Which whey to healthy bones - Part 1

I must admit when it comes to coffee I'm a soy latte kinda girl.

It's not because I'm lactose intolerant, or because I don't like the taste of dairy milk. It's just that I
simply love the taste of soy in coffees. I find a soy latte much more creamier than a skinny latte, and no, ladies and gentlemen, the soy milk that I use (Soy Milky)... don't have no soy aftertaste :)

The truth is, people choose their milk for a range of different reasons. Taste, texture, digestion, calories, calcium... the list goes on. But are all milks equivalent in terms of the nutritional goodness inside them, and do they all serve the same purpose in building strong bones?
I asked Dietetics student Jenna Obeid to find out.

Jenna Obeid is a dietetics student who has completed a Bachelor of Food Science and Nutrition at Deakin University. Jenna is studying her masters degree at the University of Canberra and is a student representative for the Dietitians Association of Australia. Jenna is passionate about food and living a healthy lifestyle, and enjoys blogging and writing in the area of nutrition. Connect with Jenna on twitter and check out her blog here. 


Do you often feel like the man on the Paul's Smarter Milk television advertisement who walks in to the store asking for milk?

“Low fat, no fat, full cream, high calcium, high protein, soy...... Light, skim, omega-3, high calcium with vitamin D and folate or extra dollop?”

If you’re blown away by all of the milk and milk alternatives on the market these days and not sure which milk you should be drinking, then keep reading!

Cow's milk vs soy milk

There are a wide range of nutrients found in cow’s milk including calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, B vitamins, vitamin A and of course, protein! Soy milks on the other hand tend to be cholesterol free, contain omega-3s, and are typically fortified with a range of vitamins and minerals. They are also a great source of protein.

Will drinking cow's milk make me fat?

As shown in the table below, a glass of reduced fat cow’s milk has fewer calories in it than a glass of reduced fat soy milk. Cow’s milk also contains more protein and a naturally occurring serve of calcium! Research has also found that people who eat dairy are more likely to have a healthy BMI than those who don't. So it's definately not something to be cutting out if you want to lose weight.

Type of milk	Energy	Protein
Cow’s milk Reduced fat 250mL	530kJ (126 calories)	9.5g
Soy milk Reduced fat with added calcium 250mL	675kJ (161 calories)	8.3g

Can I get enough calcium from soy milk?

Soy milk that contains calcium in amounts similar to cow's milk is fortified with calcium (ie calcium is added to the product because it does not naturally contain it!) While it has been shown that the bioavailability (how well a nutrient found in a food is absorbed in to the body) of nutrients is better in some naturally occurring foods than in fortified foods, it is unclear whether this is the case for calcium. A study in the Journal of Nutrition in 2005 looked at the bioavailability of calcium in cow's milk compared to fortified forms. It was found that calcium in cow's milk was absorbed at similar levels to the calcium carbonate-fortified soy milk.

Opting for soy?

If you decide to drink soy milk over cow's milk, be sure that the product is fortified with calcium! Look for a label that states the product contains calcium, and on the back on the nutrition panel, look for a product that contains >100mg calcium per 100g.

If you're unable to consume cow's milk, yet you "just want milk that tastes like real milk!", Vitasoy have a great range of soy milks called Soy Milky that tastes very similar to cow's milk.

 

Cow's milk for the win - but which one is best? Full cream, reduced fat or skim

If you are one to stick to good old reliable cow’s milk, it is always recommended to choose reduced fat or skim varieties, as suggested in the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. This guideline has been made mainly because of the fact that full cream dairy products contain more kilojoules than reduced fat or skim products. And with obesity on the rise, mose people will benefit from choosing the lower kilojoule options.

However, there are a couple of exceptions to this rule. Firstly, children under the age of 2 should consume full fat dairy for developmental reasons. Secondly, if you're a really active person or maybe you're a bloke who just can't handle the skim stuff, then there's nothing wrong with consuming full fat dairy (and it's better to have your 3 serves than none at all). Just stick to milk, yoghurt and cheese, and keep ice cream and chocolate for special occasions. 

Here is the breakdown of energy and macro-nutrients in a glass of full fat, reduced fat and skim cow’s milk.

Type	Energy	Protein	Carbohydrate	Fat
Full fat	733kJ (174 calories)	8.8g	15.8g	8.8g
Reduced fat	530kJ (126 calories)	9.5g	15.3g	3.0g
Skim	368kJ (88 calories)	9.3g	12.5g	0.3g

All in all, skim & reduced fat cow’s milk are high in protein, low in fat and are a natural source of calcium.

 

But exactly how much calcium is enough for good health?

For most Australian adults, 840mg per day for both women and men under the age of 70 years is enough for a healthy calcium intake in most cases. Once women hit the milestone of 50 years, they should aim to up their calcium to 1100mg per day. 

What do these numbers mean, you ask?

Since we are already talking dairy (and dairy alternatives), 3 serves of dairy products can meet these calcium recommendations, 4 serves for a woman over 50 years.

What if I don't drink milk, what are other ways to get enough calcium in my diet?

• Cook your porridge with milk, not water.
• When baking, use low fat yoghurt in the ingredients. For example, check out this yummy recipe for pear and oatmeal yoghurt muffins from the Dietitians Association of Australia.
• Enjoy fruit salad with a scoop of low fat yoghurt. There are also some great soy yoghurts on the market now too.
• Make a healthy smoothie with skim milk, a banana and cinnamon (add a scoop of natural low fat yoghurt for a thicker smoothie).
• Enjoy low-fat cheese in your lunchtime sandwiches.
• Make a thick pumpkin soup with skim or evaporated milk (but hold off on the cream!)
• Instead of having sour cream on roasted potato or in wraps, go for low fat natural Greek yoghurt!

If you're unsure if you are getting enough calcium in your diet, check out Dairy Australia or seek advice from an Accredited Practising Dietitian.

Be sure to check back soon for more info on other milk products such as rice milk, almond milk, oat milk and permeate free!  

Editor's note:

Thanks Jenna! I think the key messages that have come from your post are:

1. Dairy milk isn't fattening, in fact it can help with weight loss

2. Reduced fat milk is best for most, but if you can't stand the skim stuff, full cream is better than having none at all.

3. If you like your soy lattes like me, be sure to choose a milk that contains >100mg/100g calcium!

Look forward to hearing more on this topic!