Can you eat cereal with evaporated milk?

In this short article, we will provide an answer to the question, “Can you eat cereal with evaporated milk?” and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of eating cereal with evaporated milk. 

Can you eat cereal with evaporated milk?

Yes, you can eat cereal with evaporated milk. Although evaporated milk is thicker with a flavour that slightly differs from regular fluid milk, it can be used as regular milk or can be diluted with water to have the same consistency as regular milk.

What are the benefits of eating cereal with evaporated milk?

The benefits of eating cereal with evaporated milk are the higher amounts of proteins and minerals in evaporated milk. Because the water is removed from milk, the milk solids are in a higher concentration in the evaporated milk than in regular milk.

Compared to fluid milk, which contains about 120 mg of Calcium in 100 g, evaporated milk contains 250 mg in 100 g. Calcium is necessary for the building and maintenance of bones and to prevent osteoporosis. 

Studies report that a higher ingestion of calcium is related to lower risks of cardiovascular diseases, as calcium is able to bind to fatty acids and reduce the absorption of lipids. 

Calcium ingestion is also related to lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels in individuals consuming calcium supplements. Similarly, calcium during pregnancy can reduce the risk of preeclampsia, which is a form of increased blood pressure during pregnancy (3).

Evaporated milk also contains higher amounts of proteins compared to fluid milk in 100 g. While whole fluid milk has 3.3 g of proteins in 100 g, evaporated milk has about 7 g in 100 g.

Milk proteins are known to provide many health benefits. They are highly digestible and bioavailable and contribute to the human daily needs, as they are considered complete, that is, they contain all the essential amino acids for human nutrition (4).

Caseins are the main proteins of milk and their hydrolysis generates amino acids and peptides which are considered bioactive, due to their antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antioxidant and antihypertensive effects.

Whey proteins from milk such as lactoferrin together with b-lactoglobulin and a-lactalbumin are known to have antioxidant and antitumor effects.

The nutritional profiles of 100 g milk and 100 g of evaporated milk are compared in the table below (2):

CompoundFluid whole milkEvaporated whole milk
Water (g/100g)8772.7–74.7
Fat (g/100g)3.77.5–8.0
Protein (g/100g)3.36.5–7.1
Carbohydrate (g/100g)4.89–10
Sodium (mg/100g)41–46100–108
Potassium (mg/100g)152–155300–368
Calcium (mg/100g)114–123255–263
Phosphorus (mg/100g)103220–247

What are the health risks of eating cereal with evaporated milk?

The drawbacks of eating cereal with evaporated milk are due to the higher amounts of sodium, when compared to the same amount of fluid whole milk (1). 

The amount of sodium in evaporated whole milk is more than double than in fluid whole milk (2). An amount of 100 g, whole fluid milk contains 45 mg of sodium, while 100 g of evaporated whole milk contains 100 mg of sodium.

The ingestion of Sodium is considered a risk factor to increase blood pressure and lead to hypertension (5). 

High blood pressure has been linked to heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and other health problems.

In addition, some vitamins and proteins lose their properties due to the heat treatments applied to evaporated milk (2).

What are other possible drawbacks of eating cereal with evaporated milk?

Other possible drawbacks of eating cereal with evaporated milk are related to the flavour, odour and the colour of the evaporated milk, which is not pleasant to all the consumers. 

Milk contains proteins and carbohydrates, which react together under heat in a reaction called Maillard reaction, originating caramelised flavours and browning. These reactions can also induce the formation of off-flavours.

Heat treatments for evaporation of milk can also cause degradation of lipids and proteins resulting in the generation of undesirable effects to the sensory properties of milk (2).

If you are used to the flavour of pasteurised milk, it is possible that you mislike using evaporated milk in your cereal. 

What else can you eat cereal with?

Besides regular fluid milk and evaporated milk, you can use plant-based milk products. If you are interested in knowing the substitutes for evaporated milk in cereal, here they are (2,6):

Sweet condensed milk: It is another form of evaporated milk, however contains a high amount of sugar added

Coconut milk: A plant-based milk rich in medium-chain fatty acid, especially lauric acid 

Soybean milk: Soy milk contains 7 g of protein per 8 ounces (236.6 ml) which is comparable with dairy milk

Almond milk: It is a popular plant-based milk alternative that contains vitamin E and unsaturated fatty acids

Other FAQs about Cereals that you may be interested in.

Can you eat Weetabix with yogurt?

Can you eat Weetabix with water?

Can you eat Weetabix with IBS?

Conclusion

In this short article, we have provided an answer to the question, “Can you eat cereal with evaporated milk?” and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of eating cereal with evaporated milk. 

References 

  1. Mehta, Bhavbhuti M. Chemical composition of milk and milk products. Handbook of food chemistry. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2015. 511-553.
  2. Oliveira, Maricê Nogueira de, Ana Lúcia Barretto Penna, and H. Garcia Nevarez. Production of evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and ‘Dulce de Leche’. Dairy powders and concentrated products. 2009.
  3. Calcium – Health Professional Fact Sheet (nih.gov). National Institute of Health.
  4. Pereira, Paula C. Milk nutritional composition and its role in human health. Nutrition, 2014, 30, 619-627.
  5. Strom, Brian L., Ann L. Yaktine, and Maria Oria. Sodium Intake and Health Outcomes. Sodium Intake in Populations: Assessment of Evidence. 2013).
  6. Paul, Anna Aleena, et al. Milk Analog: Plant based alternatives to conventional milk, production, potential and health concerns. Crit rev food sci nutr, 2020, 60, 3005-3023.

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