World Milk Day - Learn about the nutritional value of milk and tips on how to choose it

Copyrighted images from the gallery, unauthorized reproduction, please contact the original author

June 1st is not only the International Children's Day that we are familiar with, but also "World Milk Day". In 2000, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) advocated that June 1st of each year be designated as "World Milk Day" to promote the nutritional value of milk and its importance to human health.

Milk is a food with high nutritional value. It contains almost all the nutrients needed by the human body, including protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, B vitamins, etc. Milk is rich in calcium, and the ratio of calcium to phosphorus is appropriate. It also contains factors that promote calcium absorption, such as vitamin D, lactose, and amino acids. Therefore, the human body has a high absorption and utilization rate of calcium in milk. Increasing calcium intake has a positive effect on increasing the bone density of children, adolescents and postmenopausal women, which is beneficial to bone health. Milk is also a good food source of high-quality protein. It contains more types and quantities of essential amino acids and has a high digestion and absorption rate. In addition, the lactose contained in milk can regulate gastric acid, promote gastrointestinal motility and digestive juice secretion, which is of great significance to intestinal health. In addition to these basic nutrients, the "natural active substances" in milk are also receiving more and more attention. For example, active calcium, α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, active immunoglobulin, bioactive peptides, etc.

Copyrighted images from the gallery, unauthorized reproduction, please contact the original author

It is precisely because of its rich and comprehensive nutritional value that milk has become an important part of our daily diet. Data from the Chinese Residents' Nutrition and Health Status Monitoring show that the intake of milk and dairy products by residents of all ages in my country is far below the recommended intake. Therefore, the Chinese Residents' Dietary Guidelines recommend "eating more" milk, consuming 300-500 grams of milk and dairy products per day, which is equivalent to 300-500 grams of yogurt or 30-50 grams of cheese or 37.5-62.5 grams of milk powder. There are many types of dairy products, how should we choose and buy them?

Copyrighted pictures in the gallery, please contact the original author for authorized reprinting

1. Read food labels. Pay attention to the information on the packaging. First, look at the ingredient list. Raw cow's milk is the first dairy product. Milk or milk fermented emulsion is made of water, sugar or other sweeteners, acidifiers, juice, tea, coffee and other ingredients. Milk-containing beverages are not dairy products. Try to choose them as little as possible. Secondly, look at the nutritional information. The nutritional information provides the energy, carbohydrate, protein, fat, and sodium content of each 100ml or 100g of the product. When purchasing, you can choose according to your needs. For example, for diabetic patients, low carbohydrates are preferred; for people who need to lose fat, fat and relatively low energy are preferred. Compare similar products and consider them comprehensively.

2. A wide variety of products, choose according to your needs. Dairy products are divided into liquid milk (pasteurized milk, sterilized milk and yogurt), milk powder (whole milk powder, skim milk powder, infant milk powder, etc.), cheese (natural cheese, processed cheese, etc.), condensed milk (whole fat condensed milk, flavored condensed milk, formula condensed milk, etc.), milk fat (light cream, anhydrous butter, etc.) and other dairy products. The nutritional value of different dairy products is slightly different. The following briefly introduces several common dairy products.

Copyrighted images from the gallery, unauthorized reproduction, please contact the original author

Ø Yogurt: The yogurt we often drink is a fermented dairy product with a low lactose content, which is more suitable for people with lactose intolerance. In addition, the probiotics added to it are beneficial to regulating intestinal flora and help improve constipation. However, it should be noted that yogurt often contains a certain amount of monosaccharides or disaccharides to increase the taste. When choosing yogurt, you should choose the type with less added sugar.

Ø Cheese: It is made by concentrating and fermenting milk. While removing a large amount of water from the milk, it also retains nutrients such as calcium and protein. When buying cheese, you should first pay attention to the information on the packaging and give priority to cheese marked with the words "original cheese"; secondly, look at the ingredient list. The fewer and simpler the ingredient list, the better; finally, look at the nutritional ingredient list and choose cheese with relatively high protein and calcium content and low sodium content.

Ø Modulated milk: Modulated milks such as "lactose-free milk", "breakfast milk" and "chocolate milk" are also popular among consumers. They are made by adding other food additives or nutritional enhancers to raw milk. "Lactose-free milk" adds lactase to raw milk to break down the lactose in milk, and can be used by people with lactose intolerance; while "breakfast milk" and "chocolate milk" all add extra sugar, and their nutritional value is lower than that of pure milk. In short, the nutritional characteristics of different dairy products are slightly different, and you can choose according to your own needs.

Ø Milk powder: Milk powder is a concentrated powdered dairy product made by adding food additives or nutritional enhancers to cow's milk according to the nutritional needs of different groups of people. Scientific and reasonable nutritional combination is the key to choosing milk powder. When purchasing, you should pay attention to the nutrition label on the package and make your purchase based on your own needs. For example, people with calcium deficiency can choose milk powder with a higher calcium content, people who need to lose fat can choose skim milk powder, and those with specific nutritional needs can choose milk powder fortified with nutrients.

3. Key points for lactose intolerant people. Some people experience diarrhea and bloating after drinking milk, which may be related to lactose intolerance. Such people should pay attention to the following points when choosing dairy products: First, pay attention to the label on the package, and prefer zero-lactose or low-lactose milk; second, choose fermented dairy products, such as yogurt and cheese.

Milk and dairy products have many benefits for human health. We should cultivate the healthy habit of "drinking milk every day" and eat more milk and dairy products. When purchasing, be sure to carefully read the ingredient list, nutritional information table and other information on the package, and choose the dairy products that suit you according to your own needs. Let milk accompany you every day, and let nutrition accompany you for a lifetime!

Author: Liu Ailing, researcher at the Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention