Milk 101
You know it, you love it - but here's the real skinny on milk.
Milk. A Nutrition Powerhouse.
Milk contains nine essential nutrients that are often lacking in American diets. Three eight-ounce glasses of milk a day can pack a powerful punch.
Kids Need Milk. Milk Needs Kids.
According to the National Institutes of Health, milk is an important source of calcium at every age.
Low-fat and fat-free milk provide the same amount of calcium and other nutrients as whole milk. To find out if you're eating (or serving) the right amount of calcium, look for the % Daily Value (% DV) next to the calcium number on food labels. For more information on food labels, go to http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodlab.html.
Mix It Up With Milk.
To make milk even more appealing, try chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry flavored milk. Flavored milk has the same amount of calcium as plain milk.
Whip up a low-fat or fat-free smoothie for a delicious snack or quick breakfast. Use milk, yogurt or soy milk, blended with fresh or frozen fruit, and ice.
Enjoy a "mocktail" in a goblet filled with milk and hazelnut syrup. To save calories, make it low-fat milk and sugar-free syrup.
Each serving of low-fat flavored milk provides the same nine essential nutrients as low-fat white milk.
More Than Just Strong Bones.
Reduce your blood pressure with milk. A National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute study showed that people who consumed more than three servings of low-fat dairy products a day were 36% less likely to have high blood pressure than those who ate less than half a serving a day. Click here to read the entire article.
Weighing in on milk. Researchers at Boston University found that skimping on milk and other dairy products in early childhood may lead to excess body fat during adolescence, according to a study published in the August 2008 issue of the journal Obesity. Click here to read the entire article.
There is a new reason for the 76 million baby boomers in the United States to grab a glass of milk. According to a study in the November 2007 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vitamin D, a key nutrient in milk, could have aging benefits linked to reduced inflammation - a key ingredient in the biology of aging. Click here to read the entire article.
Fight cancer. Research published in the September 2004 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reviewed data from 10 studies of more than 534,000 people in the United States and Europe and found a link between milk consumption and a reduced risk for colon cancer. Results found that people who drank at least one eight-ounce glass of milk per day had a 12% lower risk of developing colon cancer and individuals who drank more than one eight-ounce glass of milk lowered their risk by 15%. Additionally, vitamin D is thought to play a role as the results showed the biggest protective effect with the highest doses of both vitamin D and calcium.
Reduce PMS symptoms. If you are one of the 85% of women who experience symptoms of PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome), you may want to reach for the low-fat milk. According to research published in the 2005 Archives of Internal Medicine, women who drank at least two servings per day of non-fat or low-fat milk had a significantly lower risk of developing PMS symptoms than women who had only one serving or less per week. Click here to read the entire article.
Fun Facts
- About 73% of the Calcium in the food supply is provided by milk
and milk products.
--IDFA, Dairy Facts, 2007 Edition - In 2006, Americans drank approximately 21 gallons of fluid
milk.
--IDFA, Dairy Facts, 2007 Edition - Vanilla is the most popular flavor of ice cream eaten at home,
holding 30% of the market. Chocolate is next, at 10%.
--The NPD Group's National Eating Trends Service - On the Overall Nutritional Quality Index (ONQI), skim milk
rates a 91 out of 100 points, joining spinach, strawberries and
broccoli as one of the most nutritious foods.
--NuVal Nutritional Scoring System - In 2006, 14% of the U.S supply of milk was used for
butter.
--IDFA, Dairy Facts, 2007 Edition