Drink enough and drink right
Twelve questions about milk (Health Express (stop 86))
In recent years, Ganzhaomiao Town, Linhe District, Bayannaoer City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has vigorously developed the cattle industry by relying on local advantages and adopted the development model of "branch + cooperative + base + farmers" to drive farmers to develop cattle industry and promote farmers to increase their income and become rich. Help rural revitalization. The picture shows the milking workshop of Dongxin Dairy Cow Breeding Professional Cooperative in Linhe District, Bayannaoer City on January 19.
Photo by Behe (Published by Xinhua News Agency )
s we all know, drinking milk is not only good for the growth and development of children and adolescents, but also helps the bone health of adults. Want to simply drink pure milk, but it is easy to be confused by the wide variety of milk with different names on the market. How to choose the right milk for you? Know the following 12 questions, and you will no longer be confused when buying milk.
1. When buying milk, choose normal temperature or low temperature?
Those who have time to buy milk often, have conditions to refrigerate, and have higher requirements for milk flavor: choose low-temperature milk.
People who don't have time to buy milk often, don't have refrigeration conditions, and like to stock up on promotions: choose room temperature milk.
Normal temperature milk (ultra-high temperature sterilized milk) is milk that is produced and processed by ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization technology and filled into aseptic packaging. Due to the relatively high sterilization temperature, although nutrients such as protein and calcium in milk will not be lost, folic acid and B vitamins will be lost, and the flavor of milk will also change slightly. After high-temperature sterilization, the sweet taste of milk will become weaker and the taste will be stronger. Some people think it has a "strange taste", and some people prefer this "strong" flavor.
Room temperature milk is usually packaged in aseptic composite paper, which can keep milk at room temperature for a long time without refrigeration and preservatives.
Cold milk (that is, fresh milk) usually refers to pasteurized milk. Compared with normal temperature milk, the sterilization temperature of pasteurized milk is relatively low, so its flavor, taste, and vitamins are relatively better preserved.
In addition, some heat-sensitive bioactive substances in milk, such as lactoferrin, are retained more. But in terms of protein and calcium supplementation, there is little difference between normal temperature milk and low temperature milk.
Low-temperature milk has a short shelf life, generally 2-8 days, and needs to be refrigerated in the refrigerator. It is suitable for people who are convenient for shopping and refrigerated food. If conditions do not allow, buy room temperature milk.
If you drink it directly, low-temperature milk can enjoy a sweeter milk flavor.
If you use milk for cooking, roasting, or making coffee, room temperature milk with a strong flavor is more suitable.
2. Is pasteurized milk fresher and more nutritious?
Generally pasteurized milk is fresher. Compared with normal temperature milk, most of the nutrients of pasteurized milk, such as protein, calcium, etc., are no different. But overall, the nutritional value of pasteurized milk is relatively higher.
Making pasteurized milk requires a low sterilization temperature, and the basic conditions of the milk itself are relatively high, so it is generally the best milk source to make fresh pasteurized milk.
3. Is low-fat skim milk better than whole milk?
People who drink a lot of milk and need to strictly lose weight can choose low-fat milk.
The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents do not specifically recommend low-fat or skim milk. For the average person, choosing low-fat or skim milk is not recommended. If you remove the fat from milk, you will lose more than 85% of the fat-soluble vitamins. The vitamin A and vitamin D in milk are the vitamins that Chinese people are more likely to lack. At the same time, milk fat is not all saturated fat, it also contains some beneficial fatty acids, such as conjugated linoleic acid.
People who are trying to lose weight may wonder whether drinking milk will make you gain weight, which depends largely on milk intake. If you drink 300 grams of whole milk every day according to the dietary guidelines for Chinese residents, the fat content is 3.1%, and the fat intake through milk is 9.3 grams; if you replace it with skim milk, it is calculated according to the fat content of 0.5%. 1.5 grams. So switching from whole milk to skim milk also reduces fat by 7.8 grams, less than 1 tablespoon of cooking oil.
4. Is the reconstituted milk mixed with water?
Reconstituted milk, simply put, is milk mixed with milk powder and water - not milk mixed with water, but milk powder mixed with water.
China has fewer milk-producing areas, less milk sources, and more expensive raw milk. Therefore, it is a more economical way to import milk powder from abroad and then restore it back to liquid milk. However, the flavor of this reconstituted milk is indeed much worse, so sugar and other things are often added to flavor it. The most typical example is the "Wangzai milk" that many people loved to drink when they were young.
5. What kind of "milk" is mixed with water?
If the word "milk drink" is marked on the package, it is milk mixed with water. Therefore, when purchasing related products, be sure to read the instructions on the product packaging carefully.
6. Is school milk the best for children?
As milk exclusively for school students, student milk is not sold in shopping malls. The basic principles of China's implementation of the "School Drinking Milk Program" are safety, nutrition, convenience and low price. Therefore, you can usually give your children pure milk that can be bought in the market.
7. What is lactose-free milk?
Lactose-free milk is milk that has had the lactose in milk removed and is suitable for people who are lactose intolerant. Many people are not unfamiliar with "lactose intolerance". People who are lactose intolerant will experience symptoms such as gas, burp, bloating, and diarrhea after drinking milk.
The lactose content in milk is about 4.5%. Modern technology can reduce or remove lactose in milk. The lactose content of low-lactose milk is ≤2%, and the lactose content of lactose-free milk is ≤0.5%. In this way, people with lactose intolerance can also drink milk.
It should be noted that the lactose in milk does not disappear out of thin air, but one molecule of lactose is degraded to generate two molecules of monosaccharide. Therefore, diabetic patients need to be reminded that the glycemic index of lactose-free milk will be higher, which is not suitable for diabetic patients.
8. Is high calcium milk more calcium supplement?
First, see if you are very calcium-deficient; second, see what calcium is added to high-calcium milk.
Milk is already rich in calcium, about 100 mg per 100 grams of milk. High calcium milk contains at least 120 mg of calcium per 100 grams of milk, which is actually not much higher.
The absorption rate of milk calcium naturally present in milk is very high. In order to save costs, some companies add calcium carbonate to "high calcium milk". The absorption rate of this calcium by the human body is relatively low, and it is put together with milk. , the meaning of existence is even weaker. If you want to buy high-calcium milk, you can choose products with added milk calcium.
9. What is extra thick milk?
Generally speaking, extra thick milk is concentrated milk. This milk is higher in protein and has a more milky flavor, but beware, it's also higher in fat. However, there are also manufacturers who have carefully removed part of the fat from extra concentrated milk , so pay attention to the nutrition label when purchasing.
10. What is A2 milk?
Milk that contains only A2-type β-casein, but not A1-type β-casein, is A2β-casein milk, or A2 milk for short. No studies have found this milk to be more nutritious, but it tends to be more expensive .
Studies have shown that A2-type protein is more easily digested and absorbed by the human body and will not cause symptoms of indigestion. If you have discomfort symptoms such as bloating and diarrhea after drinking milk, and drinking lactose-free milk still does not improve , you can try A2β-casein milk. If you usually drink milk without discomfort, just drink regular milk.
11. Is organic milk worth buying?
Organic milk is milk that is produced to organic standards. Organic milk is safer, but has no higher nutritional content than regular milk.
It should be reminded that organic milk is much more expensive than ordinary milk, so please choose according to your own economic situation.
12. Is milk with higher protein more worth buying?
Attention! More than 90% of milk is water, and you cannot expect to drink milk to supplement protein. Ordinary milk contains 3 grams of protein per 100 grams. Even if some high-protein milk can reach 5 grams of protein per 100 grams of milk, according to the recommendation of the Chinese Nutrition Society to drink 300 grams of milk per day, it is only 6 grams more protein than ordinary milk. , might as well eat more meat.
However, if the high-protein milk is raw, not concentrated high-protein, it can indeed show that the milk source of milk is good, so please choose according to your own economic situation.
(The author is a registered dietitian of the Chinese Nutrition Society and a well-known popular science blogger)