What Happens When You Drink Milk And Your Lactose Intolerant – Mindy is a Senior Nutritionist for Anchor. She holds a BSc (Hons) Nutrition and Dietetics from King’s College London.
Milk naturally contains a unique package of nutrients essential for good health, including high-quality protein, calcium, B vitamins, potassium and phosphorus. Even better, it comes in a range of convenient formats to suit your needs – from fresh, refrigerated milk to long-life UHT milk and milk powder. But what effect, if any, does the process have on such great nutrition in milk? Let’s find out by exploring the various processes in a little more detail.
What Happens When You Drink Milk And Your Lactose Intolerant
So, whether you prefer the fresh taste of milk straight from your supermarket fridge or you enjoy the convenience of UHT milk or milk powder, processing does not significantly alter the goodness that milk provides.
Why Humans Have Evolved To Drink Milk
Spray drying is used to make milk powder and that milk can be stored and enjoyed longer than liquid milk. The milk is sprayed into a fine mist that allows the water to evaporate, creating a soft, fine, white powder. Great care is taken to ensure that this process on the milk is as gentle as possible. This means that the spray dried powder retains about 90% of the riboflavin and at least two-thirds of the vitamin B12 found in fresh milk, with all other key nutrients remaining largely unchanged.
So, whether you prefer the fresh taste of milk straight from your supermarket fridge or you enjoy the convenience of UHT milk or milk powder, processing does not significantly alter the goodness that milk provides. You can be sure you’re still getting a great source of high-quality nutrition, all of which counts as one of your 2-3 days of dairy.
Homogenization is a process in which milk is passed under pressure through a very small nozzle to break up the fat into small droplets. This ensures that the cream in the milk does not separate and rise to the top when the milk is stored in bottles or cartons. Homogenization does not significantly alter the nutritional value of milk.
Pasteurization usually involves heating the milk to a temperature of at least 72C for about 15 seconds before rapidly cooling it to 4C.
Does Warm Milk Help You Sleep?
Conservative heat treatment such as pasteurization does not significantly alter the nutritional value of milk. Macronutrients (protein, fat and carbohydrate), minerals (e.g. calcium and phosphorus) and fat-soluble vitamins (e.g. vitamin A, vitamin D) are very heat stable so their levels are not affected by pasteurization.
Some water-soluble vitamins, including the B vitamins, may be less heat stable than other nutrients. However, the most significant B vitamins in milk are riboflavin (vitamin B2) and vitamin B12, and both of these B vitamins have good heat stability. Riboflavin levels are unaffected and less than 10% of vitamin B12 is lost after pasteurization.
UHT usually involves heating the milk to a temperature of at least 135C for a short time – usually about four seconds. It enables milk to remain of high quality for longer, giving it a longer shelf life and enabling it to be stored in the cupboard until opened. As with pasteurization, most of the milk’s nutrients are largely neutralized by UHT, meaning that UHT milk still contains the same nutritional bundle as fresh milk, with the exception of some B vitamins that may be slightly less. Of the major B vitamins in milk, vitamin B12 may be lost more with pasteurization (10-20%), although this may affect how long the milk is stored. Riboflavin levels are not affected by UHT. We were told as kids to drink milk for strong bones and good health (thanks, Mom!), but is drinking milk really worth the hype? At this point, it is obviously known that milk is rich in calcium to help increase bone density and of course, it contains protein. But what really happens after you drink a glass of milk? And what are the benefits, both short and long term? Is it necessary for adults too?
We’re here to answer those burning questions, once and for all. Here’s what experts have to say about what really happens to your body when you drink milk.
Milk Benefits: 9 Health Benefits Of Drinking Milk At Night
Once milk enters your body, it actually cools in your stomach for a while as it prepares to be digested.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e
“After cow’s milk is ingested, it spends some time in the stomach, where enzymes begin to denature the protein so that it can be later digested (or broken down for absorption),” says Kelly Jones MS, RD, CSSD, LDN.
Depending on the milk’s fat content, the enzyme gastric lipase will begin to break down larger fat molecules into smaller components—specifically, gastric lipase begins to break down the fatty acid chains from triglycerides, Jones explains.
“Next, the components of cow’s milk pass into the small intestine where enzymes complete protein digestion so that amino acids and polypeptides (which are small strands of amino acids) can be absorbed,” she says. Other forms of lipase are also there to complete the digestion of fats for complete absorption.
Milk And Arthritis: Pros, Cons, And Recommendations
It is also much easier to process if you are not sensitive to cow’s milk and dairy.
“If an adult is not dealing with lactose intolerance, the small intestine will still have lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose into single sugar molecules that can be absorbed into the bloodstream,” says Jones. Then, the blood can deliver energy from carbohydrates and fats, as well as amino acids, to the cells for later use, she adds.
It’s even more difficult if you’re drinking a glass of cow’s milk and have an intolerance – so you’ll want to go with a milk alternative if you have a sensitivity.
“However, people with lactose intolerance (2/3 to 3/4 of adults) do not produce enough lactase and cannot break down lactose,” says Jones. This means that the milk cannot be absorbed and used for energy, and instead passes into the lower digestive tract.
What Happens To Your Body When You Drink Soy Milk Every Day
“Because it’s not there, it causes symptoms like gas, bloating, pain and often diarrhea,” she says. Not so great, of course!
Drinking a glass of milk has benefits no matter what your age. Cow’s milk contains protein and calcium as well as various B-vitamins.
“Protein helps promote satiety in addition to helping maintain lean muscle mass, and calcium plays a role in muscle contraction and blood pressure in addition to bone health,” says Jones. However, as long as you have a well-balanced diet, it’s fine not to consume more than three servings of dairy per day—so don’t stress if you go a day without eating cheese and drinking milk. Many plant-based foods also contain calcium, so you should be fine there.
“If you experience any level of lactose intolerance, you can affect the absorption of other nutritional components of milk, including minerals like calcium,” says Jones.
Does Processing Affect The Nutrition Value Of The Milk You Drink?
In addition, regular consumption and anxiety can disrupt your good gut bacteria, which are important for immune system function as well as energy metabolism and mental health, she adds.
Again, keep in mind that you can find many alternatives and plant-based alternatives, and they offer some great benefits of their own.
“Often non-dairy milk alternatives are not only easier on the digestive system but are fortified to provide higher amounts of calcium and vitamin D, as well as B-12,” says Jones.
If you’re looking to slim down, there’s one drink you should drink more of, and that’s tea. Learn how you can use the power of tea to lose weight!
Does Milk Make You Grow Taller? Myth Or Truth?
It really depends on your tolerance to lactose, as well as whey protein, and if you’ve been drinking milk regularly for weeks and start drinking daily when you’re not used to it.
“If someone adds cow’s milk to their diet and doesn’t drink it regularly for a period of time, they may be more likely to experience lactose-related problems,” she says. “Additionally if a person does not tolerate whey well, drinking more than an eight-ounce glass at a time can also cause stomach upset.”
However, if you are not sensitive or do not experience discomfort, you can drink one glass per day. And the thicker consistency can leave you feeling stronger and fuller, and getting more nutrients in the process.
“For those who are not intolerant to dairy, a low-protein non-dairy milk alternative such as replacing almond milk with cow’s milk can provide a feeling of fullness and better muscle repair for those who are physically active,” she says.
Ayurveda Expert On Why You Should Avoid Drinking Milk After Eating Chicken
The takeaway? You can drink milk every day, and it will benefit your body, but only if you tolerate it well and find it easy to digest. If you’re in the clear, add it as a healthy addition!
Isadora Baum is a freelance writer, certified health coach, and author of 5-Minute Energy. Read more about Isadora
Copyright 2024 Galvanized Media. All rights reserved by us. It’s Not That DotDash is part of the Meredith Publishing family. The popularity of cow’s milk has seen ups and downs over the years. With more focus on the environment and plant-based diets, dairy consumption may not be as respectable as it once was.
We have been asked for it for a long time
What Happens If You Drink Spoiled Milk?
What happens when you are lactose intolerant and drink milk, what happens when you drink milk when your lactose intolerant, what happens if your lactose intolerant and you drink milk, what happens if your lactose intolerant and drink milk, what happens if lactose intolerant drink milk, what happens when lactose intolerant drinks milk, what milk can you drink if your lactose intolerant, what happens when your lactose intolerant and drink milk, what milk can you drink if you are lactose intolerant, what happens when your lactose intolerant, what milk can lactose intolerant drink, what milk to drink if lactose intolerant
