Milk has accompanied us since the cradle. Mother's milk is our first food. Humans are the only mammals who consume milk from other mammals even in adulthood. It provides very valuable nutrients. We talked about milk and International Milk Day, celebrated every third Tuesday in May, with Ing. Peter Kočiš, head of milk production in Sabinov.
You have been professionally involved with milk for 20 years. What is the significance of International Milk Day?
International Milk Day has been celebrated since 1957 under the auspices of the International Dairy Federation. The goal is to highlight the importance of milk for humans, its nutritional properties, and encourage people to include milk and dairy products in their daily diet.
Is drinking milk unnatural for adults?
If we compare the life of civilized humans with other living organisms, we live unnaturally. The biggest difference is that today’s humans in our conditions get food without much physical effort and consume it in large quantities. They consume little natural raw food, expose it to high temperatures during preparation, thus losing enzymes and some vitamins, preserve it, and denature it in various ways. Compared to all this, drinking milk is a small deviation from natural nutrition. On the contrary, milk exists in nature with the sole purpose of serving as a complete food, unlike meat, whose primary purpose is different.
Let’s recall some well-known facts about milk...
Milk is almost an ideal food; it lacks fiber. From a dietary perspective, it is among the most complete foods because it contains all necessary nutrients for our body. As a bonus, these nutrients are in a form that the body can easily digest, absorb, and use.
Including lactose?
A small percentage of people have problems with milk sugar – lactose; their bodies cannot digest it, and after consuming milk, they may have diarrhea, stomach cramps, and other digestive issues. But such people are very few. They can consume modified lactose-free milk or fermented dairy products. For example, our company prepares a new lactose-free yogurt. In lactose-free products, lactose is reduced by the enzyme lactase. For those without lactose problems, lactose is an important and easily absorbed carbohydrate, an excellent energy source, and helps absorb minerals, especially calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium.
Regarding fats, do you recommend whole or semi-skimmed milk...?
For adults, semi-skimmed milk is sufficient; we offer semi-skimmed milk with 1.5% milk fat and whole milk with 3.5%. Since human mother's milk has higher fat content, we recommend whole milk for children. Fresh cow milk contains 3.6 to 4 percent fat. Some of our fermented dairy products have fat content up to 9 percent. This may seem high, but most meat products have much higher fat content.
And the nutritionally most important component?
Undoubtedly proteins. Milk contains 18 of the 22 known essential amino acids needed for building and maintaining the human body. Essential amino acids are those the human body cannot produce and must obtain from food. The recommended daily intake for adults is 0.6 to 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
... and their absorption is highest in raw milk...
Raw milk is considered the healthiest but only if it comes from healthy cows, goats, or sheep. In small farms, where the farmer cares for a few animals, this is easier to monitor. But in large farms with hundreds of animals, it is hardly possible to control 100%. Therefore, milk from large farms is pasteurized to guarantee safety. Gentle pasteurization causes minimal degradation of proteins and vitamins present in raw milk. UHT heating, used to extend shelf life, causes greater protein degradation but is a trade-off for long shelf life at room temperature.
International Milk Day is not only about cow's milk...
In our environment, we consume cow, sheep, and goat milk and products. But in some countries, camel, buffalo, mare, and small amounts of other milks are consumed. Globally, cow's milk and its products are the most widespread. The most milk is consumed in Europe and North America, the least in Asia and Africa. People in Asia and Africa often cannot digest milk sugar and must supplement proteins from other sources. We in Europe can enjoy milk and a wide range of dairy delights.
