Why should you eat dairy?
Why should we eat dairy? Doesn't it make you gain weight? There are so many diets out there at the moment that exclude or restrict dairy, so it must be bad for you right?
Dairy is actually a really important part of our diet! It can do so many good things for our bodies. There are many misconceptions about this food group so hopefully I can shed some light on the common myths as well as show you all the good it does for our bodies. I have also thrown in some of my favourite ways to get my serves of dairy in.
The fact is that the majority of Australians are not eating enough dairy. Most adults are recommended to have 2-3 serves a day however some age groups need even more than that. Women over the age of 51 are recommended to have 4 serves from this food group per day. The reason for this increase is to protect bone health as you transition into a period of life where Osteoporosis (bone degeneration) is more common. Teenagers also require a higher number of serves (3 1/2 per day) from dairy. This is because they are growing at a rapid pace and need the extra calcium to build strong bones.
Some people aren't able to tolerate dairy for a number of medical reasons. However, there are many alternatives that can be substituted into the diet to ensure that you are getting all the nutrients your body needs. The nutrient that is hardest to get from other foods is calcium. When you are choosing a dairy alternative such as soy milk, ensure that it is fortified with a minimum of 100mg of calcium per 100mL. Some people who are lactose intolerant find they can eat cheese and yoghurt, this is because the lactose has been eaten up by the good bacteria in these products.
A common myth is that reduced fat dairy options are worse for you than full fat dairy. It is common to hear that skim milk has more sugar in it an therefore it must bad for you. However, the benefit of choosing reduced fat dairy products is you are consuming a significantly smaller amount of saturated fat (no more than 0.15% fat in skim milk) and still getting all the valuable nutrients that cows milk can offer. The large reduction in saturated fat far outweighs the fact that there is more naturally occuring sugar (lactose) present. Keep in mind sugar contains less kilojoules (calories) per gram than fat.
Some people avoid dairy because they think it will cause them to gain weight. This is not true. Regularly including reduced fat dairy products in a balanced diet can help you to maintain or even lose weight. Making the effort to include your recommended serves of dairy in a day may mean that there is less room for snacking of treat foods. Also dairy foods are packed full of protein which can help to control your appetite and keep you feeling fuller for longer.
Research has shown that consuming more dairy in your diet can help to protect against osteoporosis. Adequate dairy can help to decrease blood pressure, prevent tooth decay and also is a great source of nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin D and riboflavin (amongst others) which you body needs to function.
A serve of dairy according to the Australian Guide To Healthy Eating is a glass of milk, 40g of cheese or 3/4 cup of yoghurt. It is recommended for people over the age of 2 to eat reduced fat dairy products.
A serve of hard cheese (40g or 2 slices)
A serve of cottage cheese (1/2 cup)
Cheese is naturally high in fat so the most healthy choices of cheese are the ones that have less than 15g of fat per 100g. My favourite ways to eat cheese include: grilled cheese on toast, toasted sandwiches, whole grain crackers with cottage cheese and tomato, adding cheese to salads, and incorporating it into my cooking. Check out some of my recipes that use cheese South West Chicken Salad and Quinoa Burgers.
A serve of yoghurt (3/4 cup)
Choosing a yoghurt can be tricky with all the health claims on them. I normally choose a natural yoghurt and add my own flavourings, this way I can control the amount of sugar added. The non-fat yoghurts aren't always the best for you. Often they have a lot of added sugar. Use your label reading skills to choose the best yoghurt for you. My favourite way to eat yoghurt is mixed with oats and berries, I normally leave it in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight) so that the oats become soft and the yoghurt is even creamier.
A serve of milk (250mL)
Skim milk is the healthiest choice of milk. My favourite way to enjoy milk is in porridge, I wrote a whole blog post on porridge you can see it here. I also like a glass of milk with a teaspoon of Milo in it occasionally.
I hope you are now feeling inspired to include more dairy in your day. If you have any questions please feel free to leave them in the comments. Also any blog post requests are welcome. I would love to know what you want to read.
Enjoy your weekend,
Bridge
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