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Milk: Does it do the body good?

Humans have been drinking cow’s milk for over six thousand years, since the domestication of animals and farming. Today it remains a beverage of choice for all ages, due in part for its taste and nutritional value. Milk provides 15 of the 50 nutrients for a healthy diet including vitamin A for healthy skin and eyesight, vitamin D and calcium for bone health and protein for tissue building and repair. It is recommended to consume lower fat milk such as skim and 1%, to reduce the amount of saturated fat in one’s diet.

The Benefits of Calcium

·        Calcium and Bone Health:

Milk is known for being a great source of calcium, providing 300 mg for each 250ml glass (see below for the Daily Reference Intakes for different age groups). Several studies have confirmed that calcium is well absorbed from milk because of two factors: milk-lactose and casein. While milk does not naturally have vitamin D, most milk is fortified. Without adequate vitamin D in the diet or sunlight exposure, we would absorb less the 10% of the calcium from our food. Dietary calcium is important for bone density and is fundamental to decreasing the incidence of osteoporosis.

·        Calcium and Weight Loss:

Epidemiological studies and clinical trials have found that increased milk product intake can help one to lose weight. Dairy markedly reduces weight and fat gain and accelerates fat loss to a greater degree than supplemental sources of calcium.  Consuming at least 3 servings of dairy products has resulted in significant decreases in adipose tissue mass in obese humans even in the absence of restricting calories. However, with caloric restriction dairy greatly accelerated weight and body fat loss in comparison to diets low in dairy.

·        Calcium and Blood Pressure:

Cardiovascular disease remains the number one killer in North America. Approximately 22 % of Canadians have hypertension, which leads to greater risk of heart disease and stroke. Studies have shown that those who consume high amounts of fruits and vegetables (8-10 servings a day) had lower blood pressure. However, when 3 servings of milk products were added the blood pressure-lowering effect was doubled. The DASH diet- which is rich in milk products, fruits and vegetables and low in fat -promotes a lowered blood pressure in both men and women and can potentially translate into 15% reduction in coronary heart disease.

Bottom line: Consuming approximately 3 servings of low fat dairy can increase bone density, promote weight loss and decrease blood pressure.

Milk Products and Beverages on the Market

Table 1: Milk Products and Beverages: Based on 1 cup serving for original skim or low fat variety

Benefits of the Different Milk Beverages:

1. Soy Milks: Soy Milk is an excellent alternative to regular cow’s milk because it is:

When choosing the ideal soy milk beverage look to the labels and ingredients for help. Your beverage should be low in added sugar (which is essentially from cane juice or sugar), low in sodium and high in calcium.   If you are on a low sodium diet check out Soy Dream which has the lowest sodium.

2. Cow’s Milk: Cow’s milk is one of the top beverages for absorbing calcium. Dairyland has come out with a number of varieties to suit people’s preferences and needs. These include:

b) Lactose Free: For those who are lactose intolerant or maldigesters, this is a great alternative. This milk contains lactase, the very enzyme needed to break down lactose and alleviate the uncomfortable affects that lactose causes for those intolerant (such as bloating, gas, and diarrhea).

c) Omega-3: Flaxseed oil is added to this milk to increase the omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential fatty acids for our health. Omega-3s are known for their beneficial effect on increasing HDL (“good”) cholesterol and decreasing LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.

d) Microfiltered Milk: This milk undergoes an extra filtration process to keep milk fresher for longer. This can be beneficial for those who do not drink milk that often and tend to have it in the fridge for a longer time.

e) Calcium Extra: This milk can be extremely beneficial for those who need to be taking more calcium. This is a great way to ingest more calcium, because of the positive components in milk that help calcium absorption.

3) Potato milk: This non-dairy beverage is calcium fortified as in an option for those who are allergic to soy and cow’s milk or intolerant to lactose. This product compared with other milks is low in sodium and is still a source of calcium. However, it does not contain protein and so should not be considered as a protein source. 

4) Rice Dream: This rice milk is made with organic brown rice and is another alternative for milk and soy products. This product is also relatively low in sodium and is still a source of calcium. However, as with potato milk, it is very low in protein.

New Milk Products

While milk is an important source of calcium, it also contains saturated fat, which can be harmful for heart health. For those concerned about their heart health, Dairy Fresh Farms has a new line of milk products called the New Generation milk beverages. This milk product has been officially approved by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Health Check. To produce a lower saturated fat milk, Dairy Fresh Farms takes regular milk, skims the saturated fat and adds 1 % of the monounsaturated fat from Canola seed oil. Monounsaturated fat helps to reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and maintain HDL (“good”) cholesterol. As a result of this process, this milk is:

• Bottom line: if it passes your taste test, this beverage is a great healthy alternative to regular milk.

Safe food Handling of Milk

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