The supermarket shelves are full of cheeses, yogurts, yellow cheeses, white cheeses, and cottage cheese, and the question always returns: What is better to choose, low–fat dairy products or products with a higher fat percentage? Is 0% always the right choice for a diet? Where is there more calcium? When fat is removed, are vitamins lost as well? And is a low–fat product really less natural or "plastic–like," as people like to say?
The short answer is that there is no single answer. Low–fat dairy products can be excellent, especially for those who want to reduce calories or saturated fat. On the other hand, it is not always advisable to chase after 0%. Sometimes a product with 3%, 5%, or even regular yellow cheese in a thin slice, will provide more satiety, more satisfaction, and in practice will help more to maintain a balanced menu over time.
Is low fat less filling? Low–fat dairy products contain fewer calories, and this is a clear advantage when trying to reduce total daily calories. A 0% white cheese will contain fewer calories than a 5% cheese, and a 0% yogurt will contain less than a 3% yogurt. But when talking about satiety, the story is more complex.
What is important to remember: Fat slows down the rate of gastric emptying. Therefore, food that has a little fat can sometimes satisfy for a longer time than a product with no fat at all. This is one of the reasons why a 3% yogurt or a 5% cheese can feel more satisfying than a 0% product, even if the caloric difference between them is not huge. Studies on yogurts and dairy beverages have shown that not only do calories affect satiety, but also texture, thickness, protein content, and viscosity. In a study that examined drinking yogurts, it was found that the composition and viscosity affected gastric emptying and the feeling of satiety.
That is to say: A thicker yogurt, richer in protein or slightly higher in fat, can be more filling than a very thin and low–fat yogurt. On the other hand, it is incorrect to say that every high–fat product is automatically more filling.
Protein: It is one of the most important components for the feeling of satiety, and sometimes a product that is low in fat but rich in protein, such as protein yogurt or protein–rich white cheese, can be very filling. The volume of the portion is also important: A large bowl of 0% yogurt with fruit and oats can be more filling than a small slice of high–fat cheese. Therefore, on a diet, I do not always recommend chasing after 0%, but rather checking what truly keeps us full, calm, and settled within the menu.
Why is 0% not always the best choice for a diet? For years we were educated that a diet equals 0% dairy products. But in practice, there are people whom 0% products do not satisfy. They finish the container, feel that they "ate nothing," and then look for something else sweet or salty. In such a case, a 3% yogurt or a 5% cheese might actually be a better choice, even if they have a few dozen more calories.
The important thing in a diet is not only the caloric value of a single product, but the ability to persist with the menu. If a low–fat product makes us feel deprived, hungry, or unsatisfied, it does not necessarily help. In contrast, a product with a little fat, in a precise amount, can provide a sense of satiety and satisfaction and prevent unnecessary snacking later. In science, too, recommendations are slowly changing:
Where is there more calcium? One of the common mistakes is to think that the higher the fat content of the dairy product, the more calcium it contains. In practice, calcium is not found in the fat of the milk. It is found mainly in the watery part and the protein part of the milk. Therefore, when some of the fat is removed from the milk, meaning the cream, the calcium is not "thrown out" with it.
In white, low–fat dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, and white cheese, the amount of calcium is usually similar to that in the higher–fat product, and sometimes even slightly higher per 100 grams, because when the fat percentage drops, the ratio of the rest of the product's components can change. This, of course, depends on the product, the manufacturer, and the production process, and therefore it is always advisable to check the label.
In yellow cheeses it is a bit different – the amount of calcium depends not only on the fat percentage, but also on the type of cheese, the production process, the amount of solids, the saltiness, and the weight of the slice. Therefore, it is impossible to determine sweepingly that a 9% yellow cheese has more or less calcium than a 28% cheese. One needs to check the values per 100 grams, and mainly remember that in practice we eat a slice, not 100 grams.
Differences in the amount of vitamins: Vitamins A and D are fat–soluble vitamins. The meaning is that they are naturally found more in the fatty part of the food. Therefore, when fat is reduced from a dairy product, it is possible that some of the fat–soluble vitamins will decrease as well.
But here enters another important factor: Fortification. Some low–fat dairy products are intentionally fortified with vitamins, mainly with vitamin D and sometimes also with vitamin A. Therefore, a low–fat product can contain a similar or even higher amount of vitamin D compared to a high–fat product that has not been fortified. A review that dealt with the fortification of dairy products with vitamin D noted that dairy products are considered suitable carriers for vitamin D fortification, among other reasons due to their daily use and because of the connection of vitamin D to calcium absorption and bone health.
The practical conclusion is simple: Do not guess! Check the label! If vitamin D is important to you, look explicitly to see if the product is fortified. And if it is a cheese or yogurt that has not been fortified, it is possible that a product with a certain fat percentage will naturally contain more fat–soluble vitamins than a 0% product.
The "plastic" myth: Is low fat less natural? Many people say about low–fat cheese that it is "plastic." This sounds dramatic, but usually it is simply incorrect. In low–fat dairy products, they do not put plastic and do not add "strange chemicals" just because the product is low in fat. In the production process, they simply separate some of the fat from the milk, meaning some of the cream, and thus a product with a lower fat percentage is obtained.
It is true that there are products that are more processed and less processed, and therefore it is always advisable to read the ingredient list. There is a difference between a simple white cheese that contains milk, cultures, and sometimes salt, and a dessert–flavored dairy product that contains sugar, thickeners, stabilizers, flavorings, and colorings. But this is not related only to the fat percentage. There are high–fat products with a long ingredient list, and there are low–fat products with a short ingredient list. Therefore, instead of automatically disqualifying "low fat," it is better to check what is actually written on the packaging.
Yellow cheese 9% or 28%: What is better on a diet? Here comes one of the surprises: True, a 9% yellow cheese contains fewer calories per 100 grams than a 28% yellow cheese. That is clear. But in practice, we do not eat 100 grams, but rather a slice. And in recent years, one can find 28% yellow cheeses in very thin slices, sometimes weighing less than a light slice.
A situation is possible where a thin slice of 28% yellow cheese will contain roughly the same amount of calories as a thicker slice of 9% yellow cheese. In other words, it is not enough to look at the fat percentages. One must also check the weight of the slice and the calories per slice. For example, if a slice of 9% cheese weighs 25 grams, and a thin slice of 28% cheese weighs 15 grams, the caloric gap between them can be much smaller than it seems. Sometimes even almost non–existent. In a sandwich, within an organized menu, one can certainly integrate regular yellow cheese in a thin slice as well, if that is what provides more flavor and satisfaction.
Saturated fat and heart health: This is a point that is important not to ignore. High–fat dairy products contain more saturated fat. In the past, the recommendation was almost sweeping: Choose low–fat dairy products to reduce saturated fat and protect heart health. Today, recent studies show that not all food containing saturated fat affects the body the same way, and that dairy products, especially yogurt and fermented cheeses, might behave differently from other foods high in saturated fat.
What to choose in practice? If the goal is to reduce calories in a simple way, 0% and 1.5% products can help. If the goal is satiety and satisfaction, sometimes 3% or 5% will be a better choice. If it is about calcium, there is no reason to think that a higher–fat product is necessarily preferable. Usually the calcium is similar, and sometimes it is actually the low–fat ones that have slightly more. If it is about vitamins A and D, it is advisable to check if the product is fortified and not to rely only on the fat percentage. In yellow cheese, the most important rule is to check the weight of the slice. The right choice depends on the goal, the quantity, the feeling of satiety, the values on the label, and the overall menu.