7 Essential Facts to Help You Choose the Best Milk
When faced with the dazzling array of dairy products in the supermarket, people often feel overwhelmed and unsure which one to buy. The emergence of issues with dairy products has made this choice even more difficult. They must not only pay attention to the nutritional content of dairy products but also their safety. Even among safe dairy products, it's not easy to pick one that is both to your liking and suitable for you. So, which milk is the best and most nutritious? Let's find out together.
There are over 30 types of milk on the market
Research has found that there are no fewer than 30 varieties of milk on the market. Besides the traditionally pasteurized and sterilized milk, there are "nutritionally enhanced" options such as high-calcium milk, iron-and-zinc-fortified milk, milk fortified with vitamins A and D, and student milk with added taurine and fish oil. Classified by fat content, there is whole milk, low-fat milk, and skim milk. By protein content, there is optimized protein milk, dual-protein milk, and milk with added lactoferrin and collagen. By flavor, there are flavored milks like rich milk, chocolate milk, coffee milk, strawberry milk, red date milk, peanut milk, and almond milk.
In addition, there is organic milk advertised as "from natural pastures," as well as grain milk and breakfast milk.
Some brands have recently launched a "five-color wellness" milk series in red, green, yellow, white, and black, corresponding to nourishing the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys, respectively.
Even vegetables and fruits have been combined with milk by manufacturers to launch all-fruit-and-vegetable milk and fruit-pulp milk.
Data released by the China Dairy Industry Association shows that the total output of domestic dairy products increased by 12.88% last year, with mid-to-high-end liquid milk being the main market competed by various manufacturers.
Among the milk types consumers buy most often, "high-calcium milk" ranks first, accounting for 22.86%. Tied for second are "fruit-pulp milk," "low-fat and skim milk," and "whole milk," each accounting for 20.95%. Third is low-lactose milk, accounting for 2.86%. Iron-and-zinc milk, optimized protein milk, various "flavored milks," breakfast milk, and student milk each account for 1.90%, while organic milk and grain milk account for 0.95%. When choosing milk, consumers are most concerned about brand (27.91%), taste (20.93%), richness and aroma (20.93%), and protein content (19.77%).
What is the best milk?
Actually, the key to choosing milk is not what is added to it, but its actual nutritional content.
The best milk is fresh milk delivered to your home or pasteurized milk in a roof-top carton. Both of these are treated with low-temperature pasteurization, which not only causes minimal loss of B vitamins and vitamin C but also allows for better calcium absorption by the body. The quality of the milk itself is also very good. It is absolutely incorrect to buy ultra-high-temperature sterilized milk for a longer shelf life.
Since the most ordinary milk is the best
Since the most ordinary milk is the best, are the various "concept" milks sold by businesses actually trustworthy? Experts have analyzed them one by one.
Milk is not necessarily better the richer and more aromatic it is. Do you know what freshly milked tastes like? It has a light milky aroma and is very refreshing to drink.
Our milk was like this ten or twenty years ago. But after some companies started adding thickeners and various flavorings, consumers' tastes changed, increasingly pursuing a rich and creamy texture. Unadd milk was then considered tasteless or diluted.
High-calcium milk is not very meaningful
High-calcium milk is not very meaningful. Milk is already a food high in calcium, so adding more to it is of little significance. The calcium added to high-calcium milk is mostly calcium carbonate.
The absorption of this type of calcium in the human body is not very ideal. Adding excessive amounts of inorganic salts like calcium, iron, and zinc to milk can burden the kidneys and digestive system if they are not absorbed.
Drinking milk is not for protein supplementation
Drinking milk is not for protein supplementation. Many high-end milks are marketed as having "optimized protein."
In this regard, the protein content in milk is actually quite low, only about 2.9%, which is less than lactose (4.6%) and fat (3.1%). Therefore, we mainly drink milk to supplement B vitamins and calcium, not for protein. Optimized protein is very necessary for infants but of little significance for adults.
Lower fat is not necessarily better
Lower fat is not necessarily better. Fat is an important source of energy for the body, and everyone's needs are different. People with high blood lipids, those on a diet, and pregnant women who drink a lot of milk daily can choose low-fat or skim milk. However, for children and office workers who have high energy demands, whole milk is the best choice.
Grain milk is suitable for breakfast
Grain milk is suitable for breakfast. So-called grain milk and breakfast milk mostly contain added starch. They have little nutritional value but can make you feel full and provide energy for a longer time, making them suitable for breakfast.
Fruit and vegetable milk has too little nutrition
Fruit and vegetable milk has too little nutrition. The fruit pulp in so-called fruit and vegetable milk is mostly processed at high temperatures, which greatly affects its own nutritional value.
Some fruit and vegetable milks emphasize their dietary fiber content. On the packaging of one brand, it is listed as 100mg/100g. That's equivalent to 0.1g per 100g. A person needs 20-30 grams of dietary fiber per day; the amount in milk is not even as much as a single chive leaf.
Yogurt is the best dairy product
The biggest problem for the public is that they overestimate the magic of milk. Milk is a relatively nutritious food, just like eating rice and flour; it should be viewed with a normal attitude. Although milk is the best source of calcium, it is not the best source for preventing osteoporosis. In the United States, the annual per capita milk consumption is 200-300 kilograms, yet their osteoporosis incidence is still high. The same is true in Europe.