In the 1950s, every Norwegian drank over 200 liters of milk each year. It had one of the main roles in the diet of most people. Today, the average Norwegian gets just under 80 liters a year. What happened to the milk? Or rather, what happened to us? Researchers at NTNU have tried to clarify this in the past six months. Four reasons why milk is less popular – To be completely honest: It is not easy to find a clear and distinct answer, says Marius Korsnes, associate professor at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies. He is now researching the topic with colleague Martin Loeng, and shares some of their findings so far. The really sharp decline came in the 80s and 90s. – Norway had one of the world’s largest per capita milk consumptions. But suddenly it started to descend. The fear of saturated fat is one explanation, says Korsnes. In the 80s, new knowledge arrived that saturated fat is not good. But the fear of fat alone cannot explain the decline. – Meat also has a lot of saturated fat. Nevertheless, meat consumption is steadily increasing. Despite the prevailing knowledge, it took a long time before the authorities wanted to ask people to limit fat milk, according to Korsnes: – Agriculture and the economy were more important. The authorities recommended introducing low-fat milk 10–15 years after Denmark and Sweden. In recent years, milk has gained a bad reputation in several “trend diets”. The researchers believe this is another reason for the decline. Do you drink milk? Yes, milk is great ? Sometimes ? No, I’m not a calf ? I can’t tolerate milk ? Show result The introduction of many herbal drinks may also have played a role. Like almond drink, oat drink and soy drink. – More and more people are saying that it doesn’t matter whether they use regular milk or plant milk in breakfast cereal – that it tastes almost the same. In addition, soft drinks and juices have taken more and more of milk’s place. Another explanation is that our eating habits have changed a lot. – For Norwegians, milk has been closely linked to bread, which we have traditionally eaten for breakfast and lunch. When slices of bread are replaced with hot food for lunch, milk loses its place, explains Korsnes. But then came a pandemic … Associate professor at NTNU, Marius Korsnes, is researching, among other things, the milk consumption of Norwegians. Photo: Oddmund Reisæter Haugen / news More milk during the shutdown Almost three years ago, from March to June 2020, we closed the country. We worked, trained and ate at home. – The consumption of milk rose sharply, says Korsnes. Quite funny, but still logical? – When people are at home more, and then eat breakfast and lunch at home, we probably use more milk. Because when Norway opened up, it was all over again with a decline in milk consumption. After producing more milk than normal during the corona pandemic, this year the farmers will produce less than the quota, says dairy farmer at Fosen and leader of the Trøndelag farmers association, Petter Harald Kimo: – It is sad. The individual farmer will feel good about the economy. Kimo believes the trade union is partly responsible for the milk being less popular. – You can buy soft drinks much cheaper than milk. I get frustrated. Do you have to drink milk and eat dairy products to be healthy? Two nutritionists provide answers further down in the matter. Photo: Kirsti Kringstad / news We couldn’t tolerate milk Basically, it is unnatural for humans to tolerate lactose particularly well when we stop drinking breast milk as babies. But our ancestors here in the cold north had little plants and other snacks to eat. Milk from animals, mainly cows, became an important source of nutrition. Over a long, long time, we have learned to cope with lactose. Only 1 to 3 percent of ethnic Norwegians are lactose intolerant, according to figures from the Information Office for Dairy Products and the Asthma and Allergy Association. In comparison, between 80 and 90 per cent are in Asia, Africa and South America. Milk is trending in Asia – where almost everyone is lactose intolerant Milk has not traditionally been part of the diet in these parts of the world. But in the last 20 years, the consumption of milk has increased tremendously in countries such as China. – It has skyrocketed! This is especially because people are generally lactose intolerant in China. We need to find out more about what is behind the increase, says NTNU researcher Korsnes. Now he will move out of Norway and into China to find answers. Can you drink milk? – Over 90 per cent of us have a dairy product in the fridge. But the consumption of drinking milk is falling. We think that’s a shame, says Ida Berg Hauge. She is director of the Dairy Information Office, Melk.no, and works to get people to include dairy products in their diet. Hauge points out that milk contains important nutrients such as calcium and iodine. Director of Melk.no, Ida Berg Hauge. Photo: Information Office or dairy products But does the body need milk and dairy products to be healthy and well? White fish has plenty of iodine. And several herbal drinks have added calcium and thus have as much as cow’s milk. There are also dietary supplement tablets. According to clinical nutritionist Vegard Lysne, it is possible to have good health with a dairy-free diet. But: – If you cut out dairy products and do not eat white fish or enriched products, it may be wise to consider using dietary supplements to ensure the intake of iodine and calcium. Nutritional content of milk Photo: Gorm Kallestad / NTB One glass (2 dl) of skimmed milk with 0.5% fat contains 74 calories: Carbohydrate: 9 grams Protein: 7 grams Fat: 1 gram Milk contains these nutrients: Iodine Calcium Protein Vitamin B12 Riboflavin Potassium Phosphorus Sources: My fitness pal, Tine.no, Melk.no In addition, he points out that plant-based sources of calcium are absorbed much worse in the body than calcium in milk is. – Which means that you have to eat more to meet your needs. Clinical nutritionist Cathrine Borchsenius elaborates on why nutrients in their original form are best: – The nutrients through the original foods come with a number of other nutrients and components in the food that can work together in a way that is good for us. This is an effective we are unable to imitate in grants.
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Can you drink milk? Milk drinking goes down. Here are some of the reasons – news Trøndelag
