The Milk Group

Did you know that all vitamins known to be essential for human nutrition are present in milk and milk products? Foods included in the milk group are milk, yogurt, cheese, pudding and ice cream. These foods provide the body with calcium, a mineral needed for healthy bones and teeth; protein, a nutrient for building and maintaining body tissues; and vitamins A, D, B12, thiamin, and riboflavin. In the first year of life, infants should consume breast milk or a purchased formula. These best meet infants’ nutritional needs. Children from age 12 months through age two should consume whole milk, which provides nutrients—including fat—that their growing bodies need.

The carbohydrate in milk is lactose. Lactase is an enzyme that is produced in the small intestine and breaks lactose down into simple sugars. The term lactose intolerant refers to people who don’t naturally produce enough lactase in their bodies, causing discomfort with the digestion of dairy products. This condition shouldn’t preclude anyone from enjoying dairy products. You can now buy milk to which lactase has been added and can buy over-the-counter products such as LactAid that help in dairy digestion. If you still have a hard time with dairy products, you can carefully supplement your diet with calcium fortified breakfast cereals and juices and vitamin supplements.

Your task with the Milk Group is to get the nutrients you need without getting unwanted fat. There are more low- and nonfat dairy choices now than ever before; for example, reduced and nonfat sour cream, cottage cheese and yogurt. If you haven’t tried a reduced fat milk or milk product yet, you should. You may find that you really like some, and may not even taste a real difference from the higher fat equivalent. Other products, however, might be so lacking in flavor and texture that you decide it is worth the extra fat for the flavor you prefer. Nonfat sour cream may work in a favorite dip recipe, but you may prefer regular sour cream for topping baked potatoes. Reduced fat cottage cheese could be a good choice for an addition to your lasagna, but you may prefer the regular cottage cheese with fruit for snacking. Try different combinations and uses of low-fat products until you find the right products for your needs and tastes. You can also train yourself and your family to consume the lower fat items. If you currently drink 2 percent milk and want to reduce your fat intake, try switching to 1 percent milk for a while. After that, you may be able to switch to skim or nonfat milk if you choose. It’s all a matter of what you’re accustomed to.

I can’t stress enough the versatility of yogurt as an excellent, flavorful source of calcium and protein. One cup of yogurt can provide over half the daily requirement for calcium, and because yogurt is from an animal source, it is an excellent low fat source of complete proteins (lacking no amino acids). Yogurt can add extra nutritional bang to sauce, soup, and dip recipes when substituted for mayonnaise or sour cream. Just be careful if you need to heat yogurt, as it can break down when heated too quickly. In addition, yogurt can usually be digested by those who otherwise have a difficult time digesting dairy products.