World Milk Day: Requirement of the nutritious white liquid depends on individual needs in adulthood

Milk provides essential nutrients and is low on calories but experts say that after a particular age one can go easy as with age the tolerance to milk decreases.

“Babies and children need the milk but as you grow older your bodies change and there is a decline in the level of enzymes that help in digesting milk,” says clinical nutritionist Ishi Khosla.

There is requirement of two to four servings (one serving is about 200 ml) of milk that contains calcium, protein, multiple vitamins, in babies and children. For adults, however the quantity depends on individual needs.

“By the time you are 20-25 years of age, your body starts giving indications whether it is able to tolerate milk or not. Symptoms could include from that bloating feeling to even experiencing hormonal imbalances,” says Khosla.

For those who have severe problem of digesting lactose, there is a variety available in market that ranges from soya to almond, to even rice milk. And curd can be easily digested in comparison.

Over the years, the quality of milk has also changed. According to experts, cow’s milk used to be integral part of diet of Indians once upon a time but these days cow’s milk is a fad; nowadays there are a variety of cows and that has changed the quality of milk.

In India, milk adulteration is a big problem. In 2016, minister for science and technology, Harsh Vardhan, while giving answers to a series of questions in Lok Sabha had informed that over 68% of the milk in the country did not conform to standards laid down by the food regulator- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).