Good day everyone, I welcome you to my blog where I share healthy tips. as part of my obligation as a food scientist. As we all know for a healthy lifestyle, quality food is paramount.

I know you must have observed that i have not been active on this platform for some weeks, which is due to some circumstances that i could not control. I apologize for keeping you all in suspense for my next post.
Well, I hope you had a nice time reading my previous post on moringa (miracle tree). In case you have not, please visit this link. I'm sure you will learn facts about moringa trees.

I have a special package for you guys today, for this post will be in form of an interactive class.
We all claim to drink milk almost everyday, but actually is it milk we take or dairy products. I personally believed I have been taking milk until last week, when I discovered I have been taking dairy products and not real milk.

Please I don't want you to be confused, for I know with the statement I said above, a lot of questions will be in our minds. Questions like, what is she talking about?, what is milk?, what are dairy products?, how can I get real milk?, how will I process milk?. You don't need to worry because I will try as much as possible to give answers to these questions.

^{Pexel, Creative Commons zero license: Cow milk}

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Introduction

Firstly, I will like to address the first question which is, what is she talking about?
My readers, am talking about a liquid substance which contains a lot of nutrients and extracted from the udder of mammals .

From my definition of milk, I said it can be extracted from the udder of mammals. I will like to inform you, that this post will be on cow milk, not any other milk. This is because cow milk is common and mostly consumed.

To the second question, what is milk?
Like I defined earlier, it is a liquid substance extracted from the udder of mammals in particular cows. In addition to the definition, it is a liquid substance secreted in the udder of female cows in preparation for the new calves.
However, the milk secreted in the udder after delivery known as colostrum is not fit for consumption. Mainly because of the large quantity of antibiotics present in the fluid, as too much of antibiotics is dangerous to our health. The body can become resistant to it making antibiotics powerless when we need it the most.

The constituent of the milk will become fresh within 72 hours(meaning the milk is no longer yellowish in colour), which is fit for consumption.

NOTE: There is a clear difference between milk and dairy products. Diary products are products made from milk such as yoghurt, cheese and so many others which I will talk about later in my writeup.

Milking

I know by now, you will be curious to know how to get milk, this yummy fluid can be extracted from female cows through the process called milking.

Milking can be performed manually by messaging the udder to extract the fluid with hands. The teats of the udder needs to be pulled down, extracting the milk into a bucket.

It can also be done in an automated way, that is with the use of machine. Especially when it is done on a large scale. The teat cups are fixed to the cow's nipple, where the cups rotates in turns between the vacuum and regular air pressure leading to the extraction of milk.

Mind you, absolute care has to taken during milking, certain factors need to be considered in order to get a healthy milk.

1. You need to take into consideration the physical condition of the cow to be milked. Cows recently vaccinated should not be milked for the vaccine can affect the milk in terms of flavour, colour, taste. The milk might even be unsafe for consumption.

2. The milking should be done in an hygienic environment, the utensils should be neat and even the machine you plan to use as to be in a good condition. In case you wish to milk manually, please ensure you sanitize your hands and also the buckets. Do not forget to clean the udder before milking as we all know animals will always be animals(I mean they don't clean their breasts like we humans).

3. Always put into consideration the time of milking to guide against putting the cow under extreme stress. It is advisable to milk in the morning, as we all know cows are aggressive in nature.

Why Cow Milk?

According to USDA Nutrient Database, whole cow consist of the necessary nutrients for growth and development.
5.2 gof carbohydrates can be found in milk which supplies us energy. Also protein of various category which are valine, proline, alanine, serine, Lysine and so on can be found in quantity of 3.22 g in varying amount.

Furthermore, essential minerals like potassium, calcium, sodium and magnesium can be obtained from milk. So also vitamins such as vitamin A, Riboflavin, thiamine, B12,D, required by the body can be supplied in milk.
Likewise,88.32 mg of water, which is a basic need is part of the constituent of whole milk.

Difference between milk and Diary Product

A lot of people do not really know the difference between milk and dairy products, well I will like to clarify the differences as a food scientist.
Milk (talking about whole milk) is a fluid extracted from udder of cows without any removal of its constituents. It is in a liquid form while dairy products on the other hand are products derived from milk.

Dairy products are gotten from processed milk which can be liquid, semi liquid or solid. Examples of these products are cheese, yogurt, ice cream, frozen deserts, sour cream, cottage cheese, powdered milk, condensed milk, skim milk, butter milk, baked milk, ice milk and so many others.

Why take milk?

1. Do you know that sufficient Vitamin D in the body supports the production of serotonin, which is an hormone related to sleep, mood and appetite. As we all know that milk is a good provider of vitamin D, which in returns help to control serious fatigue and depression.

2. Calcium which is an important mineral for strong bones and teeth can be obtained in milk. In other words, milk consumption helps to guide against osteoporosis. Likewise, vitamin D is also essential in the prevention of osteoporosis.

3. Colorectal cancer suffered by people who lives in areas where there is little amount of sunlight, can be prevented by taking milk which supplies vitamin D to the body.

4. Cow milk is a good source of protein and energy. These nutrients are however essential for growth and energy, for it contains the required amino acids and supply energy in form of saturated fats respectively.

5. Another amazing fact about cow milk is that it helps to reduce the progress of osteoarthritis of the knee, which presently as no cure. According to research work, daily consumption of milk helps to minimize the progress of this disease.

Conclusion

I believe by now, you can answer this question, Have you been consuming milk or dairy products?
To bring this post to conclusion, please let endeavour to consume fresh milk daily.
Please visit my blog frequently for more healthy tips, thanks for your time. I appreciate you all.

References

^{Dairy products-Wikipedia
Milking- Wikipedia
Medicalnewstoday
Milk-wikipedia}