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(NaturalNews) Health experts often point to the fact that it`s not excess fat that leads to obesity, it`s excess calories. The latest example of this can be found with milk. According to researchers from Sahlgrenska Academy, the research arm of Sahlgrenska University Hospital based in Sweden, 8-year-olds that drank full-fat milk were more likely to have a lower body weight than children who rarely drank milk. And not just by a little, but by an average of nine pounds!

Over the course of four years, Susanne Eriksson and her colleagues followed the dieting habits of 120 4-year-old boys and girls. The researchers said that the children`s diets really didn`t change through those four years; they tended to eat and drink the same things at the age of 4 that they did at the age of 8. As for the milks they drank, they all had a milk-fat content of at least three percent.

The findings come as somewhat of a surprise to the researchers, and they really can`t explain why there`s such a disparity in the weight levels. Erikkson theorizes that it might have something to do with what the non-milk drinking kids drank in place of milk, perhaps empty calorie concoctions like soda pop.

A finding like this certainly seems to run counter to what the average consumer has been pre-conditioned to believe. "You want to lose weight? Avoid high fat foods," so the notion goes. But fat in and of itself is not the catalyst in weight gain or loss. Every gram of fat is nine calories, five calories more than carbohydrates, but since food manufacturers often pump extra carbs into fat-free offerings to compensate for the fat lost (i.e., taste), they`re often no lower in calories.

Now, as most readers of Natural News know, contributors don`t advise drinking pasteurized cow`s milk, and it`s presumed that cow`s milk is what the overwhelming majority of kids in the study drank. For a brief primer on why Natural News opposes cow`s milk consumption, read Sheryl Walters' piece at http://www.naturalnews.com/025258_b....

So for those who don`t drink milk at present but would like to, whether this study influences your decision or not, raw almond milk serves as a more than worthy replacement. In comparison to full-fat cow`s milk, it contains a natural amount of heart healthy unsaturated fat per eight ounce glass (usually about three grams), about 75 percent fewer calories (40 calories vs. 150 calories) and is naturally cholesterol-free (0 grams vs. 35 mg).

Don`t let the country`s "fat-free mentality" fool you into believing fat is the enemy. It`s crucial to weight maintenance.

Sources:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/release...
http://www.thedailyplate.com/nutrit...
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ch...
http://www.naturalnews.com/021986_c...

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