/oss/taxonomy/term/305/all en /oss/article/student-contributors-health-and-nutrition/high-protein-milk-its-not-just-milk-added-protein-powder <p>It used to be so simple. One would receive their daily milk bottles from the milkman. Nowadays, the number of milk alternatives is enough to make anyone’s head swirl. There is skim milk, organic milk, fortified milk, raw milk, low-fat milk, buttermilk, A2 milk, lactose-free milk, flavored milk, condensed milk, powdered milk, evaporated milk, scalded milk, and now protein milk.</p> Fri, 14 Jun 2024 16:00:00 +0000 Daniela Padres 9976 at /oss /oss/article/history/statues-perform-miracles <p>It was a miracle! Or at least seemed to be one. The date: September 20, 1985. The place: A Hindu temple, New Delhi, India. Traffic around the temple snarled as the curious rushed to witness a statue of the elephant-headed God Ganesha drink offerings of milk. A worshipper had described holding a spoonful of milk next to the statue’s trunk and watching in amazement as the milk disappeared! Apparently, the statue had miraculously consumed the milk.</p> Wed, 13 Mar 2024 19:13:39 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9867 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-you-asked/no-need-avoid-dairy-when-youre-sick <hr /> <p> <em>This article was first published in</em> <a href="https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/the-fact-and-fiction-of-physiological-phenomena-volume-i/" target="_blank" title="‌"><em>The Skeptical Inquirer.</em></a></p> Fri, 18 Aug 2023 16:00:52 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9601 at /oss /oss/article/history-you-asked/should-you-add-milk-tea-or-tea-milk <p>Everyone seems to have an opinion on making the best cup of tea.</p> Fri, 13 Jan 2023 11:00:00 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9349 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-history/putting-farts-story-our-ancestors-and-animal-milk-they-loved <p>Flatulence has been immortalized in this children’s song: “Beans, beans, the musical fruit / The more you eat, the more you toot.” The same can be said of milk for those of us with lactose intolerance.</p> Fri, 26 Aug 2022 10:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9213 at /oss /oss/article/health-nutrition/possible-link-between-milk-and-breast-cancer-not-udder-nonsense <p>Trying to milk the scientific literature for evidence of a link between dairy consumption and breast cancer can drive one crazy. Is milk protective against this dreaded disease or does it cause it? It depends on which study you happen to read. The latest volley in this battle was fired by <a href="https://news.llu.edu/research/new-study-associates-intake-of-dairy-milk-with-greater-risk-of-breast-cancer">researchers from Loma Linda University</a> who concluded that even small amounts of milk, as little as a third of a cup a day, can significantly raise the risk of breast cancer.</p> Fri, 28 Feb 2020 16:40:27 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8160 at /oss /oss/article/videos/right-chemistry-cockroach-milk-real-superfood <p></p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"></div> Fri, 09 Nov 2018 19:31:19 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7445 at /oss /oss/article/general-science-you-asked/what-ghee-and-it-healthier-butter <p>Ghee can be found in the international section of most grocery stores, and clarified butter on the pages of many culinary magazines, but what are these fats, and how do they differ from normal sticks of butter?</p> <p>Butter is made from milk, which itself is composed of globules of butterfat suspended in water, with carbohydrates, minerals and proteins dissolved in the mix. So, when you melt butter it separates into three layers.</p> Thu, 13 Sep 2018 18:38:18 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7348 at /oss /oss/article/quackery/skeptics-vacation-hell-quite-relaxing-nonetheless <p>Being a skeptic has downsides. Try going to a spa and relaxing.</p> <p>A few summers ago, I needed to unwind and temporarily disconnect from the virtual world, so I decided to treat myself to a three-day stay at a spa resort outside the city. I told myself, "I am not going there to work. I will not take notes. I will ignore the woo and relax."</p> Tue, 21 Aug 2018 15:58:50 +0000 Jonathan Jarry, MSc 7314 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition-you-asked/how-do-we-modify-dairy-be-lactose-free <p>So you’re walking down the refrigerated section of the grocery store and you see all the milks lined up. You got the 3.5s, the 2s, and those watery skims. But then you see some different coloured caps, which indicate “lactose-free”. And the only thing you know about this type of milk is that your sister can drink it. But what exactly does it mean when a dairy product claims that its lactose content has been modified – or “freed” – to ease digestion?</p> <p>Well to understand “lactose-free” we need to understand how lactose gets digested.</p> Tue, 24 Jul 2018 17:08:22 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7182 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-quackery/science-and-pseudoscience-vegetarian-culture <p>Hi! I’m Ada and I’m a vegetarian.</p> <p>Forgive me if I sound like I’m confessing to being an alcoholic or naturopath, but with all the misinformation, pseudoscience and nonsense that plague the vegetarian and vegan worlds, being a vegetarian scientist can sometimes feel like being a walking oxymoron.</p> <p>In my experience there are 3 main reasons one becomes a vegetarian (not including a distaste or allergy for meat, in which case their vegetarianism is less of a choice and more of a mandate):</p> Tue, 23 Jan 2018 03:10:35 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 6898 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/sweetened-condensed-milk-owes-its-popularity-soldiers <p>Gail Borden Jr first condensed milk in 1853 in an attempt to create a milk product that was shelf stable. He opened 2 factories to produce his product, but both ultimately failed, and it wasn’t until the 3rd factory opened in 1864 that his condensed milk, sold under the name <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_Brand">Eagle Brand,</a> caught on. Truly however this baking staple owes its popularity to the American civil war, as the U.S.</p> Wed, 22 Nov 2017 20:58:39 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 6829 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/battle-milks-are-plant-based-milks-appropriate-children <p>A <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/plant-based-milks-for-kids-pediatricians-dietitians-1.4392857">recent CBC article</a> reports on a new joint statement from the Dietitians of Canada and the Canadian Paediatric Society that says plant based milks are “inappropriate alternatives to cow milk in the first two years”, citing their lack of protein, lack of fortification (most cow’s milk is fortified with a subset or all of vitamin A, D and C), sugar content and potential to “displace hunger”. So let’s take a look at the nutrition of plant based milks.</p> Thu, 16 Nov 2017 17:22:02 +0000 Ada McVean, OSS Intern & Cassandra Lee, OSS Intern 6820 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/how-does-milk-become-butter <p><span>Cows' milk, as well as that of most other mammals, is a complex mixture of</span><span> proteins, fats, water, carbohydrates, minerals, hormones and various </span><span>other molecules. Some of these components are soluble in water, others are suspended.</span><span> The first step to making butter is to let cow's milk</span><span> rest (or centrifuge it</span><span> to speed up the process) until a lot of the fatty constituents have floated to the top.</span></p> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 17:50:59 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 2639 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-history/mixing-meat-and-milk <p>The Old Testament offers up some dietary advice about not mixing milk and meat. Milk provides a hospitable environment for bacteria on meat to multiply, so this does make sense. Religious authorities, however, argue that the dietary laws were not directed towards improving food safety, rather they were directed towards keeping the Israelites together through faith and common practices.</p> Thu, 11 May 2017 01:00:32 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 2433 at /oss