Viral Myths: Drink Your Milk

When you find yourself with a cold, don’t avoid the milk.

You may have heard the myth that drinking milk will make a cold worse. Our regular readers know we don’t fall for a catchphrase without doing our due diligence. From listverse.com:

A lot of people think that drinking milk while you have a cold is a bad idea because it causes more mucous to build up. Actually, milk does not cause a build up of mucous at all – you can drink as much of it as you like and it will have no effect on your cold.

I had a doctor when I was a boy who suggested I drink a can of Coke when stricken with a cold. To this day, Gatorade is a sexy way to get your fluids when ill. Those two clearly inferior products are recommended and milk is evil because it creates more mucous? Absurd. From parents.com:

Dr. Steckelberg recommends that cold sufferers drink or eat dairy products such as cream-based soups, ice cream, pudding, or milk, as they are soothing on sore throats and provide calories they otherwise might not eat while they’re feeling so lousy.

Hmmm, I’d stop short of eating pudding unless as part of a planned indulgence. But a tall glass of raw milk does a body good. You may remember me singing its praises back in May:

Data and research aside, raw milk fits comfortably into my philosophy around food. I want it in its original form, as nature intended it, whenever possible. When our consumption includes products that have been processed, in this case pasteurized and homogenized, our bodies don’t recognize it as well and can’t utilize its nutrients as efficiently.

When we’re sick, our bodies are burning through our reserves to feed the immune system. We need to ensure we are taking care of ourselves the best we can. That means continuing to fuel up with nutrient rich foods like fruits, veggies and milk, not Coke and Gatorade.

Research continues to illuminate milk’s healthy virtues. We know about the evidence related to bone health but the studies also uncover its effects on immunity, indicating further how silly the old wives’ tale is. Most of us stay indoors during the cold days of winter, and we have fewer hours of daylight. We’re not getting the same exposure to the sun, which means less vitamin D. A glass of milk provides a significant amount of vitamin D, helping to support the immune system.

This winter when you’re sniffling, continue to eat fruits and veggies, drink milk if you want, exercise and sleep. You might find yourself avoiding the next cold entirely.

Kap