3 reasons to feed little ones whole milk products
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I can already hear what you’re thinking. “Full fat dairy products? But isn’t fat…bad?”
Even if we’ve all moved on, logically, from the low-fat craze of the 1990s, the truth is that many of us still have a knee-jerk negative reaction to the idea of consuming fat.
Sometimes we’re so used to buying low-fat and skim milk products for ourselves that we unconsciously avoid full-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese for our babies and toddlers.
But little ones – up to the age of at least two – need full-fat dairy products! Here are three good reasons why:
- Brain Power: Your baby or toddler’s brain is developing rapidly at this point, and brains are literally built on fat.
- Quick Energy: With all that scooting, crawling, playing, and – oh yeah – growing, your tot is burning up an amazing amount of energy every day. He needs the extra calories available in fat to keep up with his body’s demands.
- Picky, Picky: Toddlers tend to be picky eaters, and providing full-fat milk, yogurt, cheese and other dairy products can act as “insurance” to make sure they’re getting all the calories and fat they need.
What about older kids, teens, and grown-ups? Well, the jury is still out on that. For decades we’ve been warned against the saturated fat in whole milk and whole milk products, but a growing body of evidence seems to suggest that full-fat dairy and other fatty foods are actually good for us…even those of us who have left childhood far behind.
While I’m not sure I’m ready to start slurping down glasses of whole milk (after a lifetime of nothing higher than 2%, that would be quite a change!) I have to admit that reading the debate has made me feel a lot better about all the times I’ve sneaked my little one’s YoBaby yogurt out of the fridge. Whole milk is a whole food, after all; minimally processed and as close to its natural form as possible.
Maybe what’s good for my kids is good for me? That’s the kind of common sense I could get behind.
Doesn’t whole milk just mean that the processors put back more of the fat than they did when processing the lower fat milk alternatives? That’s my understanding as whole milk is really just 4% fat content where as reduced is 2% and low is 1%. So the whole milk is really no less processed than it’s lower fat counter parts; it just has more fat.
Our pediatrician advises us to feed our children skim or low fat milk as soon as they stop taking formula or breast milk. Given that we don’t drink skim, the kids get 1% milk after they turn 1 which is what we drink. As with many other health issues, I choose to trust my pediatrician on this matter as it is his job to stay on top of the research in this area, a job I think he does quite well.
Margot, I had not read/heard that (about processors putting back more of the fat) but I’m looking into it now! Either way, though, milk that contains the same amount of fat that it originally had is closer to its “natural” state than milk that has had the fat removed and then has been fortified with milk powder. The fat in whole milk helps the body absorb its nutrients. It just makes sense to me that something that is closer to its natural state will also work with the body in the way it’s supposed to – especially when we are talking about infants and toddlers, who are the ones biologically designed to consume milk in the first place.
I’m glad you trust your pediatrician! There is a lot of emerging research about milk and saturated fat, and it’s tricky to keep on top of it all. However, I will say that every recent recommendation I’ve read advises whole-fat dairy until at least the age of two, if not beyond.
As a goatkeeping family you know on which side of the fence I stand – all goat milk is full fat (3.6% – essentially the same as cow dairy). Its naturally homogenized so you don’t create free radicals artificially homogenizing it. It is much less likely to cause allergic reactions because there is so much less Alpha s1 Casein in it, The smaller fat globules and increased medium chain fatty acids make it more easily digested, this also for some reason means many people who are lactose intolerant can drink it even though the lactose levels are only about 10% lower – it just gets more fully digested….and with little ones I just feel better drinking a milk designed to take a 7-9 lb baby to adulthood of 120-200 lbs over a couple of years same fat levels remember – its everything else going on in cows milk that makes me a bit more concerned about it. Full fat dairy isn’t an issue – skimming off the top and eating outrageous amounts of things like butter and cream cheeses, ice cream is more of an issue if you ask me! Whole and unfettered is always better in my opinion.
Milk is meant for calves. Breast milk is meant for babies. Anyone past infancy stage should NOT be drinking milk. Milk after infant stages actually causes osteoporosis and obesity. Milk from a cow is not only drinking milk from another species [totally unnatural!] but also is super high in estrogen. High levels of estrogen have been shown to cause breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. Just go dairy free, it’s really that easy. Plus you have added benefits of less mood swings, less acne breakouts, etc. Cut the extra estrogen out!