With the rise of dairy free milk, comes the involved market for regular milk that’s been around for ages. Within the dairy world, there is quite a variety of milk to decide between, and many Americans have become accustomed to choosing reduced fat milk. Not to say there is a wrong or right choice, but I have found that so many people are missing out on types of milk deemed less healthy without understanding the real differences. Let’s start by clarifying some of the real differences between each type of milk. Whole milk is a good baseline to start with, with 3.5% milk fat by weight. A glass of full-fat milk tends to have eight grams of fat. Low-fat milk, in comparison, has two grams of fat. 2% milk has a fat content that is 2% of the total milk weight overall. Skimmed milk however, (aka fat free milk) has as low as 0.3% to 0.1% fat, and lactose free milk has its sugar lactose broken down, making it easier to digest for lactose intolerant people. As you can tell, the fat content only ranges by a few percent between each type of milk.Â
One reason people pay so close attention to the fat percentage in their milk is because milk contains something called saturated fat– a substance known to be involved in heart disease, however not all saturated fats are equal. The saturated fats in milk are not harmful to the body like the ones in substances like palm oil. When it comes to animal proteins, meat and dairy both have monounsaturated and saturated fats in them. Making the broad assumption that saturated fat is unhealthy is easy to do, but it’s not necessarily accurate when it comes to dairy products. In reality it gets far more complicated, especially with new and more nuanced research coming out.Â
Onto the process of preparing the milk. To make reduced fat milk in modern day society, most milk companies want to do it the fastest way possible. After the milk is pasteurized, instead of letting the fat settle naturally with gravity, a centrifugal separator is used. This extra processing of the milk removes globs of fat, and makes it so that it no longer naturally separates. During this skimming process, many of the vitamins in the milk are lost, while other milk solids are added to give the milk more structure. Now if this doesn’t already seem like a lot of extra processing just to avoid the stigmatized healthy fats (in moderation) in milk, the process continues. This milk is then pasteurized again, then quickly cooled, sometimes fortified with vitamins and added sugars or fillers. Not to mention without the healthy fats in milk, you are also missing out on the delicious cream tops found in yogurts that are high in protein!Â
Instead of looking at the fat content of your milk, I find it more reasonable to look at the farm you are buying your milk from instead– for example if the cows are grass fed, or if they’re organically cared for. When you buy nonfat milk cultivated in environments where the cows are living unhealthy lifestyles, the quality is carried over into the milk itself, even if the fat is modified. Cows on organic farms are not only fed better food, but they are also cared for in better conditions by farmers. It’s deranged to me that some cows are not even grass fed, but rather nutrient dense food (often high in starch and low in fiber) that gives them digestion issues and ultimately acidosis. Acidosis is a condition that often results in diarrhea and infections, decreasing the amount of milk a cow can produce. Ironic how the worse the conditions are, the more inferior the milk becomes. Could such be a result of cause and effect? Along with nutritionally defunct eating practices, these cows are over milked and forced to breed, continuing a gruesome and inhumane cycle. When the cows you get your milk from are eating pesticides, so are you. Cows in overcrowded feedlots are commonly bred to produce vast amounts of milk and often require antibiotics to maintain such qualities, further contaminating milk. Personally I say no thank you in supporting these types of practices, not only because I care about the milk that I drink, but also because I care about the cow it comes from.Â
The good news is that not all dairy farms are this way! When you start to look at more ethically sourced milk, but still have concerns about personal digestion issues, there is an ethical nutrient rich alternative that may be easier to digest. The answer here is raw milk. Not only does raw milk not go through any extra processing, it contains “many strains of naturally occurring beneficial bacteria, all 22 essential amino acids, OMEGA-3 fatty acids, and metabolically available vitamins”. Many of these natural enzymes and healthy bacteria are killed during pasteurization, making all pasteurized milk harder to digest. These beneficial bacterias maintained in raw milk, can even aid in getting rid of harmful bacteria. Additionally, raw milk improves your immune system and strengthens the gut microbiome, thanks to the bacteria cultures that were not killed off.
All of this is to say that judging your milk solely off of its fat content may not be as full proof as you think. Many diets even emphasize drinking full-fat milk over low-fat milk because it’s less processed and the fat is a prime source of energy, letting you feel fuller for longer. While the process of pasteurization does help us transport milk across the country without it spoiling, the perks of drinking local, raw milk are so much more beneficial . Pasteurization occurs by heating the milk to very high temperatures (at least 161 degrees fahrenheit). This is done to kill any dangerous bacteria, but in the process eliminates the beneficial enzymes and friendly bacteria in the milk. These enzymes aid in digestion of milk itself, which without them, is a reason why some people have a hard time processing pasteurized milk but not as much with raw milk.Â
Raw milk is very restricted in terms of store availability. There are many federal laws preventing it being sold in stores, but if you have the time to find a trustworthy farm that sells it, it’s worth the hassle. The nutrition in raw milk is unbeatable by the milk you will find in any grocery store. When you support a local farm that raises their cows with care, not only do you get to drink the benefits, but you are also contributing to defunding inhumane animal products.
There is not one type of milk that is perfect for everyone and choosing the one that is ideal for you may come with many individual factors. One thing to keep in mind is the source the milk is coming from and knowing that the choices you make as a consumer have an impact larger than you will ever know!