Why Milk Is So Good for You

Milk, the unknown hero of our time, something that is often overlooked in terms of just how beneficial and complete a drink it can be.

The importance of meeting our recommended calcium needs is often emphasised (as it should be) from birth to 18 years of age. However, once categorised as ‘an adult’ many forget about including high-calcium diary products like milk regularly in the diet.

Milk has various health benefits and is a good source of many nutrients (e.g, Calcium, Protein, Iodine, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Riboflavin, Vitamin B12 and Zinc).

Australian Dietary guidelines recommend 2.5 to 4 serves of dairy a day as part of a well-balanced diet.

Why is it important to meet daily Calcium needs?

• Strengthening bone, reducing risk of fracture/breaks/osteoporosis
• Helps build healthy teeth
• Helps maintain heart health
• Role in blood clotting, reducing blood loss during injury period
• During exercise calcium moves in the muscle, influencing training adaptations which helps to improve endurance performance

What is Milk made up of?

*McCance and Widdowson (2019) The composition of foods 7th summary edition

Reduced-Fat vs Full-Cream

As part of a balanced and healthy lifestyle, consumption of reduced fat dairy products is recommended. This is helps reduce overall intake of saturated fat (which can increases cholesterol levels), along with helping maintain a healthy weight (due to reduced calorie content). Full-cream and reduced fat milk contain same amount of calcium and protein. 

For children aged 2 and under, it is important to provide ONLY full-cream milk and other dairy products. From ages 2 and over, it is recommended to choose reduced fat (e.g., 1%, 3.5%) milk and dairy products as part of a healthy, well-balanced diet. 

Why Milk should be your go to for a post-training snack 

For general population, daily recommended protein requirements are:

• 0.8-1g/kg. bodyweight/day 

For those who follow an active lifestyle, with aim to build strength, muscle mass and recover adequately post-training, higher protein requirements may be required. 

• 1.2-2.4g/kg.bw/d (depending on frequency and type of training). 

When we think about post-training nutritional needs, the first major thing that springs to mind is….PROTEIN.

Protein is not utilised during moderate to intense exercise. Yet, protein turnover is at its highest in the 24-48 hours post exercise. Therefore, ensuring we consume adequate protein within the few hours post exercise, allows one to provide sufficient protein to meet needs for muscle repair and synthesis.

However, what many would not be aware of is that along with protein, we must also refuel our carbohydrate stores post exercise. Carbohydrate is one of the main macronutrients utilised as fuel during our training sessions. Even in resistance training our glycogen (carbohydrate) stores can reduce by 40%. Therefore, we must prioritise ‘topping up these carbohydrate stores’. 

How can we ensure our Recovery Snack contains adequate Protein and Carbs 

By choosing MILK of course.

Packed with sufficient carbohydrates, and protein, milk is a great source we can use alone or as a base to our post-training meal/snack. 

Why not test out this ‘almost complete’ natural sport supplement for yourself? Check out our very own Post Training Recovery Smoothie

If you would like more information or feel you might benefit from a session with a Dietitian, you can either come into our clinic, or work with us online.

How Do I Book An Appointment with Precision Physio for Help?

We’re taking the health of our clients, members and staff very seriously and our preference would be for you to call to book an appointment so that we can make sure to explain our approach to keeping you safe. You can call any of these numbers to schedule a session:

• Precision Physio Concord: 02 9736 3950
• Precision Physio St Marys: 02 9623 2220
• Precision Physio Mt Druitt: 02 9188 2552

Online Consultations

Evolving with the current environment, we are also now offering online appointments, meaning that we can support anyone who is unable to leave their home. Sessions are done via our state of the art Telehealth system and as long as you have a laptop or tablet with an inbuilt camera, or a phone with camera, we can help! Online consultations would be especially effective for Nutrition and Diet based session.

To learn more about online consultations, please call us on any of the numbers listed above.