Fun Facts
Milk is nutritious because:
As well as being an excellent source of calcium & protein, milk contains essential vitamins & minerals such as zinc, riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Vitamins B6 & B12
- The average cow produces about 8,450 quarts of milk per year; about 6.2 gallons a day or 90 glasses
- Cows have an amazing sense of smell — they can smell something up to 6 miles away
- The average dairy cow weighs about 1,400 lbs
- Milk contains casein, a protein that cleanses burning taste buds after eating hot, spicy foods
- Cows drink 35 gallons of water a day — the equivalent of a bathtub full of water
- Most cows produce more milk when they listen to music
- It takes about 350 squirts for each gallon of milk from a cow
- Milk products contain high quality proteins.
- Milk also contains the following nutrients: calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium.
- Milk is also a significant source of riboflavin (vitamin B2) which helps promote healthy skin and eyes, as well as vitamins A and D.
- In adults, a calcium deficiency, along with other factors may result in bone deterioration called osteoporosis. The recommendations for calcium are 1,000 milligrams for adults, 1,300 milligrams per day for adolescents, 500-800 milligrams per day for young children and 1,200 milligrams per day for adults over 51 years of age.
Modern Milk Timeline
1611
Cows arrive from Jamestown Colony.
1856
Pasteur experiments start. Gail Borden received first patent on condensed milk from
both U.S. and England.
1884
Milk bottle invented by Dr. Hervey D. Thatcher, Potsdam, New York.
1886
Automatic bottle filler and capper patented.
1908
First compulsory pasteurized law (Chicago) applying to all milk except that from
tuberculin tested cows.
1946
National School Lunch Act signed by President Truman. Vacuum pasteurization
method perfected.
1948
Ultra-high temperature pasteurization is introduced.
1964
Plastic milk container introduced commercially.
1974
Nutrition labeling of fluid milk products begins.
1980
American Dairy Association launches the national introduction of the "REAL" Seal
dairy symbol.
1988
Lower fat dairy products gain widespread acceptance. Lowfat and skim milk sales
combined exceed whole milk sales for first time.
1994
Recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) approved for commercial use in U.S. Nutrition
Labeling and Education Act requires mandatory nutrition labeling.
Yogurt
Did you know Americans enjoy more than 1.2 billion 8-ounce servings of yogurt a year? Now, that's what we call a cultured society!
- Yogurt contains active yogurt cultures including acidophilus which has been shown to improve digestion, stimulate the immune system, fight infection and help protect against cancer.
- Eating yogurt has shown to improve bad breath
- Americans eat over 300,000 tons of yogurt a year
- Eating a lot of natural, preferably unsweetened yogurt has been proven to help with ones complexion
- Because of the fermentation process, yogurt can easily be digested by many people who are lactose-intolerant.
- Fruit was first added to commercial produced yogurt in 1946
Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese got its name because it used to be made at home in the cottages of Western Europe and colonial America.
- It takes 100 lbs of milk to make 15 pounds of cottage cheese
- Cottage cheese is a fresh cheese made of strained and seasoned curds of skim milk.
- Cottage cheese is also known as pot cheese, farm cheese or farmer's cheese
- Cottage cheese is an uncured cheese (one that has not been aged)
- Cottage cheese is often eaten with fruits, vegetables, or in salads
- Cottage cheese comes in three forms; small-curd, medium-curd and large-curd
Ice Cream
Back in the 4th century B.C., Roman emperor Nero had ice brought from the mountains where it was combined with fruit toppings.
- It takes 12 lbs of whole milk to make one gallon of ice cream
- Vanilla is Americas favorite ice cream flavor
- Ice cream dates all the way back to the 4th century B.C. when the Roman emperor ordered ice to be brought back from the mountains and combined it with fruit toppings
- At one time it was against the law to serve ice cream on cherry pie in Kansas
- More ice cream is sold on Sunday than any other day of the week
- Each American consumes a yearly average of 23.2 quarts of ice cream
- The average number of licks to polish off a single scoop ice cream cone is approximately 50
- Marco Polo returned to Italy from the Far East with a recipe that closely resembled what is now called sherbet. Historians estimate that this recipe evolved into ice cream sometime in the 16th century.
- Until 1800, ice cream remained a rare and exotic dessert enjoyed mostly by the elite. Around 1800, insulated ice houses were invented.
- In response to religious criticism for eating "sinfully" rich ice cream sodas on Sundays, ice cream merchants left out the carbonated water and invented the ice cream "Sunday" in the late 1890's. The name was eventually changed to "sundae" to remove any connection with the Sabbath.
- Gourmet or superpremium ice creams contain at least 12% milkfat, usually more.
