OFF THE SHELF
You can enjoy the milk without the fat

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor

We'll start with milk. Milk offers high-quality protein, calcium (particularly important to women, who are more prone to osteoporosis) and other minerals. Reducing fat in milk does not reduce these nutrients; in addition, milk is often fortified with added nutrients.

It can take a while to get used to the taste of low-fat or nonfat milk, however. At first, the lower-fat milks taste watery and unsatisfying.

Womens-health.com recommends you start by mixing a quart of whole milk with a quart of 2 percent milk until the taste is appealing. After a couple of weeks, mix 2 percent milk with 1 percent milk. Then move on to mixing 1 percent with skim milk.

Here's the fat breakdown for various types of milk:

• Whole milk — 8 grams fat per cup, 150 calories.
• 2 percent, reduced-fat milk —4.7 grams fat per cup, 122 calories.
• 1 percent, low-fat milk — 2.6 grams fat per cup, 102 calories.
• Skim (nonfat, fat-free) milk — Less than 0.5 grams of fat per cup; 80 calories.

Of course, not everyone likes milk or can tolerate it, and, for vegans, it's not an option. Next week: a look at nondairy "milks."