Recently, I often receive various small question marks from many readers about drinking milk:
"I heard yogurt is better than pure milk, really?"
"Is the restorative milk a fake milk, can't it be drunk?"
"Milk is best drunk in the morning, is it true?"
Are these milk-drinking rumors credible? Today we will exhaust the 12 misunderstandings about drinking milk, so that everyone can drink milk with confidence
01
Myth: Yogurt is better than pure milk
Not necessarily.
Yogurt and milk are high-quality dairy products, and the protein and calcium content is equally excellent.
But "theoretically good yogurt"—that is, pure milk fermentation, no added sugar, and other ingredients—is not flavorful enough for most people to accept without flavoring.
The yogurt on the market is basically "flavored yogurt" and "flavored fermented milk" with sugar, and the more sugar, the lower the overall nutritional value, which is enough to erase all the "possible benefits" brought by lactic acid bacteria fermentation.
Therefore, yogurt is not necessarily better than milk.
Lactose intolerant people who are prone to diarrhea as soon as they drink milk should also try to choose a low sugar content / carbohydrate content when choosing yogurt.
Image source: Do it yourself
02
Myth: Skim milk is healthier than whole milk
For most people, whether it is nutrition or taste, it is whole milk that is better.
Skim milk is only more suitable for the needs of some people, such as people who have lost weight and people with cardiovascular diseases who need to control blood lipids.
Skimmed milk removes the fat in the whole milk, and the fat is also the source of the fragrant taste of the milk, so the skim milk is weak to drink and less milky.
In addition, the removal of fat also removes some fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, and E (these vitamins can only be dissolved in fat).
There is no need to lose weight, there is no control of blood lipid demand of small partners, it is recommended to choose whole milk Oh, there is no need to tangle a bag of milk in the extra few grams of fat.
03
Myth: Ambient milk is less nutritious than low-temperature fresh milk
Not really.
The main difference between ambient milk and low-temperature fresh milk (also called pasteurized milk) is the sterilization method, storage conditions and duration, and the nutritional difference is not large.
From the nutritional point of view, after high temperature sterilization, some water-soluble vitamins with poor thermal stability in room temperature milk, such as vitamin B12 and vitamin C, have a slightly higher loss rate, while the main nutritional protein and calcium are not significantly different.
If you want a better taste, you can consider pasteurized milk, but it will also be more expensive.
04
Myth: Milk with a long shelf life is fortified with preservatives
Not really. Milk can be preserved for a long time because of the sterilization method, and it has nothing to do with preservatives.
Ambient milk is ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization, almost all microorganisms are killed, and then packaged with sterility, there are no bacteria in it, and no foreign bacteria enter, and it can be stored for a long time without preservatives at room temperature.
Moreover, the continental food additive use hygiene standard (GB2760-2014) stipulates that no food additives are allowed to be added to pure milk. Adding preservatives in violation of regulations also increases production costs, and merchants are not so stupid.
05
Myth: Transparently packaged milk is fresher than regular packaging
Transparent packaging is more of a marketing strategy, making people mistakenly think that "visible" is fresher and more reassuring, in fact, transparent packaging is not conducive to milk preservation.
Proteins, vitamins, etc. in milk need to be protected from light, and the greater the light intensity and the longer the time, the greater the loss of nutrition and the change in taste. Transparent packaging exposes milk to sunlight or supermarket lights, accelerating changes and shortening shelf life.
Moreover, transparent packaging bags will make people mistakenly think that it is pasteurized milk that needs to be stored at low temperatures, but some products are actually ordinary milk that can be stored at room temperature.
If you think that transparent packaged milk looks good and convenient, you can drink it if you like it.
But if you think that transparent bags must be better than ordinary packaged milk, then... The extra money spent may just be paying for this package.
06
Myth: Restorative milk is fake milk
Not. "Restorative milk" is also a type of milk, which is essentially the same as milk.
Restorative milk is the first concentration of milk into milk powder, and then reduced to liquid milk. The use of milk powder as raw materials is because compared with fresh milk, milk powder does not need cold chain preservation, easy to transport and store, and is more conducive to manufacturers to control costs.
Nutritionally, compared with fresh milk, the number of reconstituted milk heating times is longer, the nutrient loss is more, but the loss is mainly some heat-sensitive vitamins, the loss ratio is generally not more than 30%, the main nutritional protein and calcium have no obvious loss.
If you see the word restored milk on the ingredient list of dairy products, don't worry, it is also a serious dairy product. However, some of these products may add a lot of sugar, which can offset the original benefits of milk.
07
Myth: It is best to drink milk in the morning
There is no optimal time to drink milk, you can do it at any time, and the nutrition of milk does not change with time.
Drinking in the morning can strengthen the nutritional value of breakfast, drinking a strong sense of fullness at night, can effectively alleviate hunger; drinking before meals can slow down the rise rate of blood sugar after meals, drink after meals, don't eat and hold on.
Can't drink milk on an empty stomach? People with normal digestive function and no lactose intolerance have no problem drinking milk on an empty stomach.
People with lactose intolerance can eat some other foods before drinking milk, or directly choose yogurt, low-lactose milk, etc.
08
Myth: Milk cannot be eaten with eggs and durian
Think too much. Drinking milk is not so much contraindication.
As long as the eggs are cooked, there is no need to worry about affecting protein absorption.
Raw eggs do contain a trypsin inhibitor that reduces protein absorption, but it is destroyed at high temperatures and cooked.
Breakfast with eggs, milk, double high-quality egg whites, not fragrant?
Image source: Figureworm Creative
Worrying about the organic acids in durian that affect protein absorption is also completely unnecessary.
Stomach acid is more severe than a little acid in durian, do not eat durian, milk into the stomach will also precipitate.
If the protein precipitate cannot be absorbed, then the cheese made of protein precipitate is not necessary to exist.
Milk can be eaten with eggs, durian, soy milk, chocolate, strawberries, mangoes... Eat together.
09
Myth: When milk is heated, nutrition will be greatly lost
No, hot milk to drink with confidence.
After milk is heated, what changes is the structure of the protein, which will not reduce nutrients and will not hinder the digestion and absorption of the intestine.
However, it is not recommended that everyone must heat before drinking milk, and now normal temperature milk and low temperature fresh milk are strictly sterilized and can be drunk directly.
If you want to drink ice milk, you can drink it directly, love to drink hot milk, or you can drink it after heating.
10
Myth: Drink a glass of milk before drinking, and the wine will not hurt your stomach
Emmm...... It's a lot like an excuse for people who want to drink.
Drinking a glass of milk or eating a staple food before drinking alcohol can slightly slow down the speed of alcohol from the stomach to the small intestine, but the actual impact is very small, and it cannot play such an ideal role as "making wine not hurt the stomach".
And some studies have pointed out that once the amount of alcohol drunk exceeds the standard: generally as long as the alcohol drink is above 20 ° and more than 100 ml per hour, the damage to the gastric mucosa begins.
So, it's best not to hurt your stomach or... Do not drink alcohol.
11
Myth: Drinking a glass of milk before going to bed can help you sleep
Theoretically yes, but in practice the effect is very weak.
Milk is said to contain tryptophan, which helps synthesize melatonin and serotonin, which helps with sleep.
But in reality, a glass of milk contains very little tryptophan, let alone less tryptophan to get into the brain and get to where it really works.
Relying on drinking milk to help sleep, drinking until it is not necessarily useful, and even makes you want to go to the toilet... Putting down your phone may help you get a good night's sleep more than a glass of milk.
12
Myth: Colds, fevers can not drink milk
NoNoNo, when you have a cold and fever, you can not only drink it, but also need to drink milk to supplement nutrition.
When you have a cold and fever, the body needs sufficient protein, multivitamin and mineral participation to recover, and it needs nutrition more than usual.
The proteins in milk and the decomposed amino acids help synthesize antibodies and other immune components to help the body recover.
However, some people may have gastrointestinal discomfort when they have a fever and develop temporary lactose intolerance, which can be drunk a little less than usual.
Cold, fever, whether adults or children, as long as there is an appetite, drinking is not uncomfortable, you can rest assured to drink milk.
Some people may not be afraid to drink milk because of rumors of drinking milk, and more people have not actually drunk enough milk.
A 2018 survey showed that only 22.5% of people on the mainland who could consume dairy products per capita per day reached the recommended amount of 300 grams or more, and nearly eight adults drank milk less than standard.
Don't be too entangled in drinking milk, transfer it to the small partner who does not dare to drink milk at ease, drink together, drink enough ~ ~
This article is co-authored by experts
Li Jiewen
Registered Dietitian in China
Master of Nutrition, Columbia University
This article is reviewed by experts
Money
Food R&D Engineer
M.A. in Food Processing Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology
bibliography
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Liu Haiyan et al. Effects of heat treatment on physicochemical properties of bovine milk. China Dairy Industry. 2019. 47(10): 9-14.
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[6] Birch Catherine & Bonwich G. Milk: Light exposure and depletion of key nutrients. 2019. Retrieved at: https://www.noluma.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/milk-light-exposure-and-depletion-of-key-nutrients.pdf
Cui Jing et al. Research on detection method of restorative milk in liquid milk. Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products. 2018(5): 80-82
[8] Part of the data comes from nutritiondataself.com
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