Whole milk vs. 1% milk

taunto
taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
edited December 21 in Food and Nutrition
I am kinda interested to know if there are any disadvantages to drinking regular full-fat milk vs. 1% milk? So far I've stuck with 1% or on occasions with 2% milks but I'm now debating about going the regular milk route. From what I gather these are the nutrition differences I can see that can affect me in a glass of milk

Calories
regular: 150 calories
1%: 110 calories
Difference: 40 calories

fat
regular: 8g
1%: 3g
Difference: 5g

Sat. Fat
regular: 5g
1%: 2g
Difference: 3g

Potassium
regular: 370 mg
1%: 0
difference: 370 mg

I drink typically a glass of milk at night. I almost always have extra calories left along with my fat macros which are usually green.

Question is, can you think any reason to not drink whole milk? I know 1 glass of milk wouldn't make a huge difference but wanted people more educated about milk to comment on this matter.

Replies

  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
    if u got the macros and calories to spare... then whole milk is fine to consume.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    if u got the macros and calories to spare... then whole milk is fine to consume.

    Agreed... I personal drink 1% Chocolate Milk every night at bedtime for no other reason than I prefer it over whole milk... whole milk or vitamin D milk is to rich for my tastes. If you have the room in your macros then have at.... Best of Luck...
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
    Awesome. I wasn't completely sure about it since most people tend to avoid full-fat milk like plague and it was confusing me lol
  • barbarella
    barbarella Posts: 609 Member
    I quit drinking milk years ago because my gut and dairy products just don't get along! :noway: :grumble:

    Now the only time I drink milk is in coffee, so I go for the full-on fatty half & half. :drinker:
    In such small amounts, I want the full-on flavor!

    My Dad has fat-free milk on his cereal every morning, yuck!
    And guess what..... "fat free" means "high sugar"...... go figure!

    So I say go for whatever you have room for in your numbers & tastes best to you! :flowerforyou: :drinker:
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    I drank tasteless skim milk for years b/c I thought the fat in milk was bad for you. Fortunately research has finally shown that the fat in milk isn't that bad. It also includes CLA which is supposed to be healthy. So if you have the calories to spare, then enjoy the whole milk.
  • hlince3
    hlince3 Posts: 4
    I myself went off of milk completely opting for Almond Milk for it's benefits over dairy. The only places I have dairy now is where it's already cooked into something such as cheese.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,330 Member
    I am so used to skim milk now that whole milk tastes like I am drinking grease....ugh.

    I do drink Hood's Chocolate milk. A cup is a nice treat that doesnt break the calorie bank....and it tastes delicious.
  • karen_thinmint
    karen_thinmint Posts: 500 Member
    Whole milk = 4%

    If you prefer it, and have room in your macros for the slight increase in cals and fat, I say do what works for you.
  • dhakiyya
    dhakiyya Posts: 481 Member
    Fat soluble vitamins, and other good things that you get from natural fats. If you're drinking milk because you need more vitamin D, then you need to be drinking full fat milk. Fat has been very demonised in the past, but healthy fats are essential nutrients, and vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble, and if you cut fat out of your diet you'll become deficient in them and also in essential fatty acids. I don't know whether whole milk is a good source of EFAs or not. Egg yolk is similarly demonised, yes it's high in fat, but it's high in healthy fats and fat soluble vitamins.

    IMO, if you can fit it into your calorie/macro allowances without too much trouble, then whole milk is better, because of the fat soluble vitamins. On the other hand, it is quite a lot more calorie dense and if you don't need the fat soluble vitamins from milk, and you're on a calorie budget, low fat milk and dairy are a great way of not spending so many calories, for the same volume of food. You can get vitamin D from the sun, you don't need it in milk. The only people who *need* to drink full fat milk (or any kind of milk for that matter) are kids 5 yrs and under.

    So really it's a matter of what's important to you in your situation. If you need more fat soluble vitamins, drink whole milk. If you find it hard to stay within your calorie budget, drink skimmed, but you'll need to get healthy fat and fat soluble vitamins in your diet some other way.
  • niss63
    niss63 Posts: 82 Member
    Whole milk = 4%

    If you prefer it, and have room in your macros for the slight increase in cals and fat, I say do what works for you.

    Actually, 3.25% fat by weight, so 2% has a little more than half of the calories from fat that whole milk does. Not a big deal if you have the room in calories and macros. The difference is more noticeable in 1% and skim milk. We have to use skim because too many in our house like to drink milk - we can go through a gallon a day, if unchecked.
  • niss63
    niss63 Posts: 82 Member
    ...If you're drinking milk because you need more vitamin D, then you need to be drinking full fat milk...

    Why is this?
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    ...If you're drinking milk because you need more vitamin D, then you need to be drinking full fat milk...

    Why is this?
    Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin.
  • SoBeFitNow
    SoBeFitNow Posts: 16
    Drink skim or almond milk. Both are much better for you than whole or 1%.
  • Whole organic milk is the best option. The Macros are solid and its high in nutrients. When fat is removed from milk, the sugar content per fl/oz increases. Dietary fat = Good. Extra sugar = Bad. The only time reduced fat milk is beneficial is with your post workout shake. The increased sugar content creates a larger insulin response which helps transport glucose to your muscle cells for recovery.
  • weightliftingdiva
    weightliftingdiva Posts: 522 Member
    Drink skim or almond milk. Both are much better for you than whole or 1%.

    Define "much better for you".
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,264 Member
    Drink skim or almond milk. Both are much better for you than whole or 1%.
    Pretty much all skim milk has milk powder for viscosity, otherwise it's pretty much blue water. Powdered milk has oxidized cholesterol and not something people want to be consuming, and real almond milk is void of pretty much everything so it needs to be fortified that's if you classify it as milk.....I don't, I call it a white beverage drink, just to maintain integrity.
This discussion has been closed.