Milk is a fundamental food in our diet. It is present in our diet almost unconsciously. In addition, it is a very healthy food that provides us with a multitude of nutrients and vitamins, essential for good health. With all these benefits, and the enormous importance it has, and has had, in food; milk also has its own day on the calendar, as we saw in our gastronomic ephemeris calendar 2023: Every June 1 is celebrated World Milk Day. Join us to see why this date was chosen, and other curiosities of this celebration.
Why is World Milk Day celebrated?
This day was established in 2001 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Since then, this food is commemorated every year, raising awareness about its importance both in food and in the dairy sector.
One of the purposes for which this day was created was to promote the benefits of this food, as well as its derivatives. Milk is a very complete and healthy food. It provides us with a multitude of nutrients, among which calcium stands out. A single glass of milk provides us with approximately 30% of the calcium we need per day.
But it also provides us with other nutrients and vitamins such as phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, iodine, selenium, vitamins A, D and B group…
Every year, at the same time that the consumption of milk and dairy products is promoted, and more visibility is given to this food, issues related to its exploitation are also dealt with. For there are countries and peoples for whom the dairy sector is an essential source of income.
At the same time, every year, the aim is to achieve a more environmentally friendly, animal-friendly and healthier operation for everyone.
Did you know that more than 6 billion people consume dairy products worldwide?
Objectives of this Day
In addition to raising awareness about the importance of this food and promoting its consumption, World Milk Day was also created to promote other important aspects that revolve around the dairy sector. For, in addition to highlighting its nutritional benefits, it also highlights the role of milk in preventing malnutrition, especially in young children.
This date has also been established to focus on milk production in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way. The production of dairy products has a significant environmental impact. Which makes it inevitable that we must make this industry work more sustainably.
Another of the key points of this day is innovation in the dairy industry. Something that goes hand in hand with the task of making it a more sustainable industry. So World Dairy Day also aims to promote innovation and research in the dairy industry. As well as to raise awareness of new techniques of production, processing and preservation of milk.
And finally, World Milk Day is about making these products truly affordable and available to everyone equally. Especially in the most vulnerable communities. Because having access to dairy products, and at affordable prices, is of vital importance for everyone, but especially for the proper nutrition of the youngest.
June 1st, an important date
But why was it decided to celebrate June 1? Well, because before this date was officially established, there were already many countries that traditionally celebrated and promoted the consumption of milk on this day.
But it is not the only factor taken into account. In the northern hemisphere of the planet, June is the month in which this drink is produced. This is due to the lactation season of cows and other producing animals.
Milk as a food and its derivatives
Dairy products, in general, are at the base of the food pyramid of our Mediterranean Diet. This diet recommends consuming between 2 and 4 servings of dairy products per day (depending on age). Milk is a fundamental food for children. This food should not be neglected at the time of their development.
We all know that a good nutrition and a varied and balanced diet is the basis for an iron health. And a fundamental food for this is milk, as it has a multitude of benefits and properties.
So, if you want to celebrate this June 1st the Milk Day, take a look at some of the many options we have to consume milk. There are a multitude of derivatives of this food.
- The most characteristic, or perhaps the one that most people think of when we talk about dairy products is cheese. And here we have an immense variety, since we can find cheeses of all kinds of milks, of infinity of different elaborations.
- Yogurt, another important dairy derivative, which is obtained by fermenting milk. It is a great source of natural probiotics and is the ideal dessert to crown a very healthy meal.
- Butter is another dairy derivative very present in our diet – it is made by churning the milk cream until a solid consistency is obtained.
- For those with a sweet tooth, condensed milk. It is nothing more than milk from which water has been extracted and sugar has been added. Hence its extremely sweet flavor, which makes it the ideal companion for black coffee.
- Other derivatives would be powdered milk or buttermilk, although they are perhaps less used in homes.
Celebrate World Milk Day by getting to know its benefits
And, before we say goodbye, let’s finish celebrating World Milk Day by learning about some of the benefits of milk consumption. Remember that we have already seen them in more detail here: Benefits and Properties of Milk. Let’s remember them:
- Milk is an important source of essential nutrients for our body. It is rich in calcium, high quality proteins, vitamins and minerals.
- Calcium is essential for the correct development and strengthening of the bone system. And it helps us to prevent diseases such as osteoporosis. But it is also essential for our dental health, due to calcium and casein, which protects our teeth.
- In addition to helping our bones to be in top shape, it is also a great ally of our muscles. The proteins contained in milk help build and repair muscle tissue. So it is an important food for all those who do physical activity on a regular basis.
- Thanks to the carbohydrates present in milk, this food is a great source of energy.
But this is only a brief summary of the amount of benefits and properties that milk, or its derivatives, has in our organism.
What about those who suffer from lactose intolerance?
In spite of being a very healthy food and beneficial for our organism, it is true that many people cannot take it. And this is due, in the great majority of cases, to the fact that they are intolerant to this food, specifically to lactose. Those who present this type of intolerance is because their body does not produce enough lactase, essential to break down lactose.
It can be consumed without lactose or replaced by other beverages such as oat drinks, rice drinks, soy drinks…
They can also look for other alternatives, such as drinking kefir milk, since kefir helps to break down lactose. So, many people, even if they are lactose intolerant, tolerate kefir milk very well.
And you, do you dare to celebrate Milk Day? Remember to leave us your comments, ideas, opinions… We love to read you! And don’t forget to follow us on social media to keep up to date with all our posts. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.
