In my book, Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism, I have a chapter called "Milk: Does it really “Do a Body Good?” The truth is that low-fat dairy is overrated. You are in the grocery store and two jugs of mi
lk sit side by side, one skim and one whole milk. Now, without any other information about the ingredients, which one has been scientifically proven to cause weight gain and heart disease, and which has been proven to support weight loss and coronary health? If you’re like most Americans you’ll pick the skim milk as the healthier choice. And despite the fact that your answer would be marketed and advertised as the right choice, you’d be wrong.
In 2007, this false advertisement of dairy’s “three-a-day” weight-loss campaign was stopped after a lawsuit by the Physicians Concerned with Responsible Medicine. They charged that 24 of the 27 studies behind the claim had not only failed to prove a connection between dairy and weight loss, but they had all been studied by a single researcher and funded by the Dairy Council. The Federal Trade Commission ruled that the advertisements were false, and the Dairy Council was mandated to stop them.
So here’s the problem, during the same period that the consumption of low-fat fare rose in the United States, our rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease multiplied exponentially! Health experts are attributing this to our replacing natural whole foods rich in nutrients, including naturally occurring fats, with nutrient-poor, processed foods filled with sugar, refined carbohydrates and man-made oils. This trend and a number of recent studies are finding that fats from whole foods, including saturated, are not the enemy we’ve been led to believe; and that low-fat dairy isn’t the weight-loss ally it has been pushed as.
The Harvard School of Public Health have always insisted that evidence tying dietary fat and cholesterol to blood cholesterol and arterial damage are not the bad guys. The body produces cholesterol to heal inflammation and internal injuries; elevated cholesterol levels are in response to coronary damage not a cause of it. Harvard points out that a low-fat dietary approach can have a number of negative health effects, some of which are tied to reduced absorption of essential nutrients that can only be absorbed in the body when consumed with fats. People are at risk for deficiencies of the important fat-soluble vitamins and nutrients when they consume low-fat foods.
The Harvard study goes on to state that the popularity of a low-fat diets have caused “unintended health consequences” by encouraging increased consumption of refined carbohydrates and trans-fats. The bad press about naturally occurring saturated fats played a key role in encouraging people to embrace processed-food products like “I Can’t Believe It’s not Butter,” powdered coffee creamers, and fake fat-free cool-whip. These items are filled with trans-fats and carbohydrates; which were once praised as healthful replacements for foods containing saturated fats, but recent studies have proven them to be the true culprit to increasing obesity, diabetes and heart-disease.
An endocrinologist at Harvard, David Ludwig, MD, PhD, leads the distinguished OWL Program (Optimal Weight for Life) for childhood obesity at Boston University Hospital. He has had overwhelming success using a low-glycemic approach to weight loss rather than a low-fat one. Ludwig finds that too much insulin caused by high-glycemic foods are far more prone to cause weight gain than consumption of saturated fats; including those in full-fat dairy products. Ludwig proves that fat helps restrain insulin levels and appetite.
No- or low-fat dairy actually functions as a hindrance to weight loss for people. When the fat is removed from milk, what remains are a significant amount of un-absorbable fat-soluble vitamins and a surplus of lactose, or milk sugar, with some protein but no fat to slow its entrance into the bloodstream; which causes a spike in insulin levels, the fat-storing hormone! This doesn’t even account for the plentiful amounts of sugar often added to low- and no-fat dairy products to make them taste palatable and improve their flavor in the absence of naturally satisfying fat I get so frustrated when I hear marketing “experts” recommend chocolate milk as a post-exercise recovery drink; yeah, if you are trying to put on weight!
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Teenagers that consume skim milk are twice as likely to suffer severe acne than teens that consume whole milk!
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Not only does an extra dose of lactose potentially lead to insulin problems, many experts argue that most of us aren’t genetically inclined to digest it well in the first place. Studies prove that about 70 percent of people are somewhat intolerant to dairy and lactose as adults. In fact, we stop producing lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose in the intestines, shortly after infancy, when we officially no longer need it. Consuming dairy may not make us instantly ill, but undigested lactose in the intestine can cause all kinds of undesirable issues, such as painful bloating, flatulence, diarrhea, stomach cramps, skin rashes, acne and ear aches. Think about it…we are the only mammals that continue to drink milk after infancy and the only species that drinks milk from another mother.
And for people who can’t tolerate dairy, there’s no reason to be worried about lack of dairy leading to nutritional deficiencies; American’s have the highest calcium intake, yet we have the highest rate of hip fractures. AND Almond milk has twice as much calcium as dairy milk!
Fat-Soluble Vitamins: 2 percent, 1 percent and skim milk, are required to be fortified with vitamins, but not whole milk, especially when it comes to vitamin A. That’s because about 1,400 to 1,600 International Units (I.U.) are already in it. Skim milk has a slightly higher percentage of fortified vitamins D, E and K than whole milk, but it doesn’t serve much purpose: All these vitamins are fat-soluble, so without fat, they pass out of the small intestine undigested.
Strong Immune System: Butterfat contains glycosphingolipids, which have been proven to have infection and disease fighting properties. Butterfat is an amazing fat; it has properties that maintain gut flora, it has nutrients that support your immune system, and it helps fight cancer.
Fertility and Sex Drive: The hormones that make us able to reproduce, testosterone, estrogen and progesterone, are created from the cholesterol produced by our bodies and is found in full-fat dietary sources such as milk and other animal fats. That’s why statin medications used to lower cholesterol levels can also notably reduce sex drive. Eating full-fat dairy might also help women get pregnant; according to the Harvard School of Public Health, women who consumed at least one serving a day of full-fat dairy were 27 percent less likely to experience ovulation-related fertility issues.
So remember this:
1. Butter-fat is in milk for a reason: without it, cannot absorb the vitamins and minerals (Vitamins A, D, E and K are FAT SOLUBLE!)
2. Synthetic vitamin D, is added to replace the natural vitamin D; which is ridiculous and a waste of money because you can't absorb vitamin D without fat).
3. Non-fat dried milk is added to Skim, 1% and 2% milk: dried milk is produced by forcing skim milk through tiny holes at high temperatures and pressures which damages its nutrients.
4. Unlike the cholesterol in fresh milk, the cholesterol in non-fat dried milk is oxidized and this rancid cholesterol promotes heart disease.
5. All spray dried products (non-fat dried milk) has a high nitrite content
6. Precious enzymes are destroyed in the pasteurization process: without them, milk is very difficult to digest
7. The pancreas can’t produce these enzymes; stress of the pancreas = diabetes and other diseases.
So depending on you how much you enjoy dairy, if you can tolerate lactose, and it works with your biochemistry and metabolism are all things to consider if you chose to consume dairy or not; all of which are very individualized. The important thing is to recognize dairy’s strengths and downsides. Choosing “Pasture-Fed” or “Grass-Fed” milk is a good first step. Pasture-fed cows have significantly more omega-3 fatty acids. It also contains a dietary compound called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), shown to help reduce body fat and increase lean tissue (see CLA chapter). The key to the production of CLA appears to be in the fresh grass cows eat, so grain-fed dairy products won’t have the same benefits. Pasture feeding is also the most humane method of keeping livestock, and the low-stress conditions keep stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline out of the cow’s milk. Also look for “USDA Organic,” which guarantees that cows are getting organic-certified feed and aren’t given antibiotics or bovine growth hormone (rBGH), which means the milk has fewer toxic byproducts. This is important for full-fat dairy, since toxins concentrate in fat.
Changing your mentality that we have a duty to chug 3 glasses of hormone filled milk a day and be free to discover different forms of dairy as a joy is step one. Step two is to understand that enjoying a creamy tasteful “umami” filled dollop of real cream is what life is all about.
I find milk substitutes as welcomed treat. Some milk substitutes do have quite a bit of sugar. In my family we use unsweetened Almond Milk and Coconut Milk.
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DAIRY FREE LASAGNA
1 lb Italian sausage
1 lb grass fed ground beef
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar no sugar marinara sauce
"CHEESE SAUCE:"
1 cup organic beef or chicken broth
4 oz soft goat cheese
4 cups hard goat cheese, shredded
2 eggs
"NOODLES:"
1 lb. thinly sliced deli Chicken Breast
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Drain out fat (otherwise it will be too 'soupy'). Stir in marinara sauce.
In a saucepan, heat the broth and soft goat cheese, whisk until well combined. Add in the shredded hard goat cheese and mix well. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Slowly whisk in the eggs (not too fast or you will get scrambled eggs).
To assemble, spread half of the meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange chicken breast slices over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the goat cheese mixture. Top with a layer of chicken breast slices. Repeat layers, and top with remaining goat cheese sauce. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.
NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per cup):
Traditional Noodles = 246 calories, 0g fat, 1g protein, 43g carbs, 5g fiber (38g effective carbs)
"Healthified" Noodles = 84 calories, 1g fat, 20g protein, 2g carb, 0g fiber (2g effective carbs)
NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving):
Traditional Lasagna = 574 calories, 26g fat, 15.7g protein, 49.7g carbs, 3.4g fiber (46.3g effective carbs)
"Healthified" Lasagna= 336 calories, 21.6g fat, 27.5g protein, 3.3g carb, trace fiber (3.3g effective carbs)