The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend full-fat dairy, a change from previous nutrition guidance that emphasized low- or fat-free dairy over whole milk. However, the new guidelines also recommend limiting saturated fat intake even though whole milk is high in saturated fats.
To help navigate these recommendations, we asked Ashlee Carnahan, MS, RDN, CLC, a registered dietitian and manager of nutrition and education services at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, if whole milk is healthy.
*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Q: There seems to be a growing backlash against plant-based milk and even skim milk on social media. Many consumers are returning to cow’s milk, especially whole milk. Is it actually a healthier choice than low-fat milk or non-dairy milk?
Carnahan: It’s very individualized and depends on your diet as a whole. The new guidelines still recommend that less than 10% of your calories come from saturated fat. Let’s say someone prefers whole milk and yogurt and generally doesn’t eat meat. In that case, I would support them picking those dairy products as their source of fat.
Whether you pick low-fat, fat-free, or whole milk, the nutrients we are looking for from milk are basically the same. These are all fortified with vitamin D and provide the same amount of calcium. The only thing missing from low-fat or skim milk is the fat itself.
Look at your overall diet when deciding if you should drink whole or skim milk. You don’t have to eliminate saturated fats from your diet, but pay attention to the saturated fat sources in your diet, especially if you already eat a lot of foods higher in saturated fats, like steak, pork, fried foods, and packaged foods.
Also, think about how much milk you drink in a day. Do you plan to have one cup, or do you prefer to drink milk with every meal? These factors can help you decide if you should prioritize lower-fat milks over whole milk.
At the end of the day, if you prefer whole milk, you should drink whole milk—just try to decrease something else in your diet that may have higher saturated fat content. If you drink skim milk, that’s great, too, and you have a little more flexibility throughout your day.
Q: What about plant-based milk?
Carnahan: Some people can’t tolerate dairy because they are lactose intolerant or have gastrointestinal issues.
If you pick plant-based milks, try to avoid flavored varieties, which can have high amounts of added sugar. Plant-based milks also tend to have less protein than cow’s milk.
I’m not going to say everybody should drink cow’s milk, because everyone has different circumstances and different preferences, so that’s simply not the case. But consider why you’re choosing what you’re choosing, and think about how to balance your diet moving forward.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Brown is a nutrition writer who received her Didactic Program in Dietetics certification from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Previously, she worked as a nutrition educator and culinary instructor in New York City.
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