Cow milk vs buffalo milk- The difference
Milk is an excellent source of protein packed with nutrients like calcium, phosphorus B, vitamin D and potassium. Milk being rich in calcium, 2-3 servings of it is really beneficial for your bone health. Doctors advice drinking milk for a healthy body. But when it comes to choosing between cow and buffalo milk, it becomes a matter of confusion. Let’s have a look at both cow and buffalo milk.
Cow milk
Cow milk is a good source of protein and calcium. It also has whey and casein which plays a good role in lowering blood pressure. Other than this, cow milk also has CLA( Conjugated Linoleic Acid) which helps to lower blood cholesterol levels. A glass of cow milk daily improves not only your heart health but your overall health as well. It also contains magnesium which is essential for bone development and muscle function.
Buffalo milk
Buffalo milk has a higher fat, protein, lactose and mineral content and so is perfect for the production of fat based dairy products. The creamy texture makes it ideal for making butter, yoghurt and cream. The thick consistency, creamy texture and high fat content makes it the most flavoured and richest mouth feel.
To choose which one is better, we can differentiate between cow and buffalo milk on the basis of various factors as below:-
1.Texture and color
Buffalo milk is creamier and thicker while cow milk is light in texture. Cow milk is yellowish white in color while buffalo milk is creamish white in color i.e. Buffalo milk is slightly less yellow than cow milk.
2. Water content
The water content in cow milk is higher than buffalo milk and is ideal choice for anyone who’s looking to keep his/her body hydrated. Cow milk being easy to digest make it a better choice for children and older people.
3. Protein
The amount of protein in buffalo milk is higher as compared to cow milk.(10-11 percent more). Buffalo milk is better for option for people wanting to gain weight or for bodybuilders.
4. Consistency
The consistency of buffalo milk is more than that of cow milk i.e. buffalo milk is thicker. Higher fat percentage makes it more thick and consistent.
5. Fat
The fat percentage of buffalo milk is more than cow milk. Buffalo milk contains 7-8 percent fat while cow milk contains 3-4 percent fat.( The high percentage of fat in buffalo milk makes it more consistent.)
6. Sulphur
Cow milk is rich in sulphur – an essential element for boosting brain activity.
7. Easy to digest
Buffalo milk is heavy and so takes little more time to digest. On the other hand, cow milk is low in calories and takes less time to digest. The low fat content of cow’s milk makes it lighter. As compared to buffalo milk the fat and protein of cow’s milk are easily digestible. The buffalo milk on the other hand is rich in hand tough for children’s to digest.
8. Overall nutrition report
The vitamin content in cow milk is higher whereas buffalo milk has more calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium.
9. Feeling of fullness
Buffalo milk being high in protein and fat, lactose than whole cow’s milk. Consuming milk with higher protein content makes you feel full. It digests slowly and induces a feeling of fullness for long time.
10. Cholesterol
Buffalo milk is great choice for people suffering from obesity, PCOD and kidney problems as it is low in cholesterol. Buffalo’s milk has a low cholesterol 8mg/100g as compared to cow milk which has a cholesterol of 14mg/100g.
11. Preservation
Buffalo milk can be preserved for longer period of time. On the other hand, cow milk should be consumed within 1 or 2 days.
12. Usage
Being more consistent, buffalo milk is good for preparation of cottage cheese, khoa, malai, ghee and dahi whereas cow milk being less thick is used for preparing sweets.
Ayurveda’s Take
Ayurveda considers both forms of milk as strength providers. Both gives cooling effects by helping relieve the burning sensation and by calming pitta dosh. Although both are cooling but cow’s milk calms pitta dosh and helps to improve digestion buffalo milk’s might create problem by increasing kappha dosh.
Which one is better?
Both cow and buffalo milk are highly nutritious although buffalo is slightly high in calories and nutrients and that because it contains more percentage of protein and fat. If you want to have more nutritious milk, then you must go for buffalo milk but if you are someone who is on a weight loss plan, and wants to have easily digestible milk with pack of nutrients, then the preferred option is cow milk.
Milk being an important part of diet, be it cow or buffalo milk, make sure to add it in your daily routine.
