Milk: Sources, Kinds, and Benefits
Milk is a pale liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for infant mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to its young and can reduce the risk of many diseases. It contains many other nutrients
including protein and lactose.
Milk Sources:
Milk can be obtained from many different
sources, such as goats, cattle, buffalos, and camels; The females of all mammal species can by definition produce milk, but cow's milk dominates commercial production. Aside from cattle, many kinds of livestock provide milk used by humans for dairy products. These animals include buffalo,
goat,
sheep,
camel,
donkey,
horse, reindeer and yak. The first four respectively produced about 11%, 2%, 1.4% and 0.2% of all milk worldwide in 2011.
Milk Types:
Raw milk:
Raw milk is
milk that has not been
pasteurized.
While proponents have stated that there are benefits to consuming raw
milk, the medical community has warned of the dangers of consuming
unpasteurized milk. Availability and regulation of raw milk vary from region to region.
Dried Milk:
The fresh milk is evaporated to dryness by
manufacturing process while maintaining most of the nutritional
elements the fresh milk holds, and with the same proportions. Still,
some vitamins and key minerals may be added to the dried milk such as
vitamin D.
The dried or powered milk is available as
full-fat dry milk with 6-9 month shelf life, or fat-free with two-year
shelf life. Having opened the pack, you should store the dried milk in
cool, dry place, as well as protecting it against moisture and sun
beams.
Long-Term Milk:
The fresh milk is exposed to a high
temperature to have it pasteurized, and then it is packed in
specially-made packs. The expiry term of that type of milk reaches as
many as six months, before it is used outside the refrigerator. After it
is used, the pack should be stored in the refrigerator and be used
within a week's time.
Fresh Milk:
After the milk is milked and collected, it
is pasteurized, and then it is stored cool. It should be stored since
the beginning of the production until its expiration which does not go
beyond a week as it is spoiled fast.
Domestic Condensed Milk:
Great amounts of sugar are added to the
pasteurized fresh milk haveits form condensed. It is rich in fats or
milk cream, and it is not considered one of the useful milk types, or
one of the milk substitutes. It holds a great deal of sugar and
calories. It is used in the dessert ingredients, and it is stored in a
cool, dry place. It has 12-month shelf life.
A2 milk:
cow's milk that contains only the A2 type of beta-
casein protein rather than the more common A1 protein commonly found in regular milk.
Milk-derived Products:
- Milk, Yoghurt, and Hard White Cheese:
They are products made of fresh
milk; hence, they have the same milk composition. They also contain the
same nutritional elements, but they differ in terms of the amounts of
yeast and water.
If these products contain flavors such as
strawberry or chocolate flavor, the proportion of calories only
increases without any change in the other properties; providing these
additives are within the allowed proportions.
- Creamy Cheese, cream, butter, ice cream, and Labneh:
They are other products derived from milk, and they are fat
substitutes. They are manufactured from the milk fats with little amount
of milk. They are not milk substitutes, and they cannot replace it.
Milk Health Benefits:
- Building and Maintaining bone and teeth.
- Preventing cardiac diseases
- Keeping the blood pressure at a normal rate.
- Protecting against some types of cancer such as colon cancer.
- Diminishing the likelihood of developing the diabetes.
- Keeping and improving the performance of the nerve system.
- Helping in growth
- Improving the digestion process.
- Boosting the immunity.
- Protecting the eyesight.
- Maintaining the skin, hair, and delicate membranes.
- Treating the dehydration.
- Providing the body with energy.
Groups In Need of Drinking More Milk:
- Neonates: it is recommended depending on the mother's milk or the artificial milk meant for the breast-fed.
- The elderly: as we grow in age, the skin or kidney health condition
changes, this in turn weakens its ability to produce vitamin D and
change it into the active or effective formula.
- The pregnant and those breast-feeding: are mostly in need of many
vitamins, such as vitamin D which the children need to absorb the
calcium and form bones.
- Fractures and after operations.
Factors Affecting Benefiting from the Milk:
- Having beverages and food containing caffeine, such as fizzy
beverages, tea, coffee, and chocolate reduces the absorbing of calcium.
- Not getting enough intakes of vitamin C rich fruits such as
citruses, as it is instrumental in absorbing the calcium from the milk.
Breaking down the Nutritional Elements in a Cup of Milk:
| Calories |
102
|
86 |
146 |
|---|
| Fats |
2mg
|
0mg |
8 mg |
|---|
Cholesterol
|
12mg |
5mg |
24mg |
|---|
|
|
107mg |
128mg |
98mg |
|---|
| Carbohydrates |
13mg |
12mg |
13mg |
|---|
| Sugar |
13mg |
12mg |
13mg |
|---|
| Proteins |
8mg |
8mg |
8mg |
|---|
| Dietary |
0mg |
0mg |
0mg |
|---|
Daily Needs of Calcium and Vitamin D for all the Age Groups:
Age Group
|
Calcium Need
Milligram/Day
|
Vitamin "D" Need
Microgram/ Day
|
Daily Milk Amount
|
Birth- Six months
|
200
|
10
|
800-1200 mil/Daily
|
Six Months- Year
|
260
|
10
|
800-1200 mil/Daily
|
1-3 years
|
700
|
15
|
Two Cups
|
4-8 years
|
1000
|
15
|
Three Cups
|
9-18 years
|
1300
|
15
|
Three Cups
|
19-50 years
|
1000
|
15
|
Two Cups
|
51-70- years (Women)
|
1200
|
15
|
Three Cups
|
Content courtesy en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk and mohksa
Milk composition analysis, per 100 grams
| Constituents |
Unit |
Cow |
Goat |
Sheep |
Water
buffalo |
| Water |
g |
87.8 |
88.9 |
83.0 |
81.1 |
| Protein |
g |
3.2 |
3.1 |
5.4 |
4.5 |
| Fat |
g |
3.9 |
3.5 |
6.0 |
8.0 |
| ----Saturated fatty acids |
g |
2.4 |
2.3 |
3.8 |
4.2 |
| ----Monounsaturated fatty acids |
g |
1.1 |
0.8 |
1.5 |
1.7 |
| ----Polyunsaturated fatty acids |
g |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.3 |
0.2 |
| Carbohydrate (i.e the sugar form of lactose) |
g |
4.8 |
4.4 |
5.1 |
4.9 |
| Cholesterol |
mg |
14 |
10 |
11 |
8 |
| Calcium |
mg |
120 |
100 |
170 |
195 |
| Energy |
kcal |
66 |
60 |
95 |
110 |
| kJ |
275 |
253 |
396 |
463 | | |
