Thu July 29,2010
Happy Thursday everyone!
I mentioned a few weeks ago that Chris and I would be staying with my parents outside of Philadelphia while we house hunted in Harrisburg. So far shacking up with the rents has been wonderful! Especially since I haven’t felt like cooking. My mom has taken care of dinner pretty much every night we’ve been here. Thanks Mom! I only wish my appetite has been normal enough to enjoy it every night. Boo.
Of course staying with parents opens the door for advice often. Especially when you’re pregnant :) The past few nights I have been eating a bowl of cereal before bed to ward off the 3am munchies and my Mom has kindly mentioned that I should be using 1%, or low-fat milk rather than fat-free milk. She is under the impression that the Low-Fat milk has more nutrients than Fat-Free milk.
True?
Or false?
So of course I had to research whether or not that was actually true! I’ve been drinking fat-free milk for years for two reasons:
- I like the taste
- It has less saturated fat than low-fat or whole milk.
But to be honest I’ve never really thought about what ingredients may be lost in order to make milk “fat-free”.
Today I learned something new though!
I learned that unlike a lot of foods, processing fat-free milk does not strip out the nutrients. In fact, the skim or fat-free varieties of milk are actually more nutritionally-dense than the whole or full-fat versions.
This is because when you remove the fat from milk, you increase the amount of protein available in the same amount of liquid.
Let’s take a look at the nutritional comparison between Stonyfield fat-free and low-fat milk.
The differences are highlighted in red.
You’ll see the the only difference is in the calories, fat, and cholesterol.
No difference when it comes to the nutrients!
Looks like I can continue drinking my fat-free milk without worrying about getting enough nutrients.
I will admit that “mother knows best” most of the time, just not all the time. Hopefully my Mom will continue to let us stay with her after she reads this post :)
Q for U-
What kind of milk to you normally drink? Do you drink it by the glass or just with cereal?
Hmm although I grew up drinking skim milk, I prefer the taste of 1% milk. I like having just a hint of creamy. Since I don’t eat beef/pork, I don’t really have to worry too much about saturated fat. But if you like the taste of skim…drink it for baby MC (that’s Meg + Chris haha).
i drink 1% because that’s what i grew up on. anything else just tastes funny to me. i used to be a cereal only milk drinker but lately i’ve been having a big glass with my dinners. yum.
i’d be interested, from a medical standpoint, if the extra fat in 1% would be a good thing for the baby. i’m pretty sure that once the baby is born it needs extra fat to develop but i have no idea if that’s true while it’s still in utero or not. and with that i think i’ll look into it because i’m curious! :)
yeah, but first thoughts is that the fat is need for some of the vitmins that are only fat soluable- ADEK- to be absorbed? I drink fat free milk too i just like it better :)
They used to say children, who shouldn’t drink milk until 1yr anyway, should have full fat milk, but recent rises in obesity among children have led to many pediatricians (including ours) to recommend all children have 1% or even skim. Our 15mo old daughter drinks skim because it’s what we keep in the house, and she’s still growing fine!
I drink Hemp milk or coconut milk. I actually never drink cows milk because it kills my stomach. Almond milk is great too!
I switched my family to skim milk as a teen. We drank way too much milk to be pumping extra fat and calories into our systems.
Lately I’ve been into (fortified) almond milk. Tastes awesome and doesn’t require me to digest the milk proteins of an animal that’s ten times my size.
I tend to stick with the skim milk, but mostly just use it in cereal, and occasionally in coffee (I usually take it black). First trimester and part of 2nd, I was guzzling glasses of milk like crazy, I couldn’t get enough!
Up until a year and a half ago, all I drank was my beloved Whole Milk *tear*, (I’ll be 25). I loved milk so much, everyday I would have it with cereal or alone. It wasn’t until I got educated on all its fat content that I switched to fat free or Almond Milk. It’s funny you bring this up b/c I was just thinking how long it’s been and how I need to make it my “treat” soon! ;)
Hi Meg! I have been reading your blog for awhile and really enjoy it! I have yet to comment but I wanted to let you know that I too just recently found out I am pregnant! I am almost 11 wks now but can completely understand what you are going through! I have been having the same food aversions, “morning sickness” or simply nausea that lasts all day and extreme fatigue! Hopefully I feel like myself again soon! But most of all just wanted to Congratulate you and I look forward to reading your blog and all about your pregnancy!!
I drink skim milk, not only by the glass but with cereal!
I had never heard that there was a nutrient difference between low-fat and non-fat milk–thanks for setting the record straight though! I grew up on nothing but skim, but now I’ve been drinking soymilk so long that I actually prefer it to skim!
I used to drink FF, but now I’m a 1% milk drinker. I like in cereal, or by the glass =]
Im not a big milk drinker, but I usually drink skim. Or some milk alternative, just to switch it up. But mostly just in cereal.
Growing up we always had 2% (and mom still has it in her fridge). Since I’ve been on my own (10 years) I’ve been drinking fat-free milk. It took awhile to get use to, but I like it best now. Recently I’ve started drinking light soy milk too and really like that. I probably drink 2 glasses of some type of milk a day.
I have 1% milk- there is no real reason behind it. But I don’t drink it by the glass, only with cereal and in recipes.
Everone has their own opinions on this topic, but I’ve heard several docs say that pregnant women should consider eating higher fat dairy across the board simply for the fat during pregnancy….so drink 2% milk, regular cheese,2% yogurt etc etc. If you’re not gaining to much weight then the saturated fat shouldn’t even be a concern. Like someone mentioned above, once born and old enough, young children need extra fat not only to GROW, but they need it for nervous system development so it’s a good idea when kids are young to get enough fat (whether it be from milk or elsewhere)…in response to someone above, I doubt regular milk is what’s causing childhood obesity for most people….the calories are not that much different betwen skim and 1% or 2% so it’s pretty much negligible.I know you eat other fat so I doubt it will make a difference if you drink skim milk, but it might be worth it just while you’re pregnant to “uprgade”. I drink 2% milk and eat 2 yogurt and don’t have a weight or cholesterol problem:)
You are totally right about the nutrients, but it’s the fat that’s important during pregnancy, so your mom was right! You don’t necessarily need full-fat dairy (although some would say you do) but switching to 1 or 2% is a good idea.
I don’t really drink milk by the glass anymore, but if I do I always go for skim. Honestly though I really just enjoy a big bowl of cereal with unsweetened almond milk…perfection!
I was drinking Skim Milk, until I developed a lactose intolerance so now I drink Unsweetened Almond Milk or Rice Milk, and I am constantly amazed how good they taste ~ like 40 calories a cup too! ;-)
I was a skim milk girl all the way! Even when I was a baby, it was all I would drink. I am now lactose intolerant along with my diagnosis of Celiac Disease, so I stick with minimal milk intake. However, I go for the almond milk first, soy milk second. Took me a while to get used to the extra fat :-)
~Alyssa