Drinking milk used to be known across the board as a healthy habit.
But it's nearly impossible to know who or what to believe when it comes to healthy eating
and staying fit these days.
With the conflicting information about dairy, we got the skinny on milk.
Acne arrival Milk, unlike cheese and yogurt, is known to
cause inflammation as the lactose in it breaks down into D-galactose, a form of sugar.
Unfortunately for your complexion, acne is just one form of inflammation.
This means that if you're suddenly breaking out after drinking three glasses of milk,
there's probably a connection there.
While experiencing a breakout after consuming dairy may seem like a small — though annoying
— setback, it isn't an unavoidable fate.
What we put into our bodies tends to show up on our skin, so surely it's an easy choice
to cut down on your dairy intake if you're finding you just can't get your acne under
control.
Digestive woes Aside from dairy making its presence known
all over your face, those nasty rumors about dairy also causing bloating might actually
be worth looking into further.
But is bloating only a concern for people who are lactose intolerant?
Unfortunately, maybe not.
Bloating after consuming dairy could also be caused by Irritable Bowel Syndrome or a
sensitivity to another protein in dairy, even if you're not lactose intolerant.
Bloating is hugely uncomfortable and may leave you feeling like you don't even want to get
dressed or drag your butt out of bed.
But a beach-ball belly isn't the worst side effect in the world.
It's also not usually a major cause for concern.
However, drinking milk every day might be leading to less easily-ignored issues, too.
Because milk is so highly pasteurized and processed, it can cause an imbalance in your
gut microbe.
This imbalance can cause all sorts of long-term digestive issues and even result in symptoms
such as brain fog and migraines.
So that pint of ice cream might cause more than brain freeze after all.
"Milk was a bad choice."
Shedding pounds It's not all bad news when it comes to drinking
milk.
At the other end of the spectrum, for those looking to get fit and tone up, drinking milk
every day may encourage weight loss or even fat burning properties, especially in women.
"I see you're drinking 1%, is that because you think you're fat?"
According to Paul Salter, a registered dietitian, weight loss expert, and sports nutritionist,
consuming three servings of dairy per day could yield greater fat-loss in the long term,
particularly if the person in question is following a healthy diet and regular exercise
routine.
A little bit of bloating in exchange for weight loss isn't the worst trade off.
"Would you like a drink after takeoff?"
"Milk?"
Packing the protein If lifting heavy and building muscle are your
primary focus, the animal protein in milk is an ideal addition to your diet.
Unlike those hugely popular, manufactured protein powders, for example, the protein
in cow's milk is coming from a natural source and hasn't been tampered with.
The protein in milk can also help stop overeating, as it slows down digestion.
That means you'll feel fuller faster.
It's worth remembering too that all the hip new "alternative" milks that have sprung up
in the past few years — like almond, hemp, and coconut milk — have considerably less
protein than standard, simple cow's milk and therefore might not be as nutritionally dense
as they appear.
For those who are strength training in order to get some serious gains, milk can assist
in that department, too.
The kind of protein contained in milk is important for strength training and muscle recovery
because animal protein is more readily absorbed by the body.
"What's the big deal?"
"What did you just do?"
Nutrient powerhouse Yes, milk provides extra protein for those
looking to get healthy and lean, but it also provides more nutrition than other beverages
for relatively fewer calories overall.
This means, essentially, that the calories are balanced out by the high nutritional content.
If there's one thing we can all collectively remember from our childhood nutritional education,
it's that milk is loaded with calcium — not to mention several other important nutrients,
like vitamin D, potassium, carbohydrates, and fat.
This nutrition content is still milk's biggest selling point worldwide.
Although calcium in particular can be obtained from other sources, milk is arguably the easiest
way to get it into your system quickly.
This is especially important considering calcium was outlined as one of the nutrients of concern
for Americans in the 2015 government dietary guidelines.
Bottoms up!
Reverse aging As they age, women experience a pronounced
decrease in metabolic rate.
This also means bone strength decreases and the risk for osteoporosis increases.
However, the combination of calcium and vitamin D obtained by drinking milk can enhance bone
mineralization, and reverse some of the effects of age.
Though we don't suggest taking a bath in it.
But why wait for your bones to weaken to begin the process of reinforcing them?
Research has shown that drinking milk early in life, up to age 30, can lead to stronger
bone structure to begin with.
Still, if you're over 30, have no fear.
The vitamin D in milk will maintain your bone strength and muscle mass as you get older.
Maybe that glass of milk before bed really is a good idea after all.
"Sir, could I trouble you for a glass of warm milk?
It helps put me to sleep."