Whole milk, skim milk, 2 percent — what’s the difference?
This is the second article in a series exploring how milk gets from the farm to an athlete.
Last week, we shared the quick story of how milk gets from the farm to the grocery store. But we left out important details at the processing plant, leaving out the answer to perhaps our most commonly asked question — what is the difference between whole milk and fat-free?
The answer in its most simple form is this: the true difference between whole and fat free milk is the fat content. All cow’s milk sold in grocery stores across the U.S. contains the same nutrition components, including eight grams of quality protein per cup, along with eight additional essential nutrients your body needs to function at its best.
As mentioned in our last article, when cows are milked on the farm, their milk is combined into a large tank of milk. Each cow produces milk with a slightly different fat content. However, the milk sold at the grocery store has a standard of identity (this way milk tastes the same everywhere) — whole milk is closest to the average fat found in milk before processing.
When fresh milk is brought to the processing plant, it is quickly separated into milk and cream — all of the fat is skimmed off of the milk.
A system of precise and careful machines adds back certain percentages of fat to the milk so that it can be labeled as either whole milk (containing 3.25 percent milk fat), Reduced Fat Milk (with 2 percent fat), Low-Fat (with 1 percent fat) or non-fat or skim milk (no milk fat).
Consumers are left to decide which milk they enjoy the taste of most, and which milk fits best in their diet.
Athletes can train harder and perform better with proper nutrition. Visit WesternDairyAssociation.org to read more about milk as an exercise recovery beverage and learn how to eat for peak athletic performance.
