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The amazing world of milk

16 June 2004, 18:00 PM
OPINION
By Dr. Rubaiul Murshed
16 June 2004, 18:00 PM
Milk and other dairy products could be the perfect drink and food of life. Both children and adult need dairy for different reasons. Although for children full cream milk is all right but low fat milk is advisable for most adults. We have been listening since childhood that dairy products are one of the four basic food groups we all need for proper nutrition. In fact, it is more than that. Once you are conscious of its consequences -- you will never stop drinking milk became incomparable combination of about eight to ten essential nutrients found naturally in milk. The nutrients found in milk are amazing, like -- Vit A, Vit B12, Calcium, Carbohydrate, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Potassium, Protein, Riboflavin, and Zinc. Sufficient amount of dairy food, either milk, yogurt or cheese, not only helps build healthy bones in children, it is also needed for vision, for production of 'erythrocyte' (a mature red blood cell having an average life span of 120 days; the body needs to produce 240,0000 red blood cells per second in order to maintain the proper concentration of blood) and can also help prevent may diseases in both ages.

We know that in our big neighbouring country, one of the most sacred of all sacred cows is the milk of the cow itself. Its white colour throughout the world is the essence of our concept of cleanliness. From America to Australia milk is promoted as the "perfect food" or 'food of life' for humans, and especially for our children. This promotion probably has served its purpose as an average westerner consumes more then 250 pounds of dairy products a year. In America, it is interesting that one out of every seven dollars spent on groceries goes to buy milk or milk products.

Milk is the major source of calcium in our diet. Even more important is the fact that the calcium in milk is more easily absorbed by the body then any other food source. This is the foundation on which strong bones and teeth are built. Even though most parents cannot imagine of raising their children without milk but it is very sad these days that lot of young Bangladeshis especially teenagers neither drink milk nor eat enough calcium in their diets. And in an even more strange revelation, majority of them are female.

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The best way to look after bones is to have sufficient calcium before their mid-to-late 20s and subsequently consume a well balanced diet with lot of weight-bearing activity like walking and running and exercises which will strengthen bones. But don't forget about the high calories of full cream milk, yogurt and cheese as well. So don't drink or eat in excess.

In case of breast milk the picture is a little different but more distinct. Although cow milk is ideal for calves, but it is not designed by nature for neonates and infants. It is not wise of human being to think that he or she can replace breast milk with milks of his own formulation. Certain trace elements, amino acids and essential fatty acids are present in human breast milk that are not available in the same form elsewhere. Biochemistry is not yet sufficiently advanced to be able to identify every single substance in maternal breast milk. There are more than 200 known substances in it. All doctors throughout the world feel that breast milk must be the finest food for a baby.