June is National Dairy Month in both Canada and the U.S. We’ve decided to showcase some fun facts and delicious tidbits from the dairy universe to help increase your awareness and enhance your enjoyment of real dairy products…
Without technological advances like milking machines, no single
farm family could manage the average herd of 96 cows!
Note: We’re not going to get into the cost of dairy products, the possible health effects of consuming milk products associated with saturated fats, or any of the other story lines we could weave into this story. It’s Happy News Day at the Fab Food Blog!
Some little-known facts about milk…
One cow will produce an average of 6.3 gallons of milk each day.
A cow may be milked two or three times a day. It takes only 5-7 minutes to milk a cow.
That’s more than 2,300 gallons each year and the average dairy farm has 96 cows.
Without mechanization such as milking machines and tractors, one family could never manage today’s average dairy farm alone!
It takes…
- 12 pounds of whole milk to make 1 gallon of ice cream.
- 21.2 pounds of milk to make 1 lb. of butter.
- 10 pounds of milk to make 1 lb. of cheese.
Drinking whole milk over low-fat milk helps you avoid gaining weight.
It’s believed that whole milk is less likely to make us fat due to bioactive substances in it, which alter our metabolism to burn more fat.
Milk provides exceptional hydration.
If it is hydration you’re after, you’re going to get it with milk. In fact, it will provide you with 1.5 x more hydration than water.
Milk is a great post-workout recovery drink.
Whether you’ve just worked out or taken part in something physically-demanding, you can quickly recover thanks to drinking milk. The included carbohydrates, fat, protein, and micronutrients can benefit you more than some of the sports drinks promoted as being helpful with post-workout recovery.
Milk is one of the most nutritionally-dense foods on the planet.
It’s packed with nine essential nutrients our bodies need, including protein, calcium, potassium phosphorous, riboflavin, and niacin. There are also important vitamins, including vitamin A, vitamin D, and vitamin B12.
Did you eat something spicy?
Milk is better for cooling your mouth than water because of the protein casein it cleanses your taste buds.
A few fast facts about Cheese…
Eating cheese 30 mins before bed helps you sleep better
Calcium, found in cheese, yogurt and milk, helps the brain use the tryptophan found in dairy to manufacture sleep-triggering melatonin. Calcium also helps regulate muscle movements, which means fewer sleep-busters like cramps or restless legs.
Cheese existed before written language did.
Ancient cheese strainers found in Poland suggest it dates back to at least 7,500 years ago. And murals found in Egyptian tombs from 4,000 years ago show cheese and the art of cheese making.
Cheddar cheese is not naturally yellow.
The bright orange cheddar cheese we all know and love is not a natural result of its curdled milk components. It’s the result of hundreds of years of tradition, dating back to the time when cheddar cheese in England was made with milk from cows whose beta-carotene-rich diet produced an orange tint in the milk. To make it more appealing cheesemakers dyed it orange and it stuck!
The most popular cheese in the world is Mozzarella.
According to a study done in January of 2021 mozzarella cheese is the most popular cheese eaten across the world. Closely followed by cheddar, feta, ricotta, then parmigiano reggiano (parmesan).
More than you probably wanted to know about cows…
Cows drink 30-50 gallons (about a bathtub full) of water each day!
An average dairy cow weighs 1,200 pounds.
A cow has one stomach with four compartments.
Cows eat about 100 pounds of feed a day…
Which is like eating 600 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!
Dairy cows can produce 125 pounds of saliva a day.
Cows are pregnant for 9 months, just like people. The average cow is 2-years-old when she has her first calf.
Cows have an acute sense of smell…
They can smell up to 6 miles away!
You can lead a cow upstairs, but not downstairs…
Their knees can’t bend properly to walk downstairs.
Cows spend 30 minutes drinking and 12-14 hours resting each day.
Now you know…
…Everything you need to make your next glass of milk – or serving of any dairy product for that matter – a more thoughtful, emotionally-fulfilling experience.
Don’t thank me. Thank: The Dairy Farmers of Canada, The Dairy Farmers of Ontario, Healthyeating.org, Edu.milk.org, and Cheesemaker.ca !
Cheers!
~ Maggie J.