Oh moo…milk can give you a flatter belly for real

Even though I don’t drink milk, but I’ve got some exciting beauty benefits to share about it. It’s not exactly new as I blogged about how milk can help one stay trim and slim back in 2008 but the difference this time is, I’ve witnessed pretty amazing results myself in my husband, who has been drinking milk diligently for about one month now. Oh why, his fat tummy is noticeably trimmer now!

He started drinking milk daily because he wanted to see if it can help him sleep better. Well, not only did he sleep better, he found that his back and knee don’t ache quite as much now. And then just the other day, he crept up to me and asked me to take a look at his tummy. Okay, he does this quite often and so I’ve grown quite nonchalant to his questioning and only took an obligatory glance. But something made me look again and I realized that his tummy looks trimmer now. Not a lot more but noticeably so. And when I told him that, he shared his suspicions of how it could be due to drinking milk although he finds it a bit unthinkable since milk is always thought to promote growth, and thus fats.

Researches that support milk helps one slim down
That was when I pulled out a BBC article dated 1999 that stated how researchers at Purdue University in Indiana found that young, normal weight women who had 1,000mg of calcium every day – the amount of calcium found in about 1½ pints of semi-skimmed milk – lost about 6lb over two years.

Dr Dorothy Teegarden, Assistant Professor of foods and nutrition at the university said: “Our study is the first to show that, when overall calorie consumption is accounted for, calcium not only helps keep weight in check, but can be associated specifically with decreases in body fat.”

Additionally, I also showed him an Australian research from the School of Medicine and Pharmacology at the University of Western Australia that suggested that drinking milk can help to suppress our appetite which then contribute to the slimming effects.

He was over the moon and has since been buying cartons of low-fat milk!
(And it gives me an excuse to steal his milk for my DIY recipes. Heh.)

No guarantee for all but worth a try
Okay, I can’t say milk will definitely help everyone stay trim and slim but it seems to help some people do that. If you have some trouble with slimming or you want to get a flatter belly, perhaps you want to give it a try. But do note that milk does not suit everyone for it can cause some people (like me) to break out in pimples and acne.

Comments

  1. jo says:

    what milk does he drink? any milk?

  2. stella says:

    is it because milk also has a laxative effect in lactose-intolerant asians? (i’m not joking)

  3. sesame says:

    He started out trying a few brands and now drinks Farmhouse. Any fresh milk should do though.

  4. sesame says:

    I haven’t read anything about laxative but he seems to take to it well and no issues of lactose-intolerance. I think he fits the profile of those researched in terms of the slimming benefits.

  5. Jyoan says:

    Sesame, I agree with you!

    I binged quite a lot on the Hari Raya cookies last year, and sad to say, put on a handful of kilos. So after that, I decided I really need to get back to a normal diet, and I started drinking milk on a two cups a day basis.

    I’ve always know how proteins suppress appetite. And I like how milk even skim milk is tasty, so it makes a good craving substitute in moments when I just don’t want plain water, but refuse to drink sweet drinks either.

    Now, I am really glad that going back to normal diet, with the help of milk has helped me to downsize.

    Normally, I drink Greenfields skim milk or Meiji Skim milk.

    But according to some research, I have to caution anyone reading, that IF you drink skim milk, don’t eat manufactured carbs, like 0%-fat muffins or cereals. DO drink full cream milk with breakfast cereal/white breads, because the carbs need fats to be utilised properly.

    I drink skim milk because I drink as a sweet-drink substitute, when I am not eating. I will go with the low-fat when I eat, even if I am eating natural carbs, like fruits.

  6. Mel says:

    do you think it will work with soya bean milk? or only cow milk?

  7. xin says:

    i remember your post back in 2008 ?

    i have never really tried this diet diligently enough to see any results, simply because there’s usually no more space left for milk at the end of the day!

  8. Lucia says:

    Wow! this is such great news! My husband and I always stock up on skim or low-fat milk. But I only have it with my cereal, my husband, on the other hand, drinks milk all day or whenever he feels like it esp before bedtime. I will try to drink more milk now and see if it really does help flatten the tummy. ?

  9. Alexandra says:

    Oh my…looks like I need to start drinking milk now. I binge a lot during CNY:P

  10. Swati says:

    wow!! I have stopped taking milk since quite long but have started taking it again since a week or so and my body has started looking healthy too…not undernourished or anything. could be because of that.

  11. Miss Vinny says:

    I need to continue taking skimmed milk ‘cos I heard the calcium is better absorbed. But not that Nestle Nesvita Omega range… that one seems to really irritate my stomach lining and give me stomach ache, even though I can drink cups of fresh milk. Lactose intolerant, my ass.

  12. Germaine says:

    Hmm… i don’t like to drink milk. wonder if soya bean milk helps? (think)

  13. Pollya says:

    This is really funny, cos just a few days ago, a vegan friend of mine was telling me how “harmful” milk is to the body — seems the casein (milk protein) is one of the chief cancer-causing agents/cancer promoters in food products!!! Apparently, there is some ‘famous’ book written by an American cardiologist on this (I didn’t bother to remember the name cos I don’t think I’ll ever read the book) and this forms part of the basis of the new rage now that cancer can actually be cured by an organic and vegetarian/vegan diet… (maybe it’s not a new rage anymore, but seems it’s a kind of alternative medicine that more and more pple are believing in and subscribing to, especially when more and more stories of these kinds of cures occur…)
    Personally, I just take everything with a pinch of salt. It’s just like one day you read that coffee is bad, then it’s good again, then it’s bad, etc etc. Same for red wine, calcium, aspirin, etc etc etc. I just tell myself the ‘trick’ is everything in moderation, then it should be safe (I hope!!)

  14. sesame says:

    Oh it’s working for you too? That’s great. And I didn’t know about manufactured carbs! Thanks for telling me that. Now, gotta figure out if he eats manufactured carbs.

    I used to drink Meiji a lot pre and post pregnancy. Then I stopped and only drink it occasionally.

  15. sesame says:

    I read briefly that soy bean works…but I didn’t check extensively.

  16. sesame says:

    Haha…gotta leave some room if you want to try it. Maybe start with half a cup first? ?

  17. sesame says:

    Like I mentioned, no guarantee…I found eating pineapples and drinking green tea helped me but it’s not good to eat too much pineapples.

  18. sesame says:

    Heheh…probably a number of others will need to try this. ?

  19. sesame says:

    That’s good. Milk is healthy for most people. I can drink about half a cup but not daily. And oh, it can help some women with PMS too.

  20. sesame says:

    Yup, skim milk is the one. And the calcium is easier to absorb compared to taking from supplements or vegetables, etc.

  21. sesame says:

    Like I mentioned to Mel, have read briefly that it has some effects but can’t confirm.

  22. sesame says:

    You know, at the end of the day, organic or vegan isn’t always suitable for all plus, I don’t believe in creation cos it’s fallen. Nothing is guaranteed. I subscribed to your attitude too…moderation is the key. At the end of the day, some choices are personal and a matter of lifestyle but it’s too much scare and stress if we keep having to watch what we eat or what we use.

  23. Miss Vinny says:

    Actually, I’ve read somewhere that people who take too many raw foods develop all sorts of problems after a while: their immunity system goes to hell, their eyesight is really bad, giddiness and so on. But I can’t tell whether that’s embellishment of the truth or really true.

    There’s also the danger of falling really sick since cooking = heat kills bacteria, the same reason why I stay far far away from consuming raw eggs. Let’s put it this way: our food travels thousands to millions of miles just to get to our supermarket and along the way, it picks up pests, germs, harmful bacteria, viruses etc. Now, the pesticides may help protect against some of the bacteria but that protection isn’t complete since almost all life evolves. There’s no reason why a human should put their life at risk and for no reason just for some belief.

  24. Audris says:

    You’ve got me sold on a daily glass of milk!

  25. savennia says:

    I have been drinking two glasses of whole milk everyday in my whole life and I can’t say that it keeps my belly from getting fat. But I’m pretty sure that milk doesn’t make you get fat. I remember once for some reasons I drank a huge amount of milk instead of eating food (that time I ate not much) almost everyday in a while and I noticed that I actually got slimmer (I didn’t do that for the purpose of losing weight). So I would say that if you want to cut down any food/drink in your diet to lose some weight, don’t cut down the milk.

    I often add some plain chocolate powder or black tea in my milk, which just make it even tastier.

  26. sesame says:

    I hope it’ll do wonders for you too. ?

  27. sesame says:

    That’s good…at least you enjoy your milk with some variety. I wish it can help with other parts of the body…like my bum for example. Then I will drink it more regularly. I don’t really like the taste of milk so much.

  28. Issa says:

    this is great! i will go to the supermarket and stock up on low fat milk! ? thanks for sharing ! ?

  29. sesame says:

    I hope milk will work well for you. ?

  30. Mel says:

    Interestingly , I visited a TCM doc yesterday for my hormonal acne issues and he mentioned that I should avoid milk too!

  31. Khrysanne says:

    does it have to be low fat milk? or any kind of milk would do?

  32. Nika says:

    Interesting. I’ve read a lot of bad things about milk lately, that it it is not that healthy as we believed. It is nice to hear something pro milk these days.
    Despite all, I am and always was a milk lover.

  33. Tessa says:

    I have never liked milk – not the taste or how it makes me feel. So about a year ago I stopped drinking it and feel much better now, even my skin improved. I guess I’m lactose intolerant…

  34. sesame says:

    Possibly…milk doesn’t work for all.

  35. sesame says:

    I think it has both pros and cons and it depends on the individuals. As with everything, take in moderation. ?

  36. sesame says:

    Yes, has to be low fat or skimmed milk.

  37. sesame says:

    If you have acne, I would advice you to avoid. Avoid refine sugar and diary products too. I take a probiotic supplement daily and it helps.

  38. Tessa says:

    Yeah ? It gives me horrible bloating and… umm… really smelly gas. Not a good combo.

  39. hazel says:

    hehee… the problem is, I drink full fat milk! hehee… I love regular milk and when I switch to low fat ones, I tend to not drink them. I’ve indeed read that milk suppresses the urge to eat coz it fills the tummy up. Good for your hubby! Maybe I ought to alternate between low fat and regular milk and slowly wean off regular milk ?

  40. sesame says:

    Yes, that’s what the Australian research suggests – it suppresses the appetite. Give it a try by alternating and see if it helps you. ?

  41. Miss Vinny says:

    Sounds like lactose intolerance to me.

  42. Miss Vinny says:

    I’ve tried adding fresh milk to freshly brewed rooibos tea and peppermint tea. Mmmm… one thing: tastes like coffee! Another thing: no caffeine and tastes super yummy.

  43. sesame says:

    Glad you find it yummy. For a period of time, I couldn’t take milk with tea…gave me tummy upsets each time. The taste is nice though. However, I’ve started to drink a bit of them again cos my husband loves ‘teh’ and so far, so good. ?

  44. Kel says:

    Hi all,

    I read that milk actually aggravates acne in some people.

    So best to avoid if ur suffering from some form of acne.

    I cant believe i forgot about that (read that years ago)and started to take milk recently. That must be one of the cause of my acne popping out from different locations and refusing to go away.

  45. Jane says:

    I wonder if plain natural yoghurt works too? Because I dislike the taste of milk, but like yoghurt.

  46. sesame says:

    Yes, that’s why I mentioned that some pple cannot drink milk. But I also understand that it might have to do with the quality of the milk…

  47. sesame says:

    I read that it might so you can give it a try…but it should be low fat quality.

  48. wq says:

    hmm UHT milk will not do?

  49. Sesame says:

    It might…if it’s low fats.

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