The National Dairy Council is turning 100 this year. We’re celebrating with 100 things we love about dairy. Here are the first 25.
- Dairy fresh – even fresher than daisy fresh. It only takes milk two days to get to the grocery store from the farm. That includes all the quality testing, pasteurizing and packaging.
- Cheese is your true love. Let’s be honest. If you’re alone for Valentine’s Day, you won’t really mind, because it means you can eat all the nachos you want and no one will judge you (or try to hog them).
- Milk makes chocolate yummy. By itself, chocolate is extremely bitter, because of the tannins inside it. The protein in milk binds to those tannins to cut the bitterness. A Swiss chocolatier named Daniel Peter was the first to figure this out with the help of Henri Nestlé (yes, that Nestlé) in 1875, sending the popularity of chocolate sky-high.
- Dairy cows are be–moo–tiful. They come in so many lovely colors, they’re like pop art.
- Dairy farming is the life for me. When you’re tired of the city and find yourself singing “keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside,” remember that you can always run away to the farm.
- 8 grams of protein. In every glass. Hear that? That’s all your muscles re-joicing.
- Buy one protein, get one free. Not only is there a lot of protein, there are two different kinds: casein and whey. One is absorbed slowly, the other quickly – which means a single glass of milk feeds your body protein both short term and long term.
- Dairy's been around a long time. Cheesemaking for instance, was already widespread by the time of the Roman Empire. Imagine digging into a cheese wedge as old as Rome!
- Cowbells. From War’s “Low Rider” to Grand Funk Railroad’s “We’re an American Band,” classic rock would just not be the same without the cowbell.
- Dairy hearts your heart. It’s high in calcium, potassium and magnesium – three nutrients recommended for maintaining healthy blood pressure.
- Cows are curious. Tour a dairy, and you’ll find yourself at the center of bovine attention.
- Hot chocolate. The best thing to keep you warm on those cold, lonely nights.
- Dairy farmers give back. Gary Bonestroo, for instance, lets young 4-H and FFA members take cows from his herd to raise and show, then often buys them back at auctions.
- Without dairy, mac ‘n’ cheese is basically just wet elbows.
- Fondue. Fondue is so amazing that when pop stars sing about it, it almost makes hipsters question their aversion to mainstream music. Almost.
- Milk brightens the blues. And not just because it tastes good. You know in the wintertime when you feel bummed out for no apparent reason? That’s because you get less sunshine (read: Vitamin D) than during the rest of the year. Drinking milk fortified with Vitamin D can actually lighten your mood.
- Dairy makes pizza possible. Seriously, can you imagine a world without dairy?
- Milk is packed with nutrients. For the calories, volume and price, milk is amazingly nutrient-dense. It's not just a drink- it's practically a snack.
- Can I have more water on my cereal? Said no one ever. (Milk Life)
- Dairy loves everyone. Even people with lactose intolerance. Yogurt, aged cheeses and lactose-free milk all enable people with lactose intolerance to return to the paradise that is the dairy aisle.
- Dairy supports family businesses. About 95 percent of America’s dairy farms are family-owned. [We are Family]
- Next to coffee, Starbucks basically runs on milk. Every year, Starbucks uses enough milk to fill 155 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
- The meltiness of cheese. Melts your heart every time. (Jokes4Us)
- Milk cools a burning mouth. Casein, one of the proteins in milk, binds to capsaicin – the stuff that makes spicy food spicy. When you feel like you’ve bitten the toe of Satan, milk will have you singing hallelujah.
- Milkshakes. Reportedly, they bring all the boys to the yard. Hopefully, the boys will help you do some yard work while they’re there.
There’s more where that came from; we haven’t even mentioned bone health yet! So stay tuned for the next 25 things we love about dairy.
