10 Amazing Health Benefits of Milk
Milk is widely consumed in India. You make sure that your child has a glass of milk every day; sometimes, you drink it too plain or add it to your tea. Drinking milk has various benefits. Drinking milk is the key to building strong and healthy bones. So, find out why drinking milk is so important. Read to find out its benefits.
Nutritional Content Present in Milk
Below we draw a comparison between the three different types of milk plus some milk nutrition value information of cow’s milk, buffalo’s milk, and goat’s milk.
Nutrient (per 100 grams) | Cow Milk | Buffalo Milk | Goat Milk |
Water (%) | 87.99 | 83.39 | 80.70 |
Calories | 61 | 97 | 69 |
Protein(g) | 3.29 | 3.75 | 3.56 |
Fat(g) | 3.34 | 6.89 | 4.14 |
Carbs(g) | 4.66 | 5.18 | 4.45 |
Calcium (mg) | 119 | 169 | 134 |
Cholesterol(mg) | 14 | 19 | 11 |
Sodium (mg) | 49 | 52 | 50 |
Potassium(mg) | 152 | 178 | 204 |
How Can Milk Benefit Your Health
If you didn’t believe that consuming milk is good for your wellbeing and physical/mental health, then here are a couple milk nutrition facts to back it up.
1. It Helps You Meet Your Nutritional Requirements
Just an 8-ounce serving of milk in your meals is enough to get your daily dose of Vitamin D, calcium, and Vitamin B12 – the three essential nutrients which you need. Milk also provides you with other essential nutrients like minerals, proteins, antioxidants, and healthy fatty acids.
2. It Keeps You Healthy
Milk isn’t an ordinary beverage. There’s a reason why athletes and other people swear by it. It has all the nine essential amino acids, making it a complete-protein beverage. In case you didn’t know, grass-fed cow’s milk even contains conjugated linoleic acid and Omega-3 fatty acids, both of which have been reported to provide a host of cognitive and physical health benefits.
3. It Strengthens Your Bones
Calcium is a key nutrient that’s needed for strong and healthy bones. One 8-ounce glass of milk, thus meeting your RDA for this nutrient easily without stuffing your stomach. Milk and other dairy products also prevent bone diseases like osteoporosis. Consuming milk can prevent this disease. Milk and dairy products contain calcium in abundant amounts and can strengthen your brain. If you compare buffalo milk’s nutrition value with cow’s milk, you’ll find the former has more calcium content present in it.
4. Helps Keep Your RBCs in Check
Vitamin B-12 deficiency is one of the common cause of anaemia, poor memory, and sometimes even heart problems (in severe cases). Besides producing RBCs and transporting oxygen to your nerve tissues, this nutrient is essential for overall well-being. Simply put, you cannot live without B12. And milk and other dairy products can meet your calcium requirements.
5. Gives You Vitamin D
Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin. It is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps in absorbing calcium and supports the immune system. Lack of Vitamin D in your body can affect your bone health. But not to worry because can help you meet your Vitamin D requirements. Milk is an excellent source of Vitamin D; it also regulates the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the body, both of which are required for strong and healthy bones. Besides this, Vitamin D is also known to ward off depression, prevent heart disease, and boost weight loss.
6. Keeps Your Heart Health in Check
Milk prevents and reduces the risk of heart disease. Milk is an excellent source of conjugated linoleic acid and omega-3 fatty acids that help reduce the risk of heart diseases and diabetes too.
7. Supplies You with Protein
Protein is an important element that helps build lean muscle mass and help a person recover faster after working out. It is also essential for the production of hormones in the body. And here’s a surprise – milk gives you 8 grams of high-quality protein with just an 8-ounce serving. If you feel hungry all the time, add protein-rich foods to your diet, especially milk.
8. It Can Help Keep Depression Away
Drinking milk can help in the production of serotonin hormone in your body; serotonin hormone is associated with mood and sleep. The deficiency of Vitamin D is linked to depression and fatigue, but drinking milk can help, as it meets your Vitamin D requirements. By drinking milk, you can keep Vitamin D deficiency at bay and thus depression.
9. Keeps Your Energy Levels High
Milk is an awesome source of Riboflavin. Riboflavin helps your body produce more energy by breaking down carbs, proteins, and fats. Since it’s a water-soluble vitamin, you need it every day. It also helps carry oxygen to various internal organs and thus keeping them functioning.
10. Meets Your Calorie Requirements
This one goes is for the people who have trouble eating a lot. If you need to meet your daily requirements of calories but are failing to do so because of your eating habits, then drink milk. Milk can provide you with calories and keep a good balance of other nutrients.
Precautions to Consider While Consuming Milk
Ensure you take the following precautions before consuming milk.
1. Go for Plant-Based
If you are vegan or lactose intolerant, here is the good news – there are plant-based options out there. You can opt for almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, and cashew milk.
2. Limit Your Consumption
Just because milk is healthy and packs a lot of nutrients doesn’t mean you should drink too much milk. Moderation is the key because it does pack fat content and if you’re trying to lose weight and build muscles, track how much you consume based on nutrition information.
3. Keep Your Digestive Health in Check
In the olden days, cow’s milk provided you with a lot of good gut-healthy bacteria. But with the advent of pasteurization practices, all that good stuff is removed which means you don’t get the reported digestive benefits. Also, higher-fat content in the milk you choose makes it difficult for your body to process it.
Milk offers various benefits and helps you stay fit and active. It gives you your daily dose of energy and supplies your body with the essential nutrients you need. Adding a glass of milk to your meals will not only make you strong and healthy, but it will also improve your mood and keep you in good health. So, drink a glass of milk daily and stay fit.
Also Read:
Is Drinking Milk at Night Good or Bad?
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