Case Closed on Whole Milk vs. Skim Milk

It's a hung jury.

Every Saturday morning from April through November, I visit my neighborhood farmer’s market primarily to pick up my week’s supply of Strawberry Yo-Light from Blue Ridge Dairy. The ingredients in this delightful creation are pasteurized low-fat milk, organic strawberries, nonfat dry milk, organic sugar, fruit pectin, citric acid, and live and active cultures. Sometimes the guy at the farmer’s market sells out before I get there and I have to go with the Honey Yo-Light. (Then I shake my fist towards the heavens and I ask myself, “Why does he only bring five containers of the good stuff? Why?!?!?!” If you’re reading this Mr. Blue Ridge Dairy, let’s get going on the strawberry this week, ‘kay?) Either with the strawberry yogurt or the somewhat inferior honey, I feel like my weekday breakfast of oatmeal, light yogurt, fruit, and a vat of coffee is super healthy. Well, maybe not so much the vat of coffee.

This week, I picked up some fresh mozzarella to make a caprese salad to accompany our pre-triathlon carb-loading pasta. The mozzarella was made with whole milk and it was delicious. I can’t imagine that a fat-free mozzarella would have complemented the farmer’s market fresh, local basil and tomatoes quite so well. So, it was light on the yogurt and the real thing on the cheese, and I felt pretty darn good about it, based on both my taste buds and the science.

That’s right, the case of whole vs. skim ended with a hung jury. Readers were split 50/50 on the case and scientists leaned towards low-fat dairy by a thin margin. Many studies gave skim milk an advantage in promoting a healthy weight with the caveat that people who take care of themselves gravitate towards lighter choices in all areas, including dairy. Some studies also found that skim or whole didn’t matter, especially in moderate amounts. There were too many other possible explanations for the results in the pro-whole milk studies.

So, in sorting through the e-confusion, we’re going with a mixed-method approach:

• Light yogurt wins. It’s just as creamy and good and is way lower in calories. Let’s face it—most of us don’t need extra calories. (Check the back of Fage Whole Milk Greek yogurt if you want a good shock to the system.)
• Non-fat cheese doesn’t melt (other than “cheese food”—yuck!) and is pretty unappetizing and ultra-processed. I would go with a 2% or part skim for extra-cheesy dishes like enchiladas, or a full-fat cheese as a treat, but in small quantities.
• I’m having the hardest time with straight-up milk, mostly because I don’t like the way milk tastes and I can’t imagine sitting down with a glass of it. I also don’t like the concept of drinking calories (unless said beverage begins with a “w” and ends with an “ine”). My recommendation here is to drink what tastes better in moderation if you love milk. If you don’t love the taste of milk, eat yogurt, or get your calcium from food sources like broccoli (my favorite food), leafy greens, or canned salmon (Sound gross? Try these salmon cakes with fiery salsa. You’ll be a believer!)

Just like anything in life, moderation is truly the way to go. After all, we don’t eat fat or calories; we eat food. And, Mr. Blue Ridge Dairy, please remember my strawberry yo-lite this weekend. Thank you very much.

Note: Some of you noticed that I didn’t touch organic vs. conventional milk, raw milk, or dairy alternatives (soy, almond, etc.) in this post. That’s a blog for another day.