Milk has been touted as a simple way to burn more body fat. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirms that, but also finds that milk-drinkers gain more muscle mass. Researchers took three groups of young men 18-to-30 years of age and gave them a five-days-per-week strength-training program over 12 weeks. After each session, the volunteers drank either two cups of skim milk, a soy alternative with an equivalent amount of protein and calories, or a carbohydrate beverage with an equal amount of calories.
Milk drinkers lost nearly twice as much fat—two pounds—and gained 63 percent or 3.3 pounds more muscle mass than the carbohydrate drinkers. Keep in mind, organic milk packs 75 percent more beta-carotene, as much as a serving of Brussels sprouts, and 50 percent more vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant.