Full Fat vs Skim - What Should You Choose?

The way our parents and grandparents ate was simple. Take milk for example. It was available in… well, milk. Nowadays at the supermarket there are eight fridges and half a supermarket aisle dedicated to milk from a myriad of origins, fat strengths, mineral fortifications and allergy specifications. There is no doubt that variety is a benefit, but it’s also left many of us so completely confused as to what is the right milk for us.

Back in the 1950s and 60s, research showed saturated fat increased cholesterol. As full fat milk is a rich source of saturated fat, it was considered harmful. What followed was a mass dietary shift to low fat and a subsequent change to food manufacturing to follow suit.

Since then, further research has been conducted and the bottom line is that it’s just not that simple. Using skim milk dramatically reduces fat intake and therefore calories. But the science doesn’t necessarily agree that this then translates into weight loss. This may be due to fats ability to satisfy our appetite as it’s digested slowly. The fat in milk is also essential for absorbing some of the fat-soluble nutrients in milk, such as vitamin A and D.

Other dairy foods like yoghurt when made low fat are often then filled with sugar, an ingredient that is known to be more likely to induce weight gain than their full fat counterpart. Milk despite popular belief, does not have sugars added, in fact it contains slightly less sugar, known as ‘lactose’ than full fat milk.

No matter what milk you choose, both full fat and skim are rich in a variety of nutrients such as protein, complex carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, zinc, riboflavin, vitamin b12, A and D.   

Where to use full fat and skim milk:

Full fat milk

·      Children under 2 years old (starting at 12 months)

·      Adults with no weight concerns

·      For people who don’t have a lot of milk or dairy in their diet

·      People with difficulties digesting lactose – full fat milk contains slightly less lactose than skim milk and is often better tolerated

·      The elderly, super active teenagers or those with difficulty retaining weight and consuming enough calories

Skim milk

·      Weight loss - higher in protein and lower in calories, this may still be a better option for those trying to lose weight

·      Post-weight training – as a recovery drink as it’s a great source of high quality protein with a little complex carbohydrate

·      For those who consume a lot of dairy in their daily diet – for example, 2-3 milky coffees, milk on cereal, a yoghurt and cheese

·      High cholesterol or at risk of heart disease

·      Osteoporosis, osteopenia or a family history or either – skim milk is higher in calcium due to the removal of the fat component.