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Why you shouldn’t discard the water after filtering out homemade paneer
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Do you often make paneer at home by adding some lemon juice to milk? If the answer to that question is ‘yes’, then we have another one for you — what do you do with the water that is left behind after filtering it? The answer, probably, is that you throw it away. But, did you know that you can use it to cook so many dishes and make them super healthy? That is exactly what Juhi Kapoor, a nutritionist and yoga trainer, suggests — that paneer ka paani, or the leftover whey water, is a tremendous source of “protein, minerals, vitamins”.
“That water is magical… it is loaded with protein, minerals, and vitamins…don’t throw it away,” she captioned her post on Instagram, adding that it can be used for making curries, dals, soups, doughs, as hair as well as face masks!
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Garima Goyal, a registered dietitian, said that around 55 per cent of the nutrients in milk are present in whey. However, since it is in a diluted form, it may not help meet your overall protein requirement. Nonetheless, the water can be added to your regular diet.
“While consuming whey water to meet your protein or other nutrient requirements may not be possible since it is in diluted form, this natural residual liquid left after your paneer preparation can be used in multiple dishes and also for kneading atta, soups, salad dressing, yoghurt, etc to improve the overall quality,” she added.
Understanding the components
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Milk contains two kinds of protein — casein and whey. The slight yellowish liquid that separates from milk while making paneer is whey. “This whey water, which seeps during the process of making paneer, is 95 per cent water and its nutritive value varies based on the kind of paneer made or the processing method. It contains about 4.8 per cent of lactose (which is your carbohydrates), 0.3 per cent of fat, and 0.5 per cent of other vitamins and minerals,” she told indianexpress.com.
Also Read | Wh(e)y Protein?
However, whey liquid contains about 0.8 per cent of protein and is used in litres for the production of whey protein isolates or whey protein powder. “In short, the water you are left with may not be an efficient source of protein, however, it can still be used as a healthy addition to your diet,” she suggested.
Apart from protein, whey liquids also contain some vitamins and minerals, which can help improve your overall health.“In hospitalised patients with naso-enteric (nasogastric or naso jejunal) tubes, whey water can be used intermittently instead of plain water for added nutrients and proteins,” she mentioned.
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