The Big Dairy Debate

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24

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  • eshults89
    eshults89 Posts: 45 Member
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    I used to only eat fat free but then I started eating clean. They actually recommend fuller fat because it's less processed!
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    I drink effervescent kefir. Any amount of fat level is ok with me. I don't generally like nonfat yogurt (unless I blend it up). Lots of different yogurts taste good. Full fat is very tasty. I even like goat's milk yogurt and sheep's milk yogurt. Yogurt is good.
  • Zipp237
    Zipp237 Posts: 255 Member
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    eshults89 wrote: »
    I used to only eat fat free but then I started eating clean. They actually recommend fuller fat because it's less processed!

    They are wrong. It's all processed unless you're milking the cow.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    sunnybeaches105 wrote: »
    sunparakeet wrote: »
    I only eat full-fat dairy. It fills me up better and doesn't taste gross like low-fat dairy does.

    If you are curious about the effect of dairy on the body, look up some studies about dairy and antioxidant absorption. There are some pretty interesting studies that show your body does not absorb any of the antioxidants or phytonutrients in fruits (especially berries) when eaten with dairy. And that the healthy effects of tea are negated when the tea is drank with milk. Pretty shocking stuff actually, and there is ongoing study if dairy actually has this effect on nutrients in other foods as well.

    The take-home message of these studies wasn't "never eat dairy" but rather, don't eat dairy when you are eating high-nutrient foods. They even go so far as to say that putting cheese on your salad makes your salad nutritionally worthless.

    Just google "milk and antioxidants". Here's a link: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/17/really-adding-milk-to-tea-destroys-its-antioxidants/?_r=0

    I love a quality misrepresentation of an article. It doesn't appear to be so much dairy, but proteins contained in dairy and other foods. And it was a study on tea. Interesting, but I'd say it leaves some questions open.

    "A study published this year looked at whether the effect was limited to dairy products. It was not: Proteins in soy milk had the same effect as regular milk on antioxidants in tea."

    Nothing better than a study, being not properly represented by a blog article, being not properly represented by someone on a forum.
  • tlc010283
    tlc010283 Posts: 11 Member
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    Dairy will keep you from your goals. Way too much sugar
  • minniemoo1972
    minniemoo1972 Posts: 295 Member
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    tlc010283 wrote: »
    Dairy will keep you from your goals. Way too much sugar

    Peer reviewed studies required.

    BTW it doesn't iifym.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    edited July 2016
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    Also yogurt might have less sugar anyway. The process of becoming yogurt is from probiotic bacterias eating the lactose sugar. I eat kefir (drinkable yogurt) and yogurt. I don't eat much sugar. It doesn't add that much sugar. Has nutritional benefits as well (as any food does). Edit: the studies about milk protein (casein) interfering with absorption of antioxidants shows it reduces absorption. Not that it eliminates all absorption and makes the food nutritionally worthless. Still interesting, but not fully understood yet (as mentioned in another comment about soy milk)
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited July 2016
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    I like 1% milk in coffee to stop me hurting people

    0% Greek yogurt for the protein hit

    And full fat cream in my ice cream...salted caramel, or pure vanilla to make me, and my children content
  • forlaura
    forlaura Posts: 27 Member
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    @tlc010283 @minniemoo1972
    I would love to hear your thoughts on that. I am questioning dairy's affect on blood sugar (It is a goal of mine to keep sugar levels balanced and low)
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    forlaura wrote: »
    @tlc010283 @minniemoo1972
    I would love to hear your thoughts on that. I am questioning dairy's affect on blood sugar (It is a goal of mine to keep sugar levels balanced and low)

    What medical condition do you have that makes you worry about your blood sugar...is it some kind of issue with your insulin response?
  • minniemoo1972
    minniemoo1972 Posts: 295 Member
    edited July 2016
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    forlaura wrote: »
    @tlc010283 @minniemoo1972
    I would love to hear your thoughts on that. I am questioning dairy's affect on blood sugar (It is a goal of mine to keep sugar levels balanced and low)

    The sugar in yogurt is minimal.....full fat greek has less than 9g carbs per 100g which is minimal compared to fruit and some vegetables....now yogurt with fruit and ADDED sugar can and will spike blood sugar

    Edit ^^^^ what she said....is there a medical necessity to keep blood sugar low?
  • Nikion901
    Nikion901 Posts: 2,467 Member
    edited July 2016
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    I mix up the fat content in the dairy I consume depending on what the food is ... my preferred milk to drink is reduced fat - 2%, yogurt is usually full fat, and I like the plain regular yogurt vs. the Greek style for taste and texture. Cheese .. it depends on what kind. Hard cheeses are usually full fat but soft cheese like cottage, ricotta, or cream cheese are reduced fat. Kefir is usually made at home from the milk I have on hand but if I buy it, then it's the full fat variety.

    None of the dairy I consume is no-fat. I found that, for myself, fat-free dairy has too much sugar in it and needs the higher fat content to keep blood sugar levels steady. However, while I consume some dairy on a daily basis, it's, all-together, not more than 2 servings per day from the different sources I like to have on hand.

    Rarely do I eat ice cream but when I do it is regular full fat or frozen yogurt. I also like to have some Goat's milk cheese on hand and don't really pay much attention to the fat content because it's there are less varieties to select from in my grocery.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    I have to keep my sugar low for a medical reason (not diabetes). I eat kefir and yogurt fine. I also eat carrots, blueberries, an orange. A little dark chocolate. And sometimes kefir with strawberries and a little sugar. The natural sugar content of kefir/yogurt isn't very high. But, I don't have diabetes, so people with diabetes often need very low sugar (I think).
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    BinaryPulsar wrote: »
    I have to keep my sugar low for a medical reason (not diabetes). I eat kefir and yogurt fine. I also eat carrots, blueberries, an orange. A little dark chocolate. And sometimes kefir with strawberries and a little sugar. The natural sugar content of kefir/yogurt isn't very high. But, I don't have diabetes, so people with diabetes often need very low sugar (I think).

    People with diabetes need to track carb consumption in any one meal/food and not specifically sugar.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    edited July 2016
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    Sued0nim wrote: »
    BinaryPulsar wrote: »
    I have to keep my sugar low for a medical reason (not diabetes). I eat kefir and yogurt fine. I also eat carrots, blueberries, an orange. A little dark chocolate. And sometimes kefir with strawberries and a little sugar. The natural sugar content of kefir/yogurt isn't very high. But, I don't have diabetes, so people with diabetes often need very low sugar (I think).

    People with diabetes need to track carb consumption in any one meal/food and not specifically sugar.

    Yeah. My issue is carbs also. I have carb malabsorption. But there are certain types of carbs and sugars that I malabsorb.
  • forlaura
    forlaura Posts: 27 Member
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    @Sued0nim Hello, yes, I am higher than what I would like to be in my fasting Glucose numbers, post meal numbers fine. I am not Diabetic but is in family history, hence my concerns. I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and it wreaks havoc when it is misbehaving... I see a pattern of elevated fasting glucose when it swings to hyperthyroid mode. I do follow a weight loss plan now and and getting towards my goal, following a dietitians plan, though I noticed my level was higher today and after two days of eating both low fat milk and yogurt... Cheeses or cream don't seem to bother me. Thank you for your response... :)
  • forlaura
    forlaura Posts: 27 Member
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    @Nikion901 Hello, thank you for your response... I drink plant based milks mostly and also do not eat too much dairy... Is Keifer a plain, unsweetened drink? I am not familiar with it. I love goat cheese and from all I read about it, it seems to have great nutritional value as well. I know the more vegetables I eat the better, so I am trying to focus on increasing consumption of those, keep the good fats included with the protein and other carbs, no refined sugars or carbs, though... I know it is subjective, but I would imagine there are universal variables to how certain foods affect our sugar levels. From the studies I have read on dairy, I still am not convinced either way. ;):)
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    I'm prediabetic in my fasting BG. I follow a LCHF diet to deal with it. Very low carb - I follow a ketogenic diet. I try to keep my carbs around 20g per day and eat high fat so regular doesn't fit my macros. I only use whipping cream (35% fat) or heavy cream (56%). If I need it thinner I add a bit of water (no milk sugars and similar fat content to homo milk).

    For dairy products, I use sour cream (14%), hard cheeses and cream cheese, and yogurt (10+% and unsweetened).

    A few years ago I tried skipping dairy for a year when my autoimmune diseases were a problem. Some find milk to be inflammatory so skipping or limiting dairy may be something you want to try. Instead of dairy I used coconut cream. A nice substitute.
  • forlaura
    forlaura Posts: 27 Member
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    @minniemoo1972 Thanks for your reply... I am not Diabetic but my fasting levels are higher than what I would like them to be, as it does run in my family. I am working with a dietician for weight loss and managing to keep my carbs between 15 an 30 per meal, and I don't use added sugar in anything. How this started was conflicting advice with full and nonfat - low fat yogurt and dairy and my being concerned that the lower the fat the higher the carbs and sugar. Cheeses and cream in moderation seem fine with me, and I prefer plant based milk, anyway. I am figuring out what works for me and what doesn't, as we all are...;):)

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