Regardless of Age, Drink Milk for Better Health

Milk is an important food for all ages to maintain good health and wellbeing.

World Milk Day has been celebrated throughout the world since 2001 as a means to recognise the importance of milk as a global food. Established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, it’s observed on June 1 each year to promote the benefits of milk and dairy products.

This year the theme is Sustainability in the dairy sector with focus on the nutrition, environment and socio-economics.

Consultant Dietitian, Indra Balaratnam, talks to Motherhood about awareness on dairy milk and products among Malaysians, and what can be done at the national level to encourage more people from all age groups to consume this highly nutritious food.

She highlights that milk is an important food for all ages to maintain good health and wellbeing. She states that dairy milk provides the best source of various nutrients like protein, calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin B and help reduce the risks of chronic diseases.

Question: Are Malaysians – children, adolescents and adults- drinking enough milk?

Answer: “Milk and dairy products are not widely consumed by Malaysians, as reported in the Malaysian Adults Nutrition Surveys 2014 (MANS 2014).

“Malaysian school-age children and teenagers are also not consuming the adequate amount of milk and dairy products as they should. Instead, they are having too much sugary beverages.”

Question: What are the health benefits of drinking milk?

Answer: “Eating a balanced diet, which includes fruits, vegetables, dairy products, lean meats and whole grains, can help keep you healthy, including strengthening your immune system.

“Dairy foods are rich in various nutrients which your body needs.

“Protein, which is found in milk, cheese and yogurt, helps build and repair muscle tissues and is the building block of all cells in the body, including immune cells and immune-signaling molecules.

“Milk and yogurt are good sources of zinc, known to be important for normal immune function. Milk is also a good source of vitamin A, which helps support healthy immune cells and keeps skin and eyes healthy.

“It also is a good source of calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D to help build and maintain strong bones and teeth. Milk is an excellent source of vitamin B namely Vitamin B12, Riboflavin (vitamin B2), Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5) and Niacin (Vitamin B3) which can help your body convert food into energy.”

Question: What happens when we don’t consume enough milk?

Answer: “Studies show that milk and dairy consumption, as part of an overall healthy diet and lifestyle, does reduce risk of certain chronic diseases.

“A growing number of studies indicate that consuming milk and dairy is associated with a lower risk for Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, reduced high blood pressure, reduced inflammation and improved bone health.”

Question: Must children drink milk? How does it help their growth potential?

Answer: “Milk is part of a recommended overall healthy diet for growing children as it contains essential nutrients that support the growth and development of children.

“Milk contributes to their protein intake, which is an important key nutrient in growth potential.

“Growing children need more of some nutrients, such as calcium during their growth spurts. Even after their teen growth spurt, their bones continue to gain strength and density. Up to 90 percent of a teenager’s peak bone mass is reached by age 18 in women and 20 in men.”

Question: Is it essential for teenagers to continue consuming milk? 

Answer: “Milk and dairy is still part of a component of the recommended healthy diet. So, even teenagers should continue to consume it for the nutrition that it provides.

“It should be encouraged, instead of teenagers drinking soft drinks and carbonated sodas, which are high in sugar and do not contain any substantial nutrients.”

Question: How does milk consumption help the elderly?

Answer: “Milk and dairy products contain plenty of nutritional benefits. As people get older, they may find it hard to chew due to teeth issues, or other physical health limitation that make eating difficult.

“Milk is an easier to consume food for the elderly. It can be added as an ingredient to boost the nutritional value of dishes.”

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Indra Balaratnam says the government should look into making milk more affordable for families.

Question: What efforts ssould be undertaken at the national level to encourage milk consumption?

Answer: “Nutrition education of a healthy diet should be emphasised from as early as possible in schools and in communities.

“Milk is an expensive food item here in Malaysia. To encourage consumption, the Government might want to look into subsidising it to make it more affordable for Malaysian families.”

Question: What are some of the misconceptions about milk?

Answer: “Some believe dairy milk has harmful effects on the body. The most common misconception that I hear is that drinking milk causes mucus. Milk does not cause the production of mucus or phlegm.”

Question: What’s the difference between full cream milk, skim milk, low fat milk? Which is healthier? Does it mean we lack in some nutrients when we choose one over the other?

Answer: “The difference between full cream, low fat and skim milk (or non-fat milk) is the amount of fat in the milk.

“The difference in the fat content of the various milk also changes their calorie level. But other than that, the amount of protein, calcium and other essential nutrients in milk remains the same.

“Full cream milk has 150 calories per cup, 8g of fat and 8 grams of protein. Low fat milk has 120 calories per cup, 5 grams of fat and 8 grams of protein. Skim milk (or non-fat milk) has 80 calories a cup, 5 grams of fat and 8 grams of protein.

“They are all healthy for us. However, it depends on your health condition where you may be required to control your fat or calorie intake, for example. Then, choosing the low fat or skim milk would be advisable.”

Oats and almond milk do not have similar nutritional value to cow’s milk.

Question: Does non-diary milk or plant based milk like soya, almond, cashew and oats provide the same nutritional value as dairy milk?

Answer: “If you do a comparison of the nutritional value of the different milks, you will notice that they differ. So none of them will give you an identical nutritional value of cow’s milk.

“For example, the protein amount may differ significantly. For example, 1 cup of cow’s milk has 8 grams of protein, whereas almond milk only has 1 gram of protein.”

(You can reach Indra via her FB page: Indra Balaratnam Nutrition and Instagram: @indtabalaratnamnutrition)