If you believe that God (or Mother Nature) is infallible then why tamper with His bounty? That’s what I think when I see skim milk. The watery texture, unappealing flavor and bluish cast result from stripping away the fat. But it’s no longer all that clear that skim is healthier than whole.

Skim is more than just milk without fat. Skim is milk that’s fortified with synthetic vitamins to replace those lost in fat-removal, and milk solids to replace protein and calcium lost in processing. Skipping over the natural v. synthetic vitamin debate, consider how milk solids are made and what they contain.

Whole milk is separated in a centrifuge that outputs two streams, one cream and one fat-free milk. The fat-free milk is pasteurized then condensed in a vacuum evaporator to remove water and increase the concentration of solids. It’s then sent to a spray dryer, think industrial, high-pressure milk atomizer. The sprayer shoots a fine spray of milk into a warm, air-filled chamber that removes more moisture, turning the milk into powdery spherical particles, aka milk solids. They pop up in various low-fat and fat-free dairy products. . .