Milk is one of the most popular drink in the world for a long time. History records that human were already consuming this liquid from mammary glands since as early as 9000 BC in Mesopotamia. In present day, milk has so many forms and kinds to answer human more complex demand. In today Whole milk vs low fat article, we are going to compare these two types of milk to give you more information regarding the benefit of each milk. If you are interested, go check our article below.
In this article, we are going to give you information about:
– What is Milk
– What is Whole Milk and Low Fat
– What is the Benefit of Milk
– Whole Milk vs Low Fat
About Milk
Milk is commonly used to refer cow’s milk which is the most common type of milk to be consumed by human. However, milk may come from other mammals like goats, yaks, water buffalo, sheep, camels, reindeer, and horses. Human also produced milk when they conceive a baby and this liquid is said to be far better than any formulas in the market for the human baby growth and development. In present day, India is the world’s largest producer of milk as well as the consumer.
Taken from Wikipedia, there are roughly more than 6 billion people consuming milk and milk products in the world. The high demand of milk and the more concern people about their health especially fat are also brought the diversification of milk products today. From the fat content, milk can be separated into several types; whole milk, 2% milk, low fat milk, and fat free milk or skim milk. Almost all of them usually refer to cow’s milk that already passed a process to reduce the fat content. Read also: Skim milk vs Soy milk here.
Milk Variants
Thanks to the popularity, you can find milk almost everywhere from big cities to smaller villages in most places around the planet. You can get milk that already packed or freshly from the farmers. Milk is mostly available in liquid form in carton or jug container depend on where you live. In some countries milk also sold in bag container, which is seems unusual for most people. They also comes in plain regular milk or with flavoring like strawberry, chocolate, coffee, and many more.
Beside in the liquid form, milk also sold in powder form, which is made by evaporating milk to dryness. The main purpose of this method is for preservation, so it can last longer than liquid milk and also won’t need refrigerated thanks to its low moisture content. Another purpose is to compress the bulk for economy of transportation. Powdered milk also available in various fat content as well as flavor especially for those that were meant for children, so they won’t get bored of regular milk taste.
Whole Milk and Low Fat
Just like the name suggest, Whole milk is just the milk in the state of the way it comes from the cow before further processing, which actually has nothing to do with fat content. The fat content in whole milk is around 3.5% by weight and doesn’t mean it is made wholly of fat or largely of fat and even substantially of fat like some people may think. The reason behind this naming is to set it apart from the rest with more adulterating process.
At the other side, low fat milk is already passed a skimming process to remove the fat. Not to be confused with skim milk, low fat milk still contain fat but in smaller quantity than whole milk. Skim milk is those milk that already fat free and follow longer skimming process. If compared to whole milk, low fat milk only contains 1% of fat and 100 calories in an 8 ounce serving. The amount is significantly lower and can be a good choice for those who are concern about the fat.
When faced with the decision to choose, the whole milk and nonfat/low fat discussion are always interesting to follow. Dairy fat is not inherently good or bad for human. It can serve an important function in a balanced diet because food with fat will take longer time to break down inside the stomach, so those foods with natural fats usually will make you feel full longer. However, of course it doesn’t mean indulging yourself in dairy treats is healthy.
If your intention of choosing between whole milk and low fat milk is the concern about health or to keep your waistline so it don’t go beyond where it should be. The answer will be the same, it doesn’t matter which milk you choose instead what kind of diet you are consuming. Avoiding fat altogether won’t make you lose weight if you still consume too much calories. What’s important is the healthy eating patterns, whole foods, and portion sizes.
Milk Benefit
No matter how many fat in your chosen milk, they should offer similar benefit. When talking about milk, the most well-known benefit is probably how good it is to strengthen your bones. This liquid contain a mineral called calcium as well as vitamin D, which are essential for bone health to prevent osteoporosis. This liquid also contain potassium to enhance vasodilation and reduce blood pressure that can decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The vitamin D in milk also shows a good effect on cell growth regulation and cancer protection while also support the production of serotonin, a hormone that is associated with mood, sleep, and appetite. A deficiency in vitamin D may leads to chronic fatigue, depression, and PMS.
Comparison
Now, let’s compare Whole milk with low fat milk. Whole milk is the milk that don’t follow additional process to remove the fat content or cream and has around 3.5% fat to weight while low fat milk is the milk that already passed a skimming process to reduce the fat. Low fat milk only has 1% of fat and 100 calories in 8 ounce compare to whole milk that has 150 calories.
Whole Milk vs Low Fat
| Whole Milk | Low Fat Milk |
|---|---|
| - Doesn’t follow additional process | - Follow skimming process |
| - Contains 3.5% fat | - Contain 1% fat |
| - Has higher calories than low fat milk | - Has lower calories |
| - Commonly more affordable | - A bit more expensive than whole milk |
Conclusion
All in all, the decision is all yours to make. In our opinion, no matter which you choose the benefit should be the same, so you should follow which is more convenient for you or at least which will make you more rest assured. However, the price for low fat milk is usually higher than whole milk because of the additional process.