Reduced fat dairy – is it good for you?

At Healthy Kids Association we recommend choosing reduced fat dairy products over full fat counterparts, most of the time. Whenever we make this recommendation, we receive a lot of feedback from parents who ask why. Mixed in with confusion, we find there are many myths surrounding reduced fat dairy – we thought it was time to clear things up.

First, why do kids need dairy?

Dairy is one of the most important food groups in a child’s diet. Dairy foods are a main source of calcium – a nutrient we all need for strong bones and teeth. In fact, the most recent Australian National Children’s Nutrition Survey revealed that 77 per cent of girls and 64 per cent of boys aged 12 to 15 years old are not consuming the recommended daily requirement for calcium. It’s important to encourage the consumption of nutritious calcium-rich foods in children. (Read here to learn why we need calcium.)

Why do we recommend reduced fat dairy?

Our advice is in accordance with the Australian Dietary Guidelines that recommend an overall diet low in saturated fat. Keep in mind that the guidelines are developed to cater to the majority of the population and don’t take into account individual circumstances. Across the board, Australians are consuming too much saturated fat – getting children into the habit of selecting reduced fat dairy most of the time is a step towards developing long-term healthy eating habits. Our advice: look at your child’s diet and analyse all the areas where they might be consuming unnecessary saturated fat – full fat yoghurt, cookies, chips, cheese, fried foods, ice-cream, fatty meats, etc. Think about how you can try to reduce the overall saturated fat in your child’s diet by cutting back on ‘extra’ or occasional foods that are not from the five food groups (such as cookies, chips, etc) and choosing reduced-fat dairy most of the time.

Why is reduced-fat dairy recommended only for children after the age of two?

Children grow so much in the first two years of life that they easily use the energy (kilojoules) in full-fat dairy to help them grow. Once their growth rate slows (after the age of two) reduced fat dairy is the recommendation.

How is skim or reduced fat milk made?

The fat is removed from the milk using a machine that rotates at high speeds and causes the heavier component to be thrown towards the outside of the bowl. The cream enriched with milk fat is removed and used to make butter and cream products leaving behind a variety of nutritious proteins, vitamins and minerals naturally found in the milk.

Is anything added to reduced-fat milk once the fat is removed?

After some or all of the fat has been removed from milk, ‘skim milk solids’ are sometimes added to retain taste and increase the level of important nutrients such as protein and calcium. Milk solids are the dried powder left after all the water is removed from milk (similar to milk powder you can buy at the supermarket). Adding these back to the milk make the taste and texture more appealing. Fat soluble vitamins A and K which are naturally present in the fat component of milk may also be added to replace those that are lost when the fat is removed.

Does reduced fat milk contain more sugar than full fat milk?

All milk naturally contains lactose, a type of sugar. There is generally no ‘added’ sugar in plain reduced fat milk. Reduced fat and skim milk may, however, taste sweeter simply because the fat isn’t present or if skim milk powder was added to improve the taste.

Reduced fat flavoured milk, however, does contain added sugar, but it still has the same beneficial nutrients as plain milk. For kids, the best choice is reduced-fat plain milk, however if flavoured milk is more palatable and it helps a child to consume more dairy, then small serves that are less than 300ml, a few times a week, are suitable nutritious choices.

Keep in mind that while flavoured milk contains more sugar than plain milk, it still contains more nutrients than juices, energy drinks, soda or fruit drinks. Plus, it provides children with both protein, calcium and a range of essential vitamins and other minerals. Many other sugar sweetened drinks (such as juice drinks or soft drink) have few other nutrients apart from energy (kilojoules) and can be easily over consumed, which can lead to weight gain.

Does reduced fat milk contain less calcium than full fat milk?

No, in fact quite the opposite. Reduced fat milks are often slightly higher in calcium than regular-fat milk because removing the fat increases the levels of the remaining nutrients. Some reduced-fat milks may also have milk solids added which increase the calcium content, or they may have added calcium. These products can help children meet their calcium needs especially if they struggle to consume the quantities or serves recommended every day.