Milk and dairy products provide essential nutrients like protein, vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin B12 and calcium - one glass of milk (200ml) provides adults with 76% of their recommended daily intake of vitamin B2. You can also get calcium from some plant sources - which are essential for vegans - but your body absorbs calcium easily from dairy products.
Milk and dairy products include cheese, yoghurt, fromage frais and even calcium-enriched soya drinks. Three servings of milk or dairy products each day will help ensure you meet your calcium needs. A serving would be a large glass of milk (approx. 200ml serving), a small pot of yoghurt or a matchbox size piece of hard cheese.
Fat in dairy
Milk and dairy products can contain a lot of fat, some of which is saturated, which can raise cholesterol and is linked to heart disease.
Most cheeses contain a lot of saturated fat, (for example, Brie, Stilton, Cheddar, Lancashire and Double Gloucester contain as much as 23g of saturated fat per 100g). Although they're good sources of other nutrients, the high levels of saturated fat mean it's best to keep an eye on the amount you consume. Try to eat smaller quantities (a matchbox sized piece) or eat it less often.
You could choose reduced fat cheese or use stronger cheeses like mature Cheddar or blue cheese to flavour dishes, which will cut the amount you need. Grating instead of slicing also helps you to less.
Options like extra light soft cheese and cottage cheese are much lower in saturated fats and are a healthy alternative to the full fat versions of these foods. The same goes for light versions of butter spreads and half fat creams.
Cream and butter are high in fat so be careful when using them. Instead of pouring cream onto puddings, try crème fraiche or low fat natural yoghurt. These can sometimes replace cream in cooking as well.
You can cut down on the fat content of milk simply by swapping full fat milk for semi-skimmed, skimmed or 1% fat milk. Lower fat versions contain the same beneficial nutrients such as calcium, protein, minerals and vitamins as full fat milk.
What is 1% fat milk?
Traditionally in the UK, milk labelled as 'whole milk' contains 3.5% fat or more, 'semi-skimmed' between 1.5% and 1.8% and 'skimmed' milk 0.5% fat or less. So, if you want a healthier choice for your cereal but don't like skimmed milk, then 1% might be the milk for you.
Lactose-free alternatives
Lactose is the sugar in milk and some people suffer from lactose allergy or intolerance. These people can't have any, or can only have a small amount of dairy products because of the lactose.
Lactose intolerance sufferers can have alternatives such as calcium-enriched soya drink, rice milk, or lactose-free cheese and yoghurts.
If you are interested in dairy foods and calcium, why not listen to our podcast on 'Lovely Bones'? To listen to this podcast simply click on the link above or visit the 'podcast' section of our website.
