Reasons Why You Should Use Milk To Bath Rather Than Drink It.

Step away from the milk - it probably isn’t doing you any favours [Photo: Rex]

Milk is out of favour. With the rise in dairy and lactose intolerances, alongside the surge in popularity of clean eating and the availability of nut milk alternatives, it seems dairy has had its day.

But is it true that we shouldn’t be drinking milk at all? Well the choice is yours after reading this...

We thought milk was good for us.

Pouring milk into our baths whether powdwered or liquid is essential for the skin than internally. I do this most of the time and this makes my skin glow. Whether you are dark skinned or white skinned, you would see a naturally glowing skin in no time.

It seems like only yesterday that we were being told the white stuff was the good stuff. That was a time when everyone from David Beckham to Pixie Lott was donning a milk moustache and shouting “Make mine milk!”.

Not so, any more. And how the mighty milk has fallen. Once an unquestionable staple, milk has sunk so low in popularity (consumption is down 30 per cent since the 1990s)  that it’s now cheaper than water and the dairy industry is in crisis. In tandem, people have become a lot more health aware and choose to shun milk in favour of ‘healthier’ alternatives - nowadays you’re just as likely to hear someone say “make mine a soy/almond/coconut milk latte” as a plain old semi skimmed.

Lactose intolerance: the symptoms

Cheryl Fayolle explains: “Symptoms of intolerance occur within a few hours of ingestion of milk or milk products and cause a variety of symptoms, including abdominal cramps, bloating, flatulence, diarrhea, headaches, eczema and nausea.”

Milk is such a staple in our diets that we may not even realise it’s affecting us. For many, some of the lesser symptoms, like bloating, gas and discomfort are a daily occurrence, so commonplace that we don’t even question why they’re happening.

But what about calcium? Isn’t milk essential for strong bones?

“Milk and dairy should never be the main source of calcium.” Cheryl warns.

“It is misleading to suggest that you need dairy for strong bones,” says Christine Bailey. Some studies actually show the opposite to be true: a higher consumption of dairy can in fact increase the risk of bone fractures.“That doesn’t mean you don’t need calcium of course,” she adds. 

Other good sources of calcium are salmon (with bones), sardines, seafood, dark leafy vegetables, says Cheryl Fayolle. It is also found in smaller quantities in many other foods such as almonds, asparagus and broccoli.

So should we all be ditching dairy from our diet completely?

Actually, no. The advice from many experts is to think twice before banishing milk from your diet completely. Everything in moderation, as the old adage goes.

For every study that finds a problem with dairy (of which there are many, not just about lactose but also everything from cancer to acne to weight gain), there’s at least one that shows a benefit. These range from reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, reduced duration of respiratory infections in the elderly and even a reduced likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s.