Modern life has led to a series of modern diseases, causing people to focus on low-fat diets and prefer skim milk. But is skim milk really good or necessary? Let's look at today's article together to understand the true necessity of skim milk for a healthy diet.
Skim milk is a product that has had most of its fat removed through centrifugation. Typically, whole milk products on the market have a fat content of about 3.0%, low-fat milk (semi-skimmed milk) has 1.0% to 1.5%, while skim milk has only 0.5%.
From a nutritional analysis perspective, 300ml of whole milk contains 9 to 12 grams of fat. An adult generally needs about 60 grams of fat per day. Eating 100 grams of lean pork provides 20 grams of fat, and using a little extra oil for cooking can add 10 grams of fat to a single dish. Therefore, people with high blood pressure and blood lipids do not need to drink skim or low-fat milk.
People with hypercholesterolemia also do not need to choose skim milk. First, the cholesterol content in milk is not high; a glass of milk contains 45 milligrams of cholesterol, while an egg contains 200 milligrams. Furthermore, numerous studies suggest that hypercholesterolemia has little to do with the amount of cholesterol in the diet. About 70% of the body's cholesterol is synthesized by its own "factory," and hypercholesterolemia is closely related to this self-synthesis. The new U.S. Dietary Guidelines in 2015 no longer emphasize restricting cholesterol intake.
In addition, vitamins A, D, E, and K in milk are all found in fat. The general population in China is commonly deficient in vitamin A, and fortified whole milk with vitamins A and D is one of the cheapest and most convenient sources of it. When the fat is skimmed, the fat-soluble vitamins A and D are often removed along with it. Drinking skim milk can reduce the supply of vitamins, which is truly a bit of a loss.
In Western countries, milk consumption is high, so it is understandable to moderately limit the intake of whole milk. However, dietary habits differ, and one cannot simply copy others. Currently, it is recommended that Chinese residents drink 300ml of milk per day. In this case, the fat in milk does not need to be over-concerned, and in general, whole milk is the best choice.
From the above, it can be seen that skim milk is not necessary and is, in fact, not very nutritious. Therefore, one problem with today's food is that it is too refined, to the point where it loses its original nutrients. Therefore, for a healthy diet, everyone can appropriately eat some coarse grains to supplement their bodies with nutrition.