Drinking Milk Can Be a Two-Sided Coin for Health
By Tom Herrin
The practice of including milk with meals is not new. We were all basically reliant upon milk as our primary source of nutrition for most of our early lives. For those who attended public school, a steady diet of milk was considered to be a mainstay at every meal. The meals program provided by the federal government has required that milk be served with all meals, at least up to a certain age. This was to ensure that kids had the kind of nutrition that was deemed necessary for children to grow and develop successfully. It has been a good program, and many of us have benefited from it. Some of us can still receive some health benefits from drinking milk, but some may have issues.
Milk Can Be a Powerful Source of Nutrition
At one time, many of us were discouraged from drinking much milk as adults. There was a lot of concern about the fat content. Many now believe that drinking milk, with some fat, may actually be good for the heart. It may help to raise good cholesterol. It also can help to make us feel fuller due to the high water content, and it is an excellent source of protein. Ounce-for-ounce, milk is powerful in this regard. As a result, it can be excellent for those trying to diet.
Milk May Be Troublesome for Some
For all the good things milk can do, there are some bad things as well. Many individuals have allergies or reactions to some of the things found in mild from cows. This is why some people drank goat milk in the past. Other problems have been that some cannot tolerate the lactose, or milk sugar. Still others have had issues with a protein in milk that is now referred to as A1. When someone becomes ill after drinking milk, it can take the desire out of drinking it.
There Are Healthy Options for Drinking Milk
In the world today, we have all kinds of advances and technology available that can help us produce safer foods. With milk, there are lots of lactose-free brands available. There are also several producers who market milk marked as A2, meaning that the A1 is not present in it. Another good alternative, for those who need more calcium, is almond milk. It is considerably higher in calcium than regular milk. It also comes in a variety of flavors. I prefer the vanilla flavor.
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