Iftar drinking milk, is it safe for health?

Jakarta –

Food at dawn and breaking the fast is often questioned in terms of nutrition, including milk. Is it safe for health if you drink milk when breaking the fast?

On ordinary days, someone usually drinks morning milk to push energy. However, during the fasting month, the audience might want to keep enjoying milk. As a result they chose to break the fast by drinking milk.

In terms of health, is this recommended? The doctor and nutritionist, Lucy Widasari said there was actually no prohibition on drinking milk when breaking the fast. In fact, milk can help the body back to energy after a full day of fasting.

“Milk contains protein, fat, and carbohydrates that can help energy recovery. In addition, milk is also rich in calcium, phosphorus, vitamins A and B12, zinc, and magnesium that are beneficial for health,” Lucy said when present at the event held by Milo Nestle at the Nestle Building, South Jakarta, Wednesday (5/3).

However, Lucy stressed that breaking should be done gradually. Because the organ cell in the digestive tract is in a resting condition during fasting.

“So you should break the fast first with water and dates. After that, start with natural simple carbohydrates, then pray first before continuing with complex carbohydrates or drinking milk,” he explained.

He also explained, although there was no prohibition on drinking milk during breaking the fast, there are still a number of things that need attention. These are:

1. Choose milk according to health conditions

Soy milk can be an alternative milk intake for lactose intolerance. Photo: Getty Images/Istockphoto/

Patients with lactose intolerance should avoid cow’s milk because it can cause nausea, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. Alternatively, you can choose vegetable milk such as soy milk, almonds, oat milk, or safer rice milk.

Patients with stomach acid (GERD) can still drink milk when breaking the fast, but choose skim milk or low -fat milk so as not to trigger the symptoms of GERD.

2. Avoid directly open with milk

Drinking milk in an empty stomach can trigger discomfort in some people. Therefore, it’s better to drink water and eat dates first before consuming milk or processed products.

3. Adjust the portion and time of drinking milk

Limit milk consumption only 1-2 glasses per day. Photo: Getty Images/istockphoto/pong-photo9

Lucy suggested that milk consumption not excessive, just 1-2 glasses per day.

“The division of time can be one glass at dawn and one glass when breaking the fast, so that the benefits remain maximum,” he said.

Although milk is useful, it still needs to eat other nutritious foods, such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, and protein from meat or fish. A glass of milk alone is not enough to meet nutritional needs during Ramadan.

“Also make sure the daily fluid intake is still fulfilled by drinking 8 glasses of water per day,” he added.

For those who have certain medical conditions, you should consult a doctor before entering milk in the breaking menu. That way, you can choose the safest type of milk and according to the body’s needs.

This article has been aired on CNN Indonesia with the title “Drinking milk when breaking the fast, may or not?“

(ADR/ADR)