THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF MILK

Milk has been part of the human diet for millennia and is valued as a natural and traditional food. Milk and dairy foods are considered to be one of the main food groups important in a healthy balanced diet, and as such feature in the majority of national food-based dietary guidelines from the British Eatwell 1 and Australian plate model 2 , to the Chinese Pagoda 3 and the Japanese Spinning top 4 , the US pyramid 5 , the Guatemalan pot 6 and many others. As milk provides a substantial amount of vitamins and minerals in relation to its energy content, it is considered a nutrient dense food 7 .