Nutritionally, cow and goat milk are very much alike. The biggest difference is in the size of the fat molecules; goat milk molecules are smaller than cow milk molecules. This may make goat’s milk easier to digest. Goat milk is said to have less lactose (less sweet), but that depends on the breed of goat and factors in the Goat's diet.

Goats can have a wide range of flavors of milk, which is based on the breed. The food eaten always affects the flavor of both cow and goat milk. One of the big subjects today is whether a cow’s milk is A2 protein or A1. Pure-bred jersey cows are A2, as are Brown Swiss and any old breed, non-hybridized cow breed. Goats always produce A2 milk. This is most likely because no one has hybridized them to produce more milk. Over-bred Holsteins are the cows normally associated with A1 protein, which is harder to digest and can cause digestive problems. Holsteins produce less cream. This watery nature of A1 whole milk is one way to tell if a cow’s milk is A1. However, only a scientific test can be certain. Any plant or animal that is over-bred (over-hybridized) will be weaker, the more that it is hybridized.

With foods, the nutrition is degraded. A small amount of hybridization, for example to get bigger fruit through simple cross breeding of plants with larger fruit, has little effect on nutrition. The soil quality is the biggest issue where nutrition is concerned.