Reasons to Avoid Low Fat Dairy

Remember the low fat fad from several years back? It seemed like every product was being made into a “low fat” version, especially dairy products like milk and cheese. Unfortunately, that mentality is still wedged deep into many people’s minds. So while we are aware of the benefits of full fat dairy like raw milk and real cheese, a large portion of the population is still waiting to hear about reasons to avoid low fat dairy. This post explains the many benefits of full fate dairy and why the low fat way falls short … way short.

“I think it’s safe to say that one of the biggest myths recently sabotaging many Americans’ diets is the idea that low-fat and fat-free foods are healthy. It first started in the ’50s and was largely a result of seriously flawed research by Ancel Keys. Fortunately, most people are recognizing the fallacy of this myth, but many still believe it.

In a recent Consumer Reports survey, 51 percent of Americans said they are limiting their consumption of fat. It’s not clear what type of fat was being limited, but chances are this lumps ALL fats into one evil category, when in reality the only types of fats you should really be limiting are man-made varieties like trans fats and rancid, refined polyunsaturated fats in vegetable oils.

Unfortunately, fats in general are considered the dietary villains by many people, even though natural fats, like the kind found in full-fat raw dairy, are very good for you.

Science Shows Full-Fat Dairy Is Good for You

You probably already realize this but I want to make it perfectly clear that I do not recommend consuming pasteurized dairy products of any kind. When I discuss dairy being healthy, I am referring to the organic, unprocessed raw varieties. Unfortunately, research studies on raw dairy are few and far between, so I’m going to refer to studies using pasteurized dairy for the sake of showing that the full-fat versions are the better choice.

For instance, research shows that consuming full-fat dairy may help reduce your risk of:

Diabetes: Palmitoleic acid, which occurs naturally in full-fat dairy products and meat, protects against insulin resistance and diabetes. One study found people who consumed full-fat dairy had higher levels of trans-palmitoleate in their blood, and this translated to a two-thirds lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to people with lower levels.

Cancer: Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a type of fat found naturally in cow’s milk, significantly lowers the risk of cancer. In one study, those who ate at least four servings of high-fat dairy foods each day had a 41 percent lower risk of bowel cancer3 than those who ate less than one. Each increment of two servings of dairy products equaled a 13 percent reduction in a woman’s colon cancer risk.”