Let’s celebrate Dairy Month all June long
- col-kate-shumaker
- June 17, 2024
- 439
Holmes County ranks 12th in milk production with about 5.6 billion pounds or over 650 million gallons. However, Ohio is first in Swiss cheese production (Yay Holmes County), second in low-fat cottage cheese and third in hard ice cream production.
Milk goes from farm to grocery store in about 48 hours, 365 days a year. Learn more about milk’s journey from cow to cup at www.americandairy.com/dairy-farms/milks-farm-to-table-journey.
No matter what type of dairy product you choose, you can feel good about the 13 essential nutrients milk provides.
One serving (8 fluid ounces) of milk provides the following:
—Protein: 16% DV, building block for all tissues, helps maintain a healthy immune system.
—Calcium: 25% DV, for strong bones and teeth.
—Phosphorus: 20% DV, for strong bones and teeth and supports tissue growth.
—Vitamin A: 15% DV, for healthy skin, eyes and immune system.
—Vitamin D: 15% DV, for strong bones and teeth and a healthy immune system.
—Riboflavin (B2): 30% DV, helps the body use food for fuel.
—Niacin (B3): 15% DV, used during metabolism.
—Pantothenic acid (B5): 20% DV, helps the body use food for fuel.
—Cobalamin (B12): 50% DV, for normal blood function and a healthy nervous system.
—Iodine: 60% DV, necessary for bone and brain development during pregnancy/infancy and cognitive function in childhood.
—Potassium: 10% DV, for healthy blood pressure, heart health, fluid balance and normal muscle function.
—Selenium: 10% DV, for a healthy immune system, metabolism regulation and cell protection.
—Zinc: 10% DV, for a healthy immune system, healthy skin, and normal growth and development.
Most of us — about 90% — could benefit from having an extra serving of low-fat or fat-free dairy foods each day. Dairy foods are even economical. Three servings of traditional dairy foods — milk, cheeses, yogurt, et cetera — can cost less than 75 cents.
If you are lactose intolerant, we can work with you. Typically, small amounts of dairy foods can be consumed with meals without adverse effects. Individuals who are lactose intolerant can choose low-lactose and lactose-free dairy products. Lactose-free milk is real milk, just without the lactose. Some cheeses naturally contain very low amounts of lactose — Cheddar, Colby/Monterey Jack, Mozzarella and Swiss. Consider consuming yogurt with active/live cultures to help digest the lactose. Greek and Icelandic yogurts may contain even less lactose due to the straining process.
So what counts as one serving of dairy? Here’s where things get interesting. “One serving of dairy” is the amount of any dairy food that has the amount of calcium as 1 cup of fluid milk. Note some of these “servings” are large and may contain significant calories.
One serving of dairy equals:
Beverages
1 cup (8 fluid ounces) milk, 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) lactose-free milk, 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) soy beverage (calcium fortified) and 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) Kefir.
Yogurt
1 cup yogurt.
Cheese
1 ounce American cheese, 1/3 cup shredded cheese, 1 ½ ounces hard cheese, ½ cup Ricotta cheese and 2 cups cottage cheese.
Milk-based desserts
1 cup pudding made with milk, 1 cup frozen yogurt and 1 ½ cups ice cream.
Now that you know how good it is for you and how well it can fit into your food budget, how are you going to add more dairy to your diet? I think I’m going to add some low-fat shredded cheese to my salads at lunch and make some pudding with low-fat milk for dessert.
Kate Shumaker is an OSU Extension family and consumer sciences educator and may be called at 330-674-3015. Like and follow on Facebook @OSUEXTHolmes or visit at https://holmes.osu.edu.