In the 1990s, Got Milk? ads became popular because of a marketing campaign created by the California Milk Processor Board, encouraging people to drink more cow's milk through celebrity-packed ads and commercials. It was successful for a time, but eventually the interest dwindled and soon after plant-based milks started to gain popularity. Since the 2000s, we've seen every version of plant-based milks you can imagine, ranging from soy, oat, almond, pistachio, macadamia, pea -- you name it, and it probably exists in your supermarket aisle. Now it appears that whole milk is gaining popularity again with wellness influencers and others.
I spoke to dietitians to better understand why this is happening, what benefits whole milk has and who should be cautious about drinking it.
Why dairy is having a moment again
A few factors could be contributing to whole milk regaining popularity: the concept that "natural" is better, people wanting fewer additives in their food and the current Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" initiative.
Clara Nosek, a non-diet registered dietitian, points out that cow's milk became less popular in the first place because it was disparaged by popular culture, blamed for any stomach issues and called inflammatory for a long time. "The shift back to dairy seems partly driven by rampant chemophobia," says Nosek, elaborating, "Many of those plant-based milks contained ingredients like gums and preservatives for stability and added sugars for palatability, which are also demonized."
Chemphobia relates to being fearful of chemicals found in everyday life. Still, there is often a misunderstanding of how chemicals function and the importance of knowing their dosages, among other things.
Chemphobia, along with the appeal-to-nature fallacy (the idea that something "natural" is better), makes cow's milk look more enticing because it has fewer ingredients compared to non-dairy milk. "Cow's milk started to look like the more 'pure' option and the appeal-to-nature logic pushed even further down the chemophobia spectrum, as seen in the growing popularity of raw cow's milk," Nosek explains.
Raw milk is unpasteurized cow's milk, and interest in it has also risen thanks to a push by some wellness influencers and even the secretary of health and human services. Health officials have spoken out about the dangers of drinking raw milk and its risk of foodborne illnesses, especially after this past year when raw milk was recalled due to bird flu.
Benefits of drinking whole milk
Whether you drink cow's milk or not, there's no denying that milk has plenty of benefits. Whole milk, in particular, can provide you with lots of nutrients. Lauren Manaker, a registered dietitian and nutritionist, says, "It's a natural source of high-quality protein, calcium and it provides essential vitamins like B12 and D, which are hard to replicate in the same way with plant-based alternatives." Additionally, whole milk consists of fat, carbs and other micronutrients like potassium, B vitamins and vitamin A.
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