The Consumer Education Project of Milk SA shares that milk and dairy is a source of important nutrients that we need to survive, including calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium and protein. The South African Department of Health’s daily dietary guidelines stipulate that we should all have milk, maas or yoghurt every day as part of a healthy, balanced diet.
Here are five reasons why you should include dairy in your daily diet:
1. As an adult you need 1 000mg of calcium per day. One serving of dairy (250ml of milk or 40g of cheese or 200ml yoghurt or maas) provides 300mg of calcium. Just three servings of dairy give your body almost all of the calcium it needs per day. In fact, three daily servings of dairy are recommended for a healthy lifestyle.
2. Milk, maas and yoghurt have low sodium-to-potassium ratios and contain bioactive peptides. This composition may help to protect against the development of non- communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
3. The calcium in dairy products is highly bio- available, contributing significantly to your bone-mineral content.
4. The nutrient composition of these foods is also associated with lower risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and Type-2 diabetes.
5. The calcium in milk, yoghurt and maas could play an important role in the regulation of body weight and the prevention of metabolic syndrome.
What to do if you don’t drink milk?
If you cannot consume dairy due to lactose intolerance or other factors, the USDA recommend the following foods for their high calcium content, which you still need. Click here to find out more.
- kale leaves and other leafy greens such as collard, bok choy and turnip greens
- calcium-fortified juices
- breads
- cereals
- rice or almond milk
- canned fish
- soybeans and other soy foods such as tofu
- soy yoghurt
- tempeh
For the best outlets with sugar-free, dairy-free and gluten-free products in SA, click on the following link.
