Should Milk Be Consumed Before or After a Meal?
Drinking milk before or after meals is generally beneficial. Milk has particularly high nutritional value. Drinking a glass of milk every morning can ensure the intake of calcium and protein, and prevent osteoporosis. Some people also have the habit of drinking a glass of warm milk before going to bed at night, which can improve the quality of sleep. This is because some components in milk have a hypnotic effect and can ensure good sleep quality.
1. Milk can be consumed before meals. Experimental statistics have found that drinking a glass of milk or yogurt 30 minutes before a meal can effectively reduce the rise in blood sugar levels after the meal. Although drinking milk during a meal is also effective, it is not as effective as drinking it 30 minutes before the meal. Drinking some milk before meals can increase a sense of fullness, which avoids overeating due to hunger, making it suitable for people trying to lose weight.
2. Drinking milk after meals is also acceptable and can provide nutritional supplements to the body while reducing gastric acid secretion. However, excessive consumption of milk should be avoided to prevent discomfort such as bloating, and excessive intake of calories can also increase the risk of obesity.
When drinking milk, it is important to note that some people may have lactose intolerance. For these individuals, drinking milk at any time of the day may cause acute diarrhea. In such cases, milk can be replaced with yogurt to avoid diarrhea.
Drinking milk before going to bed is also acceptable. Sometimes when feeling hungry before bedtime, the protein and fat in milk can provide a certain amount of energy to the body and alleviate hunger, which is much healthier than eating instant noodles, spicy hotpot, or hamburgers before bed. Additionally, the tryptophan contained in milk goes through a series of biochemical reactions in the human body, which can help us produce a significant hypnotic effect, allowing us to enter a dreamless sleep phase and ensure good sleep quality.