Is milk good for weight loss? Cow and buffalo, per glass

146 kcal in 1 glass, about 200 ml.
6.5 g protein per serving, from IFCT 2017.
Useful add-on on a plate built to lose fat and keep muscle.

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Yes, milk fits a weight-loss plan, and it adds useful protein. A glass of whole cow's milk (200 g) gives 146 kcal and 6.5 g of protein, per IFCT 2017. Buffalo milk carries noticeably more fat and calories, so which milk you drink matters.

Medical review by a registered doctor on our panel is pending. Every number is from IFCT 2017, the Indian Food Composition Tables published by ICMR's National Institute of Nutrition.

Published 18 October 2026 · Last updated 18 October 2026

Milk nutrition, per serving and per 100 g

Milk: IFCT 2017 figures
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g
Energy	146 kcal	73 kcal
Protein	6.5 g	3.3 g
Carbohydrate (available)	9.9 g	4.9 g
Dietary fibre	—	—
Fat	9 g	4.5 g

Serving: 1 glass, about 200 ml. IFCT 2017 food code L002, "Milk, whole, Cow", the mean of 6 regions sampled. IFCT does not report glycaemic index, so this page prints none.

The verdict on milk

Useful add-on

A useful extra beside a meal, not the centre of it.

4.5 g of protein for every 100 kcal.
One serving gives 6.5 g of the roughly 58 g of protein a day ICMR-NIN's RDA sets for a 70 kg adult.

How milk fits a plan that loses fat and keeps muscle

IFCT 2017 gives whole cow's milk 73 kcal and 3.3 g of protein per 100 g. A glass is 6.5 g of the roughly 58 g of protein a day an average adult needs, which makes milk a steady contributor rather than the main protein.

Many Indian households drink buffalo milk without knowing the difference: the table shows it higher in fat and calories per glass. Toned or double-toned milk lowers the fat further; its figures are on the packet rather than in IFCT.

Milk in an Indian kitchen

Toned or double-toned milk from the dairy has less fat than full-cream for the same protein, and it is what most dietitians in India suggest for a daily glass. Home-set curd from that milk, or hung curd, gives the same protein in a spoonable form. Chai with milk is a fair way to drink it if you keep the sugar out; a haldi doodh at night works too. Packaged flavoured milks and milkshakes are mostly sugar, so count them as a dessert.

Pair it, or swap it

Milk with a banana before a workout, or a glass of milk with a besan chilla, adds protein to a meal. Unsweetened haldi doodh at night fits most plans.

Worth knowing

Sugar in tea and coffee, three or four times a day, adds up faster than the milk. Milkshakes, flavoured milk and kheer add sugar.

Milk against similar foods

Per 100 g, IFCT 2017
Food	Energy	Protein	Fibre
Milk	73 kcal	3.3 g	—
Buffalo milk, whole	107 kcal	3.7 g	—
Paneer	305 kcal	18.9 g	—
Khoa	316 kcal	16.3 g	—

Milk: questions people ask

Is milk good for weight loss?

Yes, in planned amounts. A glass of whole cow's milk gives about 146 kcal and 6.5 g of protein per IFCT 2017.

Cow or buffalo milk for weight loss?

Cow's milk. IFCT 2017 gives buffalo milk more fat and more calories per 100 g; see the table.

Can I drink milk at night to lose weight?

Yes, if it fits the day's total. An unsweetened glass of milk at night is fine for most plans.

Sources

[1] Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017
National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR), Hyderabad, 2017. Table 1, Proximate Principles and Dietary Fibre: energy, protein, fat, available carbohydrate and dietary fibre per 100 g edible portion, the mean of the regions sampled. Every figure on this page comes from it.
Read the source
[2] ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Dietary Guidelines for Indians
ICMR-NIN, Hyderabad, 2024. Recommends combining cereals with pulses in a 3:1 ratio for protein quality, meeting vegetarian protein needs from pulses, beans and milk, keeping added sugar under 5% of energy and salt to 5 g a day, and slow, steady weight reduction.
Read the source
[3] ICMR-NIN Expert Group on Nutrient Requirements for Indians. Recommended Dietary Allowances and Estimated Average Requirements
ICMR-NIN, Hyderabad (brief note), 2020. Sets the protein RDA for healthy Indian adults at 0.83 g per kg of body weight a day, and 1 g per kg for people on a cereal-based diet with lower-quality protein.
Read the source
[4] Wycherley TP, et al. Effects of energy-restricted high-protein, low-fat compared with standard-protein, low-fat diets: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2012. In energy-restricted trials, higher-protein diets produced slightly greater fat loss and better preservation of fat-free mass than standard-protein diets.
Read the source
[5] Shukla AP, et al. Food Order Has a Significant Impact on Postprandial Glucose and Insulin Levels
Diabetes Care, 2015. Eating vegetables and protein before carbohydrate in the same meal produced lower post-meal glucose and insulin than the reverse order, in a small crossover study.
Read the source

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