Doctors and dieticians have long known that high-fat foods like dairy products contribute to obesity for a variety of reasons. First, fat is calorically dense. Gram for gram, fat has more than twice the calories of carbohydrates. That bowl of ice cream has far more calories than an equal amount of grains, beans, fruits, or vegetables. Second, our bodies store fat more readily than carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates are fuel and are burned up easily.
Fat, on the other hand, turns into fat and makes those who eat it fat. Also, fat doesn t fill us up as carbohydrates do, especially complex carbohydrates and fiber. The essential fats that are needed for brain development are found in vegetable oils. Milk is very low in these essential fats and high in the saturated fats that encourage artery blockage and weight problems as children grow. Each year, the average American consumes almost 600 pounds of dairy products, which is about three times more dairy products than grains and almost five times more dairy than fruit.