Can someone help me understand why skim milk is bad? I've been on this diet for 2 months now and the hardest part hasn't been avoiding candy, or chocolate, or chips or any of that junk..... it's been skim milk. I used to drink 4 gallons of skim milk per week, regularly. And the fact it was "good for me" made it better. Anyways, I just have trouble not drinking it, cause I still keep thinking it's good for me (not just for calcium). And I also miss it. Can someone give me a solid explanation of why skim milk is bad on the atkins diet and how bad it is? What would happen if I started drinking say..... 1 litre per day?

Thanks,
Adam

It's the carbs! Skim milk has around 11 grams per cup, so a liter a day would add 44 grams.

Milk is not all it's cracked up to be. You can get all the nutrients you need from choosing the right foods. A partial list is below.

Rant alert!

This is my own, personal rant with dairy products, but doesn't it seem strange that we're the only warm blood creatures on the planet that continue to drink milk after we're weaned? And from a cow no less? Milk is for nourishing the young of a species, not the adults.

End of rant.

Raw Kale, 1 cup (240 mL) chopped
Calcium 90.450 mg
Magnesium 22.780 mg
Potassium 299.490 mg

Raw broccoli, 1 cup (240 mL) chopped
Calcium 42.240 mg
Magnesium 22.000 mg
Potassium 286.000 mg

Chinese Broccoli 1 cup (240 mL) cooked
Calcium 88.000 mg
Magnesium 15.840 mg
Potassium 229.680 mg

1/2 cup regular tofu
Calcium 434.000 mg
Magnesium 37.200 mg
Potassium 150.040 mg

1 can sockeye salmon
Calcium 881.910 mg
Magnesium 107.010 mg
Potassium 1391.130 mg

1 can waterpacked white tuna
Calcium 24.080 mg
Magnesium 56.760 mg
Potassium 407.640 mg

1 cup (240 mL) raw spinach
Calcium 29.700 mg
Magnesium 23.700 mg
Potassium 167.400 mg

1 Californian avocado
Calcium 19.030 mg
Magnesium 70.930 mg
Potassium 1096.820 mg

1 oz (28 g) whole roasted pumpkin seeds
Calcium 12.191 mg
Magnesium 151.389 mg
Potassium 228.501 mg

1 oz. (28 g) whole roasted sunflower seeds
Calcium 19.845 mg
Magnesium 36.572 mg
Potassium 240.975 mg

1 oz. (28 g) shelled Brazil nuts
Calcium 49.896 mg
Magnesium 63.788 mg
Potassium 170.100 mg

1 oz. (28 g) shelled almonds
Calcium 82.499 mg
Magnesium 77.679 mg
Potassium 198.167 mg

6 raw, oysters
Calcium 24.000 mg
Magnesium 66.000 mg
Potassium 504.000 mg

-figures from the USDA Nutrient Database

8 cups of skim milk has almost 100 carbs in it.

Dr. Atkins says that all calories are not created equal: Grams of carbohydrate are not equal to the equivalent grams of protein. Similarly, carbohydrates are not created equal, either - which is an often misconception among low-carb dieters.

Carbs' impact on your blood sugar is ranked on a scale called the "Glycemic Index." The most common sugar, glucose, has a G.I. value of 100 - very, very high - and most certainly will cause blood sugar levels rise, followed by a severe drop. A G.I. value below 55 makes it a low blood sugar impact food - the food will be digested slowly. Intermediate G.I. foods fall between 55 and 70, and high G.I. foods are those above a 70.

Milk's G.I. is 27 for full-fat, or 32 for skim. Milk tends to have 11-12g of carbs per cup. This makes it a pretty low glycemic food, and honestly, if your carb allowance will let you have it, why not have a cup everyday? The distribution of calories among fat, protein, and carbohydrate is quite even, and plus, milk provides a good amount of calcium, and iron, and it tastes really, really very good

So if you're off induction, I suggest that if you miss it, add it back onto your diet!

Plus, studies show that calcium-enriched foods help speed weight loss! Yogurt is also a good substitute - at 3-4 carbs per cup (the active bacteria eat up the other 10 or so), and at a G.I. of 17 (the artificially sweetened ones) it is one of the healthiest foods out there.

Check out Rustpot's analogy in this thread.


Beth

One way to get your milk without all the carbs is to mix 1/2 cup of heavy cream (also known as whipping cream) with 1/2 cup water. You get milk for about 3 grams of carb per cup.
I do have to wonder about a hidden intolerance or allergy to milk, though, since you're craving it so strongly. Many people crave the very things that they should be avoiding because their bodies can't handle it.
While the glycemic value of milk may be low, it's the carbs that matter for now (at least if you're following Atkins), so I wouldn't advise you to start drinking a liter of milk a day at this point.