Since the release of the 2019 Canada’s Food Guide, conversations about the relevance of dairy products have been circulating the web. Some nutritionists have gone so far as to claim that milk is actually very bad for you and people should cut it out of their diets altogether. Below, we break down these claims.
- Milk is not good for you.
Milk is a crammed full of nutrients. A 200ml glass has 8 grams of protein, 300 mg of calcium, iodine, potassium, phosphorous and vitamins B2 and B12. A moderate intake of milk is highly beneficial to your diet. As young adults, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D are necessary to build a strong and dense bone structure and essential for other biological functions. These same nutrients are needed through adulthood. If we are low on these nutrients and can’t get them through our diets, calcium and phosphorus are withdrawn from our bones which weakens their integrity.
So yes, milk is good for you in moderation.
- Milk will make you gain weight.
Milk is high in saturated fats. Choosing milk that is 2% fat or less allows us to ingest the same nutrients without consuming excessive fat.
So yes, some milk can make you gain weight. Choose lower fat milk products.
- Most people are allergic to milk
Milk does not cause digestion issues, but some people cannot digest milk. If you get an upset stomach after drinking dairy, avoid it. Most people who get upset after milk don’t have enough lactase enzymes to break down the milk sugar. It is very rare to actually be allergic to milk, which means you cannot digest the milk’s protein, casein. Many people think they are lactose intolerant after eating large amounts of milk or cheese – but large amounts of anything make humans sick.
No, most people are not allergic to milk.
Sources:
https://www.nbcnews.com/know-your-value/feature/milk-really-good-you-ncna894341
https://www.readersdigest.ca/food/healthy-food/is-milk-good-for-you/
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/experts-is-milk-good-for-you#4
