I don’t know why but this made me laugh and just keep on laughing.
My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard. No, like literally. Tuesdays are like Christmas here, thanks to our weekly delivery of milk. Every morning we start out with “Is it milk day?” as my boys rush out to check the yard for the Milk Fairy who magically delivers her mammary juice in glass bottles in a cooler. I have never seen my kids get so excited over a food product that doesn’t have a cartoon character on the front or come with sprinkles. Nor have my kids ever been big milk drinkers in the past. Yet thanks to an insanely reasonable price (it’s just a bit more expensive than regular milk at our grocery store and about the same as the organic milk), my kids now pound the stuff like it’s gold.
Not that I blame them. It’s good stuff. I’m lactose intolerant so I don’t normally drink milk but I have taken a few sips here and there just to see what the hullabaloo is all about and it is tasty. Part of it is that it comes from grass-fed, pastured, non-drugged, kissed-by-angels, whatever-is-trendy cows. (And you know I’m glad they’re happy. After breast-feeding four kiddos, I have nothing but empathy for anything with teats. At least milking machines don’t have teeth, right?) But I think a big part of its appeal is that I only buy whole milk.
I made the switch to full-fat dairy several years ago when I discovered that basically everything we’ve been told about dietary is fat is wrong. (Cliffs notes version: saturated fat will not give you heart disease, Canola and other “vegetable” oils are heavily processed and full of Omega-6’s which we get way too much of, animal fats are not the devil.) The early research focused heavily on debunking these common myths but newer research is showing us that not only is eating full-fat dairy not bad for us, it actually has health benefits that low-fat dairy does not.
This week a Scandanavian study showed that eating full-fat dairy (defined as butter, cream and whole milk) led to less “central obesity”, i.e. stomach fat, i.e. the Bart Simpson of body fat – annoying, unsightly and unhealthy. A diet of low-fat dairy led to more belly fat. I like this study because it confirmed what I already believed, er, because with 1,782 subjects it has a decently large sample size and it was carried out over 12 years. The one thing I didn’t like is, like much health research, it was only done on men. Translation: Napoleon Dynamit approves this message.
A European meta-analysis looked at 16 previously done studies on dairy and found that 11 of the 16 showed that eating full-fat dairy was correlated with lower body weight and less metabolic problems. This was great because not only did it look at a variety of studies but that meant both genders were included and they also found a correlation between higher-quality dairy fat (from grass-fed cows) and better heart health. They concluded, “The observational evidence does not support the hypothesis that dairy fat or high-fat dairy foods contribute to obesity or cardiometabolic risk, and suggests that high-fat dairy consumption within typical dietary patterns is inversely associated with obesity risk.” Translation: Whipped cream wrestling for everyone!
Lastly, a study of over 10,000 children published in the British Medical Journal found that mini-humans who drink whole milk grow up to be slimmer than their preschool compatriots who drink low-fat milk. The scientists concluded, “In multivariable analyses, increasing fat content in the type of milk consumed was inversely associated with BMI z score.” and “In longitudinal analysis, children drinking 1%/skim milk at both 2 and 4 years were more likely to become overweight/obese between these time points.” Translation: Kids who drank whole milk had a lower BMI than their classmates who drank skim and also kids who drank whole milk were slimmer two years later while kids who drank skim got bigger. Time to bring back the RED milk cartons, baby!
But… why? The fact that whole milk is how it comes squirting out seems like an obvious answer. In addition, the smart people speculate that the increased fat lead to increased satiety which causes people to eat less overall. Another theory involves alien-sounding “bioactive substances” that could be “altering our metabolism in a way that helps us utilize the fat and burn it for energy, rather than storing it in our bodies.” (Are there probes involved?) Still others theorize the dairy fat greases up our digestive track like a Jell-O slide until all our food just bobsleds right out. (And the gold goes to… beets! For speed and, uh, flair!)
Personally it just makes me happy to see my kids rosy-cheeked and running through our mountain meadows while taking slugs of local moo juice as they reenact my childhood obsession with Heidi. Especially since my own childhood was so tainted by the no-fat craze of the 90’s. Unfortunately for me now the closest I get to the fantasy is wearing my hair in milkmaid braids, thanks to my testy stomach. (Although I do think lactose intolerance is getting better. After I learned that it is sometimes possible to “heal” lactose intolerance by fixing the underlying guy hyperpermeability issues, I’ve been trying to heal and seal my gut. I used to not be able to tolerate even the slightest bit of dairy but now I can have a few sips of milk or a small piece of cheese or even some plain yogurt and be totally fine. So maybe there is something to “leaky gut syndrome“?)
This morning as I made breakfast it occurred to me how much has changed in the past 10 years. A “healthy breakfast” used to be whole grain pancakes with “butter” spray and sugar-free syrup, a side of turkey bacon and a glass of skim milk. I used to feel so virtuous eating that! Now I won’t touch processed margarines or fake sprays, avoid artificial sweeteners and hate nitrates. I’m trying to eat foods as close to the way nature made them as possible. So today my kids got coconut pancakes topped with butter and real syrup, a strip of nitrate-free bacon and, their favorite, a glass of whole milk. And not only does it make them happier but our switch to eating more fat (a lot more fat!) has made me healthier by every objective measure. Who knew joy was freshly whipped cream? (Okay, dumb question. Somebody get me a strawberry, stat.) See, Katy Perry and her whipped-cream-shooting-boobs were really just a public service announcement!
What’s your stance on dairy? Has it changed over the years?
SOOO MUCH TALK ABOUT THIS PRECISE THING OVER THE WEEKEND HERE (she shouts).
The husband thought me nuts when I said the whole “if you wanna do milk lets switch to high fat” and it all reminded me of SUSAN POWTER and how back then we shunned the fat entirely…..
Yeah Susan Powter left a very powerful impression on my young mind!! LOL
Huh, funny. I’m lactose intolerant and yogurt doesn’t bother me at all. I was actually surprised at that (since dry milk in some foods will make me poo-tacular). Lactose intolerance is such an odd thing.
Regarding the milk (higher fat is good, thing), it makes sense. More fat means more calories which means it’s more filling. I know when I splurge and buy the pre-mixed chocolate lactose free stuff, it’s so dang GOOD precisely because it’s higher in fat. And my sister (who is fine with lactose) loves raw milk with all it’s fatty glory.
Now I’m tempted to give it a try. I love having a big glass of chocolate milk a few days a week. Maybe if I up the fat content it will make it even more satisfying and totally worth the extra calories (yes, I totally drink skim just to save those handful of calories but then I add in nesquick so it’s probably no different than just drinking plain whole fat milk–eh, I like my nesquick and will budget for it for now).
Yeah I wrote that badly. Yogurt doesn’t bother most lactose intolerant people since the bacteria helps “predigest” it. But when I was at my worst, I couldn’t even handle yogurt (which made me sad since it was my fave!) which is why I wrote that I can “even” eat yogurt now. Sorry about that… And thanks for the tip about the chocolate lactose-free milk! I’ll try it!
Lots of lactose intolerant folks can eat yogurt with no trouble. The fermentation process makes magic and voila, it’s now tolerated just fine! I’m full fat, all the way baby. I don’t like milk, so don’t drinkt it anyway, but here’s my recipe for morning breakfast drink. (My hubby LOVES it…) HOT water, pat of butter (best you can find), 2 tsp MCT oil, 2+ tsp good quality cocoa powder or cacao powder if you have it, 3 tsp sweetener of choice (I use xylitol because it adds a little “zing” of mint without adding anything else, and it’s really sweet, or I’ll just use Truvia if I’m out), pinch of himalayan pink sea salt, dash of pure vanilla extract and a tsp or so of quality pea protein powder. Whir it up with your immersion blender and you get a frothy, smooth, creamy, yummy hot chocolate that is actually GOOD for you! SO tasty!
BTW – That’s not “breakfast” just the drink I guzzle from my thermos mug while driving to work. Breakfast is usually eggs from my backyard chickens and some nitrate free bacon, or some delish pancakes with pecans made with oat flour, cream, eggs and butter. YUMMERS.
Yeah I wrote that badly. Yogurt doesn’t bother most lactose intolerant people since the bacteria helps “predigest” it. But when I was at my worst, I couldn’t even handle yogurt (which made me sad since it was my fave!) which is why I wrote that I can “even” eat yogurt now. Sorry about that… Your drink kinda sounds like the “coffee bomb” from The Bulletproof Executive (minus the coffee obv!). I really should try it. Also, I think I need your pancake recipe!
Yup, it’s just modified bulletproof coffee. But beats the socks off that stuff! LOL Pancakes – I put a cup of old fashioned rolled oats into my Ninja and grind ’em into flour. Add about a cup of low fat cottage cheese (I don’t mix fats and carbs, otherwise I always eat full fat everything…), a cup of 100% egg whites (from the carton), 2 tsp aluminum free baking powder, a little sweetener and some vanilla. If you add a dribble of maple extract, you have a McD McGriddle… YUM! If you let it sit in the fridge for awhile before you cook it, they are fluffier, but I usually can’t wait. (Also darn good in the waffle iron!)
It really pisses me off that I raised my kids on low-fat milk and whole wheat pancakes with Can’t-Believe-it’s-Not-Butter, and both have trouble controlling their weight in their 20s.
You were doing what we all were told was best at the time. <3
I second Azusmom! YOu were doing what everyone was doing then. That’s how I grew up too.
When my Dad was a kid he got to ride a horse to gather the cows in for milking, and my grandparents still lived on a mixed-farm (cows-pigs-chickens-grains HUGE garden) when I came along, so I was blessed to have a lot of everything as close to its natural source as possible.
Including milk and butter.
And as I mentioned on a previous comment, my grandmother lived until she was 99. Most of our relatives who were her contemporaries lived up into their nineties. A few made it past 100.
So I was always puzzled by all of these “expert” declarations about how their everyday diet would kill them quicker.
I am VERY happy that we all have Charlotte to dispel the smoke and mirrors and confusion.
I highly value your intelligence and your opinion and all of your recommendations Charlotte!
Therefore, I will pencil in “whipped cream wrestling” at some later date.
I’ve often thought we’d all be better off going back to subsistence farming. With the Internet. And penicillin. And micro-fleece. Okay, I’m done now.
It is so interesting to me the way science circles around itself all the time. In a few years they’ll come out with yet another study saying “just kidding, again, this kind of milk is best”. I’ve decided that for the most part I’m going to buy and eat wha feels good when I eat it. It’s amazing how small things change how I run.
I actually really agree with the milk think. It’s similar to avocados. So many people wouldn’t eat them so long because of the fat only to find out they’re healthy fat. And people were sure missing out because those things are heavenly!
That’s really the strength of science – we update our understanding of things in light of new data.
I’ll make a nontrivial detour for a coffee shop that has whole milk. If I could get extra-creamy milk, I would be all over it. Hot milk with a teaspoon of rosewater is especially lovely, aromatic and comforting
Charlotte C. I love this quote of yours: “That’s really the strength of science – we update our understanding of things in light of new data.” Gives me hope!
Tis sad that not all in the scientific community share your enlightened views.
This is why us regular folk have come view so many “declarations” of “truths” from scientists with “squinty eyes” to denote incredulity.
For instance, I have mentioned in previous comments that I was attacked by a pack of wolves. All. Night. Long.
I met some wolf biologists some years later, and shared my experience to add to their data.
And I was condescendingly told that it never happened. Because it was scientific fact that wolves are benign.
Me: “That would be you being wrong. Coyote biologists can admit that coyotes attack humans and they recognize the signs of habituation to humans at which point they see us humans not as as source of fear, but as a source of food. Prime conditions for coyotes attacking humans. Since wolves are bigger, it would be nice to have prior notice of impending attacks.”
Their response: “Wolves are benign. Historical wolf attacks were made only by wolves with rabies.”
Me: “So, historically…what about the people who survived the wolf attacks…and did not die from rabies…because the wolves that attacked them never had rabies?”
This got me a lot of blank stares.
But because I have never published a peer-reviewed paper or had a grant proposal funded concerning wolves…and I only had the audacity of being one actually attacked by wolves with no masters degree to back up my…personal research, I was still dismissed.
And there have been worse attacks than the ones I experienced. While the attacks against me could have been fatal…
There have been FATAL wolf attacks.
In Saskatchewan, Canada a coroner’s jury in a coroner’s inquiry into the death of 22 year old Kenton Carnegie on November 8th, 2005 concluded that he was killed by wolves.
The March 13 2010 issue of THE LOS ANGELES TIMES included a report of a fatal wolf attack on 32 year old Candice Berner, a special education teacher and avid jogger in Chignik Lake, Alaska that took place on March 10, 2010. (This was also the first fatal wolf attack in North America in which DNA evidence was gathered to confirm wolf involvement.)
This is not “benign“ behavior.
My personal feeling is that attacks could have prevented and lives could have been saved if the “experts” did not provide completely and blatantly and lamentably wrong information and a false sense of security.
And it is not because they lacked the data…it is because they ignored the historical data they had and the fresh data they were presented.
A change in their thinking of their scientific facts would have saved lives.
Perhaps you, Charlotte C. can host seminars on the strength of science involving updating understanding of things in light of new data.
I am TOTALLY trying your hot milk with a teaspoon of rosewater recommendation…just to show that I trust you as a scientist!
You were attacked by wolves all night? Wth? Maybe the wolves were trying to offer you their milk?
Had to do with young guys trying to be manly. 3 friends from Chicago were in Manitoba Canada to climb mountains (which did not bode well for their geographical education to begin with) One stayed camping out alone and was awoken by howling wolves and hightailed it back to town. The next week another of them decided he had to try it..out camping alone.
I was asked (at 11 pm) to go check and see if said friend was caught up in a wolf’s digestive tract.
It was dark.
I heard lips smacking…the padding of paws in the underbrush. Five wolves dove out and tried to turn me into wolf kibble.
I voted “no”…
…with some vigor
They left, only to return to try to re-enforce their argument about 15 minutes later.
And then again 15 to 20 minutes after that.
And like that with little variation every ten to twenty minutes until the sun came up.
Still do not hate wolves, but they were rude.
Team Edward & Bella.
Well, replication is very important and of course a bigger sample size is always good… so share what you think, for science 🙂 Science and deliciousness.
*grins* So HAPPY you responded because I was needing to ask you…
…where do I find rosewater?
So true about research. At this point you can find a study to backup anything. Which is why I try to find things that also appeal to my sense of reason and common sense – I guess anything that reinforces that the closer something is to how it started. I love your intuitive approach! I think we are all the best scientists of our own bodies!
I’m all for full fat dairy, though I’m unable to eat it until my 4 month old overcomes his casein allergy…It frustrates me to no end that our allotment of monthly WIC milk is only skim or 1%. I mentioned this very topic to the one case worker who also went to college for nutrition and she said it drives her nuts, too, but it took them over a decade to get fresh produce introduced and it would be a least that long for any other changes, so don’t hold my breath. So I buy full fat everything else for my kids. Nutrition advice is very much like parenting advice, whatever school of thought is having a moment is touted with utmost urgency and studies supporting it…until the next school of thought shows up which completely negates the last way of doing things. I just eat what tastes good and isn’t too processed. I was lucky enough to grow up on nutritious home-cooked meals and try to afford my kids the same opportunity, no matter what advice is currently going around.
Two of my kids had casein allergies too when they were nursing!! It sucked. I was a vegetarian at the time and basically ended up vegan for the duration. Also: excellent point “Nutrition advice is very much like parenting advice,”!!
Trying to convert my kids back to full fat, tho I never did give them skim milk…even tho pediatrician suggested it at their 2 yo check ups. Have always used whole fat cheese and now try to get it from happy, grass fed cows, which is not so easy here, even tho we live in dairy country! Hoping the grass fed, antibiotic and pesticide free happy cows prevails and will be more available. For now I keep searching and asking questions of every farmer I meet. I now have sources for grass fed beef, free range pork and free range, non-vegetarian chickens and their eggs. In the spring and summer all our produce comes from an organic farm that uses heirloom seeds and I can buy goat cheese from grassfed, happy goats. It is harder in the winter but I do my best to buy organic, pesticide free produce. Ticks me off that I bought into the low-fat, whole grain diet when I really wanted steak and bacon! Plus I was always hungry and my allergies were horrible!! I am so happy to eat fresh, yummy food and I love fat!
I’m jealous of your happy goat milk!! I still haven’t found a good local source for chicken, eggs or goats…
I’m not a huge milk drinker these days but I was raised with a glass of skim milk every night with dinner (plus all other lowfat/fat free dairy) and have always struggled with my weight. I know it’s not the only factor but… darn you, science! This makes me feel good though because just this afternoon I chose whole milk in my cappuccino since the only other option was non-fat. Blech. I really have been making an effort to move that way across all dairy the last few years. The extra calories have always scared me but I need to get over it. I’m close. Just need to work on dropping the lowfat yogurt and cottage cheese. When I have cereal though, I love almond milk!
Yeah when I look back at all the things I did when I was younger that probably have made my weight struggle worse as an adult… SIGH. I feel you.
I am hopelessly confused. I keep reading studies like these, and think, ok, I’ll go full fat, but then I run into other studies saying low fat is better. Grr. I have to confess I’m too lazy to track them down, but I just ran across a couple recently, so my sense is the research is still mixed.
But with this new study, maybe I’ll reinvestigate…. yet again!
I noted your “recently posted” blog title…
Even though it IS way the heck cold where I reside, I work out in playgrounds BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE IS DUMB ENOUGH TO BE THERE!
I have it all to myself…and pushing through the deep snow to get around adds to the workout.
I think I know which study you are talking about as it was mentioned in the review of the meta-analysis I cited. They found that a lot of the studies that purportedly showed low fat to be better are skewed. I can’t remember all the details now (so I guess we’re both too lazy? hahahah).
I’m really bad at drinking milk. I actually love the taste of whole milk, but I don’t really eat cereal anymore and I don’t drink enough of it straight to justify buying it regularly. I do love milk in ice cream and as an ingredient in foods, though.
Nonfat and low fat milk is so much less tasty than full fat. I don’t even understand how the flavor can change so much, but full fat milk just has a much better overall flavor in addition to the much creamier texture. I’m jealous that you can get fresh milk delivered where you live–I feel like I would drink more milk if I could get it like this.
I don’t really eat cereal anymore either! It’s funny – I didn’t consciously decide not to eat it but over the years I’ve found I prefer more protein in my breakfast so I usually go for savory stuff like eggs and sausage….(also not low-fat!)
It is crazy how the 90s was all about fat free and now we are learning all the problems withthat. My mum is so hooked on the fat free trend I don’t think any research would convince her to change.
It’s funny how we latch on to certain things! That said, if it’s working for her – who am I to argue?
I used to only eat low fat dairy, and even nonfat for a while. I also stayed away from butter and saturated fat. Then I read Real Food by Nina Planck. We are the same age, and somehow her story and mine were very similar. She was raised on a farm (I wasn’t but my parents grew most of our food in a large garden) and we ate real food, including fat. Then I was influenced by the low fat craze of the 90s and that all changed. She made many great points in her book, and I changed what we eat slowly (I had been so brainwashed that I couldn’t do it all over night).
I LOVE THAT BOOK. It was similarly life changing for me.
Good read, and good to know: we switched to whole raw grass-fed milk this year, but since my goat just had a kid last Tuesday, we are about to start getting our own (free) whole raw milk.
Woohooo! I love love love that you have your own goat.
Do you mind if I ask where you get your milk delivered from? I live in Broomfield and haven’t been able to find grass fed cow milk for delivery.
We actually decided to go with Longmont dairy. They’re not “officially” grass fed but we went and visited and talked to the owners and I felt like they were as close as I was going to get (they only supplement with grain when there is absolutely no pasture, they do use antibiotics but only when their cows get sick and then they test the milk and won’t use it until they’ve tested clear for three days, etc). Mostly I was impressed by how much they love and care about their cattle and what they do. It seemed that the only times they made concessions on the grass/antibiotics fronts were when the cows themselves would be hurt otherwise and I appreciated that. Anyhow, they’re really nice and great about answering questions so while they can’t officially call themselves organic or grass-fed I think they’re pretty close. Definitely check them out!
The other week my husband and I were at the store and I asked him to go grab some organic cream cheese, and when he brought it back he said, “they also had reduced fat cream cheese,” and I nearly yelled at him when I answered “NEVER bring me anything that’s reduced fat!” That has definitely changed over the years. I’m not a milk-drinker, but if I have yogurt it’s always full fat now, and we go through Kerrygold butter and Dubliner cheese like it’s going out of style. I’m glad times are changing!
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