The Skinny on Skinny!
I was prompted to write about this topic because today I overheard two people discussing how good skinny milk is compared to “full fat” as they called it. So, my brain went into a full on argument as the Naturopath in me was screaming “NO ITS NOT” while the Non-Naturopath part of me said “just mind your own business and let them have their discussion”.
It does always interest and amaze me when I hear these types of conversations, I think what a wonderful job the marketing team has done on such a product. Although I also realise how confusing and complex our health messaging has become.
Low fat diets started in the 1960’s with low fat milk being released in 1978. By the 80’s there was also skinny milk and a number of other low fat products, in fact low fat or reduced fat milks held 12.5% of the marketplace.
This does make sense as these low fat skinny milk conversations are usually amongst the older generation who grew up with this ideal of low fat being healthy.
2010 saw a huge increase in plant and nut based milks which has nothing to do with being low fat or skinny. There is still debate whether these factory produced milks are better than full fat dairy milk. But that is a whole other debate!!
Back to skinny milk though! If you are taking skinny milk in your coffee to help reduce weight, then please know you are being misled. Skinny milk does contain less fat but the problem is it also contains far more sugar. This is because when you remove the fat from the milk you are left with a higher concentration of carbohydrate, protein and the natural sugar from lactase, which means sugar.
So, although the difference in carbohydrates, and sugars is only slightly higher in skinny milk, the fat content is much less. This means that you are getting a big carbohydrate hit which will eventually turn into glucose as both sugars and carbs are metabolised via the same pathways and the end product is glucose.
You will see plenty of charts from specific organizations trying to convince you that skinny or low-fat milk doesn’t have added sugar (which it doesn’t) and then they will go on to say that if you are watching your weight or have cholesterol issues you should avoid regular fat milk. This is a whole lot of confusing information.
Fat is not always the issue with weight gain, but sugar is! Good quality fats can help you to reduce weight and improve cholesterol. But sugar (which is found in so many products)(and carbs) is a key problem when it comes to blood glucose regulation and feelings of fullness.
Sugar is empty calories, and you need more of them to feel full. Fats (good fats) on the other hand have a slower GI rate and help you to feel fuller which means you need less of them.
When you consider low-fat flavoured yogurt, the sugar content is even higher. These are often referred to as health food options, when in fact they are loaded with way too much sugar and should be avoided. If you want to eat yogurt with fruit, then get a good quality full-fat yogurt, like sheep or goat’s milk, and add in fresh fruit. Adding in cinnamon and grated apple means you do not need to add any sweetener and you then have a much lower sugar-based meal.
Another issue around skinny milk is when you see people ordering a skinny coffee but then ordering a piece of cake or a sweet treat with it. This increases the glycemic load rather considerably.
So next time you are ordering your coffee avoid the skinny milk, unless you are drinking purely for taste and have no weight or insulin issues. Full-fat milk or alternative milks are better options. Or if you are game just try a long black!
Reference
https://australianfoodtimeline.com.au/low-fat-milk/