Milk and dairy products are an important part of our daily diet. Most of our calcium intake come from milk and dairy products which we consume everyday. Calcium is said to also help lower blood pressure and may also reduce your risk of colon cancer.
Besides calcium, milk also provides protein, vitamin D, vitamin B2 and has been said to contain anti-carcinogens such as conjugated linoleic acid and butyric acid.
Calcium is essential for strong, healthy teeth and bones. Children at the age of 11 to 19 require calcium the most as 50% of our bones are formed during this period. But even after the bones have stopped growing calcium will still be required for growing strong and dense bones. Calcium is just as important for adults to prevent diseases like osteoporosis.
Unlike our counterparts in Western countries, south-east asians like Malaysian are less likely to consume a cup of milk during their meals. However, you can still get sufficient calcium by ensuring that you have the proper intake of dairy products teh tarik, fruit yogurt, cheeseburger, ice cream and pizza.
For people who are allergic to milk or are lactose intolerant, their source of calcium will have to come from other types of food. However it is more difficult to get calcium from alternative foods as foods other than milk and dairy products may contain smaller amounts of calcium. You can get calcium from fish and vegetables like spinach, broccoli and beans. Alternatively you can go for the various types of calcium supplements available from supermarkets and pharmacies.
Here are some interesting milk facts:
- Milk is white because it contains casein, a milk protein that is rich in calcium and also fat which is also white. Low and non-fat milk has less cream and may appear less white.
- Chocolate milk has the same amount of calcium and other nutrients as white milk.
- Whole / Full Cream Milk has 3.5% fat and has a rich, creamy texture. Skim Milk, or non-fat milk has all of the nutrients of whole milk minus the fat. Buttermilk is a cultured sour milk made by adding certain organisms to sweet milk. Chocolate Milk is milk plus cocoa and sweeteners. Acidophilus Milk is made by adding a live bacterial culture to milk after pasteurization (eg vitagen).
- A cow produces around 20 litres of milk or approximately 90 glasses!
- A cow must be a mother before it is able to produce milk.
- Ice cream is said to have evolved in Italy sometime during the 16th century, perhaps from a recipe Marco Polo brought from the Orient. Believe it or not!
