Gabe Yanez
Here’s a fun fact — It turns out that aside from being the month that kicks off summer, June is National Dairy Month. That’s right. Milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream (ok, maybe not too much ice cream)—let’s celebrate it all. But isn’t dairy something you should be avoiding if you are looking to optimize your health? That is what the suits at Oatly would want you to believe, but is it true? Let’s dive in.
The dairy alternative market is booming. Globally, the market is valued at a whopping $20.5 billion and is expected to continue growing by 12% year over year. Now, that’s a lot of soy milk.
According to recent market trends, soy milk is expected to gain popularity in the U.S. among the elderly and female consumers, while almond milk is quickly gaining momentum among younger, health-conscious generations. That’s right—pretty soon, the only thing cooler than Tik Tok will be Tik Tok’ing about almond milk.
There is also a significant percentage of people with the specific goal of weight loss that is driving demand for a lot of these plant-based milks. After all, cow’s milk and other dairy products tend to be higher in fat, and as we all know—fat makes you fat (sarcasm). And then there are, of course, the concerns about full-fat dairy and how those foods correlate with heart health. It has long been accepted that cutting back on full-fat dairy or dairy in general was the responsible thing to do if you were looking to take care of your health.
However, a recent 2021 study out of PLOS Medicine turns that narrative on its head. In this study, researchers measured the blood levels of a fatty acid found in dairy foods in a group of over 4,000 60-year-old participants in Sweden. Why Sweden? Well, in case you didn’t know, the Swedes love their milk and cheeses.
After an average follow-up period of 16.6 years, researchers found that the participants with the highest levels of the fatty acid found in dairy foods had the lowest risk of cardiovascular disease. On top of that, the study authors then confirmed their findings after analyzing similar data from the U.S., Denmark, and the United Kingdom.
Cheese-lovers rejoice! Throw out that cashew cheese you just bought and bust out the Brie! Your heart will thank you.
Alright, not so fast. This one study does not necessarily mean that fat from dairy products actually protects against cardiovascular disease, but one thing seems to be clear—full-fat dairy may not be as harmful to heart health as we’ve been told.
The key takeaway? Lactose intolerance and sensitivities are very real conditions that impact a significant chunk of the population, but for most people, the health concerns around dairy products might be a bit overstated.
Heck, there might even be some very real health benefits to adding more full fat dairy to your diet. Take butter, for example—a full fat, delicious food that contains 10 essential vitamins, 14 essential minerals, and stearic acid, which smooths and softens skin and can reduce LDL cholesterol.
One thing is for sure, these foods are so much better for your health than fake cheeses and milks made with processed seed and vegetable oils (looking at you, Oatly). Yuck.
Wow, wonderful blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your site is excellent, let alone the content!
Good info. Lucky me I reach on your website by accident, I bookmarked it.
I’m still learning from you, while I’m trying to achieve my goals. I definitely enjoy reading all that is posted on your blog.Keep the information coming. I enjoyed it!
I would like to thnkx for the efforts you have put in writing this blog. I am hoping the same high-grade blog post from you in the upcoming as well. In fact your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own blog now. Really the blogging is spreading its wings quickly. Your write up is a good example of it.
A person essentially help to make seriously articles I would state. This is the very first time I frequented your web page and thus far? I surprised with the research you made to create this particular publish incredible. Fantastic job!
You should take part in a contest for one of the best blogs on the web. I will recommend this site!
I enjoy the efforts you have put in this, regards for all the great blog posts.
What’s Taking place i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve found It absolutely helpful and it has aided me out loads. I’m hoping to contribute & aid other users like its helped me. Good job.
An impressive share, I just given this onto a colleague who was doing a little analysis on this. And he in fact bought me breakfast because I found it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the treat! But yeah Thnkx for spending the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love reading more on this topic. If possible, as you become expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more details? It is highly helpful for me. Big thumb up for this blog post!
This is the right blog for anyone who wants to find out about this topic. You realize so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I actually would want…HaHa). You definitely put a new spin on a topic thats been written about for years. Great stuff, just great!
I am typically to blogging and i really appreciate your content. The article has actually peaks my interest. I am going to bookmark your web site and preserve checking for brand new information.
I’ve recently started a web site, the info you offer on this website has helped me tremendously. Thanks for all of your time & work.
297765 742074Some genuinely good stuff on this web site , I enjoy it. 485383
Excellent website. Plenty of useful information here. I’m sending it to several friends ans also sharing in delicious. And of course, thanks for your sweat!
415897 778045I like the way you conduct your posts. Hmm 159626