What Type of Milk is Best for a Diet: Whole, 2%, 1%, or Skim/Fat-free?

When I ran a coffee shop a few years ago, we used 2% milk in our drinks unless customers asked for a different type. We certainly sold our share of skinny (skim/fat-free) lattes and mochas, but we also made quite a few breves, which are basically lattes made out of half-and-half instead of regular milk. For many of these patrons, the thinking was that they were on low-carb diets, and half-and-half has less sugar than other milk, so it must be better. Those who purchased skinny drinks were trying to stick to a healthy diet by avoiding the fat. So which is really the best way to go?

Low-carb choices

It is true that the more fat there is in milk and milk products, the less sugar there tends to be. For instance, one cup of skim milk, which contains no fat, contains about 12 carbs. The same amount of half-and-half has about 28g of total fat but has less sugar, weighing in at around 10g of carbs. For most low-carb diets, carbohydrate intake should be limited to 100g daily, although the initial phases may be more restrictive, most about half that amount. For those dieters, the 2g difference can make a pretty big difference in what they are allowed to consume through the rest of the day.

A couple of my coffee shop customers even asked for breves made with heavy cream to further reduce the sugar intake. Heavy whipping cream has only 3g of carbs in that one-cup serving, ¼ that in skim milk, so it is the best choice in terms of carbohydrates.

Since all milks have some carbs, they are not appropriate for any no-carbohydrate diet.

Low-fat, low-calorie choices

The USDA recommends most adults take in around 50g of fat per day. Using skim or low-fat milk, even 2%, is a healthy part of such a diet. One cup of 1% milk has only 2g fat, and 2% milk has only 5g. The calorie difference among them illustrates the differences more clearly. Switching from the 2% to skim reduces the calorie count by nearly 1/3, from about 122 calories to 86 in the one-cup serving.

The best choices for the low-carb dieter are, of course, much higher in fat. Half-and-half has 28g fat and 315 calories. Heavy cream has a whopping 44g of fat, nearly an entire day's worth, and over 400 calories.

Vitamins and other nutrients

Most of us drink milk since it is one of the best sources of calcium, and the truth is that most milks have about the same amount of calcium. Skim, 1%, 2% and whole all typically contain about 30% RDA for calcium. Vitamin A can often be found in larger amounts in 1% milk, sometimes as much as 10% more than other milks, and skim milk seems to more often contain Vitamin C, although the RDA is usually under 4%.

Heavier milks often look even better in terms of vitamins. For instance, one cup of heavy whipping cream has about 35% RDA of Vitamin A. However, it has only 8g calcium. Half-and-half has more calcium, 25g, and 17% RDA Vitamin A along with 4% Vitamin C.

Expert advice

The USDA recommends fat-free milk as the best part of a balanced diet. Milks with higher fat content must use part of the discretionary calorie allowance of the food pyramid for these products.

The American Diabetes Association also recommends lower-fat dairy products for diabetics, 1% or below. While they advocate a low-carbohydrate diet overall to help with blood sugar levels, whole milk has more fat than the ADA considers healthy.

So what's the answer?

For all-around good health, 1% milk seems the best choice. It has slightly more calories and fat than skim with about the same low grams of carbs. The American Heart Association does not recommend low-carb diets that don't restrict fat intake, saying they can be damaging to cardiac health; the higher fat content (sometimes much higher) may undo any good the weight loss from such a low-carb diet causes. Consuming foods higher in calories, such as skim milk vs. whole milk that has almost 50% more calories, reduce the number of calories that you can fill with other foods and still remain within most diet limits.

Whatever kind of milk you drink, those that add vitamins and calcium are best. Many are available and can make your milk a healthier choice. Look for balance. Those folks in my shop who wanted heavy cream breves consumed over 25% of their daily calorie requirements and an entire day's recommended fat in a single, small beverage, all in the name of avoiding the extra 10g of sugar they would have gotten in a drink made with 2% milk. Was it their best option, even on a low-carb diet?

References

"American Heart Association comments on weight loss study comparing low carbohydrate/high protein, Mediterranean style and low fat diets." American Heart Association. Heart.org.

"Food and Fitness." American Diabetes Association. Diabetes.org.

"Inside the Pyramid." USDA. Mypyramid.gov.

"Nutrition Facts." Nutritiondata.com.