When buying milk, seeing labels like “whole,” “low-fat,” and “skim” can be a bit confusing. Which one is better? Let’s clarify it all today.

Why Encourage You to Drink More Milk?

Milk and dairy products are rich in nutrients, appropriately proportioned, easily digestible, and can provide high-quality protein, vitamins A and B2, and calcium, among other nutrients.

  • Protein: Milk contains about 3% protein, with a digestibility rate of over 90%. Its essential amino acid ratio meets human needs, qualifying it as high-quality protein.
  • Fat: Milk fat content is about 3%-4%, existing in the form of micro fat globules, which aids in digestion and absorption.
  • Carbohydrates: The primary carbohydrate in milk is lactose, which helps regulate stomach acid, promotes gastrointestinal peristalsis and digestive fluid secretion, and facilitates the absorption of minerals like calcium, iron, and zinc.
  • Minerals: Milk is rich in calcium, phosphorus, and potassium, making it the best dietary source of calcium. Consuming adequate milk or dairy products daily promotes bone health and children’s growth and development.

The “Chinese Dietary Guidelines (2022)” recommend consuming various dairy products, ensuring a daily intake equivalent to over 300ml of liquid milk.

Which is Better: Whole Milk, Low-Fat Milk, or Skim Milk?

The market offers whole, low-fat, and skim milk. As the names suggest, the main difference among these three types of milk is their fat content, with little difference in other nutrients.

Using a particular brand’s whole, low-fat, and skim milk as an example, comparing their energy and nutrient contents reveals four points:

  1. The protein and carbohydrate content of the three types of milk is similar.
  2. The fat content varies significantly.
  • Whole milk has about twice the fat content of low-fat milk, while skim milk contains almost no fat.
  1. In the process of skimming milk, along with reducing the fat content, fat-soluble vitamins beneficial to health, such as vitamins A, D, and E, are also removed.
  2. Consumption of whole milk and its products is not associated with the risk of breast cancer, but increasing the intake of low-fat milk and its products can reduce the risk of breast cancer.

How to Choose Milk?

Choose the appropriate milk based on your physical condition.

  1. Lactose Intolerance: Choose yogurt or lactose-free milk.
  2. Overweight or Obesity: Choose low-fat or skim milk.
  3. No Lactose Intolerance and Normal Weight: Choose whole milk.

If you are of normal weight but worry about the fat in whole milk, let’s do some math:

A typical 250ml pack of milk contains about 9.3 grams of fat. A palm-sized piece of meat, about 50 grams, contains the following fat amounts:

  • Pork: 18.5 grams
  • Lamb: 7.1 grams
  • Beef: 2.1 grams
  • Duck: 9.9 grams
  • Chicken: 4.7 grams

So, even if you drink a bottle of whole milk, the fat intake is equivalent to a piece of meat. For those with normal weight, there’s no need to worry about the few extra grams of fat from whole milk. A balanced diet is the most important.