Milk

Milk is the only food designed to be a complete diet, and whole milk is still the cheapest way to get calcium, protein and B12 in one glass. The 50 Man Foods use it as a drink, in custard and in the smoothie, always full-fat.

Raw milk is the traditional form and, from a small herd that is tested, it is what we drink. Where it is not legal or not available, pasteurised whole milk from grass-fed cows is the everyday choice — not skimmed, and not a plant substitute.

  • Daily
  • 2 recipes
  • Dairy
  • Updated Sep 2026

What it supplies

Nutrient · per 100 g (a little under half a cup) Amount % DV Relative amount
Calcium 113 mg 9%
Protein 3.2 g 6%
Vitamin B12 0.45 mcg 19%
Riboflavin 0.17 mg 13%
Potassium 132 mg 3%
Fat 3.3 g 4%

Source: USDA FoodData Central.Percent Daily Values are based on adult reference intakes. The bars stop at 100%; the numbers do not.

Why it works

Calcium is not only bone: it is the signal muscle and nerve fire on, and low calcium intake raises parathyroid hormone, which the body reads as stress. Milk is the one food that supplies calcium in quantity with the fat and protein needed to use it.

Milk's sugar, lactose, is a slow-releasing carbohydrate paired with protein and fat — a gentler energy source than most starches, and one of the reasons a glass of milk before bed is an old remedy that works.

How much, how often

  • 2–4 cups

    Daily

    Covers calcium and a good share of protein and B12.

  • Whole, grass-fed

    Raw from a tested herd where legal

    Never skimmed; the fat carries the vitamins.

How to buy and prepare it

Whole, always. Grass-fed and non-homogenised (cream on top) when you can get it. Raw milk should come from a farm that tests its herd and its milk and will show you the results; that is the whole difference between safe raw milk and a gamble.

If you react to milk, try A2 milk or raw milk before giving up; many people who cannot drink supermarket milk do fine on either. Lactose-free whole milk is a reasonable last option.

Drink it cold or warm. Warmed with honey it is a bedtime drink; blended with mango and kefir it is breakfast. Do not boil raw milk unless you mean to pasteurise it; gentle warming is fine.

Raw milk keeps seven to ten days refrigerated at 2–4°C and then sours rather than rots — sour raw milk is clabber, not waste. Pasteurised milk keeps to its date and then spoils. Keep both in the coldest part of the fridge, never in the door.

Recipes that use it

In these guides

Questions

Is raw milk safe?
From a farm that tests and sells it deliberately, the risk is low for healthy adults. From an untested source it is a gamble. Pregnant women, young children and anyone immunocompromised should drink pasteurised.
How much milk a day?
Two to four cups is ordinary on this diet and covers calcium, protein and B12. Athletes and people trying to gain weight can drink more.
Is skimmed milk healthier?
No. Removing the fat removes vitamins A and D, K2 and the fat that slows the sugar. Skimmed milk is whole milk with the best part sold to someone else.