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Whole milk, which gets its creamy color from beta carotene and other yellow pigments in foods eaten by cows, is an excellent source of vitamin A. Because vitamin A is fat-soluble, it is lost when milk is skimmed.
About half the calories in whole milk come from milk fat, a highly saturated fat that is lighter than water, rises to the top and can be skimmed off as cream. Homogenized milk is whole milk that has been processed through machinery that breaks its fat globules into fragments small enough to remain suspended in the liquid rather than floating.
Milk is our best source of calcium. Even though some plant foods, such as beans, have more calcium per ounce, the calcium in plants is bound into insoluble compounds while the calcium in milk is completely available to our bodies. No calcium is lost when milk is skimmed.
There are many uses for dried milk. This milk tastes like it has been cooked because it has been heated to evaporate its moisture. Un-opened packages of dried milk should be stored in a cool, dry cabinet where they can hold their flavor and nutrients for several months. Once dried milk is opened, it should be stored in a tightly closed container to keep out the moisture that will encourage bacteria growth and change its flavor. Once the dried milk is reconstituted, it should be refrigerated.
Condensed and evaporated milk have been cooked to evaporate moisture; condensed milk has sugar added. Both of these milks have a cooked flavor and less vitamin C than fresh milk. Once a can of milk has been opened, it should be poured into a clean container and refrigerated.
As infants, we begin our diets with milk, and some form of it should always be in our diet.
Port Royal resident Ervena Faulkner is a retired educator who has always had an interest in food and nutrition. E-mail her at features@beaufortgazette.com.
