Healthy Diet 10 Essentials

Author: Li Xingchun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: Drinking a bottle of milk per day is one of the reasons why the Chinese consume less milk, leading to calcium deficiency in the body. If every Chinese person could drink a bottle of milk daily, the life expectancy of the Chinese could increase by 5-10 years. As dairy products for human consumption, there are cow's milk, goat's milk, horse's milk, etc., with cow's milk being the most common. Many people drink cow's milk regularly, while some regions and ethnic groups prefer goat's milk or horse's milk. Milk has high nutritional value and is therefore one of the best nutritional foods for humans, loved by people worldwide and gradually becoming an essential food for more and more people. In the past, the Chinese were not very accustomed to drinking milk, but now more and more people in urban and rural areas are drinking milk. Some predict that if milk consumption were as widespread as in Europe and America, with every Chinese person drinking a bottle of milk daily, life expectancy could increase by another 5-10 years. We must strive to achieve and cultivate the habit of drinking a bottle of milk per day.
1. Nutritional Value of Milk
Milk, also known as "cow's milk," is milk secreted by the mammary glands of a cow. It contains almost all the essential nutrients needed by the human body, except for fiber, making it one of the best nutritional health products in the world, beloved by people of all ethnic groups worldwide. The number of Chinese people drinking milk is rapidly increasing, with many developing the habit of drinking milk. This represents progress in dietary composition, improvements in living standards, and the practice of scientific eating. Milk contains 86%-90% water, making it one of the most water-rich foods, which is why some people call it the best beverage for humans. Cow's milk and goat's milk contain 3.5%-4% protein and 3%-4% fat. Horse's milk has a lower protein content, only about 1.1%, compared to cow's milk, which has 3.4%. The carbohydrate content in milk is 4%-6%, with cow's milk containing 4.1%. The vitamin content in milk is influenced by many factors, such as the feeding conditions of the dairy cows, the season, and different processing methods, resulting in varying vitamin levels. Taking fresh cow's milk from Nanchang, Jiangxi as an example, every 100 grams of fresh milk contains 18 micrograms of vitamin A, 0.11 milligrams of vitamin B1, 0.16 milligrams of vitamin B2, and 1 milligram of vitamin C. Milk also contains alkaloids, choline, and vitamins D, E, K, B6, and B12. Minerals are also abundant in milk, such as calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. A liter of milk can provide 1,200 milligrams of calcium, which has a high absorption rate in the human body, making milk an excellent source of calcium supplementation. The iron content in milk is relatively low, averaging 0.1-0.2 milligrams per 100 grams. A 100-gram serving of cow's milk contains 110 milligrams of calcium, 73 milligrams of phosphorus, 0.11 milligrams of iron, 118 milligrams of potassium, 18 milligrams of magnesium, 0.01 milligrams of manganese, 0.34 milligrams of zinc, and 2.58 micrograms of selenium. The protein in milk, though not abundant in quantity, is complete protein, especially rich in methionine and lysine, which are often lacking in plant proteins. It also contains the other eight essential amino acids required by the human body. Amino acids are the basic units of protein and can supplement the deficiencies in the amino acid composition of cereal proteins, thereby enhancing their nutritional value. The cholesterol content in milk is not high, and it contains whey acid, which can lower serum cholesterol. Therefore, people with high blood lipids, coronary heart disease, and the elderly can drink milk without excessive concern.
Horse's milk, which is secreted by the mammary glands of a mare,