# What sort of milk do you use?



## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

I was wondering just now why my breakfast cup of coffee tasted so nice, and realised that it was because the milk in it was semi-skimmed (bought for visitors) and not the skimmed we usually use. 

That got me to thinking - we went on to skimmed milk years ago as a health measure, because scientists had demonised fat. But I believe that nowadays the full milk is supposed to be better for your heart. 

Which sort of milk do you use, and why? Just interested - especially in health ramifications. 

Thanks in advance for any replies. :tiphat:


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

I've had bad tinnitus and an ear infection this year, and read on the internet that it can help to give up dairy (because it stops one having so much catarrh). I found putting soya in everything a bit hard, so I tried lactose-free butter and milk for ten days and it did seem to help. But I am already 'gluten-free' so it seems a lot of trouble to give up dairy or ordinary milk too, so I've returned to it - with the option of trying to cut milk out again if necessary. 

So at present I'm using 'skimmed' and that's how I voted.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Semi-skimmed but i love full fat milk (especially Graham's gold top). As i don't take milk in coffee, and i only have milk on my breakfast, i occasionally treat myself to the full fat option (but not very often).


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## Guest (Aug 3, 2018)

Good job you put Other! Our vegan family neighbours have a fridge full of white liquids; each prefers a different one. These are some of the suspects:
Soya milk
Almond milk
Hemp milk
Oat milk
Coconut milk
Rice milk
Flax milk
Cashew milk
Hazelnut milk


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

dogen said:


> Good job you put Other! Our vegan family neighbours have a fridge full of white liquids; each prefers a different one. These are some of the suspects:
> Soya milk
> Almond milk
> Hemp milk
> ...


.......................


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I have used semi-skimmed for most of my adult life. Growing up, I'd never even heard of it so it was the usual pasteurised 'silver top' for us (and at school where we got half a pint every morning). The creamier 'gold top' was sold back then but I can't remember ever drinking it. Judging by the shelves in the local supermarket it seems that semi-skimmed accounts for most of what's bought these days. Two kinds of milk I don't like are the 'long life' UHT stuff (too watery, especially for cereals) and the sterilised variety (sickly, and the only real bad memory of childhood visits to my grandmother in the North-East).


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

elgars ghost said:


> I have used semi-skimmed for most of my adult life. Growing up, I'd never even heard of it so it was the usual pasteurised 'silver top' for us (and at school where we got half a pint every morning). The creamier 'gold top' was sold back then but I can't remember ever drinking it. Judging by the shelves in the local supermarket it seems that semi-skimmed accounts for most of what's bought these days. Two kinds of milk I don't like are the 'long life' UHT stuff (too watery, especially for cereals) and the sterilised variety (sickly, and the only real bad memory of childhood visits to my grandmother in the North-East).


Yes - I remember buying some sterilised milk as an alternative to Marvel and Coffee Mate when I was at university in Durham. After a few hours in the cupboard under the sink in my study-bedroom, it poured as a viscous white string which clung to everything in sight. And it tasted of sweaty camel. Never again!


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## Guest (Aug 3, 2018)

I voted skimmed dairy. I went from full to semi to free many years ago to take in less fat. When I had full, skimmed was like water to me, so I had semi. Then semi seemed a bit rich so I went the whole way. Now, full fat tastes awful to me, it seems like drinking oil. (Yet I love clotted cream on a scone). Perception huh? 

And of course I also stopped putting milk (or sugar  ) in my coffee when I realised that to do so was a complete abomination.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

elgars ghost said:


> ........milk I don't like are the 'long life' UHT stuff (too watery, especially for cereals) and the sterilised variety (sickly, and the only real bad memory of childhood visits to my grandmother in the North-East).


Totally in agreement. Every time we went to my nana's house, in Salford, we had to drink 'sterra' (sterilized milk). I absolutely loathe the stuff.


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

Like everything it has its pros and cons. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, full fat milk is good for all that ails you; on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, it causes heart attacks, obesity, catarrh and osteoporosis and on Sundays it's either indigestible or they recommend some incredibly expensive milk or milk substitute.

Couple of sites I came across:

Health Line

and

Pros and Cons

These give a reasonable summary.

We use skimmed milk but have the occasional semi-skimmed and full milk which tastes very luxurious but rather rich.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

In coffee, nothing but coffee.

In other uses, semi-skimmed. Full-skimmed is awful, and full milk by now tastes too rich for us. My wife also likes soy bean "milk" once in a while.


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## Guest (Aug 3, 2018)

I don't really use milk in anything but coffee, where soy to me just tastes better.


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## LezLee (Feb 21, 2014)

I’ve never really liked milk (used to give mine away at school) but have a small amount on cereal. My sis-in-law introduced me to UHT skimmed and that’s all I use now as it has almost no calories and doesn’t really taste of anything.


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## Granate (Jun 25, 2016)

Whole milk. This one is the local brand I've been drinking all my life.

But when I was on Erasmus in Coventry, I had to share a small fridge with other people and whole milk on bricks wasn't really available or inexpensive. Instead, I tried whole fresh milk in 6pint bottles, stored in washed Orange Juice bottles from Don Simon (their caps seal really well, unlike the milk ones).


















Oh, and I forgot to tell you that I *love* fresh whole milk over UHT. It's so consistent! Other people argue that UHT Milk is not even milk, but water with proteines.

[HR][/HR]
In Spain commercial use of Fresh milk is rare, and people go for UHT packs. I drink milk for breakfast and sometimes for _"merienda"_ or tea time. Big stores often offer Fresh milk.


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## Annied (Apr 27, 2017)

Whole milk every time, tea just doesn't taste as good otherwise. And nor does anything else.

I gave up reading what foods were good or bad for me a long time ago, when I realised, as Taggart has already pointed out, that what's supposedly good for you one day is bad the next. Moderation rather than abstention is the key word as far as I'm concerned.


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## Taplow (Aug 13, 2017)

Full fat cow's milk is around 4% fat. I can't imagine why anyone would think that is a huge health risk, or that skim milk at only half that is an incredible improvement. But I'm no doctor.

Can't take lactose. Milk isn't really meant for adults. Soy for me ... good for the prostate. :tiphat:


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## Luchesi (Mar 15, 2013)

Taplow said:


> Full fat cow's milk is around 4% fat. I can't imagine why anyone would think that is a huge health risk, or that skim milk at only half that is an incredible improvement. But I'm no doctor.
> 
> Can't take lactose. Milk isn't really meant for adults. Soy for me ... good for the prostate. :tiphat:


Doctors have discovered that it's not the fat and cholesterol, we need them. It's what else you eat so that you can process it all in a safe and timely manner. It's a fascinating new topic. Each sequence with each potentially dangerous 'food' in the body can now be followed, along with aspirin and B12 and the fatty acid ratios. We're living in enlightened times.

The reason the advice and warnings have been so muddled and changeable in the past is because these sequences and ratios are so complicated. But what should we expect?

It might still be somewhat wrong... lol


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## Guest (Aug 3, 2018)

Taplow said:


> Full fat cow's milk is around 4% fat. I can't imagine why anyone would think that is a huge health risk, or that skim milk at only half that is an incredible improvement.


That's semi skimmed (at 1.5 - 1.8). Skimmed is <0.3.


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## Jos (Oct 14, 2013)

I don’t use milk at all, it’s meant for newly born mammals.
Sometimes I use soy in cooking if I need a creamy texture, or for breakfast with granola. I then ad a little vanilla soymilk (vanilla soymilk pure is way too sweet.)


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## Jos (Oct 14, 2013)

I used to drink large amounts of buttermilk. Especially in summers like this, well cooled. Might give it a try again, see if I still like it.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

Farm fresh straight from the Cow is best, even better is to separate out the cream and use that in coffee


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Recent study identified whole milk as the best for most people's health, organic being a bit better (but more expensive). Here in PC California, many restaurants don't even have whole milk.

As for myself, with advancing age I'm becoming somewhat lactose intolerant, and this argument is getting theoretical.


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## Dan Ante (May 4, 2016)

My school days put me right off milk for the rest of my life, I have both my Tea and Coffee without milk that is the only way you can taste it as it should be.It's like adding water to your Whisky a definite no no.


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## Taplow (Aug 13, 2017)

Dan Ante said:


> My school days put me right off milk for the rest of my life, I have both my Tea and Coffee without milk that is the only way you can taste it as it should be.It's like adding water to your Whisky a definite no no.


You too, huh? Must have been an Aussie/NZ thing. As a child in the 1970s we were forced to drink milk at school every day. Used to make me ill. Thankfully that stopped when I was about eight.

I have a friend who is a whisky connoisseur, and claims that adding a dash of water can bring out some subtle qualities of the whisky that are otherwise masked. I remain unconvinced.


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## Tristan (Jan 5, 2013)

I really only use milk with cereal (I drink tea straight). I typically buy 1% milk (what we call "low fat"; that's what we always had in the house growing up). Skim milk is flavorless and whole milk is just too fatty.


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## TxllxT (Mar 2, 2011)

Semi-skimmed over here, which in Holland is called 'Half full'. Always checking whether the milk pack is really filled... Not so long ago we changed for full milk, because the price was almost the same like semi-skimmed. Now were back to semi-skimmed. (the same happened to real butter; this was demonisedly cheap. Now it is pricy again). But what about buttermilk? We drink lots of it. In the Czech Republic they distinguish between kefir (sour buttermilk from kefir bacteriae) and podmásli ( made form thick milk that has turned sour with no additions). In Russia they have buttermilk that is really fat.


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## Radames (Feb 27, 2013)

Skim, but it has to be lactose free. It ain't pretty if I get to much lactose. I do 1 or 2% if I can't get skim. I tried almond milk once. BLECH!!!



Taplow said:


> Full fat cow's milk is around 4% fat. I can't imagine why anyone would think that is a huge health risk, or that skim milk at only half that is an incredible improvement. But I'm no doctor.
> 
> :


I think they are changing their minds about the milk fat. I started skim years ago but I guess I could switch back to whole. I'm used to skim though. 
https://www.newsweek.com/full-fat-milk-could-cut-risk-stroke-heart-attack-study-says-1025069


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Jos said:


> I don't use milk at all, it's meant for newly born mammals...


Some African tribes drink milk mixed with blood - it's one of their staple foods.


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## Guest (Aug 8, 2018)




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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

I don´t understand these questions I drink standard milk 3 % fat.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Sloe said:


> I don´t understand these questions I drink standard milk 3 % fat.


I presume that is 'full milk' then - just ordinary cows with no fat skimmed off?


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## Dan Ante (May 4, 2016)

Sloe said:


> I don´t understand these questions I drink standard milk 3 % fat.


You don't understand!...that is a very common response from Milk drinkers.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Ingélou said:


> I presume that is 'full milk' then - just ordinary cows with no fat skimmed off?


I think full milk would be the milk called old fashioned milk with a fat content of 4-5 %.

In Sweden milk is usually sold in 3 classes. Standard with 3 % fat and a red carton, middle milk 1,5 % green carton and light milk 0,5 % blue carton.
Beer have a similar classification class I or light beer 2,25 % alcohol, class II or peoples beer 2,8 or 3,5 % alcohol. Everything over 3,5 % is class III or strong beer.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Sloe said:


> I think full milk would be the milk called old fashioned milk with a fat content of 4-5 %.
> 
> In Sweden milk is usually sold in 3 classes. Standard with 3 % fat and a red carton, middle milk 1,5 % green carton and light milk 0,5 % blue carton.
> Beer have a similar classification class I or light beer 2,25 % alcohol, class II or peoples beer 2,8 or 3,5 % alcohol. Everything over 3,5 % is class III or strong beer.


Thanks. It seems odd to me that 'standard' is the name for milk that's been altered from its 'standard' format, the usual stuff from the cow - but perhaps 'standard' doesn't have exactly the same meaning in Sweden.

Sorry I based the poll choices on milk that's available in the UK rather than seeing the bigger global picture. :tiphat:


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Ingélou said:


> Thanks. It seems odd to me that 'standard' is the name for milk that's been altered from its 'standard' format, the usual stuff from the cow - but perhaps 'standard' doesn't have exactly the same meaning in Sweden.
> 
> Sorry I based the poll choices on milk that's available in the UK rather than seeing the bigger global picture. :tiphat:


Standard means as the milk that is reference milk it is the milk that is sold simply as milk it came during WWII the fat content was lowered during to give room for more cream and butter. Difficult to import when all ships are at risk going on a mine or be torpedoed.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Sloe said:


> Standard means as the milk that is reference milk it is the milk that is sold simply as milk it came during WWII the fat content was lowered during to give room for more cream and butter. Difficult to import when all ships are at risk going on a mine or be torpedoed.


That makes sense - interesting history, too. :tiphat:


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

I prefer the milk of human kindness.


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## Dan Ante (May 4, 2016)

Larkenfield said:


> I prefer the milk of human kindness.


I do believe that a human milk bank is on the cards so you will be OK


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

I went on to semi-skimmed a few years ago and now I'm intolerant to full fat milk. I can take ice cream and fresh cream cakes with no ill effects and I can eat cheese to a band playing but if I inadvertently imbibe full fat milk I'll be losing it in about two minutes!! Weird!


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Camel milk is highly touted by its fans and is produced a bit south of where I live. Unfortunately, it costs $32 a quart.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

KenOC said:


> Camel milk is highly touted by its fans and is produced a bit south of where I live. Unfortunately, it costs $32 a quart.


How much does rat milk cost?


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Another vote for almond milk.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Whole milk? That's for calves and babies. Who needs all that fat?


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## Marinera (May 13, 2016)

^

all the vitamins are in the fat.

If anything there's too little fat in whole milk from supermarkets. Anyway, it's homogenised and *that* is not good for anyone, not the fat by itself. The over processing of food is the problem as I see it.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Marinera said:


> ^
> 
> all the vitamins are in the fat.
> 
> If anything there's too little fat in whole milk from supermarkets. Anyway, it's homogenised and *that* is not good for anyone, not the fat by itself. The over processing of food is the problem as I see it.


We really don't need milk. I only use to eat my bran flakes.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

This thread was worth it for the rat milk scandal alone.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)




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## nenopro (Jan 26, 2019)

full milk with low% of fat, sometimes chocolate.


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

Manxfeeder said:


> Another vote for almond milk.


My favorite. (Cow's milk is for calves!) Great on granola. Vanilla almond milk is to die for. Goes well with Brahms' Hungarian Dances being playing in the morning. Beware Cap'n Crunch!


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I did state earlier in the thread that I dislike UHT milk but I should have said that I occasionally used to drink it when it was banana or strawberry-flavoured.


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## Zofia (Jan 24, 2019)

I vote for full milk cows. I prefer goat milk but would ideally like to go full vegan but I suffer the weight loss easily on vegan only food. Doctor recommended full cow milk.

40kg is my normal


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## philoctetes (Jun 15, 2017)

Lately my bones seem to like a lot of milk. Used 2% most of my life but now I'm going with half-and-half for coffee and whole milk for a nightcap. I am pretty skeptical of nutrition advice against dairy fat, as sugar and carbos are a bigger problem for me. On the other hand I always trim the fat off my bacon, which I rarely have anyway.


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## Zofia (Jan 24, 2019)

philoctetes said:


> Lately my bones seem to like a lot of milk. Used 2% most of my life but now I'm going with half-and-half for coffee and whole milk for a nightcap. I am pretty skeptical of nutrition advice against dairy fat, as sugar and carbos are a bigger problem for me. On the other hand I always trim the fat off my bacon, which I rarely have anyway.


There is nothing wrong as I understand it with dairy my nutritionist says I need it. Some people mostly non-europeans have a hard time with lactose after about 5 or 6 years in age. My nutritionist told me a lot of the anti-dairy advice is political due to groups pushing vegan diet to reduce climate change. I would like to go vegan but I tried it and I lost so much weight I was in hospital.

Nothing hot better milk before sleep gives the sweet dreams.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

As a kid, my dad worked the night shift and my mom was a teacher. I would come home from school and dad would have the lunch out and the milk poured. He must have done it early because the milk was lukewarm and because of that I hated milk. Later when I was a teen I recall dad saying, "MIlk is for babies." Well I never liked milk unless it was chocolate milk.


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

Organic milk—whatever that means. For years I thought I had developed an intolerance for lactose unitl I tried this type of milk. Turns out I can no longer stomach whatever the hell it is they put in regular milk—chemicals, hormones, etc.


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## Zofia (Jan 24, 2019)

Fritz Kobus said:


> , "MIlk is for babies." .


True it is why most humans have trouble digesting milk after about 5-6 years old. Europeans and some East Africans cqn drink milk later in life. I wanted to go vegan but I lost much weight milk and cheese saved me.


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

‘Yet I do fear thy nature; It is too full o' the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way’. —Lady Macbeth


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