Should I drink Low Fat or Full Cream Milk?

It is important that we all get calcium in our diet, but just how much? I’ve read that low fat milk or skim milk is more beneficial for you, so I did some research and found that, low fat milk has more vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber than full cream milk. However, the downside is that  low fat milk contains less zinc, vitamin E and calcium than full cream milk.

The major reason for me converting from full cream milk to low fat, reduced fat or skim milk is due to consuming significantly less calories per glass but still maintaining sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals, meeting by calcium needs and it is also high in protein.

Low fat milk should be added to any healthy diet as approximately one cup of low fat or skim milk has about 350mg calcium, 8.5g protein and 12.5g carbohydrates, all of which are important in maintaining a healthy diet. Depending on the brand you buy, most low fat milk has 0g of fat. Low fat or skim milk is also a great source of potassium.

I’ve always been of the opinion that low fat milk is watered down compared to full cream milk and lacks the nutrients of regular milk. However, research suggests that manufacturers do no add water to milk, they just remove the saturated fat ensuring the milk has all the nutrients that full cream milk contains. In the process of removing the fat, they add vitamin A and vitamin D which is beneficial for us aswell.

If you are looking to get the nutrients, minerals and vitamins from milk with the unwanted calories and saturated fat as part of your low calorie diet, low fat milk is your solution.

Estelle