June is Dairy Month – drink milk, and hug a dairy farmer today

 
This month is National Dairy Month, so the Star Herald did some research on dairy and why we should care. Outside of the fact that dairy operations play a big role in our local ag economy, there are plenty of nutritional reasons we should stock milk and other dairy products in our fridges.
• Milk is the number one food source, in terms of consumption, for three of the four nutrients the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) identified as lacking in the American diet – calcium, vitamin D and potassium.
• Milk and other dairy foods provide nine essential nutrients required for healthy body functioning. Essential nutrients must come from the diet because the human body can’t manufacture them in sufficient quantities to meet daily needs. From helping repair muscle tissue to maintaining healthy red blood cells, the nine nutrients in milk and other dairy foods work together to help keep the body in optimal health:
1. Calcium: Helps build and maintain healthy bones and teeth.
2. Potassium: Helps to regulate the body’s fluid balance and maintain normal blood pressure. It’s also needed for muscle activity.
3. Phosphorus: Helps strengthen bones and generate energy in the body’s cells.
4. Protein: The protein in milk, yogurt and cheese builds and repairs muscle tissue, and serves as a source of energy and satiety.
5. Vitamin D: Promotes the absorption of calcium and enhances bone strength. It is one of the nutrients Americans lack most.
6. Vitamin A: Helps maintain normal vision and skin. It is also important for bone growth.
7. Vitamin B-12: Helps maintain healthy red blood cells and nerve cells.
8. Riboflavin: Helps convert food into energy the body can use. Also known as vitamin B2, it’s important for normal eyesight and healthy skin.
9. Niacin: Helps bodies digest carbohydrates and fatty acids.
If these aren’t reasons enough to drink milk and eat dairy, consider this:
Dairy helps prevent osteoporosis: Research has long shown that dairy’s nutrients are vital to the development of strong bones, thus reducing the risk for developing osteoporosis. In fact, the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Bone Health and Osteoporosis (2004) recognizes dairy foods as offering a unique combination of nutrients that work together to help protect bones.
Healthy weight: Milk and dairy foods may also play a positive role in maintaining a healthy weight. Researchers found that young, normal-weight women, ages 18 to 30 years, who consumed at least three servings of dairy foods a day (1,000 to 1,400 mg of dairy calcium) gained less body fat over 18 months than young, normal-weight women who ate fewer than three servings of dairy foods a day. A new scientific review published in the International Journal of Obesity says that including dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yogurt in a weight-loss diet can help accelerate fat loss.
Healthy blood pressure: A trifecta of minerals found in dairy foods – calcium, potassium and magnesium – may play an important role in maintaining healthy blood pressure. Hypertension, or uncontrolled high blood pressure, increases the risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke; this condition affects about 73 million people age 20 and older in the United States, or nearly one in three adults.
Still not convinced to drink milk? If you’re frugal you should consider stopping at the dairy cooler.
At about 25 cents a glass, milk is a dietary and economic value, delivering incomparable nutrition and taste. When you compare dairy’s nutritional value to other foods, you find that the calcium in 1 cup of milk is equal to 3 cups of cooked broccoli, and an 8-ounce serving of low-fat plain yogurt contains about the same amount of potassium (380 mg) as one banana.
 
Source: Midwest Dairy Council