Did you drink milk today? Did you drink the right kind of milk?

Drinking milk is now widely loved by children, pregnant women, adults and the elderly, and has become a common food in daily life.

But do you know that there are different requirements for the amount and type of milk intake for different groups of people and different ages? And in addition to drinking milk alone, there are other ways to consume milk!

1. Do you know how much milk you need to drink every day?

According to the recommendations of the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)", under normal circumstances, adults should consume 300-500 grams of milk and dairy products per day, 350-500 grams per day for children aged 2-3 years, 350-500 grams per day for children aged 4-5 years, 300 grams per day for children aged 6-10 years, 300 grams per day for children aged 11-13 years, and 300 grams per day for children aged 14-17 years.

The recommended intake here is not only the room temperature pure milk we drink, but also includes yogurt, fresh milk, goat milk, horse milk, camel milk, various milk powders, cheese, condensed milk, etc. Generally, we mainly use cow's milk, and other types of milk are selected according to needs and preferences, or under the guidance of professional nutritionists.

(ii) Besides drinking milk alone, are there any other ways to increase milk intake?

Generally, people drink milk for breakfast or before going to bed. In fact, in addition to this method, milk is also an indispensable ingredient for daily food preparation. For example, pure milk is added to coffee, milk steamed buns, milk bread, milk biscuits, milk and egg fermented glutinous rice, milk shakes, fruit yogurt, milk soup and cooking, etc. These various ways of eating can not only increase the intake of milk, but also improve the flavor of food and increase appetite.

(3) Does your baby really need milk powder for protein allergy?

With the widespread popularization of knowledge about milk protein allergy, many parents often choose various special formula milks, such as amino acid formula milk, extensively hydrolyzed formula milk, moderately hydrolyzed formula milk, etc., without being diagnosed by a professional doctor when their newborns develop eczema, bloody stools, diarrhea, abdominal distension, vomiting, etc.

In fact, the diagnosis of milk protein allergy is a professional and complicated process. When the baby shows the above unexplained symptoms, he should go to the hospital in time to rule out other diseases to avoid delaying the best treatment period, and then decide whether to use special formula milk. In addition, lactose intolerance may also cause the above symptoms, so professional gastroenterologists and nutritionists are needed to identify them.

When cow's milk protein allergy is confirmed, the doctor will give detailed options for formula milk powder. But it is worth noting that regular follow-up is necessary to adjust the dosage and type of special milk powder according to the baby's symptoms.

4. Can milk and soy milk be interchangeable?

Many elderly people or children or adults who have diarrhea after drinking milk often use soy milk to replace milk. So is it possible to replace milk?

According to the "Chinese Food Composition Table (Standard Edition) 6th Edition", we can find that milk and soy milk are both high-quality protein sources, and the protein content is similar. However, the calcium content of milk is relatively high, with nearly 107 mg of calcium per 100g of milk. And there are only about 5 mg of calcium per 100g of soy milk. Therefore, for children, pregnant women, and the elderly who have a high calcium demand, it is not enough to just replace milk with soy milk, but calcium intake should also be considered.

When we are just lactose intolerant, we can choose other alternative milks, such as yogurt, soy milk, lactose-free milk, etc. We can also drink it in small amounts and multiple times, heat it appropriately, and drink it with staple foods, which can alleviate the related symptoms to a certain extent. When we must not drink it, we should pay attention to calcium supplementation under the guidance of clinical nutritionists and nutritionists.

5. Will drinking whole milk make you fat?

Currently, overweight and obesity have become a public health problem that cannot be ignored in all age groups. This situation has not only attracted the attention of medical staff, but also parents and children. Therefore, whether they are already overweight or obese, or have gained a lot of weight, they have begun to choose low-fat or skim milk.

In fact, this is unnecessary, because under normal circumstances, we drink about 300 grams of milk every day. Although the fat content of low-fat or skim milk is reduced, the carbohydrate content is increased. Moreover, compared with the daily dietary intake, it is more important for us to pay attention to the daily intake of cooking oil and high-energy snacks. Therefore, for the dietary intake of overweight and obese people, they should go to the clinical nutrition department to consult doctors and nutritionists for individualized weight loss guidance. For people with high blood lipids, low-fat milk or skim milk can be given priority.

Healthy living starts with drinking milk every day. When drinking milk, pay attention to the amount and type!

References:

1. Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022).

2.The pictures are from the Internet.

National Nutrition Week, registered dietitians take action

Author: Niu Yang, Zhang Yajie

Instructors: Cai Wei, Tang Qingya, Feng Yi

Department of Clinical Nutrition, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

Project source: Shanghai Health Science Popularization Youth Talent Project (JKKPYC-2022-06)