11/15/2025
A cup of warm milk is such a lovely part of my day, especially here in India where our community includes about 40 cows who spend their days in the fresh air and give beautiful milk.
Whole cow’s milk often gets a bad rap these days, as many people have difficulty digesting it.
However, that may be because of the way the cow was treated OR the way we’re drinking the milk, rather than an inherent problem with milk itself.
Milk is packed with vitamins and essential minerals, like calcium, Vitamin D, and vegetarian Vitamin B12 (found primarily in meat, eggs and dairy).
When we digest it well, whole milk builds strong muscles and bones, deepens sleep, improves immunity, regulates the nervous system, and helps us cultivate a peaceful sattvic mind.
Milk can be especially helpful during perimenopause/ menopause when Vata’s dry and light qualities can cause insomnia, anxiety, and dry skin, and Pitta’s heat can create hot flashes.
However, milk is nutritionally DENSE, so we must help our body digest it! Here are the key milk guidelines from Ayurveda...
🔥DRINK IT HOT. Milk is naturally cooling, so warming it up helps us process it more easily. Bring it up to just under boiling, then turn off the heat to preserve the enzymes that actually help us digest it.
🫚SPICE IT UP. Add a few pinches of digestive spices to help break down its rich nutrition - try turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and/or black pepper.
🌟 SEPARATE IT FROM OTHER FOODS. Mixing milk with other foods can create incompatible combinations that lead to gas, bloating and discomfort (such as with fruit, cereal, or meat). Instead, try a cup of hot milk on its own when you feel hungry, or just before bed.
🌟 DRINK IT WHOLE. Whole milk has the natural proportion of fat, protein and carbs to facilitate absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. When we drink 6-8 ounces of hot, spiced milk, our body uses the fat intelligently.
Yes, some people are truly allergic, but perhaps fewer than we think.
