We always hear about whole milk vs. skim milk and almond milk vs. organic milk and so on and so forth…but which one is better? Or are they all the same? Well, I’m not a fan of milk…at all. As a matter of fact, I only use milk when I absolutely have to…I mean I only put enough in my cereal to keep it from scratching up the roof of my mouth! But, I received a question about the different types of milk and their benefits, so here it is!

I began researching for this article about a week ago and I should have written it then because Yahoo posted an article today that kind of threw a wrench in my plan. The article gave 4 milk myths…one of which is kind of "iffy" in my book (Myth #4)….but hey they have their theories and I have mine and I’ll let you decide which you do or do not agree with. Click here to read the article from Yahoo.

As you know milk is one of the major sources of calcium and Vitamin D, but those are only a few of the benefits. Other benefits of milk consumption are listed below.

Benefits of Milk:
• Help with skin, hair, and nails (calcium, Vitamin D)
• Helps rebuild muscles
• Helps with PMS
• Helps with sleep
• Helps build strong bones
• Helps with cavities

Now that that’s out of the way, lets get back to the matter at hand. What type of milk is the best? My answer is: It depends on what your needs are, but no person over the age of 2 should have whole milk as a staple in their diet. Yes, it is ok to drink from time to time and even to use for different recipes, but almost 50% of the 146 calories (in 1 serving) come from fat. Better choices include 2%, 1% , no fat or even almond milk.


I hope that this helps when deciding what type of milk you should drink
Below I have listed the nutritional value of different types of milk as well as some benefits of each.

Milk vs. Milk
Whole Milk	146 Calories per serving (71 calories from fat) Good Source of Vitamin D and Calcium, but high in saturated fat
2%	122 calories (43 calories from fat) Good source of essential vitamins and nutrients (Vit.D, calcium, protein), but high in saturated fat.
1%	102 calories (21 calories from fat) Good source of vitamins, but high in sugar (13g)
0% or Fat Free	80 calories (0 calories from fat) Good source of vitamins, but a large portion of calories come from sugar
Lactose Free	For lactose intolerant individuals
Almond Milk	70 calories, doesn’t spoil. Good source of magnesium, potassium and Vitamin E, flavorful
Organic Milk	110 calories, extremely limited exposure to any type of drug, ultra pasteurized. ** Make sure the milk is truly organic**Consuming this is more about personal choice
Chocolate Milk	192 calories (52 calories from fat). High in sugar
Soy Milk	131 calories (38 calories from fat). Contains no lactose and only vegetable proteins. Made from soybeans
Nutrition Facts from : www.nutritiondata.self.com www.livestrong.com