Why Skip Skim and Enjoy Full Fat

Why Skip Skim and Enjoy Full Fat If you are confused about Skim milk, you are not alone! There is such a barrage of information and advertising about ‘low fat’ and Skim milk that it is extremely misleading, dating back to the 1950’s. Skim milk is seen everywhere as the milk of choice for health conscious people – but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Not only is skim milk the opposite of delicious, it’s actually not a healthy choice at all.

Here’s why you should ignore the skim milk advertising, get off the fat-free merry-go-round, and forget everything you think you know about skim milk:

Skim milk contains about twice the amount of sugar as full fat cream, depending on the manufacturer. When they remove the fat, they add sugar to make up for the lack of flavour, and as we are becoming increasingly aware, fat does not make you fat…sugar does! This means if you’re buying skim milk to manage your weight, this is a mistake. Skim milk is totally devoid of nutritional value. The fat soluble vitamins, Vitamins A, D, E and K are contained naturally in milk. These vitamins are all essential to a healthy body.

Though, these fat soluble vitamins need fat in order to be absorbed by the body, and with skim milk, that fat has been stripped away. Also, calcium absorption is enhanced by Vitamin D, but the Vitamin D needs fat to be present for the calcium. The skim milk breaks the entire chain of absorption and becomes nutritionally empty. It is similar to drinking sugary water. Saturated fat (which is removed in the processing of skim milk) has satiating, blood sugar stabilizing effects. Satiating is feeling satisfied after a meal, with no lingering cravings.

Fats slow the release of sugar into your bloodstream so there is a steady flow of energy, throughout the day. And always remember, fat helps dampen down sugar craving. Alternately, eating a low-fat diet that makes up for the fat by adding more sugar can lead to blood sugar issues like diabetes and hypoglycemia. Other reasons fat is essential in our diet is our brains are made up of more than 60% fat.  We need healthy fats to feed that brain. These good quality fats also help balance hormones and lubricate our joints. A great source of these healthy fats are from grass fed cattle (A2 and Jersey milk), goats and sheep. Contrary to popular belief, lowfat does NOT mean healthier! Often, skim milk powder is added by the dairy industry to various products.

Skim milk powder processing causes the cholesterol in the milk to be oxidized – and oxidized cholesterol can lead to the buildup of plaque in the arteries. Cholesterol that naturally occurs in food is not something to worry about, but oxidized cholesterol can cause inflammation in the body and contribute to heart disease. Skim milk is a highly processed, “altered” food, that can leave you feeling unsatisfied and experiencing cravings for something more. Our bodies thrive on whole foods, real foods, the way they are found in nature. Eating a diet full of high quality protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates from whole foods with all the wonderful micronutrients can prevent the ups and downs caused by the blood sugar spiking, resulting in cravings that come from eating fat-free foods that are missing essential ingredients.

If you are going to choose to eat or drink dairy products it’s important to choose full fat, dairy that comes from grass-fed animals or organic where possible, that haven’t been treated with hormones. And not to be tricked by skim milk/ low fat marketing. Skim milk is not a health food!

All of our posts reflect our philosophy at A Healthy View www.ahealthyview. A whole real food perspective on food and life.  Extremes do not work but clean, whole, tasty and easy food choices can create a lifetime of good habits that lead to a lean, happy, and healthy person.  Contact us on our website for our next Low Sugar Lifestyle program or a nutritional consult.   Article by Simone Kopkas Adapted from a Dr Frank Lipman/Jenny Sansouci article