I recently found myself at the grocery store, contemplating the Greek yogurt.
Usually, I can sleepwalk my way through the dairy aisle, plucking the same three items: a dozen eggs, a quart of Almond Breeze, and a small carton of 0 percent fat, unsweetened Fage. But this time, as I stood in front of the rows of Yoplait and Chobani, my eyes began drifting from the non-fat to the 2 percent, and down the shelf to the full-fat options.
As a health journalist, and someone who’s talked to a lot of nutritionists, I can tell you that one thing there’s a near consensus on is this: Greek yogurt equals good. It’s packed with protein, vitamins like B12 and calcium, and probiotics, which are great for your gut. But in January, the Trump administration released new dietary guidelines, which endorse full-fat dairy. And that got me wondering: Was it time to switch to 5 percent?
The update is one of the more controversial components of the MAHA food pyramid, so I thought I’d turn to a couple experts before ditching my ride-or-die (0 percent Fage) for good. Here’s what they had to say about the dairy dilemma.
The full-fat controversy
Since the 1980s, health experts have urged Americans to go low-fat when it comes to their milk products — the conventional wisdom being that the alternative contains more saturated fat, which raises cholesterol and ultimately lead to heart disease.
Early studies seemed to back this up, but more recent research is mixed. For example, one 2025 study of about 3,000 Americans found that people who consumed the most full-fat dairy had a 24 percent lower risk of developing coronary artery calcification, an early sign of heart disease, than those who ate the least. Another recent study of 74,000 Norwegians found that those who had the most whole milk were 7 percent more likely to die of heart disease than those who consumed the least.
“This idea that whole-fat dairy is potentially protective has been bubbling up in the scientific community for a while,” says Christopher Gardner, PhD, director of nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center. But he says the government's new guidelines, which recommend three servings a day, are flawed.
First, “dairy is not a necessary part of the diet,” says Dr. Gardner, who is himself vegan. “There are many populations who avoid dairy, and they don’t suffer from dairy deficiency.”
Additionally, it’s estimated that about 70 percent of the global population is lactose intolerant — myself included. (Greek yogurt is one of the few dairy products I can stomach, because much of the lactose is strained out of it. But despite the dearth of dairy in my life, I can attest to be a relatively healthy, active thirty-something with pretty pristine bloodwork.)
The type of dairy matters
One of the biggest issues public health experts have had with the updated guidance is its lack of nuance. “The problem is when the message becomes fat is good for you, and people start eating more butter and cream,” says Federica Amati, PhD, the head nutritionist at ZOE, a U.K.-based personal nutrition company.
The science is pretty clear that we should not be eating more butter or cream, both of which are very high in saturated fat and will contribute to higher LDL cholesterol, or ice cream, which is typically packed with added sugar. "The evidence isn't really there to support this 'butter is back' concept," says Dr. Gardner, referring to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s stance on cooking with butter or beef tallow. "If this is driving people to eat more butter, more steak, more bacon, it's going to hurt people."
But there is some research that shows fermented fare, like cheeses and yogurts, don’t have this same effect on LDL, despite also being high in saturated fat, Dr. Amati says. The molecular makeup of these foods, referred to as the food matrix, seems to protect us from absorbing some of that fat, so not as much of it can be converted to cholesterol.
Plus, this type of dairy is loaded with vitamins, probiotics, and bioactive peptides, so they “seem to have a net neutral or positive effect on overall health,” Dr. Amati tells me. Especially when you compare them to low-fat alternatives, which may contain emulsifiers — additives used to create a more creamy texture. These chemicals are commonly found in ultra-processed foods and have been associated with GI conditions, like IBD and Crohn’s disease.
The verdict on full-fat dairy
At the end of the day, whether or not you opt for a full- versus reduced-fat product should really depend on the individual. Research shows children, for instance, may benefit more from full-fat milk, because of the added calories, Dr. Gardner says. But if you’re someone who’s been advised by your doctor to lose weight, you may want to go the low- or no-fat route, simply to cut down on the calories. Just be sure whatever product you’ve picked is free of emulsifiers, added sugar, or artificial sweeteners, Dr. Gardner says.
“There are plenty of yogurts that have a ton of sugar and have added emulsifiers for mouthfeel,” he says.
As for me and my 0 percent Fage? Dr. Amati says the decision should come down to taste preference.
“If you’re comparing a full-fat version without additives and a low-fat version without additives, I tell people to go with whatever tastes better to you,” she says. “But as a rule of thumb, if you’re buying natural Greek yogurt, you’re already winning.”
