Nutrition Tip of the Week - Getting Your Dairy (Part I)
Dairy is important to our diet as it provides calcium, vitamin D, potassium, protein, and other nutrients needed for good health throughout life. The Dairy Group includes milk, yogurt, cheese, and fortified soymilk. Make your dairy choices low fat or fat-free to cut calories and saturated fat. But just how much dairy do we need? Older children, teens, and adults need 3 cups* a day, while children 4 to 8 years old need 2½ cups, and children 2 to 3 years old need 2 cups. For some tips to help you eat and drink more fat-free and low-fat dairy foods, take a look below:
- "Skim" the fat: Drink fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1%) milk. If you currently drink whole milk, gradually switch to lower fat versions. This change cuts calories but doesn't reduce calcium or other essential nutrients.
- Boost potassium and vitamin D, and cut sodium: Choose fat-free or low-fat milk or yogurt more often than cheese. Milk and yogurt have more potassium and less sodium than most cheeses. Also, almost all milk and many yogurts are fortified with vitamin D.
- Top off your meals: Use fat-free or low-fat milk on cereal and oatmeal. Top fruit salads and baked potatoes with low-fat yogurt instead of higher fat toppings such as sour cream.
- Choose cheeses with less fat: Many cheeses are high in saturated fat. Look for "reduced-fat" or "low-fat" on the label. Try different brands or types to find the one that you like.
- What about cream cheese?: Regular cream cheese, cream, and butter are not part of the dairy food group. They are high in saturated fat and have little or no calcium.
* What counts as a cup in the Dairy Group? 1 cup of milk or yogurt, 1½ ounces of natural cheese, or 2 ounces of processed cheese.
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