I often get asked, why drink milk? These days, even drinking milk has become a controversy. There was the time when “got milk?” was huge and today, there is supposed preliminary research that shows that milk has no nutritional value for anyone past childhood. I dispute the research because milk is one of the best forms of nutrition out there and it is for all ages. There is also strong evidence in favor of all age groups drinking milk from both Ayurveda and modern scientific studies.

There is no strong evidence in disputing the benefits of milk, because the research has been mainly done on lab animals, such as rats and rabbits. Biotechnology companies, such as Fonterra, have funded many of the research studies. Their research, done on rabbits found that drinking milk can lead to heart disease. But according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, studies have shown that drinking milk can improve kidney functioning and reduce the risk of heart disease. In another study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, ”Boosting calcium intake by drinking milk could reduce healthy adults’ chances of a debilitating bone break. Healthy men and women supplemented with 1,200 mg of calcium per day – the amount in four glasses of milk – reduced their risk of bone fractures by 72 percent.” These are just a couple of studies out of thousands that have been conducted over the years. And with that said, why wouldn’t you want to drink your milk?

Ayurveda has also laid out the countless benefits of drinking milk. Ojas, as you may already know is the finest product of digestion and it represents your immune system, strength, and vitality. Drinking milk promotes and enhances the Ojas. Milk directly nourishes the life forces and also nourishes all the tissues of the body. It increases strength, promotes life span, excellent for the eyes and intellect, reverses the aging process, heals wounds, and increases virility. Furthermore, milk is used for irritable bowel syndrome, excessive thirst, is good for hyperacidity, great for heart disorders, urinary tract problems, hemorrhoids, and bleeding tendencies. Milk is excellent for emaciation, anemia, and fatigue due to excess physical exertion. Milk can be hard to digest. Therefore, if you have trouble digesting milk, boil the milk with some fresh ginger and then drink it. Boiling the milk makes the milk lighter and easier to digest. The ginger will aid in the digestion of the milk.

There are many more benefits than what I have mentioned. Milk is one of the greatest nutritional drinks out there and it is recommended for everyone. Ayurveda continues to say that milk is the first drink of life and therefore, it should be continued throughout life. In a follow-up article, I will discuss the various types of milk and why cow’s milk is most highly recommended after infancy.

Health and Happiness,

Varsha