Aoife Hearne: My teenage daughter has switched to low-fat milk
Both high- and low-fat milk are considered part of a healthy, varied eating plan.
Teenage athletes engaged in sports have unique nutritional needs. At this age, the food and fluids your daughter consumes are required for growth, maturation, and the energy demands of her sports.
Consuming enough energy from varied food sources is essential. All the macronutrient groups (carbohydrates, protein, and fat) play an important role in health and sporting performance. It’s a good idea for young athletes to consider the types of foods they are consuming from each of these food groups. As a general rule of thumb, the goal is to choose:
- High-fibre carbohydrate sources (wholemeal or wholegrain bread, pasta, rice, etc);
- Lean protein sources (poultry, fish, eggs, beans, legumes, etc);
- Unsaturated fat sources (olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocado, etc).
Of course, vegetables and fruit play an essential role in preventing sickness and allowing young athletes to perform at their best. The goal is for them to consume at least five portions each day.
When it comes to vitamins and minerals, iron and calcium play a particularly crucial role.
Iron helps transport oxygen around the body and is essential for maintaining energy. Teenage girls, in particular, have an increased need to replace the iron their body loses during their menstrual cycle. Since lean red meat (for example, lean mince, beef, and steak) is an excellent source of iron, consuming it two to three times a week is recommended.
Dairy foods, in particular, are rich in calcium and protein, essential nutrients to ensure teenagers grow into adults with strong bones. Adequate calcium is important in preventing injuries such as stress fractures, and as we age, it plays a key role in preventing osteoporosis.
The good news is that low-fat and full-fat milk contain the same amount of calcium, protein, and potassium, which are vital for growth, muscle repair and bone development.
While full-fat milk contains 3.5% fat, it is not a high-fat food. Low-fat milk contains less than 1% fat, which meets the official criteria for labelling it as such. (Foods with less than 1.5g fat per 100mls on the food label can use the nutrition claim ‘low fat’ set out by the European Commission, regulated in Ireland by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.)
Both high- and low-fat milk are considered part of a healthy, varied eating plan.
It is unusual that your daughter finds full-fat milk doesn’t give the same sense of satiety as low-fat milk. Generally, foods with more fat will help with fullness because fat takes a little longer to digest. For that reason, I would gently probe to find out if there are other reasons why she has decided to make the switch. It is not uncommon for teenage girls to experiment with different food choices in an attempt to cut down on daily calories and lose weight. If this is the case, I recommend discussing it with your GP, public health nurse, or CORU registered dietitian.
- If you have a question for dietitian Aoife Hearne, please send it to parenting@examiner.ie
