I’ve brought home a couple cartons of Lactaid 2% Milkfat Reduced Fat Lactose Free Milk to write about. In a phrase: Creamy, sweet, and pretty good! Nowadays, I typically do not drink any milk with higher fat than skim. But as I’ve been so pleased with the Stonyfield fat-free milk offering (reviewed here), I figured it’d be worthwhile to test this reduced fat offering from Lactaid brand, which tastes as good as fat-free milk, and better perhaps, if you like the taste of sweet cream and a bit of fat in your milk.
The label says that this product is ultra pasteurized, and has vitamins A and D, as well as calcium. No artificial growth hormones here. They support 180,000 acres of organic land per year, and support hundreds of “family farms,” which seems to be a fast-disappearing commodity in the USA these days.
At 38% less fat than whole milk and none of the lactose of other milk products, this qualifies as a 2% milk that is safe for lactose intolerant people. It will not cause the pain and intestinal bloating that lactose-rich milk can in sensitive stomachs. Dairy milk naturally contains milk sugar or lactose, and in Lactaid, they remove it, just as in reduced fat milk, they remove some of the milkfat.
I’ve consumed hundreds of gallons of reduced fat (2% milk fat) products over three decades, and thus, have a good idea of what tasty-yet-reduced-fat milk should taste like. While I do not suffer from lactose intolerance myself, I still wanted to taste this milk. I find this dairy product somewhat sweeter, thicker, and creamier than other 2% milks. I’ve enjoyed this lactose free milk on cereal, used it in macaroni and cheese, and mostly, drank it straight from a glass. While I do not like this enough to switch from the Stonyfield products to Lactaid exclusively, I do keep it around for specific purposes; such as for making cakes, mac and cheese, and hot chocolate, as its enhanced creamy flavor is, in these items, better-tasting than the Stonyfield organic milks.
Benefits, Pros, Advantages, and Features
- Lactaid is priced on par or slightly more than other name brand reduced fat milk products in stores I’ve visited.
- This is an enriched, vitamin fortified milk, featuring added calcium, and vitamins A and D3. It also contains some lactase, presumably to cancel out the naturally occurring lactose. None of these ingredients are found in regular milk.
- They package it in a carton; not a plastic bottle. I believe that its creamy, sweet, amplified dairy taste therefore, to be less impacted by the leaching plastic compounds from the bottle that sometimes get into the milk inside, and taint its milky flavor.
- The carton also protects the milk from light, which can degrade its flavor and nutrition. Though the carton is not perfectly opaque, it nonetheless allows a miniscule amount of light to reach the milk.
- Lactaid contains 130 calories per one-cup serving; significantly fewer calories than whole milk, and it features both reduced fat and lower cholesterol. Though the lactose has been removed here, the calories in this milk equal that found in other non treated 2% milks.
- This milk product keeps for roughly two weeks in the refrigerator so long as it’s kept cold and unopened. Once opened however, the carton recommends that you use up this product within seven days. But my personal experimentation shows that even once opened, this milk still does not sour for at least two weeks, and sometimes three if you’ve got an exceptionally cold refrigerator and your milk was handled properly before you bought it. So it’s a wonderful item to buy ahead on if you’ve got the room in your ice box.
- The flavor is mild with a creamy sweet lean, and due to this greater cream amount as compared with fat-free milk, this 2% milk passes no light; not even in small glasses. It resembles a thicker white paint in a clear glass.
- This consumable is available at bigger grocery stores like Walmart, Hometown Market, and Giant Eagle here in PA.
- You get 50% of your daily calcium recommended daily value (RDV), which is 20% more than other less enriched milks. Just two cups of this beverage supplies you with all the calcium your body needs in a day.
- 100% lactose free.
- Easily digested.
- Grade A.
- Ultra pasteurized, which prevents early spoilage of this product and thus, extends its shelf life by weeks. It’s also homogenized.
- This has been designated a Real dairy product. The Real dairy logo appears on the carton.
- 100% farm-fresh.
- Gluten free.
- This product functions as a complete dairy product. That is, one serving of it roughly equals one serving of any other dairy product in terms of nutritional value.
Disadvantages, Cons, Problems, and Concerns
- The taste of this milk is somewhat sweeter than other brands, and that took some getting used to, especially when drinking it right from a glass.
- The thickness herein is greater than regular 2% milk. It seems overly exaggerated by the use of guar gum here.
- This product spoils in a shorter time than the Stonyfield milk products that are mainstays in my home kitchen.
- It’s non organic.
Ingredients
Reduced fat milk, tribasic calcium phosphate (calcium)*, guar gum*, lactase enzyme*, vitamin A palmitate, and vitamin D3.
* = ingredients not found in regular milk.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving size: 1 cup, or 240 millilitres. Servings per container: 8.
- Calories: 130. Calories from fat: 45.
- Total fat: 5 grams, 8% DV.
- Saturated fat: 3 grams, 15% DV.
- Trans fat: 0 grams.
- Cholesterol: 20 milligrams, 7% DV.
- Sodium: 125 milligrams, 5% DV.
- Potassium: 410 milligrams, 12% DV.
- Total carbohydrate: 13 grams, 4% DV.
- Dietary fiber: 0 grams, 0% DV.
- Sugars: 12 grams.
- Vitamin A: 10% DV.
- Calcium: 50% DV.
- Vitamin C: 0% DV.
- Vitamin D: 25% DV.
- Vitamin B12: 15% DV.
- Iron: 0% DV.
- Riboflavin: 25% DV.
- Phosphorus: 35% DV.
Product Rating
I like this reduced fat milk. Though its primary benefit I do not benefit from (the lactose free consistency), I still enjoy the creamy flavor on cocoa wheats and oatmeal. But I must lower my rating somewhat due to the presence of the 5 grams of milkfat per serving. Thus, I’d rate this product an 85 out of 100. Hopefully, they’ll find ways to make fat-free milk taste as great as this. That would make for a truly perfect milk beverage indeed.
Where To Buy Lactaid 2% Milkfat Reduced Fat Lactose Free Milk
Take a carton home from your favorite larger local grocer, including Walmart and Giant Eagle.
Look for it in the dark blue and white carton with a picture of the beverage being poured into a glass on the front, and with the yellow cap, in the refrigerated dairy section.
References
- Lactaid Website
- Lactose on Wikipedia
- Lactose Intolerance on Wikipedia
- Where To Buy Lactaid 2% Milkfat Reduced Fat Lactose Free Milk
Revision History
- : Adjusted category and tag assignments, fixed typos, and added white space.
- 2012-07-13: Originally published.