*Guest post by The Diet Solution Program Author, Isabel De Los Rios.
The Skinny on Milk: Is It Mandatory For a Lose Weight Diet Plan?
For those of us that are looking for a lose weight diet plan that works, it’s common to see dairy products recommended in order to slim down. But are milk products the best thing to eat if you are truly hoping to shed some excess weight?
In order to truly understand what milk does and doesn’t do for your body, it’s important to digest the facts of food for thought. Then you can develop your own opinion about the skinny on milk products.
Did you know that Americans consume the most milk out of any other country in the world, and yet we still have the highest rate of osteoporosis? This is undoubtedly concerning, since milk is supposed to be the calcium king when it comes to preventative measures to keep us from brittle bones. However, we must question the quality of pasteurized dairy products if this problem is getting worse not better.
The Proof is in the Pasteurization: Why You Can’t Lose Weight With Dairy
It can be a confusing dichotomy: consuming milk doesn’t necessarily mean that our calcium intake will be of a higher quality than those who choose to get their daily allotment of calcium from another source.
The idea may fly in the face of everything that “Got Milk?” commercials may have told you, but the truth is nothing short of alarming. When dairy products are pasteurized, this means that the digestive enzymes which are elemental in digestion are removed, which accounts for the rising number of lactose intolerances in the States.
Also, 50% of the calcium found in milk becomes unusable by the body after the process of pasteurization takes place. Because the product becomes insoluble to the body, the benefit of the calcium is lost. Your chances of developing osteoporosis are just the same as if you had not eaten or drank a pasteurized milk product at all.
Aside from these dairy products being non-players in the calcium corner, milk sugar which is found in pasteurized products converts into sugar very quickly. This means that your blood sugar levels will suffer, leaving your system riding the rollercoaster of unexpected insulin intervals. This can wreck havoc on your weight loss plans.
Rethinking Your Weight Loss Plans: Maybe Milk isn’t the Secret
We all want to find that one “secret ingredient” that will help us lose weight. But the truth is that no pill, powder, or plan has this hidden secret that will make weight loss effortless.
In this case, milk has been made the mode by which some people believe they can lose weight. But if you truly want to know the secret of how to protect your bones and lose weight you should look to leafy green vegetables and resistance training.
While neither is a “secret” per se, they are proven practices that will have you tossing out the milk products for some dumbbells and a bunch of kale.
However, not all dairy products are obsolete to your weight loss plans. Raw milk products are still chock full of calcium and still house the necessary digestive enzymes needed for your body to utilize the nutrient. They assist in developing stronger bones which will give you the longevity needed to exercise for a better body and a healthier life. If raw milk doesn’t sit well with you, consider certified organic milk products instead.
No matter what you decide about milk ultimately, if you are looking for a real weight loss plan that will work, get moving! Exercise is proven to make you feel better, live longer, and live an overall healthier life.
Looking for a lose weight diet plan that works–and that won’t leave you hungry? Stop Dieting…Start Eating…and Start Living!
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Susan here. Milk continues to be a very hot topic in the fitness and diet industry – the pros can debate about milk for days and not get anywhere. In the end, you can only educate yourself with the best information and then decide for yourself.
But I never shy away from participating in the dabate!
Your Coach,
Susan Campbell, MS, CSCS
P.S. Isabel has a great free fat loss presentation you can access by clicking here. I highly recommend taking a few minutes to check it out!
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{ 14 comments }
Twitter: tristanhigbee
November 13, 2010 at 11:55 am
Huh. I had no idea 1) people tried to lose weight with milk, 2) pasteurized milk sucks so much, and 3) raw milk is even available to buy! Thanks for the informative post. I learn something new every time I come here! Your post has been Digged (Dugg?) and Stumbled
Hey Tristan, thanks so much for all your support…I am loving your blog as well, I have it right in my reader so I always know when you have new stuff! The whole milk thing is crazy. There was a study or 2 that found that calcium could help you lose fat specifically on your belly. It was probably paid for by the dairy association but I don’t know for sure. SO, what food do you first think of when you hear “calcium”? Milk. Now milk = weight loss. Great. Pasteurized milk is full of hormones and antibiotics and the pasteurization process kills all the good stuff. Also, we don’t absorb nearly as much calcium from milk as we have been led to believe. SO, why drink it? Raw milk is the best option if you have to drink it but it is illegal to sell it in stores. You can find it at some local farms though. I’ve tried it and it is the best, most fresh milk you will every taste. The only issue is contamination, which you do have to be careful of. Know your supplier.
I love milk. I don’t drink it for any weight loss benefit – and I tell if that actually helped with weight loss, I would be stick thin LOL!
Hey Lori, thanks for coming by and commenting. I am loving your blog too! Milk for weight loss really only started popping up around 2000. Before that )and still now) we were supposed to drink it for strong bones. They will tell us whatever it takes to make money. But if you love milk drink it up! I grew up on it and loved it – HUGE milk drinker. But now as an adult I have moved to almond milk to avoid the hormones and antibiotics in store bought milk. Gross.
Twitter: AussieSire
November 14, 2010 at 2:57 am
Hi Susan, I’ve been here a few times, via Mitch’s blog, but have yet to comment, mainly because I was waiting until I could add something of substance.
I’ve been a milk vendor for 22 years and I found it amazing the amount of products on the marked. I’ve always said that the best milk was what we had all those years back before they started to over treat it to extend it’s life. I never knew that about calcium but I’m not surprised about it at all.
I wonder if that is true of those calcium enriched milk, because it it is what a waste of time it was to add the extra calcium. Isn’t it funny how they can take all the goodness out of a product and then charge you more for it under the false premise that it’s better for you?
Well thanks for taking the time to comment this time! Agreed….the best milk was that that went from the cow to the store or the front porch. My mom tells me stories about her cousin’s farm from when she was a kid. How the milk man came to pick up the milk that was just taken from the cow and how they would use the cream that separated from the milk in their coffee. I’m jealous. That’s what they call raw milk now and there are some local farms that are authorized to sell it. But you will never find it in a store. They made it illegal. And yes, there is so much crap put in milk and in the cow now a days that affect the milk I won’t drink it. The dairy industry started the myth about calcium so that we thought we needed to drink it to be strong or healthy. Anything to make money.
Please come back and comment again!
Twitter: AussieSire
November 19, 2010 at 6:27 am
The dairy industry, the meat industry and how many other natural products have been corrupted by man all for the sake of profit. Honestly you just don’t know what your getting when you buy stuff at the supermarket anymore. It seems that the only way to eat healthy these days would be if you had your own farm which produced everything you needed.
Say, are there any deserted island we could start our own commune on? Now that would be something.
Don’t worry Susan, I’ll be keeping an eye on you, and just so I don’t forget I’ve subscribed to your blog.
Ha! Awesome Sire! Thanks, I know I will be in good hands! And yeah, a nice little commune somewhere there is no air pollution maybe? I’m not sure a place like that exists anymore. It’s too bad too because it is costing us our health
. Thanks for subscribing to my blog and coming back around to leave comments!
I agree with your point here. Proper diet and regular exercise are two important things that a person who wants to lose weight must consider. No need of pills, no need to starve themselves or other ways just to achieve weight lose.
Hey Lynn, thanks for the comment. It is so easy and so difficult at the same time.
Twitter: lavenderuses
November 16, 2010 at 4:38 am
Hi Isabel and Susan
What a truly informative post. Learnt heaps from this one article. I drink soy milk and can now relax after reading this. Always thought I might be calcium deficient (I’m not) cos of not drinking cow’s milk. Do eat cheese and yoghurt (only recently) and so far I’m fit and healthy. Probably cos I eat a healthy diet and exercise!
Patricia Perth Australia
Hey Patricia, thanks for coming by! Yes, there is a ton of misinformation about milk out there – primarily by the lies spread by the dairy association. Anything they can do to sell more milk they will. I love how you already don’t drink too much milk and use a milk alternative. I would suggest being careful with soy milk as well. Although soy in its natural state can be a healthy addition to one’s diet, processed soy is causing all sorts of problems. Once humans alter the natural state of a food item, we pretty much ruin it.
Milk is high in protein so if yu decide in building those muscles up then Milk is just right for you.
Hey James, thanks for taking the time to comment. Milk is a good protein source for building muscle and there have been many studies done showing that. However, there are dozens of other foods that are just as high in protein that may not be so detrimental to our health. Conventional milk from factory farmed cows is filled with hormones and antibiotics and has lost all it’s good stuff through pasteurization. Does NOT do a body good.
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