Have you noticed that some children can’t get enough cow’s milk? It’s the first drink they ask for and it’s often difficult to convince them to have water instead of milk.

Well, there’s a chemical reason for this. It’s called casomorphin addiction.

Cow’s milk contains casein molecules. Casein is a slow-digesting dairy protein. The casein molecules are actually micelles. Micelles are lipid (fatty acid) molecules that arrange themselves in a spherical form in aqueous solutions. 

When the micelles in cow's milk enter the stomach, they break down into casein and whey.

Casomorphin is an opioid (resembling opium) peptide (protein fragment) derived from the digestion of the milk protein casein. As the name suggests, casomorphin is a casein-derived morphine-like compound. Basically, dairy protein has opiate molecules built in. When consumed, these fragments attach to the same brain receptors that heroin and other narcotics attach to. The body then wants more and more of the same thing and craves more cow’s milk.

Casomorphin creation from cow’s milk consumption is a common problem in children with cognitive and behavioral issues and can increase their symptoms.

Why Camel Milk Doesn’t Cause This Problem

Camel milk micelles have been found to be larger in size than those of cow's milk or human milk. 1

Camel milk has a lower pH than other milk, so when it enters the stomach the casein molecules do not breakdown into casein and whey and therefore do not break into casomorphins. 2

This is just one of the many reasons why camel milk is a better milk for children to drink.

Some parents opt to give their children plant milks. Unfortunately, plant milks are not real milk and contain many additives, and even sugar, to make them seem like milk.

Real dairy products are an important part of a child’s diet because in addition to providing carbohydrate, protein, and sometimes fat, they provide a wealth of vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin D.

It’s important for children to have real dairy in their diet, but cow’s milk is not the best option. The best option for real dairy for kids is camel milk.

Camelicious is 100% whole camel milk powder and doesn’t contain any additives. It’s a light milk and similar in taste to cow’s milk, but it does have its own distinctive taste – a bit saltier and a bit sweeter than cow’s milk. Camel milk doesn’t have the strong taste of goat or sheep milk.

Camelicious camel milk powder can be added to water to make a milk drink or added to a smoothie to make it richer and creamier. Adding some natural cacao makes a tasty chocolate milk drink.

References:

1. Sequence analysis of Camelus dromedarius milk caseins. Journal of Dairy Research (1998) 65 209-222. Kappeler, S., Farah, Z., Puhan Z.

 2. The Medical Benefits of Camel’s Milk, Barry Smeltzer, PA-C, Healing Provisions.