On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 36

lactose-digestingenzymeitselfinliquidform
(it’s manufactured from a fungus,
Aspergillus),andaddafewdropstoanydairy
productjustbeforetheyconsumeit.
NewQuestionsaboutMilk

Milkhasbeenespeciallyvaluedfortwo
nutritionalcharacteristics:itsrichnessin
calcium,andboththequantityandqualityof
itsprotein.Recentresearchhasraisedsome
fascinatingquestionsabouteachofthese.
PerplexityaboutCalciumandOsteoporosis
Our bones are constructed from two primary
materials: proteins, which form a kind of
scaffolding, and calcium phosphate, which
acts as a hard, mineralized, strengthening
filler. Bone tissue is constantly being
deconstructedandrebuiltthroughoutouradult
lives, so healthy bones require adequate
protein and calcium supplies from our diet.


Many women in industrialized countries lose
so much bone mass after menopause that
they’re at high risk for serious fractures.
Dietary calcium clearly helps prevent this
potentially dangerous loss, orosteoporosis.
Milkanddairyproductsarethemajorsource
of calcium in dairying countries, and U.S.
government panels have recommended that
adults consume the equivalent of a quart

(liter)ofmilkdailytopreventosteoporosis.
Thisrecommendationrepresentsan
extraordinaryconcentrationofasinglefood,
andanunnaturalone—rememberthatthe
abilitytodrinkmilkinadulthood,andthe
habitofdoingso,isanaberrationlimitedto
peopleofnorthernEuropeandescent.Aquart
ofmilksuppliestwo-thirdsofaday’s
recommendedprotein,andwoulddisplace
fromthedietotherfoods—vegetables,fruits,
grains,meats,andfish—thatprovidetheir
ownimportantnutritionalbenefits.Andthere
clearlymustbeotherwaysofmaintaining