No doubt, milk contains a lot of nutrition and energy. It also contains a lot of components needed for the growth of both body and mind. It’s said to a complete food. Yet recent researches say that no need to give milk except breast milk below a kid of 2 years. After water, the most preferred liquid food is of course, milk. What are the benefits of drinking milk? Why people are giving importance to this white drink a lot? Does milk of different animals differ in its nutritious factors? Through this article, I am trying to find answers to these questions.

We are learning from our primary classes the importance of milk. We have learned that we should take milk daily to keep us strong and fit. It’s not seen as a drink to quench taste. Instead, added along with our daily diet as an energy drink and complete food. Though many people strongly argue that it’s a non-vegetarian food, even vegetarian food haters are using it daily in any form – as milk, tea, butter milk, butter, ghee, paneer or anything else. Such persons are known as lacto-vegetarians. So, truth is that majority of vegetarians fall into this category.

Milk drinkers mostly in India

India is the no.1 country both in terms of milk production and consumption. In 2011, total milk consumption of the world, including all milk products was 73, 00 lakh tons. Milk plays an important role in saving people all over the world from malnutrition. Though milk drinks are not popular in Europe they are using its variations in wide quantity. So, milk is mostly consumed by the two most populated countries of the world – China and India.

Cow and buffalo are most popular in India

In India, milk of both cow and buffalo are consumed in almost equal quantity. Very often both are mixed as well. Third most consumed milk is that of goat. In Rajasthan, camel milk is also popular. Yet, if we utter the word ‘milk’, the first thing coming to our mind is of course, a cow.

Animals are producing milk for their kids

Similar to human beings, all animal ‘mothers’ are producing milk for their kids. So, milk of each animal differs in the nutritional factors as its supplements are most suited for their young ones. That’s the reason why, nowadays many people argue that milk is not a necessary food item. But we can’t neglect the fact that of all liquid food items, no other item is as nutritious as milk. Also, it contains almost all elements needed for our body, even if its quantity is low.

What’s the nutritious value of milk?

Earlier kids were given milk before he reaches one year. But nowadays many dieticians are not considering milk to be a complete food and they advise breast feeding mothers not to give any other milk before the kid reaches two years old. Milk has lost its quality comparing those early days. Cattle feed also has changed its characteristics in the recent times. That’s the reason why dieticians say so. Yet we can’t ignore the fact that milk is still the most popular drink of modern times.
Since it contains a lot of nutrition, it’s a good energizer and a good drink to get rid of the tiredness of the body. Milk sugar known as lactose is the special ingredient to give sweetness and energy to this white drink. Lactose helps to convert milk to curd as well. It’s a good reservoir of calcium needed for the healthy growth of bones and teeth.  Proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins etc are found at least in smaller quantities in milk. But it has low content of carbohydrates, vitamin C and iron.

Drink fresh milk

It’s best to drink milk before it losses its natural warmness it holds just after milking. But we can’t deny the truth that we can’t get milk from a milkman’s house or nearby shop before it losses its warmness. Packet milk that we get at home is skimmed milk - cream removed milk. That cream is used for making different milk products in big scale. When cream is removed from milk before packages, it losses many vitamin contents as well. So what we get in plastic packages is just a white colour liquid which has already lost its vitamins and fat. Those lost vitamins include vitamin A, D and E. So, it’s better to avoid such packaged milk at least in the case of children. Such removed fat and other contents are preserved and later added many substances to produce many milk products and sell again. Also, such milk can carry a lot of diseases and side effects as well.

Goat milk is most suited for human body

Goat is very often ridiculed as ‘poor man’s cow’ assuming that those people who can’t afford an expensive cow buy goats. Gandhiji preferred milk of goat than cow. That may be the reason why goat’s milk became internationally popular. It forms only 2% of the total milk production of world. It’s a little thicker than cow milk. Yet experts are not able to find the reason behind it. Yet many people are traditionally following certain beliefs. One of such belief is that cow milk can make you fatter while goat milk can make you slim. Many say that cow milk can cause allergies and cold in kids while such problems are less with goat milk. Goat’s milk has a few advantages over others.

• Alfa S-1 content of cow milk may cause allergy to kids. It’s contained in just 1/10th quantity in goat’s milk.
• It has a lot of defensive power comparing any other milk. Factors like selenium, cupric acid, cupriling acid etc can protect human body from many diseases. These factors are most contained in goat’s milk.
• If cow milk is kept in refrigerator, after a few hours it forms two layers. The top layer will be fat rich while in the bottom layer, many nutrients are absent. But goat’s milk won’t form layers even after hours which show the good and integrated structure of its milk content.
• Fat in goat milk is low comparing cow milk while protein content is higher. So, it’s easily digested and absorbed by the body.
• All types of milk contain the sugar lactose. If enzyme needed to digest lactose is not present in the body that condition is known as lactose intolerance. That condition is commonly found in persons who drink cow milk regularly. But this discomfort is almost absent in those who use goat milk.
• So, it’s sure goat’s milk is more suitable for a human body, than cow’s milk. Many fatty acids most needed for human body such as arachnoid acid and linoleeyalk acid are found in abundance in goat milk. Also potassium content of goat milk is higher than that of cow’s.

Buffalo milk is most preferred for milk products

52% of milk production of our country is buffalo milk. Cow milk constitutes only 45%. Similar to goat’s milk, buffalo also has several nutritious factors that are absent in cow’s milk.

• Though it’s told that buffalo milk has more fat content comparing it with cow milk it’s milk and ghee are more pure than that of cow’s.
• It contains 11.42% of proteins more than cow milk. So, for growing children it’s better to choose protein rich buffalo milk as it promotes growth a lot.
• Allergy and cold problems related to buffalo milk are low if we compare with cow milk.
• Though it contains more fat than cow milk, its cholesterol content is low.
• It contains 58% calcium, 38% iron and 100% phosphorous in excess comparing to cow milk.
• For most milk products, buffalo milk is preferred most comparing to any other milk. 

Camel milk for beauty and health

Though camels are not normally found in Indian states except Rajasthan, most people know that camel milk is good for health. It’s most commonly used in gulf countries. In India, Rajasthanis use camel milk. What are its important factors?

• It contains below half amount of fat comparing to cow milk.
• It contains almost all factors needed for a normal human body.
• It can control diabetics up to some extend. Some rare proteins present in camel milk have diabetic-resistive properties.
• If it’s compared to cow milk, it contains 3 times vitamin B and 10 times iron content.
• It can be preserved for 2 days without the help of a refrigerator.
• Camel milk mixed with honey is a healthy tonic for the body.
• Arabians know the beauty quotients of camel milk centuries back. Anti-aging creams of Arabs do contain camel milk as an important ingredient. It can protect skin from wrinkles.
• Camel milk if used regularly can keep you physically strong, fit and young.

Yes, milk of different animals has different ingredients and it’s best to choose one which is best for you. It’s also nice to use different types of milk, not restrict to one type only. Milk is most important for a growing child and insufficient intake of calcium in the early stages can cause easy damages of bones during the late stages of life. Also, it may result in joint pains. Though it contains almost all elements needed for a human body it’s best to control its use after 30.