Is Expired Milk Bad For You?
Short answer
In most cases, drinking expired milk will result in food poisoning. Always be sure to check your expiry date and smell your milk prior to drinking.
Harmful to your health. Very few, if any, benefits are present. Things in this category should be avoided as much as possible.
View Full Grading System
Category 'A'
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. Side effects are rare. Things rated an 'A+' are typically necessary for survival (for example, water).
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. A few harmful qualities may be associated, but only under certain circumstances such as an allergic reaction.
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. Harmful qualities may be associated, but aren't usually serious.
It is important to note that even the best things in life can become bad in immoderate amounts. So, although something may be rated an 'A+', overconsumption/overdoing can bring unwanted effects.
Category 'B'
Very beneficial to your health. Things rated a 'B+' may have a few harmful qualities to pay attention to.
Overall beneficial to your health. Things rated a 'B' may have some harmful qualities to pay attention to.
More beneficial to your health than not. However, harmful qualities are most likely associated and shouldn't be overlooked.
The main difference between category 'A' and category 'B' is the harmful qualities typically present in 'B' items. Serious side effects are usually uncommon, but are still possible and should be taken note of.
Category 'C'
Both beneficial and harmful qualities associated. Things rated a 'C+' are typically a bit more on the beneficial side. Still, moderation is important.
A fairly even ratio of beneficial and harmful qualities. Moderation is important. Very general topics that can lean towards both sides of the spectrum will be placed here as well. Rice, for example, can be good or bad depending on the type.
More harmful than beneficial. Side effects are common, especially when consumed/done excessively. Moderation is very important.
Category 'C' usually denotes to both good and bad qualities. When it comes to this category, it is important to keep this word in mind: moderation.
Category 'D'
Harmful to your health. Although benefits may be associated, the bad most likely outweighs the good. Moderation is very important.
Harmful to your health. A few benefits may be associated, but the bad outweighs the good. Moderation is extremely important.
Harmful to your health. Very few, if any, benefits are present. Things in this category should be avoided as much as possible.
Category 'D' is typically for things that are more harmful than beneficial. While consuming/doing something unhealthy once in a blue moon shouldn't hurt, we definitely recommend eliminating 'D' items as a regular part of your routine/diet.
Category 'F'
Category 'F' is for things that fail to bring anything beneficial to the table, and are very harmful to your health. We recommend completely avoiding anything in this category. Long-term side effects of 'F' items are usually very serious.
Category 'N'
'N' stands for neutral. Things placed into this category are generally (a) neither good nor bad for you, or (b) lack the necessary evidence to reach any conclusions.
Long answer
Expired milk gets its characteristic pungency from lactic acid, which is formed by the presence of lactobacillus bacteria. While the odor of expired milk should be enough to put anyone off of actually drinking it, it isn't the end of the world if some happens to be accidentally swallowed. Expired milk can be dangerous to children and adults with weak immune systems, but for most adults, the worst it will do is most likely give a case of mild food poisoning, with symptoms including stomach cramps, nausea, fever, and diarrhea.
The reason that expired milk isn't as dangerous as people may think is due to the process of pasteurization used in producing milk. Pasteurization requires using heat sufficiently hot enough to kill most of the bacteria present. Some bacteria, however, are able to survive the process. Milk actually "goes bad" when this bacteria (lactobacillus) converts the lactose present in milk to glucose and galactose, forming lactic acid.
It should also be noted that milk is often safe to consume a couple days past the printed expiry date, so if you have a glass of milk on Tuesday and see it expired that previous Monday, don't panic. While expired milk isn't usually dangerous - apart from some discomfort - it can be harmful to those with weak immune systems and does not impart any benefits to your health.
The best thing to do is check the expiry date and do a sniff test. If something seems off about the milk, discard it.
Possible short-term side effects
- nausea
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diarrhea
-
fever
vomiting
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stomach cramps
Ingredients to be aware of
- lactic acid
-
lactobacillus bacteria
Healthier alternatives
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Written by Jeff Volling
Published on: 12-28-2015
Last updated: 12-10-2016
Thank you for your feedback!
Written by Jeff Volling
Published on: 12-28-2015
Last updated: 12-10-2016
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