~ Curious Charlie ~

Milo - More than a Great Taste @ Monday, December 16, 2013

Milo, developed in Australia in 1934. The name was derived from the famous Ancient Greek athlete Milo of Crotona, after his legendary strength. As he was a wrestler I'd say his strength was real. Interesting this is how he died: "attempting to tear a tree apart when his hands became trapped in a crevice in its trunk, and a pack of wolves surprised and devoured him."

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Made mainly from malted barley. Just one glass of MILO with milk gives children 50% of their daily iron, calcium, Vitamin B1 and Vitamin C needs.

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Very popular in Malaysia, it's a flavour just like cookies 'n' Cream. I recall that McDonalds had it, and you could buy Milo Milk in the fridge, love that stuff. The cereal bar is a bit strange though...

You can have it hot or cold, though it doesn't really dissolve in cold milk.

It's also nice sprinkled on ice cream, or mixed into that cheap soft serve "ice cream".

I'd like to make Milo Cupcakes with Condensed Milk Icing.

All the pros can be seen in the pictures above. In marketing we'll only sell you the good stuff. On my blog (while I do like Milo) I'll also tell you the bad stuff.

Con no.1 - Carbs
Milo contains 352kJ (84 calories) in every 20g of the powder, mostly from carbohydrates. Hence Milo is marketed as an energy drink, oh and stay away from this if you're trying to loose weight.

Con no.2 - GI
Milo dissolved in water has a Glycemic Index (GI) of 55, the same as Coca-Cola. But who disolves it in water? O.o Very small amount of Milo + mug of milk = GI closer to 33. A large amount of Milo into a mug of milk will give a GI closer to 55. Oh dear...

What do nutritionists say?
Yes to Milo and milk, but only have either that or a glass of fruit juice. Also limit it to only one glass of Milo a day. Making Milo with milk improves the nutrient value, but drinking milk without flavouring is always a better habit to encourage.

Milo now comes in single sachets, great for bringing them places. If you're going camping you could bring these, milk powder and all you have to do is add water. So we were curious and checked out what Milo comes as, and we found 5 things other than the powder. Sadly no Milo Milk yet.

The Range

dessert energy snack - mousse like
actual mousse
cereal (2 types)
cereal/snack bars
cereal-esque snacks? Called 'Starz' and 'Crunchy Bites'.

You can buy Milo at Safeway & Coles. You can buy 10 sachets for $6 at Safeway. For the best value get the 1kg can for $10. The product was given to me by Emma to post about, this doesn't alter my opinion of Milo, though I discovered it has less sugar than I thought. Do I drink Milo? Yes, occasionally. With cold milk always. But I'd prefer to make Milo Cupcakes!

RMIT Newintstudents said... on December 16, 2013 at 9:47 AM

Great review of the product. Did you get sent this to try?

Charlie said... on December 16, 2013 at 8:22 PM

Yes and no. My friend was sent the product (4 boxes above) and she gave me a box, and asked me to post about it. Though as always I add my thoughts on it rather than just re-posting the info that was given.