I remember nearly 30 years ago, when my children were small, I first became interested in eating more naturally because of an article I read. This was all about changing to 2% milk from full cream, to light brown sugar instead of white refined sugar, and to brown or whole wheat bread instead of white bread. And I very quickly managed to persuade my family to change too except for an occasion treat of white bread! Since then of course so many different things have been added to the list of healthy eating.
So I thought it was about time I researched the topic of milk. As I grew older, I found I no longer enjoyed a daily glass of milk with my breakfast and I changed from drinking tea with milk to black tea with lemon. But because I now needed the calcium more than ever, I had to make it up with cheese, yoghurt, using milk in cooking, making milk shakes or smoothies and by taking calcium supplements.
Cow’s milk, the basis for all other dairy products, remains a healthy food for the following reasons:
o Promoting strong bones by being a very good source of vitamin D and calcium and a good source of vitamin K – three nutrients essential to bone health
o In addition, cow’s milk is a very good source of iodine, a mineral essential for thyroid function, and riboflavin and vitamin B12 – 2 B vitamins that are necessary for cardiovascular health and energy production
o Cow’s milk is also a good source of vitamin A, a critical nutrient for immune function and potassium, a nutrient important for cardiovascular health
o Milk produced by grass fed cows also contains a beneficial fatty acid called conjugated linoleic acid. Research suggests that amongst the benefits could be the lowering of cholesterol and the prevention of atherosclerosis.
Is the different between whole milk and low fat milk really that important?
Well here are the statistics:
o Whole milk per 8 oz serving – 150 calories – 8g fat
o 2% milk per 8 oz serving – 120 calories – 4.5 g fat
o 1% milk per 8 oz serving – 100 calories – 2.5g fat
o Skim milk per 8 oz serving – 80 calories – 0g fat
Soy milk and rice milk are both low fat.
Whole milk is appropriate for toddlers over the age of 12 months and who are not breastfeeding. They need calories from fat for growth and brain development. Whole milk is also suitable for people who are having trouble getting all the fat and calories they need. But at 150 calories and almost 8 grams of fat per glass, full cream milk is not the best choice for most adults, especially those who consume more fat and calories than they need.
Most adults should in fact be drinking non fat milk or low fat milk.
2% milk is appropriate for people with higher calorie needs and who don’t eat a lot of high fat food (especially children). After 2 years old, you should switch your child to skim or low fat milk as making this switch at an early age is much easier than doing it than when he is older and more likely to notice the difference in taste and texture. An early switch to low fat milk also helps to ensure healthy habits for the rest of your child’s life.
Humans are the exception in the natural world for consuming milk beyond infancy. The largest producer and consumer of cow’s milk in the world is India. Cow’s milk is also the milk of choice in many parts of the world particularly the west. However, milk is also collected for domestic use from sheep, goats, yaks, water buffalo, horses and camels. The term “milk” is also used to describe the whitish non-animal substitutes such as soy milk, rice, milk, almond milk and coconut milk.
These can be especially useful if you suffer from lactose intolerance and cannot drink cow’s milk. Around 75% of the world’s population is actually lactose intolerant while intolerance to milk proteins is also possible though less common with up to 5% of children developing true milk allergies.
Cow’s milk is processed into dairy products such as cream, butter yoghurt, kefir, ice cream and of course cheese while industrial science has brought us casein, whey protein, lactose, condensed milk, powdered milk and more. The very best milk is produced from those grass fed cows who live natural healthy lives.
So a daily glass or helping of low fat milk or other diary product will be of great benefit to your health and wellbeing but remember with the emphasis on “low fat”.
