Cow's milk comes in several fat versions; whole, 2%, 1% and fat free or skim. Don't even think about grabbing the whole milk. A single cup has 147 calories, but half come from fat. A quarter of the calories are from saturated fat. You should skip the carton of 2% as well. A cup has only 122 calories, but 36% of those are fat.
Reach for 1% milk, which has only 105 calories and is 21% fat. Fat free is the best, but some people don't like the taste, saying it's more watery. Whatever version you're drinking, just stepping down one level, say from 2% to 1%, will save you a significant amount of fat without sacrificing taste.
Hate Watery Milk?
For those of you who are drinking 1% or fat free milk, but hate the watery consistency, there are now options. Farmland Dairies™ Special Request™ Skim Plus® Fat Free Milk or Hood® Simply Smart both have added protein and a richer, creamier "mouthfeel." They use a process called ultra-filtration to remove some of the liquid and lactose. The result is milk that tastes creamier with extra protein and no added fat. Another option is simply to add powdered milk to non-fat milk and make it thicker yourself.
Lactose and Stomach Cramps
If you're lactose intolerant, drinking and digesting milk can be a problem. The solution is simple.
Buy lactose free milk. You can get it in 1% and fat free versions and it tastes just like regular milk. It even cooks up the same in recipes. In fact, every recipe that calls for milk on WeBeFit.com was tested with lactose free, fat free milk.
If you still want to buy regular milk, then pop a couple lactase enzyme supplements (like Lactaid) right before you eat. Several clinical trials now show they help increase lactose digestion without side effects. Take one before you have something with dairy and the nutrients will go to your muscles instead of winding up flushed down the toilet.
The standard dose for someone moderately lactose intolerant is 2,500 to 5,000 FCC units of lactase before consuming dairy. If you're more sensitive, consider 10,000 to 20,000 FCC units. (FCC stands for Food Chemicals Codex. It's an international standard for purity and identity of food ingredients.)
Soy Milk
Soy Milk is a favorite replacement for people who are worried about cow's milk. It's marketed as a way to reduce cholesterol, doesn't have lactose in it and it contains no animal products. A cup of soy milk looks very similar to whole milk, but with less calories. It has only 100 calories and 36% fat, nearly the same protein as cow's milk but half the sugars. Light soy milk has only 70 calories, 26% fat and 6 grams of protein per cup. Unfortunately soy milk has a couple problems.
The first is something called a biological value or BV. Soy protein has a score of 74, while the whey protein from cows milk gets a 104. The higher the number, the better it is at building muscle and preventing lean tissue loss. If you're an athlete or bodybuilder, you want to choose foods that maximize your muscle building potential. Cow's milk with its higher BV score is the natural choice.
Rice Milk
Rice milk doesn't have phytoestrogens in it, but it's nearly devoid of protein. One cup has 120 calories, 18% fat, and only a single gram of protein. What's worse is a third of the calories are from sugar. It's a good source of calcium, but you'd be better off getting that from leafy green vegetables than rice milk.
Almond Milk
Almond milk is a nutritional nightmare. One cup has only 60 calories, but fully half are from sugar, 37% is from fat and the remainder is one single gram of protein. Almond milk fans will point out that it is lactose and gluten free. Well so is water, and it won't weigh you down with fat and sugar. If you really want almonds, get them in nut form.
Coconut Milk
Coconut milk makes almond milk look like a health food. A single cup packs in 467 calories and a heart stopping 50 grams of fat. That's more fat than four McDonald's Cheeseburgers. Coconut milk is something to use with desserts, not something you consume daily.
Now that you know, which milk will you choose?
Click Here for Part One...Milk, Infants and Pasteurization, The Real Story
Click Here for Part Two...Milk, Calcium Osteoporosis and Cancer Connection
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