Milking milk for all its worth

Our ancestors knew instinctively that milk was good for them but it's taken modern science to tell us exactly why.
Milk is a nutrient dense food with a high satiety value and the ability to make vitamins and minerals bio-available, says Beverly Watson, head of nutrition and regulatory affairs for Fonterra Brands in Asia and the Middle East.
"If you drink a glass of milk you get energy plus vitamins and minerals as well. If you drink a glass of soft drink virtually all you get is calories.
"Because milk contains lactose, it aids in the absorption of vitamins and minerals, calcium in particular, a function referred to as making those nutrients bio-available," said Beverly, a university-qualified dietician who grew up on a dairy farm in Matamata.
Because it has a high satiety value, creating the feeling of fullness for longer, milk has a part to play in weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight.
New Zealanders, by world standards, consume a lot of milk but a wider choice of foods and drinks means our intake of dairy products is less than a generation ago and that, says Beverly, is not good.
Dairy products, especially those from New Zealand's largely grass-fed cows, can play an important role in reducing the risks of tooth decay and osteoporosis as well as providing a wide range of nutrients.
"It's not widely known that the casein in milk helps reduce the acid in the mouth, so eating a slice of cheese at the end of a meal is almost as good as brushing your teeth."
Beverly says putting cheese in children's school lunch boxes and encouraging them to eat it last is one way of helping protect young teeth.
Most Kiwi children drink milk but, once old enough to make their own choices, tend to drink less. However, they can still gain health benefits from consuming flavoured milk, cheese and yoghurt.
"Health authorities accept that adding a small amount of flavouring to milk to raise its consumption, especially among children, is acceptable."
The notion that milk is fattening is wrong, she says. "Even full fat milk contains only 4 per cent fat and we need a certain amount of fat in our diet to give our bodies access to fat-soluble nutrients."
It's also a misconception that many people are lactose, or dairy intolerant.
"Some people are genuinely dairy intolerant but to find out for sure they should have their doctor organise the right tests."
Avoiding dairy products may be detrimental to the health of those who aren't intolerant, because they could be missing out on important nutrients such as calcium.
Calcium is found in other foods but not in the levels of milk and it's milk's unique structure that makes the calcium more available.
Pro-biotic yoghurts are important in restoring good bacteria in the stomach after a course of antibiotics but Beverly says consumers should make sure they use only yoghurts that clearly state they are pro-biotic and, therefore contain beneficial bacteria.
Post-menopausal women are more aware of the risks of osteoporosis than men, but it is a disease which affects males too, she says.
It's also a major health concern in Asia where dairy consumption is traditionally low.
"We tend to think our bones are static but there is a constant turnover of calcium in our bones and as we get older the replacement of calcium can slow."
Continuing to consume dairy products throughout adulthood is one way to help bones replace calcium.
Beverly says milk is a food which can not only be fortified but is also proven to help make the ingredients it is fortified with bio-available as is the case with the Fonterra products Anlene and Anmum in Asia.
Anlene, Fonterra's high-calcium milk powder brand for adults is the number one seller in its category in two of China's largest cities, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The maternity milk powder Anmum is market leader in Guangzhou.
However, whether fortified, pro-biotic, flavoured or plain, Beverly believes almost everyone benefits from a daily glass or two of milk.