Milk has been a vital part of every Indian’s diet since generations. Yet, due to a lot of misinformation out there, we have not been including milk in our diet as adults (I will not be addressing cultural and ethical issues here so do not pounce on me for it).

Whole milk is the only natural food which has all the nutrients in it – protein, carbohydrate, saturated and unsaturated fat and some essential vitamins as well!

Since whole milk has higher fat content, it is also high in calories which make you feel full when you drink it (definitely satiating!). It also contains Vit A, Vit D, Vit B12 and omega 3 fatty acids, all of which are essential for our body. Casein and whey protein present in milk contained branched chain amino acids which are essential for muscle protein synthesis. This makes it an excellent drink post workout.

Do we opt for whole milk or skim milk?

Skim milk has all of the above except the fat content, which also makes it low on calories. You might feel this is a good thing. But remember fats are not the problem (Go back to my feed and read my post – do not demonise fats). It was initially thought that whole milk might be the cause of weight gain and also cardiovascular disorders, which is also why doctors advice you to not have much dairy products if your cholesterol levels are high or you are on the heavier side. This is also probably why skim milk became so popular and sought after.

But this has been debunked with recent research.

Whole milk consumption has shown to

• Increase good cholesterol levels (HDL) over time while also lowering bad cholesterol (LDL) Regulate metabolic syndromes in people while also lowering risk of the onset of Type 2 Diabetes Whole milk consumption has also shown
• Improvements in reproductive health.

The fat content of milk might be a very strong reason for all of these characteristics.

Your total fat consumption should be less than 30% of your daily calories with saturated fat being around 10%. This fat should preferably be from healthy sources like seeds, nuts or dairy products. Milk is definitely a viable option for this (if you are not vegan). Depending on how much fat you consume through the day with other foods, you can opt for whole or skim milk.

One glass of milk a day is not going to make you fat or give you a heart attack as long as your total fat consumption is within limits.