Why drinking milk is a habit loaded with benefits

It is not a fashion, nor the last cry on TikTok. No, milk has been part of our lives for as long as we can remember (or almost).. It is the first food we eat as soon as we are born and also the first thing we drink (and drink) every day when we get up sleepy to go to school.. It was not lacking in snacks at grandma's house or on winter nights, when we drank it very hot to comfort ourselves before going to sleep…

Drinking milk is a tradition that is part of our emotional geography, but that is not the main reason why we drink it, but rather because it is loaded with benefits for our health.. This is demonstrated by a multitude of scientific studies in which the hoaxes on which the detractors of milk consumption base their position are dismantled one by one.

The health benefits of drinking milk

For example, there is no doubt that milk provides us with nutrients such as calcium, essential for the formation, maintenance and prolongation of the life of bones.. Especially during our first stage as children and up to the age of 30, when our bone structure is in formation.. Milk is, consequently, one of the main foods that help us have calcium reserves for a good part of our lives.

If we carry out the previous phase well, in our adult stage we will have better bone mass and the high biological value proteins provided by milk will help to slow down the process of loss of muscle mass that we will inevitably suffer as time goes by.. Moreover, some studies ensure that dairy consumption reduces the risk of hypertension, so the recommendation for consumption in the elderly is between 2 and 4 servings of milk and its derivatives, providing between 60 and 75% of total calcium. recommended and helping to reduce your blood pressure.

In addition to its importance in the different vital phases, milk is a natural food, with a complete nutritional profile, since it contains all the groups of nutrients, including proteins of high biological value.. In this sense, milk contains a series of molecules called amino acids, of which the so-called essential amino acids must be provided through our diet.. “Dairy products, and specifically milk, are interesting foods due to their high nutritional value in a small volume, but they are dispensable at any stage of life. Beyond breastfeeding, we don't need to consume dairy products, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't, since they are very powerful foods in terms of their content of vitamins, minerals, high-quality proteins, and antioxidants,” says Andrea Calderón, a professor at the Nutrition Degree and Nursing Degree from the European University.

The other fundamental pillar of milk is its contribution of calcium. So much so that, through it, we can easily obtain the recommended daily amount quickly, in greater quantities than other foods, but with less calorie intake and in a healthier way.. In fact, if we drink a glass of skimmed milk (200 ml), we will be providing our body with the same amount of calcium as 100 g of raw almonds and only 68 kcal compared to the 472 kcal of the dried fruit.. This fact makes milk a perfect food to include in a balanced diet or in diets to lose weight.

Added to the nutritional benefits is its attractiveness as a drink with high hydration power, its contribution of quality proteins, minerals and vitamins that even helps to recover after exercising.. In fact, in the 'Consensus Document: nutritional and metabolic importance of milk' (Nutr Hosp. 2015), it is stated that one of the main advantages of consuming milk after sports practice is that it has a high water content and contributes to maintaining hydration levels after exercise to promote thermoregulation and water balance.. Not to mention, that drinking milk provides the body with the amounts of amino acids and glucose that the muscles require to recover after physical exertion.

Debunking myths about milk consumption

The arguments against that have been prevailing for some years have linked the consumption of milk with the appearance of diabetes. However, milk is a food with a low glycemic index and is ruled out as one of the main causes of this disease that affects about 14.8% of the population in Spain.. In other words, a total of 5.1 million adults suffer from it, placing us in second place with the highest rate in Europe, according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF).

Different epidemiological studies have shown that the risk of suffering from type 2 diabetes (the most frequent) is 67% lower in those people who consume milk and derivatives, compared to those who consume them less frequently or who do not consume them.. Moreover, according to Andrea Calderón, “there is no direct solid relationship between dairy consumption and diabetes, that is, there is no cause-effect relationship between consuming more or less dairy and the risk of diabetes. In any case, the studies that investigate whether consuming dairy products can be beneficial for Type II Diabetes, either to prevent it, or in case of already suffering from it, for a better approach, in general, find positive results”. Milk, in this sense, is not to blame for diabetes, but on many occasions it is obesity, or derived from bad eating habits, and physical inactivity.

The second widespread myth is that dairy products are the cause of mucus production and, therefore, that their consumption may be related to respiratory diseases such as asthma.. “Not true, there is no evidence about it. In any case, respiratory problems can be experienced by people with an allergy to cow's milk protein, but not by a tolerant population and without a milk allergy in any case,” explains the EU teacher.

Lastly, and perhaps the most controversial belief has been that of the possible food allergies caused by the consumption of cow's milk.. The reality is that the incidence of allergies in the child population is barely between 2-6% of children, while in adults, this percentage is further reduced: to 0.1-0.5%.. The figures have often been overestimated in recent years, often based on misperceptions or self-diagnoses without any certainty.

A commitment to sustainability and health

Central Lechera Asturiana has brought together the largest cooperative in Spain since 1969 with nearly 7,000 livestock families involved in a project that keeps livestock, the social fabric and the Asturian natural landscape alive.. Thanks to the crops and pastures, its workers (and their cows) maintain the ecosystem, its biodiversity and are generators of a natural protection barrier against fires and the abandonment of rural Spain.

This way of life guarantees, on the one hand, wealth and employability (they generate more than 7,300 jobs derived from the activity), which its locals have lived since childhood and pass on with passion, generation after generation.. On the other, they have achieved a sustainable work system, as long as they are able to carry out their activity in Protected Natural Areas and in Biosphere Reserves, such as Eo, Oscos or Picos de Europa.. This natural environment and the care taken by all those involved results in a food that is optimal in terms of nutritional qualities and great flavor that makes anyone proudly join their #YoBeboLeche campaign.