Do adults need milk?

Ritika Samaddar, dietician, says milk is a complete food that provides proteins, fats, carbohydrates and calcium. She recommends including half litre of milk in your diet

Milk is the first food, which an infant tastes on birth. Considered a complete food, milk is an excellent source of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Milk is the only source of calcium readily absorbed and hence essential for strong bones. Ideally, even adults should drink or eat half litre milk and milk products daily.

Let’s analyse which milk is best for us:

• Full cream milk contains around 4 per cent fat and has vitamins A and D. It is recommended for children till age two.
  
  
• Toned milk contains 3 per cent fat, but has the same protein and calcium as full cream milk. This is good for adults.
  
  
• Skim milk contains less than 1 per cent fat. Dairies add vitamin A and D to replace naturally occurring vitamins removed when fat is taken out.

Health benefits
Consumption of milk and milk products has many health benefits:

Healthy bones and teeth: Milk and milk products provide calcium, phosphorous and protein essential for healthy teeth and bones for both children and adults. This protects against osteoporosis (brittle bone disorder).

Blood pressure: Studies show three portions of milk each day, along with five portions of fruits and vegetables is a good low salt diet to reduce high BP.

Heart disease: Studies have linked milk consumption to reduced risk for cardiovascular disease. High calcium intake reduces high levels of bad cholesterol in the blood, a known risk for heart disease.

Diabetes: Regular consumption of low fat milk products instead of refined sugars and carbohydrates reduces type 2 diabetes risk.

Osteoporosis: Giving up milk and milk products leads to reduced calcium intake and leads to osteoporosis. This concerns women and the elderly, who need lots of calcium to prevent bone loss.

What is lactose intolerance?
Some adults have lactose intolerance. Lactose is a carbohydrate or sugar naturally occurring in milk. An enzyme in the small intestine called lactase breaks down lactose so it is absorbed in the bloodstream. Some people don’t produce enough lactase, and undigested lactose is broken up by bacteria in the large intestine causing gas, bloating, pain and diarrhoea. This is ‘lactose intolerance’. Check with your doctor; if you have it, opt for curds or whey water.