Got milk? Natural or fat-free?
Natural whole milk runs at about 4% fat content and contains many healthy vitamins and nutrients. Its composition is not that dissimilar to human breast milk although cow’s milk usually contains more protein. According to a British report, each 100 mL of mature breast milk (i.e., breast milk produced after 21 days of lactation) yields approximately 4.2 grams of fat Department of Health and Social Security 1988).
In reality, 4% whole milk is hardly high-fat, yet is perceived by many to be "unhealthy" and gets grouped together with cheeses and butter by the majority of shoppers because of their ‘high’ saturated fat content. The nutrition community continues to recommend low-fat foods and skim milk as well as liquid vegetable/corn oils because of the common belief that saturated fats raise LDL ("bad") cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease (that’s today’s ‘conventional wisdom’, known as CW for short). Even the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Heart Association recommend that children drink skim or low-fat milk after age 2. But as we’ll discover, that is not helping them in their fight against obesity.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that everyone older than age 9 consume three cups of dairy, which includes milk, cheese and yogurt, a day. Because whole milk contains a considerable number of calories from fat however, nutritionists advise people to pick up skim, 1%-fat or 2%-fat versions instead, with the idea that they provide the same calcium and vitamin D for the bones, but without the weight gain that can increase risk of heart disease and diabetes. Most European advice is similar; but it's looking suspiciously mis-guided.
In reality, 4% whole milk is hardly high-fat, yet is perceived by many to be "unhealthy" and gets grouped together with cheeses and butter by the majority of shoppers because of their ‘high’ saturated fat content. The nutrition community continues to recommend low-fat foods and skim milk as well as liquid vegetable/corn oils because of the common belief that saturated fats raise LDL ("bad") cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease (that’s today’s ‘conventional wisdom’, known as CW for short). Even the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Heart Association recommend that children drink skim or low-fat milk after age 2. But as we’ll discover, that is not helping them in their fight against obesity.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that everyone older than age 9 consume three cups of dairy, which includes milk, cheese and yogurt, a day. Because whole milk contains a considerable number of calories from fat however, nutritionists advise people to pick up skim, 1%-fat or 2%-fat versions instead, with the idea that they provide the same calcium and vitamin D for the bones, but without the weight gain that can increase risk of heart disease and diabetes. Most European advice is similar; but it's looking suspiciously mis-guided.
Low-fat milk - and how they make it
Centrifugal Milk Separator
One stream of cream and one of fat-free milk emanate from the centrifuge which is used to first separate the milk. The fat-free milk is then pasteurized and condensed in a vacuum evaporator to remove water and increase the concentration of milk solids before being sent to a high-pressure milk atomizer. The sprayer shoots a fine spray of milk into a warm, air-filled chamber that removes more moisture, thereby creating powdery spherical particles of milk solids. You will find these particles mixed in with various low-fat and fat-free dairy products to get to the desired fat and consistency level and replace protein and calcium that’s been lost in the processing. |
Got Milk - the famous campaign that ran internationally
By the way: in this ad from the 1990's, it's actually lactose-free milk being advertised by Whoopie!
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The skimmed or low-fat milk then needs to be fortified with synthetic vitamins to replace those lost in the fat-removal process. Yes… the amount of vitamins on the label may look the same but what they don’t tell you is that in the lower fat versions, synthetic supplementary vitamins have been added to make up the difference… no natural fat, no natural vitamins.
This manufacturing process also oxidizes the tiny bit of cholesterol that’s left in the milk and that’s not good. Although these days, most of the cholesterol/ heart illness linkage has been disproven, it is true that the smaller LDL particles are not so healthy for you and when too many of them circulate in your bloodstream, they begin to oxidise. That’s what probably creates the plaque which thins arteries… or so the thinking goes now. But what’s worse, these oxidized milk fat cholesterol particles can also oxidize other existing cholesterol molecules in your bloodstream.
According to Bob Roberts, Professor of Food Science at Penn State University in the USA, these milk solids only add negligible traces of oxidized cholesterol to skimmed milk so he continues to drink skim, saying that the science isn’t clear on whether that oxidized cholesterol enters the blood stream.
This manufacturing process also oxidizes the tiny bit of cholesterol that’s left in the milk and that’s not good. Although these days, most of the cholesterol/ heart illness linkage has been disproven, it is true that the smaller LDL particles are not so healthy for you and when too many of them circulate in your bloodstream, they begin to oxidise. That’s what probably creates the plaque which thins arteries… or so the thinking goes now. But what’s worse, these oxidized milk fat cholesterol particles can also oxidize other existing cholesterol molecules in your bloodstream.
According to Bob Roberts, Professor of Food Science at Penn State University in the USA, these milk solids only add negligible traces of oxidized cholesterol to skimmed milk so he continues to drink skim, saying that the science isn’t clear on whether that oxidized cholesterol enters the blood stream.
The thing is; if you're really trying to reduce weight the conventional way, low-fat foods do not really lower calorie consumption, at least that's according to Dr. David Ludwig, director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children’s Hospital. Together with Dr. Walter Willett, the distinguished chair of the department of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health, they argue there is actually little data to support the idea that skim and/or low-fat milk leads to better health outcomes than whole milk.
Stephen Hook as himself - the Moo Man
grass-fed milk is bestAs with many things in life, quality trumps quantity. It seems that if we drank a little less milk, but of a higher quality, we’d be better off both physically and mentally. Saturated animal fats from healthy, pasture-raised cows contain beneficial omega-3s which we think of as coming from fish, flax or nuts. And most of the other beneficial nutrients and enzymes are to be found in the milk’s fat - which is why good quality dairy fat is really good for you. Fat helps our body’s ability to absorb and benefit from these natural nutrients and enzymes.
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The Moo Man The remarkable story of a maverick farmer and his unruly cows, filmed over four years on the marshes of the Pevensey Levels. In an attempt to save his family farm, Stephen Hook decides to turn his back on the cost cutting dairies and supermarkets, and instead stay small and keep his close relationship with the herd. However farmer Hook's plans to save the farm do not always go down well with his 55 spirited cows. The result is a laugh-out-loud, emotional roller-coaster of a journey. "Heart warming, a tearjerker of a movie about the incredible bonds between man, animal and countryside." Premiered at Sundance 2013 
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One day soon, ‘Drink full-fat milk to get healthy’ may be the advertising claim we begin to hear. Whole milk’s three macronutrients—protein, fat and carbohydrates—are naturally well balanced with adequate amounts of all nine essential amino acids, B vitamins and saturated and unsaturated fats. The A and D vitamins help digest protein, assimilate calcium and absorb other fat-soluble vitamins.