,500 mg a day for all adults, mainly so it doesn't interfere with how you absorb zinc and iron. The iodine upper limit is 1,100 µg a day for adults 19 and over, and lower for teenagers and in pregnancy. Riboflavin and vitamin B12 have no set upper limit, and no side effects have been linked to normal intakes of either.

Worth knowing. What you need depends on your age, diet and health, so talk to one of our naturopaths.

Food first, where the diet allows it.

• Cow's milk: more calcium, iodine, protein and several B vitamins than most plant-based drinks tested, with the highest calculated protein quality of the group
• Goat milk: A different casein profile; used as an infant-formula base with growth outcomes equivalent to cow-milk formula in one trial
• Soy drink: the only plant-based drink in one comparison to match milk's protein content
• Other plant-based drinks (almond, oat, rice, coconut): most contain 1% protein or less and aren't considered good protein sources on their own
• Vitamin D-fortified milk: raised blood vitamin D levels significantly across pooled trials, though the size of the effect depends on how much was added

If any of these sound like you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before you start.

• Diagnosed cow's milk protein allergy. This is an immune reaction to milk protein, estimated to affect 0.5 to 3% of infants at one year of age, and it can include anaphylaxis. Avoid milk completely.
• Cow's milk allergy is over-diagnosed in babies. Loose stools, not wanting to feed or the occasional spot of blood in the stool are common on their own and don't confirm it. Get it checked rather than cutting out dairy on a guess.
• Babies under 12 months. Bovine colostrum powder, bovine whey Ig-rich fraction and alpha casozepine enriched hydrolysed milk protein all carry a compulsory Australian label warning against use under 12 months without a health professional's advice.
• Lactose intolerance. It depends on the amount and isn't dangerous. Most people manage about 12 g at once and up to 24 g a day spread out; symptoms are common above that.
• Taking a milk-calcium product with a separate calcium supplement. The NHMRC sets a combined upper level of 2,500 mg a day for all adults.
• Taking kelp, iodine drops or another iodine supplement on top of a diet high in milk. Milk is already a major everyday source of iodine.
• Expecting whey protein to be lactose-free. Australian law makes lactose a compulsory ingredient in oral whey listed medicines; truly lactose-free whey is sold as a food, not a listed medicine.
• If you take prescription medicines, check with your doctor, pharmacist or one of our naturopaths before you start.