Milk has been used by humans right from their earliest development. When milk is used in producing various other products they are referred to like dairy products.
Dairy products are rich in calcium apart from other nutrients and thus are essential for your development especially during early adolescent years.
Over the years the sources of milk have been constant like cows which give the major milk production followed by goats and water buffaloes.
Even soy milk is being used these days. The soy milk is made just to mimic the consistency and taste of cow milk, thus sometimes just to enhance and mimic the taste completely dairy product is added to soy milk, making the Soy milk itself A dairy product.
Various Types Of Dairy Products:
• Liquid Milk
This is the milk that we consume. It includes various products like Skimmed Milk, Pasteurized Milk, Toned Milk, Full Cream.
2) Fermented Milk
When milk is fermented using other microorganisms the product thus obtained is called Fermented Milk or cultured milk. Various products fall under this category include Buttermilk, Sour cream and other regional drinks like Dickmilch, Lassi, Blaand, etc.
• Cheese
Cheese is a dairy product which is produced by coagulating the milk protein and fat. Mostly cheese is given a lot of importance because of its long shelf life, ease of portability and high nutrient content.
Some of the commonly used types of cheese known to us are:
- Cheddar Cheese
- Cottage Cheese
- Gouda Cheese
- Feta and Mozzarella Cheese
• Butter
Traditionally butter is obtained by churning whole sour milk. It has a lot of butterfat which is solid when chilled and a spreading consistency at normal room temperature. Scientifically butter is a water-oil emulsion with inverted cream.
The various types of butter available are:
- Salted Butter
- Unsalted Butter
- Grass-Fed Butter
- Cultured Butter
- European Butter
• Ghee
Ghee is also called clarified butter. In this dairy product, the milk solids are toasted away from the fat. The resultant is the smooth taste of butter with the rich nutritional profile. It is used as fat for cooking especially in the Indian subcontinent. Smen, Nitter Kibbeh, ghee and clarified butter are all different types of cooking fats.
• Condensed Milk
When the water content is removed from whole milk or skimmed milk, the left behind the product is condensed milk. Most condensed milk is found with added sugar, and thus at times, condensed milk is referred to as sugar condensed milk itself.
• Evaporated Milk
Evaporated milk is unsweetened condensed milk. It is put in a separate category since condensed milk now is used interchangeably with sweet condensed milk or sugar condensed milk.
• Milk Powder
When the water content of milk is completely evaporated, then the resulted powder or granular milk is called milk powder. This helps in preserving milk for a longer period. It is healthy and has all 21 kinds of amino acids. It is also easily available.
• Yogurt
It is made when milk is fermented using bacteria namely Lacto Bacillus. Yogurt is considered extremely nutritious and healthy for us. It is available as is or flavored.
• Casein
A principal ingredient of various products Casein is the major protein present in milk. It is used as a food additive and also in the production of paints, glue, cheese, etc.
• Ice Cream
It is rightly said we all do scream for our favorite Ice cream. Ice creams are made from milk too. Though, its production uses other products as well most of them are dairy products.
• Desserts
Many desserts in various parts of the world are made using dairy products. The most famous ones being cakes, pies, kheer, Shrikhand, and semifreddo etc.
• Whey Products
It is often referred to the part of milk which is left behind after curdling milk for cheese. It is used in the production of whey cheese like Ricotta, whey butter, whey fermented milk drinks, etc.
Health Benefits of Dairy Products
Dairy products are an essential part of our diet, and we do consume them in some form or the other during the day. These have essential effects on our health which have been enlisted below:
1) Most dairy products are rich in Vitamin D, which further helps us maintain healthy bones.
2) The calcium received from food products helps us maintain healthy bones rather than the calcium supplements that we consume, and everyone knows dairy is the best source of calcium.
3) Low-fat dairy products out of the above list can contribute to weight loss.
4) It is also believed that dairy products reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
5) Consumption of dairy products also leads to prevention of Cardio Vascular Diseases.
6) The potassium content in dairy products helps us in maintaining our blood pressure.
7) The vitamin A present in dairy products helps maintain a healthy vision and also maintains our immune system.
8) A high Riboflavin percentage in these products helps in metabolism boost, production of red blood cells and also supports body growth.
Lactose Intolerance
Apart from its innumerable benefits, it is also essential to note that Dairy products contain lactose and some people are intolerant towards it.
Lactose is a type of sugar which at times is difficult for your body to break. Thus, we should always make sure that we are not lactose intolerant. If any of the underneath symptoms are noticed from 30 minutes to around two hours after consumption of any dairy product, then your body might be lactose intolerant. Some of the symptoms include:
- Stomach gets upset after consumption of milk.
- You feel bloated after drinking milk.
- Sometimes vomiting may also indicate intolerance towards lactose.
- Acne and migraine can also be an indicator of the same.
If not lactose intolerant, then you should include at least one glass of milk in your diet and enjoy its delectable taste.
Conclusion
The various dairy products and their easy availability make it easy for us to choose the one that we wish to consume to enjoy the many health benefits of these world favorite edible products.
One last surprising fact for you all is that milk which is the base for most dairy products have around 10-12% of solid content hence it can also be called food and not just a drink, as many products lack this much of solid content and are yet called food.