Milk – it does a body good. This phrase is more than just an advertising ploy – although it is a pretty good advertisement. The idea sticks in your head, doesn’t it? But there are no two ways about it, milk is good for the human body.
We all know that milk contains a lot of calcium and that calcium is essential for building and maintaining strong bones. Calcium is also essential for nerve function, blood clotting and muscle contraction. Milk also provides protein, riboflavin, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin B-12 and vitamin D – all good things for the bod.
Wow. And to think that I was only drinking it for the calcium.
The problem with milk in this weight-conscious society of ours is that many of us are raised on whole milk, or even 2%. One cup of whole milk contains a whopping 145 calories. And if whole milk is what you are used to, the taste of skim milk, or even 1% milk can seem watery. But … skim milk has a mere 83 calories per cup, and it is not only every bit as good for you, but it has also been suggested by various studies that including 24 ounces of skim milk per day on a reduced calorie diet can help you lose weight and burn even more calories than cutting calories alone. You have got to love that. But … remember that this is skim milk that we are talking about here. If you are a whole milk person, you should seriously think about training your mouth to enjoy skim milk.
Now bear in mind that this whole ‘drink milk and lose weight’ thing is not yet carved in stone. Many would argue that you could add chocolate brownies to a reduced calorie diet and lose weight – as long as the rest of your diet has reduced more calories than the brownie is worth. And this is true. But … brownies are not good for you. Oh, all right. They are good for you psychologically, but they just don’t do much for you physically. Milk, on the other hand, is full of vitamins that are good for you. So maybe this milk thing works for losing weight – maybe it doesn’t. But why not give it a try? If you are reducing your calories by more than those 24 ounces of skim milk are worth, you will lose weight, and you will have something that is good for you in your diet. And maybe – if you’re lucky – these studies will prove correct and you will lose even more weight. What have you got to lose? Healthy bones?
