Cow’s milk is also rich in micronutrients, like Vitamin A for healthy eyes, Vitamin B12 for nervous system function and potassium to keep your heart beating. Regardless of the variety you buy (full-fat, skim or A2), cow’s milk provides natural calcium for strong bones and teeth, along with protein for muscle maintenance and development. Last but not least, good old cow’s milk has a lot going for it. Source: /1-milk-vs-skim-milk-5440.Cow's milk is the most traditional alternative. Getting the recommended intake is essential because your body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium and it helps regulate the immune system. Women should include 600 international units of vitamin D in their daily diet. Milk does not have to be enriched with vitamin D, but at the same time, most producers voluntarily fortify their products with 100 international units per cup, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. One cup of unenriched skim milk doesn’t have any measurable vitamin D and 1-percent milk only has 2 international units. Milk naturally has very little vitamin D. With that amount added, they each contain about 20 percent of women’s recommended daily intake in a 1-cup serving. The Food and Drug administration mandates that low-fat milk must be fortified with vitamin A, so 1-percent and skim milk are enriched with at least 2,000 international units of vitamin A per quart of milk. When fat is removed from milk, some of the vitamin A is lost. Consuming a higher amount of calcium is associated with losing more weight if you’re on a diet, according to research published in the November 2010 issue of the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.” Another study in the January 2011 issue of the “British Journal of Nutrition” reported that women who were dieting felt less hungry when they supplemented their diet with milk. Calcium from dairy products may help women trying to lose weight. One-percent milk has 305 milligrams and skim milk has 299 milligrams of calcium in a 1-cup serving. This difference is entirely due to the extra calories that come with the higher fat content in 1-percent milk.īoth types have about the same amount of calcium. One cup of skim milk has 83 calories, while 1-percent milk has 102 calories. The difference in calories is not so large that it will impact your daily caloric-intake goal. One-percent milk has 1.5 grams of saturated fat, which is 12 times more than the amount in skim milk, and 12 milligrams or double the cholesterol. That means you'll get 21 calories in fat from a cup of 1-percent milk, but only 2 calories in fat from skim milk. One cup of 1-percent milk has 2.4 grams of total fat, compared with skim milk that has 0.2 gram. Skim milk, which is also called fat-free or nonfat milk, has 0.5 gram or less of milk fat. In addition to the calcium you’d expect, both types of milk provide the same amount of protein, zinc and vitamin B-12.Īs its name states, 1-percent milk contains 1 percent of its weight in milk fat. Except for fat and calories, you'll get similar nutritional benefits no matter which you choose. The fat content varies between skim and 1 percent, but most nutrients remain the same.ĭuring processing, some or all of the fat that’s naturally found in milk can be removed and the amount that’s left determines whether it’s 1 percent or skim.

Cup of skim milk calories