Best Milk In The Indian Market: Top 20 Milk Brands In India
Hello friends, welcome to My Herbal Hope Ayurvedic scriptures have glorified milk as a unique food with all the nutrients required to nourish your whole body. But how true is that for the commercial dairy we drink today? To answer this, I’ve researched and broken down all the milk available in the Indian market into four major categories.
Best Milk In The Indian Market
Category | Health Risks | Solutions |
Homogenized Milk | Potential health risks; inconclusive research. | Skip this type. |
Mixed Cow and Buffalo Milk Packets | Contains A1 protein, linked to health issues. Tested to be free of adulterants and heavy metals. | Not recommended due to A1 protein. |
A1 vs A2 Milk | A1 protein linked to diseases; A2 protein considered healthier. | Prefer A2 milk from desi cows. |
A2 Desi Cow Packets Milk | Healthier option with numerous benefits. | Recommended for health benefits. |
Milk Powders | Generally unhealthy due to additives. | Strict no-no. |
Vegan Milks | Often loaded with preservatives and costly; not equivalent to animal milk. | Better to make at home. |
Buffalo Milk | A2 type, healthier than A1 cow milk. | Better than A1 cow milk. |
Goat Milk | A2 type, beneficial for various health conditions. | Highly recommended for health. |
Camel Milk | A2 type, offers unique health benefits. | Highly recommended for health. |
A2 Desi Cow Milk from Local Farms | Highest quality milk, comparable to mother's milk as per Ayurvedic scriptures. | Best option; worth the higher price. |
What are the 4 types of milk?
Category 1: Homogenized Milk
Is homogenised milk good for health?
What’s the difference between homogenized milk and regular milk?
Category 2: Mixed Cow and Buffalo Milk Packets
Is toned milk good or bad?
One of the most popular and commonly used milk packets by Indians includes the mixed milk of cow and buffalo, which are packed as lame-toned or full-cream milk depending upon the fat percentage in it. These also include specific cow milk packets sold by some brands.
Adulteration Concerns
Adulteration has become a major concern for most people, particularly after a fake advisory report by WHO went viral in the media. Don’t be confused; FSSAI reports claim that 90% of milk in India is free from impurities. Nine popular brands of packaged milk were tested by an independent body in an NABL-accredited lab, which found that none of the brands had any adulterants or heavy metals present in them.
A1 vs A2 Milk: Is A2 milk better than A1 milk?
But does that mean these packet milks are good for health? Not really. That’s because of the A1 milk protein present in them.
What is A1 and A2 Milk?
Milk essentially has two types of proteins present in it: 80% casein protein and about 20% whey protein. Casein protein can be further divided into three types: alpha-casein, beta-casein, and kappa-casein. Beta-casein can be of A1 type or A2 type, depending upon the breed of cow that gave the milk. All foreign breeds like Jersey, Holstein, and Friesian have A1 type milk. The bad news is that A1 milk protein upon digestion produces a compound called BCM7, which has been linked to serious diseases, as confirmed by major health authorities across the globe.
No wonder you see a majority of lactose intolerance cases in America and certain documentaries pointing to the adverse effects of dairy in the diet. They are not talking about Indian desi cow milk but A1 milk, which is standard in the U.S. and other Western countries.
Best Desi Cow A2 Milk
Why is A2 milk healthier?
Our good old desi cow breeds like the Gir, Red Sindhi, Tharparkar, Sahiwal, and Kankrej, which have been carefully bred, have 100% A2 type milk. Due to its milk’s miraculous benefits, even Western countries are now aggressively importing them from India. So why are we Indians drinking the wrong milk? The popularity of foreign breeds in India is due to their capability to yield almost double the milk compared to the Indian breeds, and it all began during the White Revolution in the 1970s.
What’s sad is that even many goshalas are left with only foreign-breed cows. One should also understand that to make these foreign breeds of the colder environment adjust to the tropical Indian environment, it takes a lot in the form of hormonal injections and all that stuff. It is due to the adverse effect of this toxic A1 milk that you can see a clear wave of veganism in the West. Fortunately, we Indians always had a much better option, which we will discuss in the next category. Top 10 Best Milk In The Indian Market
Top 20 Milk Brands In India
Category 3: A2 Desi Cow Milk Packets
It’s important to understand that in Ayurvedic scriptures, whenever milk is referred to, it is always from the desi cow, not the exotic breed of milk that most of us consume these days. Desi cows are characterized by drooping ears, a large dewlap, and a fatty hump on their shoulders, which is known to concentrate the sun’s energy, referred to as Surya Ketunari in the Ayurvedic scriptures.
This gives the yellow color to the milk, making desi cow milk extremely rich in Vitamin D and also high in conjugated linoleic acid, which is sold as the number one supplement for fat loss.
Only after the West accepted the benefits of A2 milk did the Indian government take steps under the ‘Rashtriya Gokul Mission‘ to make desi cow milk available to the general public.
Major Brands Producing A2 Desi Cow Milk
Major brands in India produce milk with the cooperation of local farmers, who yield and submit the milk to the brand where it is tested, packed, and distributed. ‘Vita,’ for example, initiated by the Haryana government, where the ‘Sahiwal breed’ of desi cows is used to yield the milk, is one good option. Even Amul has started the supply of desi cow milk. Here are some more brands providing desi cow milk; you may find one near you. It is better not to drink milk at all than to drink milk that we have discussed in the previous categories. Better switch to these Best Milk In The Indian Market
Category 4: Which milk is better, buffalo or cow?
Indian buffalo milk is A2 milk and is recommended for people looking to put on weight. Although pure buffalo milk is much better than drinking A1 cow milk.
Category 5: Goat Milk and Camel Milk
The fifth category includes the less available but highly nutritious goat milk and camel milk, both of which find a glorious place in the Ayurvedic scriptures and are useful to mankind. Goat milk is medicinal in cough, TB, dengue, fevers, and infertility issues. Camel milk is highly regarded for boosting height and curing psoriasis. Both goat and camel milk are A2 type.
The Best Category: A2 Desi Cow Milk from Local Farms
Why A2 Desi Cow Milk is the Only Milk You Should Drink!
We must understand that yielding milk from an animal is not just another manufacturing process. It is all about how natural the environment is for the cow, what it is being fed, and whether there is any artificial insemination going on. This all decides the quality of its milk. That is where these small private farms, located all across India, are enthusiastically trying to yield and sell the authentic A2 desi cow milk shine.
Before you link local vendors to adulteration, I must tell you that this matter has been blown way out of proportion. Personally, I have been drinking A2 cow milk from local farms irrespective of living in a small town like Kakinada or a fast urban place like Delhi, and never have I faced any issues. It’s much better. If you so wish, you can even buy an easily available milk testing kit or do some basic tests at home to be sure of the milk that you buy from a local vendor. Let’s Find out the Best Milk In The Indian Market
Which is the best milk brand for kids and adults in India?
Definitely, the price of this milk is almost double that of packet milk, but it’s worth it. I firmly believe that you may drink less milk but drink quality milk. It is the milk of these Indian breed cows that has been compared to mother’s milk in the Ayurvedic scriptures. It’s been considered no less than an elixir.
How do you find a desi cow milk vendor? Well, it’s fairly easy. Barely takes one Google search and you will have quite a few options around you. I have linked some farms that are popular in major metro cities. You can contact them and buy as you wish. Let’s Find out the Best Milk In The Indian Market
Special Mentions:
Is milk powder better than milk?
Most milk powders are not only A1 milk-based but also have unwanted sugar and emulsifiers added to them, so they are a strict no-no.
Is Vegan milk healthier than cows milk?
Vegan milks or non-dairy milks like almond milk, coconut milk, soya milk, and rice milk are often loaded with preservatives and are too costly. Instead of wasting money on this, better make them at home. However, we must understand that these vegan milks are substitutes for smoothies, etc., and do not have similar properties as animal milk.
Conclusion: Best Milk In The Indian Market
The bottom line is that all the bad things you have ever heard about milk are not about milk in general but only about A1 milk. All the glorifying things in the Ayurvedic scriptures mentioned about milk are not about the milk that we drink in day-to-day life but are particularly about desi cow milk. Did You Find, Best Milk In The Indian Market?
If you are looking for a low-effort convenient option, go ahead with a desi cow milk packet. And if you can spend one hour finding the best desi cow milk vendor near you, nothing like it.
There is also a moral argument that cow milk is only for the calf. No doubt, it’s the calf’s first right to his mother’s milk. However, if you ask an experienced cow keeper, he will tell you that 50% of the milk produced by desi cows is sufficient for the calf, and the rest 50% may be used by humans.
Nowhere in the Ayurvedic scriptures is it mentioned that milk should be a mandatory part of the diet. It can, however, be used as the most powerful health supplement. If you wish to reap the magical benefits of milk, you must drink desi cow milk. Otherwise, it’s best to skip it altogether.
Top 20 Milk Brands In India: Best Milk In The Indian Market
