Ancient cheeses and modern milk
The idea that people like cheese is not a new one. In fact, a recent archaeological exhumation has found a 3,000 year old cheese in Egypt, buried with a high-ranking Egyptian official, who was mayor of the ancient city of Memphis, according to the BBC news website.
And while this is an actual lump of now-inedible cheese (there is such a thing as aging things too long), it is not the first example of ancient cheese making. Fragments of pottery have been found in Poland, which researchers concluded were ancient cheese strainers. These were 7,000 years old.
So the idea of cheese making is as old as civilisation itself, really. We love cheese.
In other dairy news, a study was done the effects of consuming high-protein milk at breakfast on blood glucose levels and satiety after breakfast and after a second meal. Milk consumed with breakfast cereal reduced postprandial blood glucose concentration compared with water, and high dairy protein concentration reduced postprandial blood glucose concentration compared with normal dairy protein concentration. The high-protein treatment also reduced appetite after the second meal compared with the low-protein equivalent.
Which is good news for those seeking to control their blood glucose levels, such as diabetics. Milk can even out the highs and lows of blood sugar content. The researchers note that this study should encourage consumers to include milk. The growing body of evidence on dairy shows that dairy is natural, nutritious and something that people should include in their diet. In fact, they’ve been doing it for thousands of years. I’ll raise a glass to that.
