Even the toughest diet involves the use of dairy products, because it is a source of protein and other valuable micronutrients. But some adherents of drying deliberately refuse milk, claiming that because of it it "floods" a lot. Is it really? When can milk, cottage cheese or cheese contribute to water retention in the body? Let's figure it out.
Does milk help you gain weight?
Let's move away from the topic of drying and first turn to the usual weight loss. Is it okay to eat dairy products if you're just dieting? To do this, we will study the composition of whole milk with a fat content of 3.2%. One glass (200 ml) contains about 8 g of protein, 8 g of fat and 13 g of carbohydrates. The energy value is approximately 150 kcal. Plus almost 300 mg of calcium and 100 mg of sodium (i.e. salts).
Anyone who plays sports will tell you that this is an almost ideal composition for restoring the body after training. Milk fats are easily absorbed and do not contribute to unnecessary weight gain. But muscle mass is certainly growing.
The composition of other dairy products varies, but the ratio of protein, fat and carbohydrate is roughly the same. Therefore, if you consume milk in moderation, avoiding cream, sour cream and high-fat cottage cheese, then it will be added only in the right places.
The paradox is that the fatter the dairy products, the healthier and safer they are in terms of weight gain. British scientists David Ludwig and Walter Willet conducted a study on the absorption of milk of different fat content in humans. They noticed that subjects who drank skim milk gained weight faster. This is due to the fact that the manufacturer, diluting his products with water, adds sugar there to preserve the taste. Hence the extra calories. You can read about the study here. (source in English).
By the way! David Ludwig, author of the book "Are you constantly hungry?", Is sure that it is possible to lose weight or keep the same weight on fats. Because they are completely spent on energy, but carbohydrates are not. In addition, less fat is needed for saturation. The scientist even singles out a special model of obesity - "insulin-carbohydrate". You can read more about this here. (source in English) It turns out that Ludwig also believes that drying is good for the body.
Does milk hold water?
This is the main and eternal question that causes a lot of controversy. Supporters of two opinions provide a variety of evidence, sometimes based on unrealistic facts. But it is quite simple and, moreover, quite logical. Yes, milk can hold water. But there are two circumstances in which this happens. And they cannot be ignored.
Lactose intolerance
It is associated with a deficiency in the body of lactase, an enzyme that is necessary for the breakdown of sugars contained in dairy products. If this does not happen, lactose reaches the intestines and binds water. Against this background, diarrhea occurs, and the body loses fluid, but not at all that which needs to be lost for proper drying. Therefore, the result of drinking milk with lactose intolerance is unpleasant symptoms (in addition to diarrhea, there is also bloating, gas) plus edema.
If you are lactose intolerant and decide to start drying, you really shouldn't drink milk. But there is no need to say that all people should do this. Yes, milk is contraindicated for you, but for someone it will bring a lot of benefits. Including when drying.
With a complete rejection of salt
This is the sin of many athletes who decide to dry out. They are guided by the following logic: salt retains water, so we will not use it at all. Moreover, they not only do not add salt to food, but also exclude all possible food products containing salt. But poor fellows do not know that the lack of salt also retains water, because the body needs potassium and sodium.
When a person stops consuming salt, the body begins to desperately “search” for it in all products. And finds, oddly enough, in the milk. A portion of cottage cheese with a fat content of 5%, for example, contains up to 500 mg of sodium, which not only accumulates in the body, but is also retained in it. The processes of salt breakdown and consumption are disrupted due to the fact that the body is afraid to be left again without valuable sodium. Salt retention is equal to water retention. Hence the negative drying results.
In order for milk to bring only benefits, and the salts contained in it are evenly consumed and do not retain water, you need to maintain a normal electrolyte balance and not give up salt at all. It can be minimized, but the body should not be deficient in order not to go all out.
Random factors
Given: no lactose intolerance; you did not refuse salt; you use milk. Result: it still "floods". Question: are you sure that this is from dairy products? After all, water can be retained for other reasons. Let's say you know the basic drying conditions and follow them, but are you considering 3 more factors?
- During menstruation, women swell more than on other days of the cycle.
- Swelling can provoke heart and kidney disease. And in this case it is useless to dry.
- Food allergies can also cause dysfunction and water retention.
Summing up
The human body is a very complex mechanism in which everything is interconnected. And it’s impossible to say for sure what influenced water retention, weight gain, or any other process. So find the balance that's right for you. Consult with doctors or experienced fitness instructors, who have hundreds of "dried" clients on their account, select medium-fat dairy products and determine how much cottage cheese, milk and cheese you can eat per day without consequences. Yes, it can take time, experimentation, recording and analysis. But if everything were too simple, then drying would not cause such a stir. After all, it is always nice to boast of the perfect relief, while others are trying in vain to achieve it.
