Picking Milk: Six Common Mistakes to Avoid
Currently, the market offers a wide variety of milk types, such as high-calcium milk, iron-and-zinc-fortified milk, low-fat milk, breakfast milk, flavored milk, and fruit-and-vegetable milk, to name just a few. Almost every type of milk is marketed as a health product. So, what kind of milk should you choose? What should you prioritize when selecting milk?
There are over 30 types of milk on the market, and nearly every one is promoted with a health-focused angle. For instance, based on fat content, there is whole milk, low-fat milk, and skim milk. In terms of protein, there is optimized protein milk, dual-protein milk, and milk with added lactoferrin and collagen. For flavor, there are rich and creamy milk, chocolate milk, coffee milk, strawberry milk, red date milk, peanut milk, almond milk, and other flavored options.
Although every type of milk on the market promotes a health concept, the key to choosing milk lies in its actual nutritional content. In their daily purchasing, consumers must avoid the following six common mistakes.
One, milk is not necessarily better when it's thicker and richer. Freshly milked is quite thin and has a light, milky fragrance, making it very refreshing to drink. However, many companies have introduced the concept of "rich and thick," adding thickeners and artificial flavors. Consumers have gradually come to believe that rich and thick is the taste of milk, while real pure milk is considered bland or as if it has been watered down.
Two, high-calcium milk is not particularly beneficial. Milk is already a food high in calcium, so adding more calcium to it is of little significance. Furthermore, the calcium added to high-calcium milk is mostly calcium carbonate, which is not very well-absorbed by the human body.
Excessively adding inorganic salts like calcium, iron, and zinc to milk can be a burden on the human kidneys and digestive system if they are not absorbed.
Three, drinking milk is not primarily for protein supplementation. Many premium milks are marketed with "optimized protein," but the actual protein content in milk is quite low. Therefore, the main purpose of drinking milk is not to supplement protein, but to get B vitamins and calcium.
Four, lower fat is not always better. Everyone's need for fat is different. People with high blood lipids, those on a diet, and pregnant women can opt for low-fat or skim milk. However, for children and office workers who have high energy demands, whole milk is a better choice.
Five, grain milk is suitable for breakfast. So-called grain milk and breakfast milk mostly contain starch, which has little nutritional value. However, they can make you feel full and provide energy for a longer time, making them suitable for breakfast.
Six, fruit and vegetable milk has little nutritional value. The fruit pieces in fruit and vegetable milk must be processed at high temperatures, which greatly diminishes their nutritional value. Furthermore, the increase in dietary fiber is minimal and far less nutritious than eating fruits and vegetables separately.