While milk is highly nutritious, it's pointless if you don't know how to make the best use of it. Below, the editor will introduce you to how to drink milk for optimal nutrient absorption.
It's best to drink milk at night. Milk contains a biochemical substance called L-tryptophan that can cause drowsiness, as well as trace amounts of morphine-like substances. These substances have a certain sedative and hypnotic effect. L-tryptophan, in particular, is a primary raw material for the brain to synthesize serotonin, which plays a key role in sleep. It can temporarily inhibit the brain's thinking activities, making people want to sleep without any side effects. Additionally, milk adheres well to the stomach wall for absorption.
The calcium in milk can also relieve stress, making it even more beneficial for the sleep of the elderly. Therefore, drinking milk at night is good for people's rest and sleep. Drinking milk before bedtime allows the calcium to be slowly absorbed into the bloodstream, replenishing and maintaining calcium levels throughout the night. This prevents the need to dissolve calcium from bones, thus preventing bone loss and osteoporosis. Milk should not be consumed raw; heating it until it boils causes the lactose to caramelize and break down into lactic acid and formic acid at 100°C, reducing its nutritional value.
Do not add sugar to milk after it has been boiled and slightly cooled. Prolonged boiling causes the milk to turn brown, reduces its aromatic flavor, denatures proteins causing precipitation, and leads to a loss of vitamins. The milk also contains rotavirus antibodies that help prevent infant diarrhea, which are destroyed by high heat. Lysine and fructose in milk form fructoselysine at high temperatures, which is harmful to the human body. Sugar is acidic, while the calcium in milk is alkaline; the combination of the two leads to a significant loss of calcium.
It is not advisable to drink milk on an empty stomach. When the body is in a hungry state and requires energy, drinking milk will cause the protein to be consumed as a carbohydrate for heat energy. It also stays in the stomach for a short time and is quickly excreted into the intestines, which is not conducive to digestion and absorption. It should not be consumed with foods containing tannic acid or oxalic acid, such as strong tea, pomelo, lemon, bayberry, pomegranate, purslane, water bamboo, or spinach. The large amounts of oxalic acid and tannic acid in these foods will combine with calcium to form indigestible clumps, destroying nutrients.