The Heart Foundation has removed their restriction for healthy Australians on consuming full cream milk, cheese and yoghurt. But before you say, “I knew it!”, the decision was made by evaluating many studies and decades of data. While evidence is mixed, these type of dairy products were found to have a neutral effect on heart disease and stroke, meaning they did not seem to play a role in increasing or decreasing your risks. Before you get too excited (I know I did!), this does not apply for higher fat and sugar types of dairy such as butter, cream, ice-cream or other dairy-based desserts. Those guys are still recommended to be consumed in limited amounts.
It is still important to note that while the Heart Foundation have removed these restrictions, this does not automatically make skim milk bad. Different types of milks play a healthy role in the diet in different ways. If you consume full cream milk, yoghurt and cheese, had a diet full of fresh fruit, vegetables, lean meats, grains, legumes, fish and good fats and cholesterol was spot on, then obviously there is no need to worry about reduced-fat products.
