Full-Fat Dairy? Yes, You Can!

If you’re of a certain age, you remember the fat-free craze of the 1980s, when we all ate fat-free cheese on fat-free bread with fat-free turkey and wondered why it tasted terrible. (And we still gained weight.)

Now comes a move from the USDA and Congress to restore full-fat dairy to school lunches, which have long called for skim or low-fat milk. That might seem like a radical change, but it comes from a realization that earlier guidelines on fat were flawed.

How We Got Here

It starts with a respected scientist named Ancel Keys — inventor of military K rations and an early promoter of the Mediterranean diet —  who is less well-known for his “statistical associations” in the 1950s that tied fat to a post-World War II increase in heart disease.

The increase was real, and both doctors and patients desperately sought an explanation. Thus the idea of fat as a killer gained steam for decades, despite almost no scientific evidence in its favor. The food industry — and especially the sugar industry — pushed this idea hard, removing fat from everything possible, often replacing it with, you guessed it, sugars.

By the early 1990s, government guidelines listed fat at the top of the new “food pyramid.” (Which, by the way, has just been reimagined by the Department of Agriculture.) That initial pyramid suggested we should consume fat “sparingly,” despite the fact that fat is essential to us — humans literally can’t live without it.

An Easy Target

Milk was perfect for this experiment because it’s easy to remove the fat from milk. Chill whole milk, skim off the fat that comes to the top, and there you are, fat-free milk. The carbs and protein remain, from which you can make low-fat cheese and yogurt.

Except that by the 2000s, we knew the guidelines were wrong. Dairy fat is not strongly linked to heart disease — what is strongly linked to disease are artificial trans fats, found in highly processed foods.

All Fats Are Not Created Equal

Turns out, fat from beef is not the same as fat from chicken, or dairy, fish or oils — all of these fats have different profiles and benefits.

An example familiar to many: fish and omega-3 fatty acids. Since the 1970s, Americans have been exhorted to eat fish at least once a week, specifically fatty fish like salmon that contain high amounts of omega-3s. Consuming a variety of fats including omega-3s is necessary for us to get the full benefit of the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients we need for brain development, nervous system function, hormone balance, the integrity of our skin and hair, healing and brain function.

Fat also influences taste and texture, which in turn affects satiety — fats help keep us full, which prevents overeating. On a very low-fat diet, you’re going to be hungry again more quickly — which leads to overeating — because you’re not getting a good mix of carbs, protein and fat.

But What About the Calories?

Full-fat dairy certainly has more calories than skim or 1 percent. But just as not all fats are created equal, neither are calories. Again, it depends on the source. If you eat something that’s 300 calories of fiber, fat and nutrients, that’s a better choice than, say, a snack food that’s 300 calories with few nutrients. Even though you took in the same number of calories, you’re not satisfied, and you’re more likely to eat again more quickly.

Part of the feeling of satisfaction that comes with fullness is that fat helps slow digestion. The fat in dairy triggers a release of hormones that signal fullness to our brains that can help stabilize glucose levels.

School Lunches and the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act

Making its way through Congress now is the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which would change the way schools evaluate fat in the lunchroom. In order for schools to be compensated for meals they provide, they have to meet national standards in a variety of categories, including fat. Skim or low-fat milk became a popular way to stay within guidelines while still serving foods that benefit from the taste effects of fat. The new legislation would not count the fat in milk as part of the overall limit on fat in lunches. You can follow the progress of this bill here.

The Bottom Line

Fat-free dairy still gives you the calcium, carbs and protein of the full-fat version. But today we understand that dairy fat is not strongly linked to heart disease and can play an important role in helping keep us full, in absorbing necessary fat-soluble vitamins like A, B, E and K and in getting the essential fatty acids we need to be our healthiest selves.

This content is not AI generated.