People Are Eating More Full-Fat Foods ... Is That a Good Thing?

A new report shows an increase in the consumption and/or sales of butter, whole milk, and eggs. (Photo: Getty Images)

New research has discovered a surprising trend: After years of avoiding full-fat food products like the plague, people are suddenly buying them again.

A report on fat in our diets published by the Credit-Suisse Research Institute found that sales of whole milk in the U.S. for the first half of this year grew by 11 percent, while sales of skim milk shrank by 14 percent.

Egg consumption has grown by two percent in the last 12 months, with organic egg sales seeing the most growth at 21 percent. And sales of butter rose 14 percent last year and increased another six percent in the first few months of this year.

The report calls this a “turning point,” and cites a growing desire for natural, unprocessed foods (and fats) as the reason for the increasing sales of full-fat products.

The logic makes sense on some level — low-fat and non-fat foods may have undergone more processing; therefore, their full-fat versions should be more “natural.”

But the U.S. is currently experiencing an obesity epidemic. Research published earlier this year in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine revealed that there are now more obese than overweight adults in America — and the majority of U.S. men and women are now considered overweight or obese.

Related: New Report Asserts Major Issues With the 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines

Obesity and excess body weight has been linked to an increased risk of developing diseases like heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer.

According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, which releases the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, two of the three major goals for Americans should be to “consume more of certain foods and nutrients such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat dairy products,” and “consumer fewer foods with sodium, saturated fats, and trans fats.”

Currently, nutritional guidelines advise eating no more than 65 grams of fat and no more than 20 grams of saturated fat a day for a 2,000 calorie diet. One cup of whole milk makes a bit of a dent in your daily fat allowance — it has eight grams of fat (12 percent of your daily recommended intake) and 4.6 grams of saturated fat (22 percent of your daily recommended intake).

So is this new trend of eating full-fat products a good or bad thing?

It’s not bad — if it’s done right, registered dietitian nutritionist Beth Warren, author of Living a Real Life With Real Food tells Yahoo Health.

Related: Study Says Cutting Fat Fastest Way to Big Weight Loss

That means continuing to watch the saturated fat content and overall calories in the foods you consume, she says. If butter, full-fat milk, and cheese still fit into your recommended daily intake, it’s fine to have them.

Warren says she “fully supports” the trend. Why? “In general it is better to consume less processed foods most often,” she says.

Warren also notes that recent studies suggest that omega-6 fatty acids, which are commonly found in vegetable oils, are more likely than saturated fats to increase the risk of developing diseases like heart disease.

But, she adds, we should be wary of eating foods that are too high in saturated fats, just like we should be cautious of eating too much of any nutrient.

Of course, some people may benefit more than others by eating low-fat foods. “Many overweight people trying to lose weight need the lower-fat products,” registered dietitian Shari Portnoy tells Yahoo Health. Full-fat products “may be healthy in terms of the fact that there are no artificial ingredients but it can still be fattening,” she says.

Registered dietitian nutritionist Robyn Flipse tells Yahoo Health that full-fat products can be a good source of nutrients. However, she says, the key is to keep track of how much and how often you’re eating them, as well as what else you’re eating to get your nutritional needs.

Flipse says whole milk and full-fat cheese are fine (in moderation), but recommends choosing lower fat cuts of meat and watching portion sizes when you eat nuts, since they’re higher in calories and can easily lead to weight gain.

Prefer full-fat products? Experts say that’s fine — just be smart about it. Says Flipse: “Even if you eat the right type and amount of fat, you still have to pay attention to everything else you eat to have a healthy diet.”

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