Curious About Milk

PODCAST 252: CURIOUS ABOUT MILK

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, JULY 30TH, 2023

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  THIS WEEK, WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS FOR INCREDIBLE LISTENERS THAT LIVES FAR, FAR AWAY FROM WHERE WE LIVE.  IN FACT, IF YOU DREW A STRAIGHT LINE FROM WHERE OLIVIA AND I LIVE, IN NEW JERSEY, TO WHERE OUR LISTENERS LIVE IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US IS ABOUT 9,900 MILES, OR ABOUT 16,000 KILOMETERS.  BUT GUESS WHAT?  THERE IS NO CITY IN THE ENTIRE WORLD THAT LISTENS TO CURIOUS KID PODCAST MORE THAN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.  OUR AMAZING LISTENERS IN SYDNEY ACCOUNT FOR 3% OF ALL OF OUR DOWNLOADS.  THAT’S INCREDIBLE, AND WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR ALL OUR LISTENERS IN BEAUTIFUL SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.  THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE ABOUT THE MESSAGE WE GOT FROM OUR LISTENERS IN SYDNEY.  IT ACTUALLY HAD A HANDWRITTEN NOTE ATTACHED WITH AWESOME DRAWINGS.  LET’S READ IT!

O:  MAILBAG!

D:  MAILBAG!

“HI, MY NAME IS DASH.  I HAVE A SISTER.  HER NAME IS WREN.  I AM CURIOUS ABOUT HOW PEOPLE GOT THEIR DNA.  MY SISTER IS CURIOUS ABOUT SANTA, FLOWERS, DONUTS, MILK, AND THE EASTER BUNNY.  MY MUM IS CURIOUS ABOUT CRYSTALS AND MY DAD IS CURIOUS ABOUT ROBOTS.”

O:  THAT’S SUCH AN AWESOME MESSAGE.  I ALSO LOVE ALL THE DRAWINGS.  DASH DREW A COUPLE OF YUMMY LOOKING DONUTS, BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS, A COUPLE OF CRYSTALS, AND A COOL ROBOT TOO.  WE CAN’T WAIT TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT MILK THIS WEEK FOR DASH AND WREN.      

D:  WE ALREADY GOT CURIOUS ABOUT DNA, FLOWERS, CRYSTALS, AND ROBOTS, SO IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ANY OF THOSE EPISODES, YOU CAN GO BACK ANY TIME AND GIVE THEM A LISTEN.  THIS WEEK, WE’RE GOING TO LEARN ALL ABOUT MILK.  WE GO THROUGH LOTS OF MILK IN THIS HOUSE.  OLIVIA’S BROTHER NOAH, HIMSELF, POLISHES OFF A FEW CUPS OF MILK A DAY.  HE LOVES MILK SO MUCH THAT HE WANTED TO SHARE A FEW AWESOME MILK FACTS WITH US, SO STAY TUNED TO HEAR MORE FROM NOAH IN JUST A FEW MINUTES.  OKAY OLIVIA, WHAT’S THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK?

O:  OUR GALAXY WAS GIVEN IT’S NAME BECAUSE IT RESEMBLES SPILLED MILK ACROSS THE NIGHT SKY.  ASTRONOMERS ONCE THOUGHT THAT THE GALAXY LOOKS THE WAY IT DOES BECAUSE MILK WAS SPATTERED BY THE GODS.  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, WHAT IS THE NAME OF OUR GALAXY?

D:  WHILE YOU’RE THINKING OF THE ANSWER, LET’S GET THE LEARNING STARTED.

O:  MILK IS A WHITE LIQUID MADE BY MAMMALS, OR MORE SPECIFICALLY, FEMALE MAMMALS.  NEWBORNS DON’T HAVE TEETH, SO THEY GET THEIR NUTRITION FROM THE MILK OF THEIR MOTHERS BEFORE THEY ARE ABLE TO EAT SOLID FOOD.  

D:  EVEN THOUGH MILK PRODUCTION IS A TRAIT OF MAMMALS, THERE ARE A FEW NON-MAMMAL ANIMALS THAT ARE CAPABLE OF MAKING MILK FOR THEIR BABIES.  THOSE ANIMALS INCLUDE MALE EMPEROR PENGUINS AND BOTH MALE AND FEMALE PIGEONS, AND ALSO MALE AND FEMALE FLAMINGOS.  THE MILK PRODUCED BY THESE ANIMALS IS CALLED CROP MILK, AND IT’S NOT EXACTLY LIKE THE MILK PRODUCED BY HUMANS.      

O:  EVEN GREAT WHITE SHARK FEMALES PRODUCE A MILKY SUBSTANCE TO HELP THE SHARK PUP SURVIVE.  

D:  MILK IS MADE BY THE MAMMARY GLANDS, WHICH PRESENT AS BREASTS IN SOME ANIMALS AND UDDERS IN OTHERS.  

O:  HAHAHA… UDDERS IN OTHERS.  THOSE WORDS SOUND FUNNY WHEN THEY GO TOGETHER.

D:  AFTER A BABY IS BORN, THE FIRST MILK THAT IT’S MOTHER MAKES IS CALLED COLOSTRUM.  COLOSTRUM HAS TONS OF ANTIBODIES AND PROTEINS, SO IT HELPS TO PROVIDE INSTANT PROTECTION FOR THE NEWBORN BABY.  

O:  IN A WEEK OR LESS, THE COLOSTRUM CHANGES TO ACTUAL MILK, WHICH CONTAINS LOTS OF IMPORTANT NUTRIENTS THE BABY NEEDS, LIKE FATS, PROTEINS, AND SUGAR.  

D:  HERE’S A SUPER INTERESTING FACT.  EVEN THOUGH ALL MAMMALS DRINK THEIR MOTHER’S MILK AS BABIES, ONLY HUMANS CONTINUE TO DRINK MILK AFTER INFANCY. 

O:  FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, HUMANS HAVE BEEN RETRIEVING THE MILK OF DIFFERENT ANIMALS FOR NOURISHMENT.  IN MOST CASES, THE MILK IS PRODUCED BY DAIRY COWS.  THAT BEING SAID, THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT ANIMALS THAT PROVIDE MILK FOR HUMANS AROUND THE WORLD, INCLUDING DONKEYS, GOATS, REINDEER, AND SHEEP.

D:  AND MILK IS ALSO VERY VERSATILE BECAUSE IT HELPS MAKE UP MANY DIFFERENT FOODS, INCLUDING BUTTER, CHEESE, AND YOGURT.  EVEN THOUGH OLIVIA DOESN’T LOVE DRINKING MILK, SHE SURE LIKES THE BUTTER, CHEESE, AND YOGURT THAT COMES FROM MILK.

O:  WHOLE MILK IS MADE UP OF ABOUT 88% WATER.  THE OTHER 12% IS A COMBINATION OF FATS, PROTEINS, AND A SUGAR CALLED LACTOSE.  

D:  ONCE UPON A TIME, YOU WOULD NEED TO SHAKE MILK BEFORE YOU DRINK IT, BECAUSE THE FAT WOULD RISE TO THE TOP.  TODAY, YOU NO LONGER NEED TO DO THAT.  THE FAT IN TODAY’S MILK IS BROKEN DOWN INTO SUCH TEENY TINY PIECES THAT IT JUST GETS EVENLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE LIQUID.  

O:  SO, WHOLE MILK IS WHAT MILK IS WHEN IT COMES FROM THE COW.  HERE IN THE UNITED STATES, WHOLE MILK NEEDS TO CONTAIN AT LEAST 3.25% FAT AND AT LEAST 8.25% OTHER SOLIDS.

D:  THERE ARE ALSO OTHER VARIETIES OF MILK CALLED LOW FAT AND SKIM MILK.  THEY ARE CREATED BY REMOVING FAT FROM WHOLE MILK.  LOW-FAT MILK CONTAINS ANYWHERE FROM 0.5% TO 2.5% PERCENT FAT.  IF MILK HAS LESS THAN 0.5% FAT, IT’S CALLED SKIM MILK.  VITAMINS A AND D ARE USUALLY ADDED TO LOW-FAT AND SKIM MILK TO REPLACE SOME OF THE NUTRIENTS THAT ARE LOST WHEN REMOVING THE FAT FROM MILK.  

O:  WHEN YOU SEPARATE OUT THE FAT FROM WHOLE MILK TO MAKE SKIM MILK, THE FATTY LIQUID THAT REMAINS IS CALLED CREAM.  IN THE UNITED STATES, CREAM IS USUALLY AVAILABLE IN 18%, 30%, AND 36% FAT VARIETIES.  

D:  CREAM CAN BY CHURNED INTO BUTTER, WHICH IS ABOUT 80% FAT.  WHEN YOU TURN CREAM INTO BUTTER, THE LEFTOVER LIQUID IS CALLED BUTTERMILK.  

O:  CHEESE IS MADE FROM CURD, WHICH IS THE SOLID PART OF MILK.  HUNDREDS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHEESES EXIST.  MILK IS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SUCH YUMMY THINGS AS ICE CREAM, SHERBET, AND FROZEN YOGURT.  

D:  MILK IS DELICIOUS, BUT ONE THING THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER ABOUT MILK IS THAT IT WILL GO BAD QUICKLY IF IT ISN’T STORED CORRECTLY.  

O:  MILK GOES BAD WHEN LOTS OF BACTERIA GET INTO THE MILK.  THERE ARE A BUNCH OF STEPS THAT NEED TO BE TAKEN TO BE SURE THAT MILK LASTS AS LONG AS POSSIBLE BEFORE SPOILING.  

D:  AND IT STARTS AT THE VERY BEGINNING.  ENSURING THAT EVERYTHING IS CLEAN, FROM THE COW’S UDDERS, TO THE MACHINES THAT ARE USED TO MILK THE COW, TO THE EQUIPMENT USED TO BOTTLE THE MILK, WILL HELP MAKE SURE THE MILK LASTS AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.  

O:  MOST OF THE MILK PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES IS CLEANED USING A PROCESS CALLED PASTEURIZATION.  

D:  THE PROCESS IS NAMED AFTER IT’S INVENTOR, A FRENCH BIOLOGIST AND CHEMIST BY THE NAME OF LOUIS PASTEUR.  IN THE YEAR 1863, WHICH WAS 160 YEARS AGO, HE DISCOVERED THAT IF YOU HEAT A BEVERAGE FOR A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, IT WILL HELP KILL OFF THE EXISTING BACTERIA.  

O:  OF COURSE YOU DON’T WANT TO HEAT THE MILK FOR TOO LONG, BECAUSE THAT’S NOT GOOD FOR MILK.  AFTER THE MILK IS QUICKLY HEATED, IT CAN THEN BE STORED AT THE RECOMMENDED TEMPERATURES BELOW 50 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, OR 10 DEGREES CELSIUS.

D:  LOUIS PASTEUR CAME UP WITH THE PROCESS WHILE DISCOVERING A WAY TO FIX THE HIGH ACIDITY IN WINE, BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT THE SAME PROCESS HE USED FOR IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF WINE, WORKED VERY WELL FOR MILK AS WELL.  THAT’S WHY, 160 YEARS LATER, MILK IS STILL PREPARED IN THE SAME WAY TO REMOVE BACTERIA.  AS A TRIBUTE TO LOUIS PASTEUR, THE PROCESS IS CALLED PASTEURIZATION.  

O:  IF EVERYTHING IS DONE RIGHT DURING THE MILKING, PROCESSING, AND BOTTLING OF THE MILK, MILK WILL GENERALLY STAY GOOD FOR ABOUT 10 DAYS WHEN STORED IN A COOL AND DARK PLACE, LIKE A REFRIGERATOR.  

D:  A FEW YEARS AGO, I UNKNOWINGLY POURED SPOILED MILK ONTO MY CEREAL.  I DIDN’T REALIZE UNTIL I ATE A SPOONFUL THAT THE MILK WAS SPOILED.  IT WAS NASTY.  EVER SINCE THAT DAY, I ALWAYS SMELL THE BOTTLE OF MILK BEFORE I POUR ANY FOR MYSELF OR MY KIDS, BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AGAIN.

O:  MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ANY TIME THEY DRINK MILK OR CONSUME OTHER DAIRY PRODUCTS BECAUSE THEY HAVE SOMETHING CALLED LACTOSE INTOLERANCE.  

D:  SO, WE QUICKLY MENTIONED A FEW MINUTES AGO THAT ONE OF THE MAIN INGREDIENTS IN MILK IS A SUGAR CALLED LACTOSE.  WELL, THERE IS AN ENZYME IN OUR BODIES CALLED LACTASE, AND THE ENZYME HANGS OUT IN THE SMALL INTESTINE.  THE JOB OF LACTASE IS TO DIGEST LACTOSE.  

O:  IN PEOPLE WITH LACTOSE INTOLERANCE, THEIR BODIES DON’T MAKE ENOUGH LACTASE TO PROPERLY DIGEST LACTOSE.  SYMPTOMS OF LACTOSE INTOLERANCE INCLUDE STOMACH CRAMPS, DIARRHEA, AND FARTING.  THAT’S NOT PLEASANT AT ALL.

D:  IF YOU LISTENED TO ONE OF OUR OLDER EPISODES CALLED CURIOUS ABOUT EVOLUTION, WHICH BY THE WAY MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE EPISODE OF THE PODCAST EVER, YOU MIGHT REMEMBER THAT WE DISCUSSED LACTOSE INTOLERANCE FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES IN THAT EPISODE.  THAT’S BECAUSE HUMANS HAVE EVOLVED TO BE ABLE TO INGEST LACTOSE AS WE GET OLDER.

O:  INFANTS HAVE ENOUGH LACTASE IN THEIR INTESTINES TO ALLOW THEM TO SAFELY DRINK THEIR MOMMY’S MILK.  AS HUMANS GET OLDER, THEY HAVE LESS LACTASE TO HELP DIGEST THE LACTOSE IN MILK.  FOR PEOPLE WITH LACTOSE INTOLERANCE, THEIR LACTASE LEVELS DROP SO LOW THAT THEY CAN’T HAVE MUCH DAIRY BEFORE GETTING SICK.

D:  AND, HERE’S THE NEAT THING ABOUT LACTOSE INTOLERANCE THAT WE LEARNED IN THE EVOLUTION EPISODE.  ABOUT 5,000 YEARS AGO, ALMOST NO ADULT HUMANS WERE ABLE TO TOLERATE DRINKING MILK.  THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, THERE WERE FAMINES IN EUROPE THAT PREVENTED MANY PEOPLE FROM GETTING ACCESS TO DIFFERENT FOODS THAT WERE IMPORTANT IN THEIR DIETS, LIKE BARLEY AND WHEAT.  AS A RESULT, MANY EUROPEANS STARTED DRINKING THE MILK OF THE ANIMALS THEY HERDED.  THOSE EUROPEANS WOULD, OVER THE COURSE OF MANY YEARS, START TO DEVELOP A TOLERANCE TO LACTOSE THAT ALLOWED THEM TO DRINK MILK WITHOUT A PROBLEM.  THEY WOULD THEN PASS THAT TOLERANCE DOWN THROUGH THE GENERATIONS.  

O:  BELIEVE IT OR NOT, EXPERTS ESTIMATE THAT 68% OF THE ENTIRE WORLD’S POPULATION IS LACTOSE INTOLERANT.  AMAZINGLY, ONLY ABOUT 5% OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL EUROPEANS ARE LACTOSE INTOLERANT, AND THAT’S BECAUSE OF THE EVOLUTIONARY CHANGES THAT HAPPENED IN EUROPE THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO. 

D:  THANKFULLY, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF SOLUTIONS FOR PEOPLE THAT HAVE LACTOSE INTOLERANCE.  FOR EXAMPLE, THERE IS A MEDICINE THAT CAN BE TAKEN PRIOR TO CONSUMING DAIRY THAT COULD BE VERY HELPFUL.  IN THE UNITED STATES, THERE IS A MEDICINE CALLED LACTAID, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY JUST THE LACTASE ENZYME IN MEDICINE FORM.  TAKING IT BEFORE DAIRY WILL HELP THE BODY BETTER DIGEST THE LACTOSE IN THE DAIRY.

O:  IF YOU ENJOY DAIRY, IT HAS SO MANY WONDERFUL BENEFITS, AND HERE TO TELL YOU ALL ABOUT THEM IS MY SIX YEAR OLD BROTHER, NOAH, WHO DRINKS SO MUCH MILK, HE ALMOST ALWAYS HAS A MILK MUSTACHE.

N:  HEY EVERYBODY.  IT’S SO GOOD TO BE BACK ON THE PODCAST.  THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE, YOU ASKED ME ABOUT MY FEVER.  THAT WASN’T A FUN TOPIC.  I’D RATHER TALK ABOUT MILK.

O:  WHAT MAKES MILK SO HEALTHY?

N:  IT HAS LOTS OF CALCIUM IN IT.  CALCIUM IS GREAT FOR MAKING YOUR BONES AND TEETH STRONG AND HEALTHY.  LOTS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF MILK ALSO HAVE VITAMIN D, WHICH IS ALSO GREAT FOR YOUR BONES AND YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM.  ANOTHER THING ABOUT MILK IS THAT IT IS SO REFRESHING, AND IT HELPS TO KEEP YOU FROM GETTING DEHYDRATED.  AND MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING ELSE, IT IS SUPER YUMMY.  

D:  YOU’RE NOT KIDDING.  A FEW YEARS AGO, I NEVER THOUGHT OF MILK AS BEING A VERY REFRESHING DRINK.  BUT THEN I RAN A 10 KILOMETER RACE IN PHILADELPHIA.  AFTER THE RACE WAS OVER, VOLUNTEERS WERE HANDING OUT CHOCOLATE MILK AT THE FINISH LINE.  I WAS CONFUSED, BECAUSE IT JUST SEEMED LIKE AN ODD CHOICE FOR THE KIND OF DRINK YOU WOULD WANT TO HAVE AFTER A LONG RUN.  I WAS EXPECTING SOMETHING MORE LIKE WATER, OR MAYBE GATORADE.  WELL, I HAD THE CHOCOLATE MILK, AND MY MIND WAS BLOWN.  IT WAS SO DELICIOUS AND REFRESHING.  IT TURNS OUT THAT, JUST LIKE NOAH SAID, MILK IS A DELICIOUS AND REFRESHING DRINK, THAT IS AS LONG AS YOU CAN KEEP IT NICE AND COLD SO IT DOESN’T GO BAD.    

OKAY OLIVIA, LET’S ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  OUR GALAXY WAS GIVEN IT’S NAME BECAUSE IT RESEMBLES SPILLED MILK ACROSS THE NIGHT SKY.  WHAT IS THE NAME OF OUR GALAXY?

O:  OUR GALAXY IS CALLED THE MILKY WAY.  THERE IS A GREEK MYTH ABOUT HERA, A GODDESS, WHO SPRAYED MILK ACROSS THE SKY.  LONG AGO, GREEKS CALLED THE GALAXY “GALAXIAS KYKLOS”, WHICH TRANSLATES TO “MILKY CIRCLE”, AND ROMANS CALLED THE GALAXY “VIA LACTEA”, WHICH TRANSLATES TO “ROAD OF MILK”.  AND ALL ALONG I JUST FIGURED OUR GALAXY WAS NAMED AFTER THE MILKY WAY CHOCOLATE BAR.

D:  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  252 - MILK.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND NOAH, AND GREAT JOB DASH AND WREN FOR THE EPISODE TOPIC SUGGESTION THAT WILL NEVER SPOIL.  BEFORE WE SAY GOODBYE, WE HAVE AN AWESOME LISTENER TO THANK.

O:  WE WANT TO THANK NICO FOR THE 5 STAR REVIEW.

D:  IT SAYS “LISTENING TO AN EPISODE OF CURIOUS KID PODCAST HAS BECOME A BEFORE BED RITUAL FOR MY SON F.M., 4 YEARS OLD, AND ME.  HE IS HUNGRY TO LEARN AND WE APPRECIATE THE INTERESTING AND EASY TO DIGEST NUGGETS OF INFO.  THANK YOU FROM BALTIMORE, MARYLAND”.

O:  AS IF TALKING ABOUT MILK FOR THE LAST 15 MINUTES DIDN’T MAKE ME HUNGRY ENOUGH, NOW YOU READ A REVIEW ABOUT NUGGETS?

D:  I DON’T THINK NICO WAS TALKING ABOUT CHICKEN NUGGETS, BUT NEVERTHELESS, WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR THE 5 STAR REVIEW.  JOIN US NEXT WEEK WHEN WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT BOARD GAMES FOR LISTENERS IN AUSTRALIA AND MICHIGAN.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.