Is Full-Fat Dairy Good For You?
By Randi Morse
If there's one thing that is sure to disappear quickly in my house, it's anything dairy. Cheese, milk, ice cream, it all seems to disappear in the blink of an eye. I think my teenage daughter goes through a block of cheddar cheese once a week simply from all the breakfast burritos she makes! As soon as my children were more than 2 years old I was cautious to only purchase reduced fat milk. I was always told that it was what was most healthy for my children. New research, however, is showing that full-fat dairy may not be as bad as the experts previously thought.
Cardiovascular Disease
One of the big reasons why many people stay away from full-fat dairy is because we are told that the reduced fat version is better for our cardiovascular system. The main reason we think this is because of research that pointed toward low-fat and fat-free dairy being helpful for reducing blood pressure and lowering cholesterol. Recent research, however, is showing differently. Studies are showing that the fat may not need to be removed from the dairy in order to get the benefits from it. Not only that, this research is even hinting that full-fat dairy might even be more beneficial than fat-free dairy.
Body Weight
I was always told that in order to be thinner I needed to have only reduced fat dairy, but studies are now showing that full-fat dairy is actually being connected with a reduced risk of obesity. The theory behind this is that full-fat dairy sates you faster, and because it tastes richer you may not need as much of it to help you feel satisfied. Completely restricting your diet is never a good idea, and studies have proven that it's not a successful strategy for achieving, or maintaining, a healthy weight simply because it's not generally sustainable. Allowing yourself to have full-fat dairy may be a good option for those looking to lose weight.
While all this research is pointing toward full-fat dairy being much healthier than previously thought, it's important to realize that you need to be cautious about what type of full-fat dairy you enjoy. Having a glass of full-fat milk or some full-fat yogurt is a much healthier option than a huge bowl of ice cream, for example.
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