Whole Milk vs Skim Milk

Does the fat matter as much as people say?

Skim Milk takes it, 68 to 46. A 22-point gap. All the protein and calcium, almost none of the fat. Boring and effective. Whole Milk’s case: Complete protein, but you'd need a liter for it to matter. It's a beverage, not a strategy.

Tale of the tape

Nutrient	Whole Milk per 100g	Skim Milk per 100g
Calories	61	34 ●
Protein	3.2g	3.4g ●
Total Fat	3.3g	0.1g ●
Saturated Fat	1.9g	0.1g ●
Dietary Fiber	0g	0g
Sodium	43mg ●	44mg
Cholesterol	10mg	0mg ●
Potassium	150mg	156mg ●

Red dot marks the winner of each row. Column bases differ because chain labels are per serving — the per-100-calorie comparisons below put them on equal footing.

Where Whole Milk wins

Whole Milk has less sodium per 100 calories (Skim Milk has more).

Where Skim Milk wins

Skim Milk has 1.9x the protein of Whole Milk per 100 calories.
Skim Milk has less saturated fat per 100 calories (Whole Milk has more).

Questions

Is Whole Milk healthier than Skim Milk?

By our scoring, Skim Milk grades higher (68 vs 46). The full nutrient comparison is in the tale of the tape above.

Which has more protein, Whole Milk or Skim Milk?

Whole Milk: 5.2g per 100 calories. Skim Milk: 10g per 100 calories.

How many calories are in Whole Milk vs Skim Milk?

Whole Milk: 61 calories per 100g. Skim Milk: 34 calories per 100g.

A note before you eat your screen: grades are computed from published nutrition data with a transparent formula. They are a starting point for thinking about food, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian about your diet.