Will drinking whole milk make you fat? Which one is more nutritious: full-fat, low-fat, or skim?

If you want to supplement calcium and high-quality protein, drinking milk is a good choice! However, faced with the wide variety of whole milk, low-fat milk and skimmed milk on the market, which one is healthier? People often say: "Drinking whole milk will make you fat, drinking low-fat milk is healthier." Some people also say: People who want to lose weight should choose skim milk to avoid too much calories. Are these statements correct? Let’s listen to the expert’s detailed explanation.

The flavor of whole milk is richer and more fragrant than skim milk.

What is the difference between whole milk, low-fat milk and skimmed milk? In fact, except for the different fat content, the nutritional ingredients of whole milk, medium-fat milk, low-fat milk and skimmed milk are the same.

In his new book "Don't Let Wrong Nutrition Concepts Harm You: An Authoritative Nutrition Expert in the United States, Dispelling 58 Common Diet Myths", Bai Xiaoliang, a doctor of nutrition, said that as for flavor, the flavor of food exists in the fat, so the taste will naturally be different if the fat content is different. This is why the flavor of whole milk is richer and mellower than that of skim milk. Low-fat milk also retains more fat-soluble vitamins than skim milk and tastes better than skim milk.

But apart from fat, there is no difference in the protein and carbohydrate content among whole milk, low-fat milk and skim milk. One of the principles of a healthy diet is to reduce the intake of saturated fatty acids. Adjusting the fat intake in the diet by drinking low-fat milk is a very good way.

Children aged 1 to 2 years old must use whole milk because children of this age group need more fat in their diet.

Add flavor! Low-fat or skim milk with fresh fruit

As for flavored milk, in fact it only contains about 50% fresh milk, its nutritional value is only half of that of fresh milk, and its fat content is 2%, which is equivalent to reduced-fat milk. But in order to create a variety of flavors, in addition to adding a small amount of concentrated fruit juice, a lot of spices, pigments, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, emulsifiers and thickeners are also added. In addition to flavoring, functional milk is also fortified with calcium, vitamin D, and iron. It contains only half of fresh milk, so it has less fat. However, in order to improve the flavor, most artificial seasonings such as thickeners and spices are added. If you don’t want to drink flavored milk but want the flavor of milk, it is recommended to use low-fat or skim milk and add fresh fruits for flavoring.

Whole milk, low-fat milk, and skimmed milk are suitable for different groups of people

Which group of people is suitable for drinking whole milk? Generally speaking, children aged 1 to 2 years old must use whole milk because children of this age group need more fat in their diet. As for which groups of people are suitable for drinking low-fat or skimmed milk? It is recommended that healthy people over 2 years old can consume low-fat or skimmed fresh milk with 1% fat.

Which one has the highest calories among whole milk, low-fat milk and skim milk? Generally, the milk fat content of whole milk is about 3.25%, the milk fat content of low-fat milk is about 1%, and the milk fat content of skim milk is less than 0.5%. In fact, the calories of the two are similar. (See table below)

In addition to whole milk, low-fat milk and skimmed milk, some people also like to consume "creamer". Although "creamer" has the word "milk" in it, it is actually an artificial condiment made of vegetable oil and various additives, and is not a milk product. As for cream, it is the animal oil contained in milk, and animal oil contains saturated fatty acids. For the sake of health, you should eat less cream and try to avoid creamer when drinking coffee. You might as well use low-fat or skimmed milk instead.

(Form provided by / Times Publishing)