Milk is not only a complete meal in and of itself, but it is also a very flexible ingredient. Remember all those times when you were bribed or forced to drink your glass of milk as a kid? What a sense of heroic achievement we had after downing the entire glass in one sitting. However, as we grew older, we gradually developed a taste for this not-so-favorite beverage, mainly as we learned about its health benefits. Whether it’s at the top of your list or not, milk is an essential part of our daily diet, and it’s packed with protein and nutrients critical for human development at all stages of life.
Milk Nutrition Facts
What Is Milk?
Milk is a nutrient-dense liquid food produced by mammals’ mammary glands. Before they can digest solid food, it is the principal Source of sustenance for young mammals (including breastfed human newborns). [1] Colostrum, or early-lactation milk, contains antibodies that improve the immune system, lowering the risk of several diseases. Other nutrients found in milk include protein and lactose.
Dairy milk is obtained from farm animals as an agricultural product. From 260 million dairy cows, dairy farms produced roughly 730 million tonnes (800 million short tonnes) of milk in 2011. India is the world’s most significant milk producer and exporter of skimmed milk powder, although it only exports a few other milk products. India may eventually become a net importer of dairy goods due to the country’s rising demand for dairy products.
Best Milk Recipes
Here are some best milk recipes:
Hot Milk Cake
A basic, old-fashioned cake is milk cake. It’s created by beating eggs until they’re thick and bubbly, then adding the dry ingredients and finishing with hot milk to give the batter a head start on frying. It’s a good cake base that lends itself to all sorts of embellishment, garnishing, and taste experimentation.
Milk Pudding Recipe
It’s hot and soothing, and when teamed with a big woolly blanket and some streaming TV on my laptop, it’s perfect bliss, especially when it’s been as chilly as it has been around here lately. Spiced milk can also benefit health, especially the potent warming spices!
Homemade Soy Milk
Soy milk is a fantastic substitute for cow’s milk. It’s delicious, cheap, and easy to make at home, and it’s pretty simple, and soybeans and water are the only ingredients. Of course, we like to do fun things with our soy milk, like making dairy-free yogurt or tofu, but it’s also delicious on its own.
Almond Milk
While I like the ease of store-bought almond milk, it can also be enjoyable to create your own! This recipe lets you adjust the quantity of sweetness and flavor infusion, and thickness. It’s my go-to when I want dairy-free milk from scratch. The first step in making homemade almond milk is to soak almonds in cool water overnight. The water is then emptied, and the almonds are combined with new water, salt, and any other ingredients in a blender (such as dates for sweetness or vanilla, cacao powder, or berries for flavor variations).
Health Benefits Of Milk
The nutrients in milk can help the body in a variety of ways. The sections below delve deeper into the unique health advantages of milk:
Brain Health
According to several studies, older persons who consume more dairy products in their diet have higher glutathione, a potent antioxidant, in their brains. Adults who drank three daily servings of milk and milk products had antioxidant levels that were about 30% greater than those who consumed less than half a serving.
Blood pressure and heart health
According to the American Heart Association, a higher potassium consumption and a lower salt intake help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. After analyzing the data of over 90,000 postmenopausal women, experts published their findings in 2014Trusted Source. Around 25% of women who ate the most potassium had a 21% lower risk of any stroke and a 27% lower risk of ischemic stroke. On the other hand, full-fat dairy products contain saturated fat, raising the risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease. As a result, persons at risk of stroke or heart disease should drink skim or low-fat milk.
Depression
Vitamin D levels that are adequate support the generation of serotonin, a hormone linked to mood, hunger, and sleep. Vitamin D supplementation may help persons with severe depression control their symptoms, according to the findings of a 2019 meta-analysis. However, the researchers advocated for more research to back up their conclusions.
Muscle Building and Weight Loss
Milk is a good source of protein, with roughly 8 g per cup, which is essential for repairing body structures and maintaining or building lean muscle mass. A diet rich in protein can help with wound healing and may even increase muscle mass. It may also help people lose weight, although further research is needed to establish this.
People who want to lose weight should drink skim or low-fat milk, and if they drink whole-fat milk, they should keep track of their overall daily calorie consumption.
Risks
Some people choose not to consume dairy products such as milk. These people may:
- Choosing a particular diet, such as vegan or paleo
- Hoping to get rid of acne or other skin problems
- Have lactose (milk sugar) or casein allergy or intolerance (the milk protein)
- Have concerns regarding dairy farming practices and their environmental impact
- Have worries regarding the likelihood of hormones, such as estrogen, being present in milk
Some argue that humans are the only mammal that continues to drink milk after weaning, implying that milk drinking is needless and unnatural.
Conclusion
Dairy products are a diverse group of nutrient-dense meals and beverages made from or containing milk. For the most part, they are linked to various health benefits; however, research on both their benefits and potential drawbacks remains equivocal. Furthermore, most people develop lactose intolerance and cannot tolerate dairy at some time in their lives. You should consume dairy products if you can tolerate them and enjoy them. If you don’t tolerate them well, don’t enjoy them, or have ethical issues about agricultural techniques or the consequences of dairy production on the environment, there are plenty of dairy alternatives to choose from.
