Milk: Way or No Way?

Posted by PerkyMac, January 14, 2009 at 10:14 AM

From Wikipedia:

In many cultures of the world, especially the Western world, humans continue to consume milk beyond infancy, using the milk of other animals (in particular, cows) as a food product. For millennia, cow milk has been processed into dairy products such as cream, butter, yogurt, kefir, ice cream, and especially the more durable and easily transportable product, cheese. Industrial science has brought us casein, whey protein, lactose, condensed milk, powdered milk, and many other food-additive and industrial products.

For our purposes today, we're just talking about milk, not those listed products made from milk.

Humans are an exception in the natural world for consuming milk past infancy. Most humans lose the ability to fully digest milk after childhood (that is, they become lactose intolerant). The sugar lactose is found only in milk, forsythia flowers, and a few tropical shrubs. The enzyme needed to digest lactose, lactase, reaches its highest levels in the small intestines after birth and then begins a slow decline unless milk is consumed regularly. On the other hand, those groups that do continue to tolerate milk often have exercised great creativity in using the milk of domesticated ungulates, not only of cows, but also sheep, goats, yaks, water buffalo, horses, and camels.

I'm not particularly fond of milk and use it occasionally on cereal as a nighttime snack, or a rare cup of hot chocolate paired with a fun winter activity or in front of the fire. I had to switch to lactose free. I use it in my coffee, and in cooking (bechamel) and baking (pudding, custards, etc.), but not often. I even tried to avoid it as a child. I'm Half-Way.

If you still drink milk, what is your preference? Cows milk? Whole or reduced fat or fat free? How often do you drink it and how do you use it?

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