Is Warm Milk Good for You?

Milk is rich in calcium, potassium and vitamin D. It is important not only for the development of your body but also one of the essentials in keeping your body healthy.

The truth is, milk is good for you specially to achieve a good sleep.

The vitamin D and calcium present in milk keeps your bones and teeth healthy and strong. While the potassium helps to maintain healthy blood pressure.

Drinking milk before bedtime keeps your body calm and relaxed, thus achieve a sound sleep just like a baby. There are substances present in milk that are associated to improving rest. That’s why if you want to relax and rest after a whole tiring day, the best thing to do is to drink a glass of milk.

A glass of warm milk won’t be a perfect drink for many people. But, for some it is a great relief to keep the body and mind relaxed.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that individuals ages 9 and older consume three servings of milk, cheese or yogurt each day; those 4 – 8 years should consume 2-1/2 cups each day. One serving of milk is one 8-ounce cup.

There are scientific evidences that milk has amino acids that metabolizes melatonin and serotonin. These compounds enable the human body to relax, thus promotes better sleep.

However, drinking warm milk before bed has psychological effect and you may notice that you get sleep faster than you usually do.

Nutrient Values of Milk

Nutrient	Milk (1 cup) Fat-free	Low-fat 1%	Reduced 2%	Whole	1% Choc
Kilocalories	83	102	122	149	158
Protein (g)	8	8	8	8	8
Carbohydrate (g)	12	12	12	12	26
Sugars (g)	12	13	12	12	25
Fiber (g)	0	0	0	0	1
Total Fat (g)	0	2.4	4.8	7.9	2.5
Calories from Fat	0	22	43	71	23
Saturated Fat (g)	0	1.5	3.1	4.6	1.5
Cholesterol	5	12	20	24	8
Cholesterol (%DV)	0.02	0.04	0.07	0.08	0.03
Sodium (mg)	103	107	115	105	152
Sodium (%DV)	0.04	0.05	0.05	0.04	0.06
Potassium (mg)	382	366	342	322	425
Potassium (%DV)	0.11	0.11	0.1	0.09	0.12
Vitamin A (IU)	500	478	464	395	490
Vitamin A (%DV)	0.1	0.1	0.13	0.11	0.14
Vitamin B12 (ug)	1.2	1	1.3	1.1	0.8
Vitamin B12 (DV)	0.2	0.17	0.22	0.18	0.13
Vitamin C (mg)	0	0	1	0	2.2
Vitamin C (%DV)	0	0	0.02	0	0.04
Vitamin D (IU)	115	117	120	124	108
Vitamin D (DV)	0.29	0.3	0.3	0.31	0.27
Calcium (mg)	299	305	293	276	290
Calcium (%DV)	0.3	0.31	0.29	0.28	0.29
Folate (ug)	12	12	12	12	12
Folate (%DV)	0.03	0.03	0.03	0.03	0.03
Iron (mg)	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.7
Iron (%DV)	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.04
Magnesium (mg)	27	27	27	24	32
Magnesium (% DV)	0.07	0.07	0.07	0.06	0.08
Phosphorus (mg)	247	232	224	205	258
Phosphorus (%DV)	0.25	0.23	0.22	0.21	0.26
Thiamin (mg)	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1
Thiamin (%DV)	0.07	0.07	0.07	0.07	0.07
Riboflavin (mg)	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.41	0.42
Riboflavin (%DV)	0.26	0.26	0.26	0.24	0.25
Niacin (mg)	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.3
Niacin (%DV)	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.02

Source: USDA National Nutrient Database

Is Warm Milk Better Than Cold Milk

Some people prefer warm milk while others want to drink cold milk. Does anyone know which one is better?

• Lactose intolerance

If you have lactose intolerance, drinking warm milk can be the best option. It is enjoyable to add cold milk with cereals, but some people find difficulty in digesting dairy products that may lead to bloating and diarrhea.  The lactose easily breaks down with warm milk, thus prevents uncomfortable digestive symptoms.

• Relieve PMS

A glass of warm milk can relieve the pain and discomfort brought by PMS. Warm milk can make you feel better.

• Natural remedy for acidity

Drinking cold milk can relieve the burning sensation due to acidity. Excessive acid production can be prevented if you’ll drink half glass of cold milk after eating your meals.

• Prevents dehydration during hot summer

The hot weather condition during summer can make your body dehydrated. This can be prevented by drinking cold milk, but if you’re suffering cold and flu, then don’t drink cold milk.

Conclusion

Whether you prefer warm or cold milk, there are alternatives on how you can enjoy the benefits of drinking milk. You can include milk to your favorite breakfast or snacks.

• Add fresh fruits and whole grain cereal with warm glass of milk.
• Mix chocolate and milk to improve the nutrition and taste. You can drink it while eating slices of apple.

Indeed, drinking milk is closely link to achieving good night sleep, but it may be having psychological significance. Likewise, drinking milk also increases the tryptophan levels particularly to those experiencing tryptophan deficiency.

Milk is good for your health, but you can also get tryptophan from other foods including pork, turkey, chicken, cheese, beef, eggs and bananas. But, you should consume only the recommended amounts.

References:

1. National Institutes of Health  http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/SGR/surgeon_generals_report.asp. Accessed 12/1/2014.
2. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (2006). Your Guide to Lowering Your Blood Pressure With DASH (NIH Publication No. 06-4082).