I’ll keep this one short and sweet. Okay, maybe not sweet, since it’s a bit of a rant—but so be it!
When I’m at home and in my normal routine, it’s easy to make the mistake of assuming that we’ve made a lot more progress in terms of shifting the public perception of what constitutes a healthy diet than we really have.
After all, nearly everyone I communicate with on a daily basis (friends, family, colleagues, readers, etc.) understands that red meat isn’t evil, eating cholesterol won’t clog your arteries and give you a heart attack, and whole grains aren’t nutritional powerhouses.
So it’s always a bit of a shock when I go out on the road and find that the world at large still does not share these views. For example, lately I’ve been traveling quite a bit. In the mornings I’ll often head to Peet’s or (only if there’s no alternative) Starbucks and order a coffee. Inevitably several people in front of me will order either a non-fat latté or some other coffee drink with either skim milk or soy milk added to it. In fact, in the last several months I can’t remember a single person that asked for whole milk.
Find out why cream, butter, and whole-milk products are better for you than non-fat dairy. #dairy #lowfat #goodfats
I can’t help cringing when I hear people ask for skim/non-fat milk. Why? Because although we’ve been brainwashed for decades to believe that dairy fat is harmful, recent research overwhelmingly suggests the opposite. Consider the following:
- A meta-analysis of 16 studies (which our friend and colleague Dr. Stephan Guyenet was a co-author on) found that full-fat dairy was either inversely associated with obesity and metabolic disease, or not associated with them at all. In other words, people who ate the most high-fat dairy foods had the lowest risk for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. (1)
- Higher circulating levels of trans-palmitoleic acid (a fatty acid found in dairy fat) are associated with healthier levels of blood cholesterol, inflammatory markers, insulin levels, and insulin sensitivity, after adjustment for other risk factors. In one study, people with the highest levels of trans-palmitoleic acid in their blood had a 60% lower risk of developing diabetes than those with the lowest levels. (2)
- Another study showed that people who ate the most full-fat dairy had a 69% lower risk of cardiovascular death than those who ate the least. (3)
- A study at the Harvard School of Public Health found that women who ate two or more servings of low-fat dairy foods per day, particularly skim milk and yogurt, increased their risk of infertility by more than 85 percent compared with women who ate less than one serving of low-fat dairy food per week. (4)
It bears mentioning that all of these studies were observational in nature, so they don’t prove that full-fat dairy is responsible for all of the effects mentioned. But they certainly make it difficult to argue that full-fat dairy is harmful and contributes to obesity, diabetes and heart disease, and if anything, they suggest the opposite is true.
Like what you’re reading? Get my free newsletter, recipes, eBooks, product recommendations, and more!
How Full-Fat (But Not Non-Fat) Dairy May Prevent Disease
How could that be?
Well, it turns out that some compounds in high-fat dairy products—such as butyrate, phytanic acid, trans palmitoleic acid, and conjugated linoleic acid—have been shown to have beneficial effects.
Butyrate provides energy to the cells lining the colon, inhibits inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, and may prevent colonic bacteria from entering the bloodstream. In fact, butyrate’s anti-inflammatory effect is so strong that a dose of four grams per day for eight weeks induced complete remission in a group of Crohn’s disease patients. (5)
Phytanic acid, one of the fatty acids in dairy fat, has been shown to reduce triglycerides, improve insulin sensitivity, and improve blood-sugar regulation in animal models. In a study of 2,600 U.S. adults, another fatty acid in dairy fat, trans palmitoleic acid, was found to be associated with lower triglycerides, lower fasting insulin, lower blood pressure, and a lower risk of diabetes. (6)
Conjugated linolenic acid (CLA), a natural trans fat found in dairy products, may reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. (7)
Finally, dairy fat is also a good source of fat-soluble vitamins like retinol (active vitamin A) and vitamin K2, which are difficult to obtain elsewhere in the diet.
Should We Be Consuming Dairy Products at All?
Of course some of you might argue that all of this is a moot point, because we shouldn’t be consuming dairy products at all. I’ve addressed that question at length in my book, and in blog articles like this one.
There’s no question that dairy doesn’t work for everyone. Some people are allergic to or intolerant of the proteins in dairy, or are highly sensitive for lactose.
In those cases dairy must be strictly avoided or additional steps must be taken (such as fermenting milk to make kefir or yogurt, which are lower in lactose) to make it tolerable.
But for people who tolerate dairy, my point is that there’s really no reason to choose low-fat or non-fat varieties—and in fact, by doing so you may be reducing or eliminating the benefits you would get from consuming dairy products in the first place!
Not only that, I think most people will agree that full-fat dairy tastes so much better. Hooray!
Re-Training Yourself to Eat Full-Fat Dairy
Instead of a non-fat latté, choose whole milk. Better yet, make your coffee at home and put some organic cream in it.
Instead of non-fat Greek yogurt, choose whole milk yogurt.
Instead of margarine or one of those “fake” butter spreads made with vegetable oils, choose butter or ghee.
Instead of reduced-fat cheese, choose the real thing.
It might take a while to get used to the taste of full-fat dairy products if you haven’t had them for a while, but you’ll adjust quickly—and your body will thank you!
Better supplementation. Fewer supplements.
Close the nutrient gap to feel and perform your best.
A daily stack of supplements designed to meet your most critical needs.
What about the artificial hormones and antibiotics? Are they more likely to be in the fattier part of the dairy products?
(Of course I personally try to do raw, organic, grassfed etc.) I just wonder if the risk vs benefits is worth it for conventional dairy. Any data on this?
i wish people would get of this ‘ raw milk ‘ crap .
good or bad , just not legal ! ! ! ! or available
Raw milk is legal and available in many jurisdictions.
Obviously it’s available if people are drinking it. There is a farm not far from me where raw, organic milk is available every day. I don’t see the cops busting them, either- not yet, at least.
It’s the “milk” flavored poison in your grocery store that you need to get over.
Someone call the Whambulance
Make my dairy full fat, raw and grass fed. The more fat I eat, the less carbs I eat (whether from lactose, fruit or starchy tubers), the leaner I get. All the folks commenting on the calorie reduction when choosing low & non-fat dairy over full-fat need to realize a calorie is not always a calorie. The body burns fats, proteins and carbs differently. We are biological systems, not machines! Become fat adapted and never count a calorie again.
This is interesting……i get that fats have more nutrients…..but i am 30 lbs. over weight…..lose it then gain it back. How does this square with eating full fat to get lean?
Thank you.
You’ve got to look at the whole nutrition picture. You cannot continue to eat tons of sugar, processed foods, etc . Full fat is perfect compliment to a grain free, low carbohydrate (read less than 100 grams carbs per day). You’ll get and stay lean and never feel deprived again. Of course you’ll need to learn how to use flours like almond and coconut to bake and for a sweetener, consider Swerve or Stevia or LoHanGuo
I finally got my hubby to switch to full fat dairy after we watched Fat Head by Tom Naughten. I’m so glad we did!
It tastes so much better, though we don’t eat nearly as much of it as we used to.
I do find it hard to find full fat Greek style yogurt, but I love my breve’s!
I have always wondered about this whole lowfat/nonfat milk debate. In my opinion any time we have to modify something from it’s original state, you have to add something else to it that is not natural, and to maintain the flavor. In the case of lowfat/nonfat foods there is always more sugar and more sodium in them. I always wondered what counter effects that had on folks consuming them. I usually trend toward the higher fat dairy products because in my mind they are less processed and closer to being from the earth than their counterparts.
I have also wondered, what effect does full fat dairy have on our brains. There are many fats and fatty acids in dairy. Do they have a positive effect on on cognitive functioning as well? Are these lowfat/nonfat diets contributing to the surge in Alzheimer cases too? Thanks for posting this and getting the word out about milk fat.
I only buy raw whole milk, raw cream, raw cheese, whole milk kefir, and I make my own yogurt from fresh raw milk. And pastured butter is so good!
really , where ?
Raw milk is sold in Berkeley and San Francisco at Whole Foods, and Andronicos and in numerous small whole foods grocery stores. I would love to see more people consume raw dairy products so that the price will come down as at the moment it is very very high. As to its availability outside the Bay area I cannot comment- but it would be worth hunting for it even to the point of talking to organic farmers who may be able to track a source down for a few individuals.
I’m curious what brand of raw milk is being sold in the Berkeley area at Whole Foods. Whole Foods pulled raw milk off their shelves in 2010 in four states, including CA, and I haven’t seen it in any of the Whole Foods that I’ve been in since then.
In California I can go directly to the health food store or the farm and purchase raw milk.
The Anti-health food stores don’t carry it.
In Oregon I’ve purchased raw goat milk directly from a farm. I’d imagine raw cows milk is also available.
Go to realmilk.com to find raw milk in your area.
I think responses to this need a caveat. What is the motivation for asking?
I buy raw organic cheese at HyVee grocery store in the Health Market department in Peoria, IL. Can’t buy raw milk there but raw cheese is available.
So if I have a Starbuck’s moment, my favorite drink is Cappuccino(-less dairy than Latte) and it is made with the full 33-35% heavy whipping creme (carton hidden under the counter). Any Starbuck’s in the world will accommodate this request. If you ask they will also give you the heavy creme for your roast coffee.
That said, I still like my home brewed organic creamed coffee! 🙂
Wow…..that has certainly been food for thought. In just a few moments you have turned me around to a new way of thinking. Once again, a whole industry and billions of dollars have been spent on the premise that dairy fat and lactose is a killer. It’s nice to get some balance into the argument. Thanks Chris.
Hi, I have used full-fat dairy my entire life! i have NEVER bought into all this insanity whether the no salt, no butter, eat only skinless chicken, and so on! None of it relative to me since the creator gave us what we need. Man always thinks he knows, when he doesn’t know! Not even sensible.
Maddening that so many people are so jerked around by the medical, media, corporate conglomerates that they will get their caffeine/sugar fix with a drink that tastes crappy. Bleh.
We use 2% milk – what my husband likes. The main reason these days that I have not considered full fat milk is calories. But I will rethink that. I have already given up on non-fat milk. Still do non-fat Greek yogurt, though. Guess I’ll have to think about that, too.
Susan, just like fat does not equal becoming fat, it depends on the quality of the fats as well as the quality of the calories.
There are healthy fats as there are healthy caloric foods.
I absolutely agree with you. Today I had my annual physical and was totally disappointed that my doctor is still dispensing orders to eat a low fat diet…what?!!! I’ve been grainfree for over 2 months, my HDL has increased by a whopping 64%, Triglyceride decreased by 38%, LDL increased some and yep, you guessed it, that where focused his time. I’m only 5% likely to have any heart problems so he didn’t recommend a statin, not that I’d take it anyway. I’m focusing on organic veggies, grassfed beef, wild caught salmon and am feeling super! Weight is down 17 lbs over these last two months – lately reduced carbs considerably so 7 of these lbs lost in the last month. I seriously must find a new doc – his recommendation tells me he’s not on board with the thousands of participant studies about reducing sugar, getting rid of the grains, adding back healthy fats.
Correct me if I am wrong, the LDL is the bad cholesterol correct? This is probably the second time I have read switching from low fat to full fat has resulted in numbers going up and doctors suggesting a statin. It makes me very hesitant to change from low fat to full fat.
Your article is very interesting. A couple of things:
Skimmed milk now-a-days isn’t the same as it was in the 1950s and earlier. It now has skimmed powdered milk solids added so that it is white, which changes its nutritional profile, not blueish. Back in the 1930s when I was born, I was raised on skimmed milk (my mother skimmed it because we had a cow), because I was allergic to the fat in milk. Also many, if not most, or the recipes on nutritional sites and other site still show the use of “low fat” milk products. Low fat is still the perceived law of the land.
Also Peet’s Coffee is spelt as shown here. (Forgive the arrogance.)
Thank you.
My family was in the dairy business in the 1950’s and I’m afraid you are not correct. In the 1950’s skim milk was indeed a byproduct from the production of cream but it wasn’t intended for human consumption, it was delivered to pig farms and used for fattening pigs. The pigs have had to forgo their skim milk today due to insane popular demand so now we have to fatten the animals on grain I wonder where the obesity crisis came from since the 1950’s? could it be caused by eating pig food? Surely all those thousands of newly minted MD’s and PhD’s couldn’t be wrong could they?
Seems to me that low-fat or non-fat dairy is simply another name for high carbohydrate dairy. If all you get from the dairy is carbs and protein, you are just giving yourself a high insulin shot and excess carbs. I only eat whole fat dairy and prefer a piece of cheese to slack a diet over a carbohydrate any day.
I agree “whole” heartedly!
Only full fat dairy for me, organic as well, since pesticides are found in animal fat after eating non organic feed..
Funny conversion…I know one thing that dairy flares the diverticulitis that my body has temporarily borrowed. And yes…people are still ignorant! I was in a starbucks line the other (because there was no other choice) and the woman in front of me ordered a latte with non-fat milk and 4 SQUIRTS OF SWEETENER. I couldn’t contain my laugh! Ive started a trend in San Diego…When I have a RARE latte, I take my own organic milk to the local Vons-Starbucks and ask for a triple espresso and have them steam the milk for me…they do it graciously…and Im sure this would work for raw milk enthusiasts as well.
yea for the article! As I am trying to spread the word about all my newly learned nutrition knowledge I would love to send the article to some friends, though it seems to be missing a couple big selling points (and feel free to correct me), but that 1) sugar is added to the low/FF versions to make up for the loss of flavor/satiety, 2) the enzyme needed to digest lactose is stripped out of the low/FF versions as well as other nutrients, 3) fat doesn’t make you fat. Any chance of ammending, in your well-written prose, to add some of the big selling points? Those are what made the difference for me 🙂
I always use butter to cook with and like regular milk, but my wife likes that 1% stuff which is like water. I never have thought that milk or good cheese made me gain weight, but am quite sure that when I eat carbs I put the pounds on! I eat red meat on a regular basis, once a week or so, and have fine cholesterol and am overweight, which is a byproduct of some injuries (not moving around enough) and getting older. I have a slightly higher glucose range and know some weight loss and exercise will help that, but what we keep out of our bodies like your article says, sometimes is actually worse for us than just choosing the real thing….who likes artificial anything anyways!!?? JRL in Seattle
it always get back to the same common sense wisdom … “Don’t Fool with Mother Nature”
Have you tried to find full fat plain Greek yogurt? I’m in Southern California and I found only two options for it in a Wholesome Choice store where I normally buy these things.
I was a full-fat dairy bigot preferring skim milk. I’m converting.
If you’re in Orange County, you can get full fat yogurt at Mother’s Market. I get Strauss brand. You can also find it at WholeFoods, and sometimes, Trader Joe’s.
I am originally from Germany and it has always surprised me how crazy we are with the low fat culture. I always say to everybody if there would be a skim milk cow maybe I would consider, but the there is none. If one tolerates dairy go for the real thing.
Same here, I’m from dairy country the Netherlands living in VA and people look at me in disbelief when I add pastured whipped cream to my coffee, or sometimes even a dollop of pastured butter! I don’t drink milk, and eat a bit of full fat yogurt maybe 2x a week.
Sorry, this is not a reply, but I couldn’t see where to post a comment. I drink 2% milk and I eat 1% plain yogurt? Is that as bad as skim milk and non-fat yogurt? I am trying to lose weight and reduce my total number of calories. Thank you.
Don’t worry so much about the numbers of calories- focus instead on the quality of the calories. Do eat full fat foods that are high quality and limit low fat, low quality foods. Your body will be much happier for it! Really!
Re: fat and getting fat: if fat made cows gain weight that’s what farmers would feed them- but they don’t. They feed them grain. It does make them fat- and sick. Seriously. Eat fat and ditch the low cal everything. It may take a while for your body to adjust but give it a try. Find a good naturopath or someone like Chris Kresser to guide you and give it a try!
Chris, I am hoping you will comment on the new Swedish studies linking dairy to many illnesses and even shorter lifespan. True, this is not a fat/lowfat issue, but highly relevant to much of what you often write about. Thanks in advance for your comments.