Research

Macro partitioning

Replacing one serving of fat-free dairy with one serving of whole- or reduced-fat dairy in a 2,000 kcal healthy eating pattern keeps saturated fat below 10% of total calories and sodium within recommended limits, while increasing energy intake by only 45–94 kcal.

If you currently eat fat-free dairy, try swapping just one of your three daily servings for a whole- or reduced-fat option (like whole milk or reduced-fat cheese). This small change adds only about 45-94 calories and keeps your saturated fat intake within recommended limits, potentially making your diet more satisfying without breaking your calorie goals.

ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
In all models, the amount of saturated fat did not exceed 10% of total calories, but the amount of energy increased by 45–94 calories. While still lower than current average intake (3,440 mg/d), sodium amounts in four of the seven models exceeded the 2,300 mg/d recommended intake level.
Julie Hess et al. · Frontiers in Nutrition · 2020

Why this rating

The study is a food pattern modeling exercise, not a clinical trial, meaning it predicts nutrient composition but does not measure physiological outcomes like blood lipids or weight change.

Source

Modeling the Impact of Fat Flexibility With Dairy Food Servings in the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Healthy U.S.-Style Eating Pattern

Julie Hess et al. · Frontiers in Nutrition · 2020

DOI 10.3389/fnut.2020.595880

clinical_guidelineCited 4×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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