We all heard from early childhood that milk is a true source of health, and its benefits are endless. But is it really so? Experts point out many reasons, both for and against consuming dairy products. Scientists also investigated the physical characteristics of dairy products, such as the freezing temperature of milk. But no matter how much controversy goes around dairy products, all studies have already been conducted more than 20 years ago. Then scientists found out how milk is useful and whether there is such a need for it, as we were told.
Is milk good?
Milk is an indispensable source of calcium, which is why children are forced to drink natural dairy products in this way. Calcium obtained from milk is easily absorbed, therefore, natural milk is especially useful for small children and those who suffer from osteoporosis, a disease in which calcium is naturally washed out of bones, the skeleton becomes fragile and even a light blow can lead to a fracture. It is recommended not to forget about dairy products during pregnancy. For these three categories of people, milk is an indispensable product.
Who benefits from drinking milk?
Milk is useful for infectious and colds, the main thing is that it is not steam. This is because immunoglobulins, whose task is to destroy the virus, are formed from protein food. In order for this protein to be absorbed faster, milk is needed, which gives such an effect.
- It will not damage milk during insomnia and with severe headaches. As practice shows, drinking milk at night promotes sound sleep. This is because it has a calming effect on the body and central nervous system due to the content of tryptophan and phenylalanine amino acids. Even in our ancestors, the main cure for insomnia was a glass of milk and a spoonful of honey an hour before bedtime. The main thing is that it should not be cold, because the freezing temperature of milk is almost the same as that of water. Also, natural milk helps with severe headaches, traditional medicine recommends mixing raw egg and boiled milk and drinking.
- Fresh milk is also useful for hypertensive patients, as it has a diuretic effect and lowers blood pressure.
- It will not be superfluous to eat milk for those who suffer from gastrointestinal diseases, but here you should be careful. In adults, the benefit of milk is to maintain the desired level of acidity in the stomach and reduce pain and discomfort during an exacerbation of gastritis and ulcers. To milk absorbed as quickly and correctly as possible, you should drink it in small sips. The product also contains vitamin B 2 , which contributes to the proper functioning of energy metabolism, turning all incoming fats and carbohydrates into useful energy.
- Not spared milk and cosmetology. As you know, a natural product not only nourishes and moisturizes the skin, but also relieves irritation and inflammation. Cleopatra, who called him the elixir of youth, spoke of the benefits of dairy products for the skin. A warm bath with an added liter of milk - and your skin will thank you.
Of course, milk has a greater benefit for children than for adults. But a glass of natural drink has not harmed anyone.
Product Combination
Whatever jokes we hear about milk and herring, researchers claim that it combines with almost any product. It has such an interesting ability, as the neutralization of the weighting effects of sharp and salty foods. So, even at the competition for eating the sharpest peppers in the world, next to the participants is not a glass of water, but a glass of milk.
As for milk soups and cereals, here the dish does not bring special benefits and harm to either adults or children. This is because in this form, milk loses all its useful qualities. Tea or coffee with milk will also bring no benefit, because high temperatures simply destroy all the necessary trace elements.
The negative side of milk
Like any product, milk has both positive and negative properties. For example, a protein such as casein is included in the composition, and each species of living creatures, whether human or animal, has a different structure. Therefore, in order for casein to be safely assimilated in the body, a special enzyme, renin, is produced in animals. But such an element is completely absent in the human body. In addition, there are several more negative aspects:
- Paradoxical as it may sound, but milk leaches calcium from the body, which is why it must be absorbed as soon as possible.
- Regular consumption of milk from childhood can trigger the onset of type 1 diabetes. The reason for this may be a supersaturation with casein, and antibodies that must fight with antigens begin to destroy their own cells, and such an autoimmune disease as type 1 diabetes mellitus arises.
- The so-called milk sugar, or lactose, also harms human health. When this element enters the digestive tract, it is broken down into the following components: glucose and galactose. And if everything is clear with the first, then the second component of the human body is not absorbed at all. Galactose, which enters the body in large quantities, is not excreted and is deposited in the joints. This can cause arthritis. It can also be delayed in the lens of the eye, which provokes cataracts. And the most common is that galactose can be deposited under the skin, which leads to such hated cellulite.
- Often, unpasteurized milk can be a dangerous product for humans. This is because the animals that give it can be carriers of dangerous diseases.
As we can see, under different circumstances, milk can be extremely useful, and can have a detrimental effect on the body.
Interesting facts about the benefits of milk
Scientists have definitely proven that drinking milk can increase the chances of developing uterine cancer, but at the same time reduce the risk of an anal canal tumor.
The diabetes we talked about develops in about 20% of cases because of milk. 60% of the world's population has an allergy to milk, usually this reaction is called lactose intolerance. But this is not a problem for the modern world, because products with a reduced lactose content, or even without it, are produced.
If milk is pasteurized - this gives a minimal guarantee that all pathogens of dangerous diseases are destroyed. But during pasteurization, along with harmful bacteria, all useful ones disappear.
How to choose milk?
Pasteurized store milk is subjected to heat treatment at a temperature of 70 degrees, and this allows you to save a maximum of vitamins, but only under the condition that it will be stored for no more than 36 hours. Dairy drinks that are stored for months are usually made from powder and have no benefit. It is better to buy homemade milk from trusted sellers, and it is better to boil it before use.
Physical properties of milk
The freezing temperature of milk depends on the breed of the animal and even on the region where it is grown. As you know, this indicator is almost the same as that of ordinary water.
At what temperature does milk freeze?
This indicator ranges from minus 0.52 to minus 0.56 degrees Celsius. As we see, this is quite a bit, and therefore it is worth being careful, because a product that was first frozen and then thawed loses all its useful properties. According to GOST, milk freezes at a temperature of 0.52. This indicator decreases sharply with acidification and a change in its pH environment. There is also such a thing as a “freezing point of milk”. There are currently two methods for determining this point. Each of them has its own specific features. These methods are standardized, and the freezing point of milk is determined in accordance with GOST. These two methods are called "Thermistor cryoscopic method" and "Method for determining the freezing point." The determination of the freezing point of milk is as follows: the absolute temperature is multiplied by 100.