Food & Nutrition
SouthernGal2308
member
Whole Milk vs. Skim Milk for Women
SouthernGal2308
member
Hey! I have heard conflicting information online and on TV. What is best for women who are TTC and when they are actually pregnant? Apparently, skim milk has more sugar, but whole milk has more fat and calories. Some articles I've read say skim milk is stripped of all nutrients and then some other articles say whole milk is more harmful than helpful. Ladies, help me with your OB's advice from your pregnancies! Thanks! 
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Re: Whole Milk vs. Skim Milk for Women
I'm totally lurking, but whole milk is better for all of us. We have a problem in our nutritional mindset in this country that all fat = bad, when we need to be focused instead on what kind of fat we're taking in.
I'm searching for a study I read (though I can't find it now) that said that dairy fat is benign; it doesn't build up in our arteries the way other fats can. Stripping away the fat from milk strips some of its nutrients, and the replacement sugar is much worse than the original dairy fat.
When you're pregnant, you need more calories, anyway. Getting those calories from "good fats" is a smart choice.
(This isn't the article I read, but it discusses the benefits of whole vs. skim: https://www.details.com/style-advice/the-body/201105/skim-milk-non-fat-milk-diet-foods)
This - also whole milk is only 3.5% fat so it's not as though it's a huge amount anyway. Plus skim milk tastes gross.
There was an article posted not too long ago that linked kids drinking skim to higher rates of obesity than those who drink whole. IMO it shouldn't surprise people since sugar content is higher, but again, people think fat makes you fat and it's not true nor that simple.
My OB did not care what I drank. I drank almond milk during pregnancy.
But, I did just read last night that whole fat dairy boosts fertility in women. So the kind of fat found in ice cream, whole milk, etc. will actually increase your chances of conceiving!
As for the whole milk versus skim milk, everything in moderation. How about drink whole milk and drink a bit less of it if you are concerned about the overall number of calories? There really isn't THAT much less calories in skim anyways...if you really need to cut calories consider unsweetened almond milk, for 30 calories a cup instead of the 90 calories skim milk offers.