It is best not to add chocolate to milk when consuming it together.
Since 1998, scholars have proposed three popular and highly appealing slogans: "What to have for breakfast? Milk and eggs," "For the next generation, please give your child a glass of milk," and "Farmers should drink milk too." "A glass of milk strengthens a nation" and "Milk nurtures a new life" have become a consensus in society. With the launch of Shenzhou VI, the slogan "Three glasses of astronaut-specific milk a day is a key part of the astronaut's diet" sparked a new wave of milk consumption. People's popular topics have shifted from the past "Why drink milk?" to more concerns about "What kind of milk is fresher and safer?" and "How to drink milk for better nutrition and health?" To this end, reporters specially invited experts to answer these questions for readers.
(Excerpted from "Popular Health")
Milk is best consumed after a meal
1. How much milk should a person drink per day?
As a food with high nutritional value, drinking too little milk makes it difficult to achieve its proper effects, while drinking too much makes it difficult to digest and absorb. Therefore, everyone should determine their daily milk intake based on age, physical and mental exertion, and their own economic conditions. Generally, adults should drink 400-500 ml of milk per day, which is two bottles. It is recommended to drink at least 250 ml, or one bottle. If economic conditions permit, three bottles, or about 750 ml, is best, but it should not exceed 1000 ml. Simply put, it's "guarantee one bottle, aim for two, preferably three, but don't exceed four."
2. When is a good time to drink milk?
Milk is a basic food and is best consumed after a meal. Drinking one bottle a day is best at breakfast. For two bottles a day, it is ideal to drink one in the morning and one in the evening. It can also be drunk at times other than the three main meals according to personal habits, but be sure to eat some starchy food before drinking to allow the milk to stay in the stomach for a longer time, which is conducive to the comprehensive absorption and utilization of nutrients. Simply put, "morning, noon, or evening is fine, but after a meal is best."
3. Does drinking milk protect the stomach?
Because milk can form a good protective layer on the surface of the gastric mucosa, it can alleviate the erosion of the gastric mucosa by irritating foods like alcohol and reduce the occurrence of stomach diseases. Japan has long had research reports showing that the incidence of gastric cancer is lower among milk-drinking populations. Conversely, drinking alcohol, especially excessive drinking, increases the burden on internal organs and can induce or aggravate stomach diseases or lesions. Therefore, we still advocate "drink more milk, less alcohol, and preferably use milk instead of alcohol."
4. Which is better, fresh milk or powdered milk?
Powdered milk is made by concentrating, spray-drying, and drying fresh milk into fine powder particles. Its main nutritional components such as protein, fat, and inorganic salts do not change much, but the utilization rate of amino acids decreases, and some active substances like vitamins and immunoglobulins are destroyed, especially vitamins C and B1. Therefore, if conditions permit, it is better to drink fresh milk. However, powdered milk is convenient for storage, transportation, and carrying, making it a better nutritional food for field workers, residents in remote areas, and rural areas lacking refrigeration equipment. It is worth mentioning that after the "milk powder incident," when广大 consumers choose powdered milk, they should select brands and manufacturers with good quality and reputation to guard against counterfeit and inferior products. Eight Taboos for Drinking Milk
One, Do not boil over a low flame
Boiling milk over a low flame will cause the vitamins in the milk to be destroyed by oxygen in the air. Boiling over a high flame, on the other hand, can easily cause the milk to overflow. Therefore, when the milk volume expands, it should be immediately removed from the heat source, then put back on the stove to boil. Repeat this three or four times. This not only preserves the nutrients in the milk but also kills pathogenic microorganisms.
Two, Do not boil milk for too long
Some people believe it is appropriate to boil milk for an additional 5 minutes after it comes to a boil. This statement is not comprehensive. Because the protein particles in milk in a colloidal state can dehydrate and transform into a gel state at 60°C. The calcium phosphate in milk is also unstable and tends to change from acidic to neutral and precipitate at this temperature. When heated to 100°C, milk undergoes complex chemical changes, not only do its color, aroma, and taste decrease, but other substances may also be produced, reducing its nutritional value. Currently, most milk is scientifically sterilized and packaged in a sealed manner and can be drunk directly. If you prefer hot milk, you can use a method of insulated heating by placing the fresh milk bag in hot water for 5 minutes, which can retain more nutrients.
Three, Do not expose to sunlight
In daily life, it is common to see milk exposed to direct sunlight for a long time during delivery or pickup. The sun will mercilessly destroy the nutrients in the milk, or even cause it to spoil. After two hours of sun exposure, half of the riboflavin in the milk will be lost. The fluorescent riboflavin formed by the conversion of riboflavin under sunlight can further destroy vitamin C. Therefore, milk should be protected from light and should not be exposed to the sun for a long time.
Four, Do not add sugar while boiling
Many people add sugar to milk while boiling it, thinking this will help the sugar dissolve faster. However, adding sugar while heating is a very unscientific practice. Because milk contains lysine and white sugar contains fructose, these two substances form a compound called fructoselysine at high temperatures. This substance cannot be digested or absorbed by the human body, destroying the nutritional value of the protein. What's worse, it may also be toxic to the human body. Therefore, never add sugar when heating milk. If you want to drink sweetened milk, add the sugar after the milk has cooled slightly.
Five, Do not eat with oranges
In the stomach, milk is broken down by pepsin and trypsin before being absorbed in the small intestine. If milk is consumed with fruits high in citric acid, such as oranges, the protein in the milk will undergo complex biochemical reactions with the citric acid and vitamin C, causing it to curdle into lumps. This will affect the digestion and absorption of the milk protein and the vitamin C in the oranges, and may also lead to adverse reactions such as bloating, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Therefore, consuming them together is not worth it.
Six, Do not add chocolate
Some people like to add chocolate to milk to remove any strange taste, but this is not scientific. Milk is rich in protein and calcium. When eaten with chocolate, the calcium in the milk combines with the oxalic acid in the chocolate to form insoluble calcium oxalate. The human body cannot absorb this, and over time, it can lead to dry hair, diarrhea, and calcium deficiency. Therefore, the times for drinking milk and eating chocolate should be separate. When drinking milk, it is best to eat some carbohydrates like biscuits or bread.
Seven, Do not add calcium powder
The protein in milk is mainly casein, lactalbumin, and globulin, with casein being the most abundant, accounting for 83% of milk protein. Casein is composed of αs1-, αs2-, β-, and γ-casein. If calcium powder is added to milk, the excess calcium ions will bind with αs1- and β-casein, causing the milk to curdle. In addition, calcium will also combine with other proteins in the milk to form precipitates, a phenomenon that is more obvious when heated. Therefore, when supplementing calcium for children, never add calcium powder to milk.
Eight, Do not use milk to take medicine
Milk and its dairy products contain many ions such as calcium and iron. Generally, every liter of fresh milk contains 1300 mg of calcium and 0.4 mg of iron. These ions can form stable compounds or insoluble salts with certain drugs (such as tetracyclines), making it difficult for the drugs to be absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract. Some drugs are even destroyed by these ions. If such drugs are taken with milk, the concentration of the drug in the blood will be greatly reduced, affecting the therapeutic effect. Therefore, it is not advisable to take medicine with milk. There should be a time interval of one and a half hours between consuming milk and its products and taking medication.