Forget the Fat-Free Dairy: Just Eat the Full-Fat Stuff Already
Same advice holds true whether you're looking to boost your performance or lose weight.
By Heather Mayer Irvine
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Before I get on my soapbox, I'll be honest with you: I wasn't always on the full-fat dairy train. When I was growing up, my family always bought low-fat or fat-free milk, cheese, yogurt, and cottage cheese. After all, that's what was considered healthy in the '90s and early aughts.
But within the last few years, I've changed my tune, switching to whole milk, whole-milk yogurts, regular cheese, and butter instead of Smart Balance. That's largely in part to the growing body of scientific evidence that's saying the saturated fat in dairy may not actually be so bad. Not to mention, whole milk tastes a hell of a lot better than watery skim—both in my coffee and mixed with chocolate syrup after a speed workout.
When I was the food and nutrition editor for Runner's World, I made it a point to serve up content in the magazine and website that encouraged runners to eat a balanced diet, which included the full-fat stuff. Yes, I know nutrition science is constantly changing—a huge challenge when trying to advise readers on what's best to eat—but the more I read and experienced firsthand, the more I began to agree with author Michael Pollan: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."
I've talked before about my battle with an eating disorder, and it wasn't until I started eating everything in moderation—ice cream, bread, burgers—that my weight stabilized, and I felt good about myself.
When I started buying whole milk instead of skim, the number on the scale didn't go up. My pants didn't get too tight. I felt fuller. My coffee with cream tasted better than the dirty-water swill that came from adding skim milk.
Last week, a new study came out (we wrote about it here) that found the saturated fat in dairy was not tied to heart disease over the long term. And that's not all: One of the fatty acid chains in particular may even be linked to a decreased risk of stroke.
Unlike previous studies, this research looked at three fatty acids in dairy, as opposed to just one. And it followed adults over a long period of time—more than two decades.
"Our research adds to an increasing body of evidence showing no harm (or benefit) to heart disease or overall mortality associated with consumption of whole-fat dairy foods," says lead researcher Marcia Otto, Ph.D., nutritional and cardiovascular epidemiologist at UTHealth Houston's School of Public Health.
She also pointed out, in an email to Runner's World, that these findings need to be confirmed and further investigated in larger studies "so that we may understand potential mechanisms linking this fatty acid to lower risk of stroke."
While these findings were based on older adults (65 and above) who weren't necessarily active, that only strengthens the case for runners to eat full-fat dairy, says Pam Nisevich Bede, R.D., owner of Swim, Bike, Run, Eat.
"Given that athletes have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease anyway, these findings make me feel even more confident [about recommending full-fat dairy] for athletes. Their risk is even lower," Bede told Runner's World.
So going full-fat dairy is not only not bad for your health, it comes with a whole host of other benefits for runners: It makes you feel full so you're not snacking on empty calories later in the day, and the fat allows for certain nutrient absorption, like vitamins A, D, E, and K. Dairy is also an excellent source of protein, to help your muscles recover, and calcium, phosphorous, and vitamin D to help strengthen your bones.
Okay, so if you're still not convinced, and you're saying, "Well you can get those nutrients from low- or fat-free dairy," you're not wrong. But when you remove fat from foods, you need to replace it with something to make the food or drink more palatable. We're talking about artificial fillers, thickeners, and yep, sugar—which is worse than fat, but more on that at another time.
"You're not doing yourself any health favors with low- or fat-free," says Bede.
And yes, we're still advocating for full-fat dairy even if you're trying to lose weight. Why? You need fat in your diet. As I mentioned, it helps your body absorb nutrients. It also helps produce certain hormones your body needs. And it protects your organs and keeps you warm.
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"Just pay attention to portion sizes," says Bede.
I don't doubt we'll see a study come out that says, "Wait a minute, maybe we were wrong to recommend full-fat dairy." That's how nutrition science goes—it's in a constant state of flux. But I'm confident that if you consume everything in moderation, eat a balanced diet that's rich in fruit, veggies, whole grain, and yes, full-fat dairy, and exercise, your health, weight, and performance will be better off. Not to mention, food will taste a lot better.
Heather Mayer Irvine Freelance Writer Heather is the former food and nutrition editor for Runner's World and the author of The Runner's World Vegetarian Cookbook.
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