Buffalo milk has low fat content, goat milk is closer to breast milk, plant milk is good for weight loss...
Drink niche milk, be careful of these pits
Our reporter Zhang Yun
Buffalo milk, yak milk, goat milk, camel milk, plant milk... These dairy products have become consumers’ new favorites in recent years, and even many bloggers are "Amway" them, saying that they are more flavorful than ordinary milk. The child is thicker, has better nutrition and lower fat content.
Rumors related to this are also spreading in the circle of friends.
Is it really the truth?
How should we choose milk scientifically?
In this regard, a reporter from Science and Technology Daily interviewed relevant experts.
Rumor 1: Buffalo milk is low in fat? The truth: high fat content is one of its characteristics
Buffalo milk is the milk produced by buffalo, also known as "milk treasure", the price is slightly higher than ordinary milk.
Related advertisements claim that its nutritional value is dozens of times higher than milk, and its fat content is lower and easier to be absorbed.
Is it really the truth?
According to data, the content of some nutrients in buffalo milk is slightly higher than that of milk, but it is not several times or even dozens of times higher as stated in the advertisement.
Regarding the fat content of buffalo milk, Fan Zhihong, an associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, China Agricultural University, stated that one of the characteristics of buffalo milk is its high fat content.
The literature shows that the fat content of buffalo milk is about 4% to 6%, up to 7.59%, which is much higher than the fat content of ordinary milk (3.0% to 4.0%).
At the same time, because buffalo milk has high protein and fat content and has a sweet taste, it is usually used to make ginger milk, double skin milk and other desserts.
However, the nutrient content of raw milk is not equal to the nutrient content of processed products.
When raw milk is processed, the various components contained in it must be standardized through blending, and the larger fat globules of buffalo milk will be processed to become smaller.
Therefore, how high the fat content of various buffalo milk processed products is depends on the nutritional composition table on the product packaging.
"For example, if the packaging of a buffalo milk is marked with 3.8 grams of fat in 100 grams of product, then this is the true fat content of the product. Some commercially available high-quality milks can have a fat content of 3.6 grams in 100 grams of products. Grams or 3.8 grams." Fan Zhihong explained.
Rumor 2: Goat's milk is closer to breast milk than cow's milk? Truth: The difference after breast milk adjustment is very small
Among special milks, my country only allows goat milk and yak milk to be used in the production of infant milk powder.
Some micro-businesses who promote goat milk powder claim that goat milk powder is closer to breast milk than milk powder.
Is it really the truth?
Lu Donglin, honorary chairman of the Xinjiang Dairy Association and senior livestock minister, said that the contents of various proteins, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals contained in infant formula milk powder must be added in accordance with national standards.
In the production process of infant formula milk powder, manufacturers must carry out regular "breast milking adjustment" to goat milk or milk, which includes adjusting the ratio of whey protein and casein in the raw materials to achieve the ratio of protein in breast milk.
In other words, whether it is milk or goat milk, no matter whose protein ratio is closer to breast milk, it will eventually be adjusted to a state close to breast milk. The difference is very small. Therefore, there is no such thing as who is closer to breast milk.
In addition, due to the lack of folic acid and vitamin B12 in fresh goat milk, if babies only feed on goat milk, megaloblastic anemia can easily occur.
If parents want to drink this kind of milk for their children, they must buy goat milk formula with folic acid and vitamin B12.
Rumor 3: Plant milk is good for weight loss? The truth: sugar content cannot be ignored
Almond milk, coconut milk, walnut milk, peanut milk... Plant milk is now loved by more and more people, and there are even rumors that animal milk will be replaced by plant milk.
So what is the nutrition of plant milk?
Can it really replace animal milk to meet the nutritional needs of the human body?
Feng Xu, chief physician of the Nutrition Department of Beijing Aerospace Center Hospital, said that vegetable milk is a drink made from plant seeds (such as soybeans, walnuts, peanuts, etc.) or fruits (such as coconuts) that contain protein and fat.
Studies have shown that the main raw materials of plant milk are oats, rice, chestnuts, soybeans, almonds and hazelnuts, etc., so it contains certain vitamins, dietary fiber and minerals.
But in terms of the content of calcium, protein, sugar, saturated fat, vitamin D2 and other substances, the nutritional value of plant milk is far less than that of milk.
In addition, plant milk comes from plants, so it has no cholesterol and low saturated fat content.
But this does not mean that plant milk is more conducive to preventing obesity than milk.
In fact, most plant milks on the market contain a lot of sugar.
Epidemiological investigations show that under the same conditions, milk food is not easy to make people fat, while sugary drinks make people fat.
Therefore, in terms of preventing obesity, sugary plant milk does not have an advantage over pure milk.
At the same time, some people hope to supplement dietary fiber by drinking plant milk.
In fact, most of the dietary fiber will be removed to make a fine-tasting beverage. Therefore, to supplement dietary fiber, it is better to eat almonds, peanuts and other nuts directly.
In addition, there are rumors that people who are allergic to milk can drink plant milk.
In this regard, Ruan Guangfeng, director of the Science and Technology Department of Kexin Food and Nutrition Information Exchange Center, explained that if you are allergic to milk protein or lactose, you can drink plant milk; but if you are allergic to soy protein or almonds, you cannot drink related products. Plant milk.
"The key is to find out what the allergen is. You can't think that you can drink plant milk with confidence just because you are allergic to milk." He said.