Its time! ...You got to learn how to buy packaged or tetra pak milk the right way, and not based on packet color or cuteness quotient of its television commercial.
The sole attribute of liquid milk which leads to it being called by different names like Skimmed, Toned, Slim, etc, is its fat percentage. In other words, all milk sellers package, price and sell milk to the customer, primarily based on its fat percentage. Additions while processing the milk e.g. incorporation of vitamins or minerals, or use of sophisticated preservation techniques, may also be a basis for differential packaging and pricing.
Packaged liquid milk sold in the Indian market is classified into following common types based on its fat percentage:
Packaged liquid milk sold in the Indian market is classified into following common types based on its fat percentage:
Full cream or whole milk-Contains a fat percentage of 6% or above. Recommended for infants who have already been weaned from their mothers milk and children of all ages. Adults may do well not to consume this type of milk, the reason being, an average Indian adult whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian, easily consumes the recommended daily amount of dietary fat from various food sources (incl. fats & oils used in cooking/garnishing) available to her/him on a day to day basis. Most infact easily overshoot the recommended daily allowance (RDA or RDI) of fat consumption. In such a scenario, consumption of full cream milk is not needed, unless one has a clinical condition where the dietary fat intake has to be increased or one is fond of full cream milk and has no existing health restrictions (say, hypercholesterolemia) preventing its consumption.
Standardized milk- Fat percentage of 4.5%. A nice choice for domestic use, as its fat percentage works well for consumption by all age groups within the family. One can choose between this or toned milk for daily consumption.
Toned milk- Is perhaps the most popular milk type used in the country with a fat percentage of 3%-3.5%. Excellent for daily household use, owing to its ability to suit both the culinary and nutrition purpose well. A multi-purpose milk.
Double toned or `slim' milk-Fat percentage is about 1%-1.5% (but not 0%). People mistake this to be skimmed milk because of confusing labels on the milk packet e.g. labels like `99.0% fat free', but its not skimmed milk.
Toned milk- Is perhaps the most popular milk type used in the country with a fat percentage of 3%-3.5%. Excellent for daily household use, owing to its ability to suit both the culinary and nutrition purpose well. A multi-purpose milk.
Double toned or `slim' milk-Fat percentage is about 1%-1.5% (but not 0%). People mistake this to be skimmed milk because of confusing labels on the milk packet e.g. labels like `99.0% fat free', but its not skimmed milk.
Skimmed milk-Only milk which has 0% fat or zero fat actually qualifies to be called skimmed. Even milk which is 99.5% fat free is not technically skimmed milk, but countries vary in their legal definition of `skimmed' and in some nations a 99.5% fat free milk is considered as skimmed e.g. in USA, milk which has a fat percentage between 0% to 0.5% can be called `skimmed'. In UK, milk should have a fat percentage under 0.3% and it can be called `skimmed'.
Skimmed milk is good investment for people who have to watch their dietary fat and cholesterol intake very, very, strictly. Other than that, it has no glaring merits which justifies its premium pricing. An aspect I plan on discussing later in this blog, is how its usage with respect to weight loss diets is also over-hyped by the media and health practitioners. To sum up, my verdict on skimmed milk is that its not a practical choice for an Indian household because of pricing and lack of ability to be a multi-purpose milk.
Various brands differ (but very slightly) in how much fat percentage they quote for the above categories of milk. To avoid getting confused by words like `wholesome' `slimming' `fat free' etc, look up the back of the milk packet for its `fat percentage' (not to be confused with SNF percentage), it is compulsorily mentioned and this will help you choose the type nearest to what you want.
Note-The above information/classification is for liquid cows milk sold in the Indian market only.
Skimmed milk is good investment for people who have to watch their dietary fat and cholesterol intake very, very, strictly. Other than that, it has no glaring merits which justifies its premium pricing. An aspect I plan on discussing later in this blog, is how its usage with respect to weight loss diets is also over-hyped by the media and health practitioners. To sum up, my verdict on skimmed milk is that its not a practical choice for an Indian household because of pricing and lack of ability to be a multi-purpose milk.
Various brands differ (but very slightly) in how much fat percentage they quote for the above categories of milk. To avoid getting confused by words like `wholesome' `slimming' `fat free' etc, look up the back of the milk packet for its `fat percentage' (not to be confused with SNF percentage), it is compulsorily mentioned and this will help you choose the type nearest to what you want.
Note-The above information/classification is for liquid cows milk sold in the Indian market only.
The Nutrition Omnibus and A Fistful of Nutrition © Raksha Changappa. Contents of this blog post (excluding images) are the exclusive copyright and intellectual property (IP) of Raksha Changappa. This post is solely for knowledge and information of the reader and is not to be construed as medical advice. If you want to use the post contents, kindly do so by acknowledging the source, namely this blog and the author, via hyperlinks or credits. If not, no content will be copied, reproduced, republished, transmitted or distributed, in any form or means, including print and electronic media. Copyright and IP infringements will be taken seriously. For queries contact nutrewise@gmail.com
