How to Benefit from Drinking Milk
Date Posted:10 January 2011
According to ayurveda, milk provides special and unique nutrition that cannot be derived from any other type of food. Milk, when digested properly, nourishes all the tissues, promotes balanced emotions, and helps to balance all the doshas. It is one of the most important foods to promote ojas. According to ayurveda, ojas is a refined substance the body produces from the most subtle level of proper digestion. Ojas brings strength, strong immunity, happiness, and contentment according to Ayurveda. Therefore milk is a very important food to include regularly in one's diet especially if you follow a vegetarian lifestyle.
How can I digest milk properly?
In order to digest milk properly, one should avoid drinking cold milk right out of the refrigerator. Milk should be brought to a boil. Allow the milk to foam up and then bring the heat down so the milk is on a slow boil for about 5 to 10 minutes. Heating the milk changes the molecular structure of the milk so it is much easier for human consumption and it reduces kapha, making it lighter to digest. 
Add spices while cooking
While cooking it you may add a pinch of ground turmeric, a pinch of ground black pepper, a cinnamon stick, or a few pinches of ginger to reduce the heaviness of the milk and reduce any mucous causing side effect. If you have trouble digesting milk and have not consumed it for a while then it is recommended that you start again in a gradual fashion to help your body acclimate to it. Start with drinking 1/8 of a cup of the boiled milk with ginger. Then gradually increase the amount to about a cup over a ten-day period. 
What kind of milk should I drink?
Milk should be:
- Organic
- Whole and non-homogenized
Homogenized milk is very difficult to digest and can easily clog the finer channels of circulation. It is probable that milk that is not certified organic may contain rBGH. These are hormones that artificially increase milk production in the cow.
The only way we know to avoid rBGH is to purchase organic milk because currently there is no requirement for labeling on milk products that may have come from cows injected with the hormone.
Cow's milk is considered to be the best but raw goat milk is fine to use too.
What you have with milk makes a difference
Milk should not be mixed or eaten with sour, bitter, salty, astringent, or pungent tastes.
That means the old tradition of drinking a glass of cold milk with dinner should be avoided and the milk replaced with pure drinking water or juice. When combined with incompatible tastes, milk becomes indigestible and causes the build-up of harmful toxins in the body. Meals cooked with milk and fish or meat should be avoided such as in the popular clam chowder. However, warm milk may be consumed with sweet tastes such as rice, cream of wheat, dates, mangos, and almonds. If you wish to have warm milk then it is best to wait at least one hour after you have eaten a meal.
Bedtime milk helps you sleep
Warm milk consumed 30 minutes before bed can aid in falling asleep or a cup of warm milk with a teaspoon of Almond Energy can make a good late afternoon snack that provides nourishment and energy and is also very satisfying if you are hungry or have a sweet craving. 
Warm milk with a little natural sweetener makes a great afternoon snack for children when they come home after school.