Dairy Products In The Diet
 Dairy foods are broadly defined as products derived from cow's milk
such as fluid milk, yogurt, and cheese. These foods are good sources of
protein, calcium, vitamin D and other essential nutrients. | Over the past few decades, there has been a great deal of research on dairy foods that looks beyond their contribution of essential nutrients to explore potential roles in promoting health and preventing disease. Dairy food supplies approximately 75 percent of the calcium we consume. In addition, they provide protein, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamins A, D, B12, and riboflavin. Eating the right amount of dairy can make your body stronger and be part of an alternative treatment against illnesses. |
Health Benefits of Dairy Products
1. Calcium for Bone Health
It is well known that calcium plays some pivotal roles in maintaining good health, from keeping bones healthy and strong and helping prevent high blood pressure to more recent findings that the calcium in dairy products may make it easier to lose weight. Calcium also helps your blood to clot and keeps your muscles and nerves working properly.
If your body doesn't get enough calcium from food, it steals calcium from your bones to help keep a steady amount in your blood. Fortunately, it can be fairly easy to meet your daily calcium needs if you regularly enjoy milk, yogurt, and cheese.
2. Vitamin D
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient for building and maintaining strong bones and teeth. It is a unique vitamin -- your body can make its own vitamin D when sunlight makes contact with your skin. To get enough, it only takes a few minutes of sun exposure, three times a week, on your hands, arms, or face (without sunscreen). However, if you live in Northern climates or don't get outdoors much, especially in the winter, you should not rely on sunshine. Also, as you age, your body may not be as efficient at making vitamin D, so food sources become even more important.
Your most reliable source of vitamin D is milk. Although milk is fortified with the vitamin, dairy products made from milk such as cheese, yogurt, and ice cream are generally not fortified with vitamin D. Only a few foods, including fatty fish and fish oils, naturally contain significant amounts of vitamin D. Other foods that contain smaller amounts of vitamin D include eggs, fortified breakfast cereals, and margarine.
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Milk In The Diet
Milk is available in a variety of forms that are differentiated by
their fat content. The 2% designation refers to the percent of fat by
weight that the milk contains. 2% milk is often referred to as
reduced-fat milk since it contains less fat than whole milk, which is
3.5% fat. It is best to actually use whole milk or cream in your diet as it is in it's most natural form.
1. Essential Vitamins
Milk, the basis for all other dairy products, promotes strong
bones by being a very good source of vitamin D, calcium, and a good
source of vitamin K, three nutrients essential to bone health. In
addition, milk is a very good source of iodine, a mineral
essential for thyroid function; and a very good source of riboflavin
and good source of vitamin B12, two B vitamins that are necessary for
cardiovascular health and energy production. Milk is also a good source of vitamin A, a critical
nutrient for immune function, and potassium, a nutrient important for cardiovascular health.
2. High in Calcium
Calcium is widely recognized for its role in maintaining the
strength and density of bones. In a process known as bone
mineralization, calcium and phosphorus join to form calcium phosphate.
Calcium phosphate is a major component of the mineral complex (called hydroxyapatite)
that gives structure and strength to bones. A cup of milk
supplies 29.7% of the daily value for calcium along with 23.2% of the
DV for phosphorus.
3. Helps Prevent Childhood Obesity
Research suggests that if parents regularly include dairy
products such as cow's milk in their children's healthy way of
eating, it could help control how much fat stays in the body.
4. Trim Your Waistline
If you are trying to lose weight, especially around the midsection, research suggests that eating more calcium-rich foods, especially low fat dairy
foods such as cow's milk, yogurt and kefir, may really help.
5. Boost the Body's Burning of Fat After a Meal
Studies show that women who ate dairy products after a meal burned fat after the meal.
6. Protection against Metabolic Syndrome
Including milk and other dairy products in your healthy way of eating may reduce your risk of metabolic syndrome by up to 62%.
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Yogurt In The Diet
Your body needs to have a healthy amount of ''good'' bacteria in the digestive tract, and many yogurts are made using active, good bacteria. One of the words you’ll be hearing more of in relation to yogurt is ''probiotics.'' Probiotic, which literally means ''for life,'' refers to living organisms that can result in a health benefit when eaten in adequate amounts.
1. Helps Prevent Osteoporosis
Adequate nutrition plays a major role in the prevention and treatment of
osteoporosis, and the micronutrients of greatest importance are calcium and
vitamin D. Calcium has been shown to have beneficial effects on bone mass in people of
all ages.
2. May Help Reduce High Blood Pressure
Studies have shown a 50% reduction in the risk of developing high blood pressure
among people eating 2-3 servings of low-fat dairy, compared
with those without any intake.
3. Can Aid in Reducing Gastrointestinal Problems
Yogurt with active cultures may help certain gastrointestinal conditions,
including, Lactose intolerance, Constipation, Diarrhea, Colon cancer, Inflammatory bowel disease, and H. pylori infection. The benefits are thought to be due to, changes in the microflora of the stomach, the time food takes to go through the bowel, and the enhancement of the body's immune system.
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Cheese In The Diet
Cheese
can be made from whole, low-fat, or skim milk or combination of these.
Regardless of the type of milk used to create it, cheese is a
concentrated source of the nutrients naturally found in milk, including
calcium. Indeed, many cheeses provide 200 to 300 milligrams of calcium
per ounce.
Are
reduced-fat cheeses the answer for a diet hopelessly high in fat?
Hardly. Unless you're a big cheese eater, chances are other elements of
your diet such as fatty meats, whole milk, buttery muffins and
croissants, chips, and ice cream are more in need of a good
fat trimming.
People who are lactose intolerant will find the health benefits of
cheese especially helpful. This is because aged cheeses, particularly Mozzarella, Cheddar, and Swiss can be safely consumed by people who are lactose
intolerant because aged cheeses contain little or no lactose. For this reason, cheese is an
important source of calcium and other nutrients that are found in milk
for lactose intolerant people.
1. Nutrient Rich
Cheese contains a high concentration of essential nutrients, in
particular high quality protein and calcium as well as others such as
phosphorous, zinc, vitamin A, riboflavin, and vitamin B12.
2. Cavity Fighter
Consuming certain varieties of cheese - aged Cheddar, Swiss, Blue,
Monterey Jack, Brie, Gouda and processed American cheese immediately
after meals or as a between-a-meal snack has proven to help prevent
tooth decay. Calcium, phosphorous and other components in cheese may
contribute to this beneficial effect. Milk proteins also help as it
neutralizes plaque acids with their buffering capacity.
3. Weight control
Several studies say that including 2-3 servings of cheese or other dairy products actually aids in weight loss.
4. Osteoporosis prevention
With emphasis placed on calcium and its role in the prevention of
osteoporosis, eating cheese is an excellent way to boost the calcium
content of prepared foods.
