Types Of Milk

When you go to the supermarket and peruse the dairy aisle, you might notice that there are many different types of milk available for purchase. So many different types, in fact, that it can be overwhelming trying to decide what kind of milk to buy. Below you’ll find descriptions of the various types of milk available for consumption and information about those types.

Raw Milk

Raw milk is not often found in regular supermarkets, though it can generally be bought straight from dairy farmers. Raw milk is not generally consumed in the United States, as there are some health concerns connected with its consumption. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention do not recommend that people drink raw milk. Raw milk can have different fat contents, and can therefore be non fat, skim, or whole milk.

Fat Free Milk

Fat free milk is processed in such a way that it has all of the fat removed. Fat free milk contains 0.5 to zero percent fat. published on A studyCBS News.com showed that individuals who drank nonfat milk after performing resistance-training exercises gained more muscle mass and lost more fat than people who drank energy drinks instead.

Skim Milk

Skimmed milk contains 0.5, 1, or 2 percent fat. Skim milk and fat free milk have approximately the same nutritional value. Drinking skim or fat free milk is very nutritious ways to get the vitamins and minerals present in dairy products without also ingesting the fat which is often present in dairy.

Whole Milk

Whole milk has 3.25 percent butterfat content. While whole milk may not be a healthy choice for most adults because of the high fat content, it may be a good option for very young children who are not drinking either breast milk or toddler formula. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes in their book, Guide To Your Child's Nutrition, that young children need a large amount of fat calories for growth, and especially brain development.

Cream

Cream is the higher-butterfat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. Before milk is homogenized the lighter fat rises to the top. This lighter fat is cream. This process of separation can be accelerated using centrifuges. Cream from milk is often called sweet cream to distinguish it from whey cream, which has a lower fat content and tastes salty.

Other

Milk can come from animals other than cows. For example, in addition to cows, humans drink milk from the following animals:

• Camels
• Donkeys
• Goats
• Horses
• Reindeer
• Sheep
• Water buffalo
• Yaks