Contents
Comparison between human and cow’s milk
Why does man like sugar so much?
Nature is wise, and it provides us, naturally, with foods that contain all the nutrients we need. Without a doubt, men are intellectual animals, since we develop speech first than walking. And the main food for our intellect is sugar, since it has been shown that neurons only feed on the sugar that circulates in our blood (neither protein, nor fat). For this reason, breast milk is rich in sugar.
On the other hand, other animals such as cow’s milk, has a composition that is very rich in protein and fat, because these animals have a lot of physical structure.
Below we present a very simple illustrative example comparing breast milk (man’s first food) and cow’s milk, and the important reason for their differences:
| Nutrients | Composition of cow’s milk per 100 ml | Composition of human breast milk (colostrum) per 100ml |
|---|---|---|
| Calories (kcal) | 67 | 67 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 4,8  | 7  |
| Proteins (g) | 3,5 | 0,9 |
| Fats (g) | 3,8 | 2 |
Cow’s milk is rich in protein and fat
The bovine is an animal that must and gain a lot of physical structure, make its bones grow thick, strong, and develop a fatty tissue that protects it from the cold. For this reason, cow’s milk is rich in protein and fat.
Cow’s milk is not especially sweet, because the animal does not need it, but structural nutrients are more suitable for this animal.
Human milk is rich in sugars
Human breast milk is especially rich in sugars and contains less fat and protein than cow’s milk.
Sweet is the first taste that man tastes
Man associates the sweet taste with the maternal taste. Instinctively, the brain always considers a sweet food to be a beneficial food.
As explained in the sugar characteristics section, carbohydrate is mainly found naturally in plant foods (fruits, seeds or roots, always plants, because they produce it from photosynthesis). On the other hand, in the animal kingdom there are very few foods rich in sugar, specifically only two: honey and milk.
Breast milk is one of the few foods of animal origin that are rich in sugar. This detail is very interesting, because breast milk is the first food that humans consume at the time of birth. In other words, candy is an instinctively healthy flavor.
The first time we taste the sweet taste
The newborn cries, his mother caresses him and breastfeeds him. The baby then tastes the first food of his life, breast milk. Breast milk is especially rich in sugar and tastes very sweet. In addition, in these minutes, the baby’s brain has already been able to associate eating with affection, pleasure and a sweet taste.
What about the cow’s milk bottle?
When babies cannot breastfeed and are given milk from another animal, usually cow, milk has to be adapted to the baby’s needs, which is done by companies specialized in infant nutrition.
In general, cow’s milk must be diluted in water and added sugar so that it can be taken by the baby. (On the other hand, companies in the sector specialized in infant nutrition use methods so that the milk proteins are more digestive for the baby and do not cause allergies. Nutrients such as EPA, DHA and certain amino acids are also added).
More information on milk
