Low fat this, Low fat that.

You want to be cautious about using fat free products with a child in the house.

Oh he has a whole different diet for Antonio. But I really can’t stand the fat free foods he buys. Give me a little fat, I’ll work it off if I have to.

I can't drink homo milk, yuck. However, although these products aren't typical, most low fat products double up on the salt or sugar. They are not always the healthiest choice.
I still use butter, lard not so much. I'm careful with what I eat but I choose lots of veggies, less meat and I pare down on the full flavour stuff, but I still eat it. Everything in moderation - as the saying goes.

I went to 2% milk a few years ago at the insistence of the kids, but the whole low fat and fat free fad was a mistake. We need the fat, it is good for us mostly, and it helps us to feel satisfied and thus to eat less. The weight of Americans has ballooned since the fad started but it is not yet clear how much the low fat diets have caused it and how much the over carbing which also started around that time is to blame.

I never fell for the low fat craze though, coming from healthy stock who used to pour bacon grease on everything and drink nearly 4% fat milk straight from the cow the low fat claims never made any sense to me. I used to laugh when walking past the milk case seeing the dairy charge more for low fat milk than regular, since they got to skim the fat and sell it at a premium plus sell the milk for over full price. They made out like bandits on this scam, that is for sure.

I drink whole milk(organic), eat lots of butter. I eat a rare steak once or twice per week and don't trim the fat. I never believed in a fat free diet. I avoid high carbohydrates, but not entirely. I had steamed kale with my rare steak tonight.

You are a smart man! Butter, of course! Dont be afraid of the butter, as Julia child said often it is lovely.

Watch that 2% milk. Whole milk is only 3%. Not very much, so you're comparing not very much to slightly less than not very much.

What tickles me are the sugar claims. "No sugar added", "Naturally sweetened". These statements don't offer a clue as to how much sugar the really contain.

3.25% actually....when it comes out of the cow the fat content varies some by breed and other factors, but is normally near 4%. It used to be higher, or so my grandfather who used to be a farmer once told me, somewhere around 4.25% with certain breeds.

American whole milk is actually defatted, just not as much as the others.


http://www.uaex.edu/other_areas/publications/pdf/fsa-4014.pdf

3.25 then

More than you wanted to know about fat content of milk, no doubt

Nothing's wasted, but since I don't drink the stuff. . . .

Pfttt our Grandparents I think got it right, it was more "natural" anyway, mostly fresh....chickens, milk, eggs...

To me? It's the process foods I try to avoid I mean eggs have what 9grms of fat, but they are good for you, fill you up, give them to me everyday, anyway I feel like.

To me fat is takeway....simple.

I use whole milk, butter, cream and over 45% cheese. I do not believe in the low fat products.
Several years ago I had gained weight and started using low fat. I did not help one bit as I seemed to be hungry most of the time and snacked much more.
Got back to whole milk, butter etc....Stopped snacking as the body got what it needed of fat, vitamins and enough to eat.
Result .... I lost weight and kept the weight for years.

It's all about moderation and balance, and who these experts are addressing. If you are obese, you likely have a problem with more than just fat.

I love mayo on sandwiches and I'm sure I put 2 T. on my bread; however, I usually only have one once or week, so really, it's no big deal. I have never understood why anyone would bother putting skim milk in their coffee! For me, it's 10% cream - yum.

If you don't enjoy your food, what's the point of eating? It has to taste good and feel good or there's no point. Well, I'm a foodie.

Chopped up raw kale is good in nearly everything - soups, casseroles, salads, meatloaf, you name it - it's so good for you, it's cheap, and it's tasty. I eat it because I love the taste, and it doesn't hurt that it has all the properties listed below.

Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium. Kale, as with broccoli and other brassicas, contains sulforaphane (particularly when chopped or minced), a chemical with potent anti-cancer properties.[1] Boiling decreases the level of sulforaphane; however, steaming, microwaving, or stir frying do not result in significant loss.[2] Along with other brassica vegetables, kale is also a source of indole-3-carbinol, a chemical which boosts DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells.[3][4] Kale is also a good source of carotenoids.[5]

Speaking of kale, I made a kale - sauteed onion - ricotta - eggs - s/p/bit of curry powder - torte yesterday. Crust made with olive oil. I make it as a breakfast food, get six slices out of the pie, which I freeze (after eating the first slice). Delicious. I sometimes use spinach, but prefer kale, which I parboil or saute a little first.
The ricotta - my market doesn't have full fat. Grrrrr. They have low fat and lower fat - I pick the highest one.

In general, I'll eat full fat - just less often than how much I used to eat. On real rendered lard (not the hydrogenated stuff in boxes in the grocery store), I've read that it is somewhat better than butter re type of fat. My primary fat is olive oil.

Re milk, I've read that you need the fat for the vitamin D in the milk to be processed by the body (didn't save a link on that).

I'm in agreement with low fat diet but ... it needs moderation of other habits along with it.

As for use of butter. In moderation I see no current research proving it is a problem. I refuse to use margarine as it is deadly, IMHO. Hydrogenated and/or partially hydrogenated fats are the killer. Research shows margarine to be linked with problems with artherosclerosis. Our bodies don't know what to do with it..so, sadly, it gets stored in arteries, etc.

Re Milk:
An adult has no neded for milk as you can get calcium from dark green vegetables and other dietary sources quite easily. Adult drinking of milk is a dietary mistake. Milk causes excessive creation of mucus and that invites colds and other respiratory problems.

Of course, this doesn't even mention the practice of the dairy industry's massive usage of hormones and their feeding dairy cows tons of antbiotics. I'm just not interested in drinking antibiotcs or hormones, thanks.

Give me Butter or Smart Balance any day.

Re grandparents lifestyle:
Here's the deal as I see it. Our grandparents had a significantly different lifestyle. They worked longer and harder physcially. They did a hell of a lot more walking and daily 'labor'. They also didn't have the 'advantage' of TV in their midst. So their bodies were built in a way that is tougher and that toughness protected them.

Unscientifically, I've noticed that in modern cultures where people watch less TV and have a more physical routine (while having a modern medical system with diseases under control) they live healthier longer, too. Parts of Japan (in the mountainous region) have the greatest concentration of 90+ yr olds in the world. My guess is that it's partially their genes - but it also could be their lifestyle (less cars, pollution and more walking and physical labor).

I don't mind low fat milk but fat free cheese is disgusting! Be careful eliminating all dairy fat from your diet. Unless you're eating grass-fed beef dairy fat is your only natural source of CLA - an essential fatty acid that we've almost eliminated from our diets by eating grain-fed beef and fat free dairy. CLA is important in converting calories to muscle instead of fat (especially abdominal fat) and has been shown in studies to be a good anti-oxident.

Dietarily, there's probably little risk of an American adult removing too much fat from their diet; however, that being said, removing saturated animal fat and hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated fat from an adult's diet is an essential for good heart and overall health.

Further study of the patterns of elderly in parts of Japan (Okinawa) shows the following scientific contibuting factors as to why hey might have the greatest longevity:

http://okicent.org/study.html

1. genetics
2. calorie restriction
3. overall cardiovascular health
4. low cancer risk
5. low osteoporosis (better bone density)
6. healthy cognitive aging (less dementia)
7. more physical activity
8. women's health and aging
9. endocrine system, sex hormones

Re : grandparents

We do not have to go that far back to see we used to move much more.
The telephone was hooked on one place. You had to get up to answer it and often stand up to talk.
The radio stood at the same place and you had to get over there to change the station.
TV had no remote control - up and change channels.
Letter instead of e-mails. You sat down and wrote something of a certain length.
E-mails or SMS is just a short notice -nothing else. No writing an envelope, finding a stamp and walking to the mailbox.