Dairy Foods - More than Just Milk

Dairy products constitute a significant part from the food and nutritional spectrum. However, to a lot of people, the term dairy invokes just one image - milk. While it's true that milk is among the most important dairy foods, it's hardly alone worth noting.

Why Dairy?

Dairy foods are really rich in essential nutrients and vitamins, for example potassium, riboflavin, and protein, in addition to vitamins A, D, and B12. Also, they are the main supply of calcium within our diets, supplying 75-80% in our calcium intake. Exactly what does this mean about their benefits?

Studies have discovered a long list of benefits linked to the nutrients in such things as cheese, yogurt, and milk, including better bone strength and density, improved oral health, lower blood pressure level, more effective weight loss, and even reduced risk of breast and colon cancers.

People often underestimate the quantity of dairy foods they need to eat every day. Scientists estimate the typical adult needs the same as approximately 3 glasses of dairy products every single day just to obtain the recommended daily dose of calcium, as well as other essential nutrients. For comparison when it comes to calcium, three glasses of milk is roughly just like 3 cups yogurt, 5 ounces of cheddar cheese, or 6 ounces of processed cheese.

Adding Dairy for your Diet

Milk is one of the easiest items to incorporate into your diet plan. Not only is it simple to drink with cereal, but it's also utilized in a variety of recipes, for example soups, smoothies, and baked goods. However, like the majority of dairy products, deciding on the correct kind of milk is essential. Many types of milk are full of both fat and calories; avoid these if at all possible, and choose 1% or skim milk instead.

Cheese is yet another very common dairy product, utilized in everything from pizza to salads to sandwiches. Fortunately, like milk, cheese is another great supply of essentially nutrients and it has also been associated with dental health benefits. However, cheese enthusiasts should look out for high levels of cholesterol and fat and choose low-fat varieties whenever you can. Cooks be aware, however - low-fat cheeses react differently to heat compared to traditional ones.

The third and final dairy product we'll discuss is yogurt. Yogurt is an extremely unique product. It's produced by using cultures of specific kinds of bacteria (L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus), that have also been associated with a strengthened defense mechanisms, improved digestive tract functions, and reduced risk of cancer. When eating yogurt, remember that frozen yogurt isn't a good source of these helpful bacteria; select the normal kind for optimum health benefits.

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Joseph Devine