The Full-Fat Paradox - why we use whole milk at FitFarms

Often one of the first surprises for our clients is when they discover that we use full-fat milk at all of our retreats.

Matt, our chef, does all of his cooking in our open-plan kitchen and dining rooms. This way you get to see how he prepares food and have the chance to pick his brains throughout the week (trust me, you’ll want to once you’ve tasted his mint, pea and spinach sauce!). When clients first see him take blue-topped milk out of the fridge on the first day the reaction is usually one of surprise.

This is understandable; many people go for skimmed or semi-skimmed milk when they are trying to manage their weight because green- and red-topped milk contain less fat and calories.

But that isn’t the whole story. Here are some of the reasons that we go for full-fat whenever possible.

Full-fat fills you up faster

Feeling full isn’t just about the quantity of food that is in your stomach. The type of food plays a major role in making you feeling satisfied. Consuming full-fat products fills you up faster because the higher fat content sends signals to your brain telling you when you have had enough.

Full-fat helps you absorb more micro-nutrients

Many of the micronutrients that our bodies need are fat soluble. This means that we need to eat them along with fat in order to access them. The extra fat in whole milk and other full-fat dairy allows you to do this.

Full-fat keeps you fuller for longer

Fat takes a while to digest compared to carbohydrates so you will stay feeling full for longer, which you will appreciate during the busy program of exercise and activities on the Fit Farms courses. Full-fat dairy also produces less of a spike in blood sugar levels, and so avoids the inevitable crash in energy that comes after a meal that is high in carbs.

A calorie is not a calorie

The issue of full-fat milk gets to the heart of the matter that not all calories are made equal - the source of the calorie matters enormously as to it’s effect on your body i.e. what it does to your blood sugar and insulin levels and whether it is burned as energy or stored as fat.

This might sound complicated but it really isn’t - rather than painstakingly counting calories, here at Fit Farms our focus is on eating real foods as close as possible to the way they are found in nature - it couldn’t be more simple!

Full-fat tastes better!

Not only is it simple and better for you, full-fat milk is also delicious. There is a reason that most low-fat dairy products contain so much sugar - they have to replace all the flavour that is lost when the fat is removed! By using full-fat dairy we don’t need to use sugar to make our food taste good, making it easier to meet your goals for a healthier weight.

This doesn’t just go for dairy

If you are vegan, lactose intolerant or just don’t like milk, then all of this information still applies. Eating fats as they are found in nature (e.g. in nuts and seeds, oily fish, avocado and cold pressed oils like olive oil) have the same effect on the body and still taste great too!

Rebecca

Special blog post editorial from one of our FitFarms Health and Fitness instructors.