Cow’s milk is an excellent source of calcium which, together with vitamin D, is required to construct strong, dense bones.
Milk also incorporates protein, the minerals phosphorus, potassium, zinc and iodine, and vitamins A, B2 (riboflavin) and B12 (cobalamin).
As a toddler I drank quite a lot of milk. It was delivered in pint bottles to our front steps each morning. I also drank a 3rd of a pint before marching into class as a part of the free school milk program. I still love milk, which makes getting enough calcium easy.
Of course, many individuals don’t drink milk for quite a few reasons. The excellent news is you may get all of the calcium and other nutrients you would like from other foods.
What foods contain calcium?
Dairy products reminiscent of cheese and yoghurt are wealthy in calcium, while non-dairy foods including tofu, canned fish with bones, green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds contain various amounts.
Some foods are fortified with added calcium, including some breakfast cereals and soy, rice, oat and nut “milks”. Check their food label nutrition information panels to see how much calcium they contain.
However, it’s harder in your body to soak up calcium from non-dairy foods. Although your body does recover at absorbing calcium from plant foodsand in addition when your total calcium intake is lowthe general effect means if you happen to don’t have dairy foods, chances are you’ll must eat more foods that contain calcium to maximise your bone health.
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How much calcium do you would like?
Depending in your age and sex, the every day calcium requirements vary from 360 milligrams per day to greater than 1,000 mg for teens and older women.
One 250ml cup of cow’s milk incorporates about 300mg of calcium, which is comparable to one standard serve. This same amount is present in:
- 200 grams of yoghurt
- 250 ml of calcium-fortified plant milks
- 100 grams of canned pink salmon with bones
- 100 grams of firm tofu
- 115 grams of almonds.
The advisable variety of every day serves of dairy and non-dairy alternatives varies:
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children must have between 1 and three.5 serves a day, depending on their age and sex
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women aged 19 to 50 must have 2.5 serves a day, then 4 serves when aged over 50
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men aged 19 to 70 must have 2.5 serves a day, then 3.5 serves when aged over 70.
However, the average Australian intake is just 1.5 serves per day, with just one in ten achieving the recommendations.
What other nutrients do you would like?
If you don’t drink milk, the challenge is getting enough nutrients to have a balanced food regimen. Here’s what you would like and why.
Protein
Needed for growth and repair of cells and to make antibodies, enzymes and make specific transport proteins that carry chemical massages throughout the body.
Phosphorus
Builds bone and teeth, supports growth and repair of cells, and is required for energy production.
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Potassium
Needed to activate cells and nerves. Maintains fluid balance and helps with muscle contraction and regulation of blood pressure.
Zinc
Helps with wound healing and the event of the immune system and other essential functions within the body, including taste and smell.
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Iodine
Needed for normal growth, brain development and utilized by the thyroid gland to make the hormone thyroxine, which is required for growth and metabolism.
Vitamin A
Needed for antibody production, maintenance of healthy lungs and gut, and for good vision.
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
Needed to release energy from food. Also supports healthy eyesight and skin.
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin)
Needed to make red blood cells, DNA (your genetic code), myelin (which insulate nerves) and a few neurotransmitters needed for brain function.
When might it is advisable avoid milk?
Reasons why people don’t drink milk range from taste, personal preferences, animal welfare or environmental concerns. Or it might be attributable to health conditions or concerns about intolerance, allergy and pimples.
Lactose intolerance
Lactose is the principal carbohydrate in milk. It’s broken down in the easy sugars by an enzyme within the small intestine called lactase.
Some persons are born without the lactase enzyme or their lactase levels decrease as they age. For these people, consuming foods containing quite a lot of lactose means it passes undigested along the gut and may trigger symptoms reminiscent of bloating, pain and diarrhoea.
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Research shows smalls amounts of lactose – as much as 15 grams every day – might be tolerated without symptoms, especially if unfolded over the day. A cup of cows milk incorporates about 16 grams of lactosewhile a 200g tub of yoghurt incorporates 10g, and 40g cheddar cheese incorporates lower than 1g.
Cow’s milk allergy
Cow’s milk allergy occurs in about 0.5-3% of 1 12 months olds. By age five, about half are reported to have grown out of it, and 75% by adolescence. However, one survey found 9% of pre-school children had severe allergy with anaphylaxis.
Symptoms of cow’s milk allergy include hives, rash, cough, wheeze, vomiting, diarrhoea or swelling of the face.
Symptom severity varies, and may occur immediately or take just a few days to develop. If a response is severe, call 000, as it could actually be a medical emergency.
Acne
The whey protein in cow’s milk products, except for cheese, triggers a rise in insulin, a hormone that transports blood sugar, which is released into the blood stream.
Meanwhile, milk’s casein protein triggers a rise in one other hormone, called insulin-like growth factor (IGF), which influences growth.
These two reactions promote the production of hormones called androgenswhich may result in a worsening of pimples.
If this happens to you, then avoid milk, but keep eating hard cheese, and eat other foods wealthy in calcium usually as a substitute.
While milk might be problematic for some people, for many of us, drinking milk sparsely in keeping with suggestion is the approach to go.